Double Bass Ergo Megathread part I

[*fenderbass*]

Fenderbass- I've looked for the NK-164 case on eBay today, and no hits on the search. Did you buy yours from an online store, or was it used, from an individual? I've found an online store called Bow Hunters' Superstore that carries Neet, but the owner, Mark, says they don't have a 64" recurve bag, just a 61" and a 70". More details on getting this bag through eBay, please?

I bought it from an Ebay store called Bowhunter's Superstore:

http://stores.ebay.com/Bowhunters-Superstore

Here's the case:

http://cgi.ebay.com/Neet-Archery-Ci...QtcZphotoQQcmdZViewItem?hash=item320022032451

 

[Michael Vee]

Here's Jesse's response on my email inquiry. I'd mentioned the Neet 61" and 70", and that BH Superstore does not have the 64" case.

"Well, the basses are 54" long, so the 61" is probably the one we're looking at.. I know mine has a few available inches on the end..The online source I used to recommend to folks is out of business now, but you should be able to find it locally."

There is this case on eBay from BHS, but the listing does not show the length. I've contacted the BHS person to ask what length it is. I'm guessing it's a 61". If so, I'm getting this one.

 

[jrduer]

I bought a Plano AirLiner (#4588) fishing rod case. I put 4" of foam rubber in each end, because the case is expandable, and the foam allowed me to adjust the length so that there wasn't too much (or too little) pressure on the bass from the ends.

Then, I got one of those 5/8" thick closed-cell foam camping mats (the things you roll out on the ground under a sleeping bag), and cut a piece that fit inside the case. It holds the bass very snugly, even though it doesn't run the entire length of either the case or the bass. (I cut it so that there is a gap -- a channel, so-to-speak -- that allows the stand piece to travel along the case wall without tearing up the foam. And I had to remove the bolt/wingnut assembly, so I'll have to start putting that on the head of the stand, so I don't lose or forget it.)

Now, I'm trying to decide if I should glue the 5/8" foam to the inside of the case. It tends to pull out when the bass is removed, and it likes to slide in farther when the bass is inserted. But it's no real problem to hold the foam in place while inserting/removing the instrument.

~John

 

[saxnbass]

I was going to make a plywood case for it myself. 2 compartments, 1 for bass and 1 for stand and bow case. If I do it, I'll post pics of it.

 

[ehque]

some help for the singaporeans who are thinking of buying a ergo -

no matter how you ship it, its going to be expensive. haha.

i learnt that the hard way, used my own shipper and saved a grand total of 5USD over jesse's shipper. and i had to pay tax on the thing, so it came to quite a hefty sum i DID NOT FACTOR IN.

i suppose shipping/strings/bow+shipping/case+shipping is not a ignorable component when buying a DB, especially when living in a far of country.

i envy you americans, if only for this one thing.

 

[ehque]

ok the ergo is here. its my first foray into a upright of any kind, so the review wont be much use.

i cant find the tone knob mentioned on the website "A single tone control with a mute switch is offered on these instruments, adhering to the simplicity of the design principles."

also, the shipping gnomes/gremlins ate my rosin (rosin came free with a bow that jesse helped me ship together). i cant find it in the shipping box. this is particularly irritating as there are few string shops in this country. im not sure how much that rosin will cost me, but i doubt it'll be much.

i also cant bow a proper sound without my rosin. the black hair helps, but the sound is thin and i need to get it "just right" otherwise it sounds like a squealing pig.

not sure if its the rosin, or the fact that i havent gotten a preamp to use with this beast.

construction on the ergo itself looks fine, if not for rough edges here and there, and visible glue drops here and there as well.

 

[Showdown]

The tone knob is right by the jack on mine. It has a chickenhead knob. You pull it up for the mute switch. There is no volume.

 

[ehque]

i believe he left it out (?) i know a knob when i see one, and a chicken head one is unmissable.

 

[damonsmith]

i believe he left it out (?) i know a knob when i see one, and a chicken head one is unmissable.

My 6 has no knob.

 

[jrduer]

My 4 has no knob, either.

~John

 

[butchonbass]

I added a volume control to my 5'er. I put a 250K pot in a plastic project box and attached it to the stand with velcro. No more feedback between songs.. And yes, I will make you one, email me if interested.
Anyone else notice that the position markers are mostly a bit on the sharp side? Being that I just got back into upright playing, I need them. Not that you could see them playing live anyway. For a quick fix, I cut out some pieces of black Dymo tape with a hole punch and put them at fret positions 3, 5, and 7. They are large and easy to see. I played my first ever four hour gig with just the Ergo last night. Love it!

 

[Wolfehollow]

He doesnt put knobs anymore... my newest ergo upright has no knob... My school has one with a tone and one with a volume... we never use them, so I figure thats why it is not there anymore.

 

[EggyToast]

Yeah, I have a tone knob on mine but I just set it to the middle and leave it alone. I got mine about a year ago.

My markers seem to be right on, if not a little flat. My teacher's acoustic is a 7/8 and he seems to play a little past the markers when I watch him show me stuff, so I don't know if he's just used to playing a larger bass or if my markers are just a touch flat. They don't really seem to affect my tonality while playing so I don't worry about 'em too much

 

[damonsmith]

I added a volume control to my 5'er. I put a 250K pot in a plastic project box and attached it to the stand with velcro. No more feedback between songs.. And yes, I will make you one, email me if interested.
Anyone else notice that the position markers are mostly a bit on the sharp side? Being that I just got back into upright playing, I need them. Not that you could see them playing live anyway. For a quick fix, I cut out some pieces of black Dymo tape with a hole punch and put them at fret positions 3, 5, and 7. They are large and easy to see. I played my first ever four hour gig with just the Ergo last night. Love it!

- I just use a volume pedal, although have not experienced feedback troubles.

 

[Michael Vee]

So.. I've got the piezo film pickup from Experimental Musical Instruments (Windworld). I just need to trim the excess width off the film, solder on some shielded cable, tape the leads, and wrap the whole thing in copper film. Place it, and then solder on a jack, which will be tape wrapped and then copper shielded. I'll get this done this week and report back here. Now that I've mentioned it in the thread, I can't procrastinate! You guys bust me on it if need be..

Okay, no one busted me on it and I procrastinated..

I did try the EMI piezo strip today. No output! The wiring was correct, and it made sounds when I touched the film, but when I put everything together and put the bridge in place, nada. I tried several things and nothing worked.

So, I went back to Jesse's original funky little hand-cut looking piezos with foam rubber backing- that came with the bass. My bass had the push/pull volume control with the mute switch. I took the control out and wired the piezos directly to a standard 1/4 jack. The control cavity is now shielded with copper foil, as is the back of the control plate.

It works again! The hum is reduced over what it was, but it's still there. I'll probably have to wrap the piezo leads in copper tape also, but it's okay for now.

It's good to have the bass playable again. My goal is to use it in an upcoming musical. However, in reading through the first couple of tunes in the score, it's gonna be a lot of work to get the upright positioning down.

I will work on it and see if I can pull it off. If not, my trusty Warmoth fretless is waiting in the wings.

 

[Michael Vee]

Also, while I have my soldering chops back up, I may go out and get a box of Altoids and create one of the piezo preamp boxes. I had bought a piezo preamp circuit from Walter Harley back this winter. It'd be perfect for the Altoid box, with a couple of jacks wired in.

Or I may just not worry about it and use my Raven Labs MDB-1 for the piezo buffer/mute circuit. Tinkerer that I am, I'll surely try both!

 

[jobriant]

I'd mentioned the Neet 61" and 70", and that BH Superstore does not have the 64" case.

Well, the basses are 54" long, so the 61" is probably the one we're looking at.. I know mine has a few available inches on the end.

I received my Ergo 5-string a couple of weeks ago. I had Jesse make the fifth string a C (above the G string) rather than a low B. Even as little acoustic 4-string bass as I've played over the years, that fifth string sure takes some getting used to!

Based on the recommendations posted here, I also bought one of the 61" archer's bow bags from Bowhunter Superstore on eBay. It's the model called "Navajo," I think. If I leave part of the stand attached to the bass, then the bag is about 3-4 inches too short. I think I'll cut off the stand tube rather than have to remove the stand from the bass every time I pack it away. I plan to buy a rubber tip, like those used on canes or crutches, to keep the end of the stand tube from scratching the back of the bass or abrading the inside of the case.

Any other thoughts or suggestions on these issues are certainly welcome!

Jim O'Briant
Tuba & Bass
Gilroy, CA

 

[Michael Vee]

Based on the recommendations posted here, I also bought one of the 61" archer's bow bags from Bowhunter Superstore on eBay. It's the model called Navajo

I just bought one of those today, also.

 

[Michael Vee]

I went back to Jesse's original funky little hand-cut looking piezos with foam rubber backing- that came with the bass.

The problem was, I didn't remember whether the piezo strips face down (foam backing between piezo and bridge feet) or up (piezos directly under bridge feet). I'm pretty sure the piezos are supposed to be facing up, right under the bridge feet. Can someone check theirs and confirm this? Mine is playing, but it's very sensitive to the bridge position.

 

[speedster]

Hey Michael the foam goes under the piezo's the bridge sits directly on top of the brass. I had the best luck with the ceramic coating placed down contacting the foam.

You can mess around with peizo's for next to nothing (radioshack) and cut them to size using good scissors. Just attach the hot wire to the ceramic and the other to brass using solder.

I messed around a lot with several different peizo's and they all gave different responses. Look at the output frequencies on the buzzers prior to purchasing.

Best luck I had was using the cheap acoustic peizo stick on tuning pickup for guitars. Tore it apart carefully and cut the brass peizo in half then put the two pieces in the same as originally installed then added more foam.

Never did have a humming issue, sounds like grounding problem...

PS - Jesse can send you and will !!! send you new peizo's free of charge...... You can get them slightly bigger smaller or alot larger and cut them down yourself.

Just have to have a steady hand for soldering and ensure you don't over heat them while attaching the wire.

Incidently you can use the wire that comes with the acoustic tuning pickup as it is shielded if you go that route.

Good luck ....... and I didn't have any luck with the flex strips either