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Double Bass Ergo megathread part II

#544
Oneirogenic said:
. . . Others have installed bass guitar bridges on the back of the instrument to fix the string length issue. The knots worked great for me, not the prettiest or most elegant solution but it works. I also had to trim the strings a bit.
Click to expand...

I haven't seen any photos or specific posts about adding a bridge, just I may have missed them. It sounds like a viable solution - much like the back of the NS basses. However, you would only pick up about 3" based on the output jack location.

While I like elegant solutions, I also know that the knot may be the best answer.
 
#545
Actually, I found this photo from a post earlier this year.
 

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#546
i bought my Ergo 6 string last summer, have loved playing it, been making tweaks and improvements over the months...
-first had to replace the stand (the original connecting piece on the bass cracked), easily fixed with a new heavy duty tom stand, my drummer hooked me up with a tom stand that tilts as well as the tilting gooseneck, so i can really position it in space the way i want.
-the tone was a bit rough at first when i was running it straight into my old electric bass rig, but i broke out my old fishman bass blender pre-amp, and bought a new GK 12" combo amp, tones much better.
- i raised the bridge by shimming up with pieces of sheet copper
- finally, i missed having the body of the bass to position my self relative to the bass, and came up with plan to build a removable face/body, and it done, I love it! check it out:
 

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#548
Jesse and I have been emailing each other about the string issue, and here are some of his comments (he said it would be fine to post these).

"I generally recommend Corelli 1/2 sizes over standards, as though the Ergo is a 3/4 size bass, I'm sure you're aware that the space between the ball ends, and the bridge is much shorter, so 1/2 sizes tend to work better. . . .
I do modify the lowest strings when I send the basses out by soldering the outer winding at a point between the nut and tuner, and removing the outer winding(s) as a preventative measure against breakage; I plan to put a video up showing the process very soon...
Regarding information on string gauges, my extensive research has shown that viol family strings simply don't tend to publish this info- It's important to note that viol instruments have never been 'standardized' in the same way that bass guitars have, as they were a product of each region of Europe for hundreds of years with relatively little interplay between builders (i.e; German basses tend to be bigger, and more densely constructed than French basses where tastes have been such that a lighter, more 'lyrical' sound is desired for the music played... The German stuff is designed to be as big, and loud as possible to keep up with all of that Wagnerian opera)... Remember also that measurements were never standardized, as they literally called a 'foot' the length of the king's foot, so when there was a new king, there would be a new measurement for 'foot'... That's why a 3/4 size bass can range from a 40-1/2" scale up to 43", and so on... This translates to information on string gauges being read as 'Weich', and other esoteric terms..."
 
#549
bgoods said:
i bought my Ergo 6 string last summer, have loved playing it, been making tweaks and improvements over the months...
-first had to replace the stand (the original connecting piece on the bass cracked), easily fixed with a new heavy duty tom stand, my drummer hooked me up with a tom stand that tilts as well as the tilting gooseneck, so i can really position it in space the way i want.
-the tone was a bit rough at first when i was running it straight into my old electric bass rig, but i broke out my old fishman bass blender pre-amp, and bought a new GK 12" combo amp, tones much better.
- i raised the bridge by shimming up with pieces of sheet copper
- finally, i missed having the body of the bass to position my self relative to the bass, and came up with plan to build a removable face/body, and it done, I love it! check it out:
Click to expand...
That is seriously cool! Nice job.
 
#550
Just wanted to chime in and say that I ordered an ergo about three weeks ago, a four string walnut. After extensive research looking for a formidable eub, talk bass, as always, aimed me in the right direction.

I play upright for an American roots 50s style rockabilly band and am looking to slap on this. I am aiming towards innovation supersilvers or silver slaps. Haven't made up my mind quite yet. I also play some jazz so looking for nice strings to handle both slap and pizz, but rockabilly (not psychobilly) is my paid/main gig... For now. Anyone have success slapping on an ergo? If so what kind of strings do u use?
 
#551
After weeks of comparison and consideration, I've decided to have my Ergo altered to allow me to use standard strings without major alteration - maybe trimming the peg ends. Essentially I am going to install a tail piece on the back and have the strings feed over the tail with a curved piece of maple. I am also having the jack relocated to the side so the strings will flow smoothly. I'll post photos and my thoughts once the work is done. But dang, I miss it already.
 
#552
I now have a couple tracks recorded for our website using my Ergo playing Arco. They are just rehearsal recordings, but not too bad. The playing is pretty rough because I've only been back to playing Arco for a couple months after 15 years hiatus. Ergo is run direct to a Tascam US-1800 with minor EQ, reverb, and delay added via VST plugins.

http://www.reverbnation.com/kerosenetree/song/20990605-stephanie
 
#554
bgoods said:
i bought my Ergo 6 string last summer, have loved playing it, been making tweaks and improvements over the months...
-first had to replace the stand (the original connecting piece on the bass cracked), easily fixed with a new heavy duty tom stand, my drummer hooked me up with a tom stand that tilts as well as the tilting gooseneck, so i can really position it in space the way i want.
-the tone was a bit rough at first when i was running it straight into my old electric bass rig, but i broke out my old fishman bass blender pre-amp, and bought a new GK 12" combo amp, tones much better.
- i raised the bridge by shimming up with pieces of sheet copper
- finally, i missed having the body of the bass to position my self relative to the bass, and came up with plan to build a removable face/body, and it done, I love it! check it out:
Click to expand...
It's just a top? More pics please! Neat.
 
#557
I just emailed Jesse, but figured I would crowd source my issue as well.

I've been having a problem where the bridge needs to be absolutely perfectly aligned with the piezo sensors otherwise one of the strings will be completely dead when amplified. If I bump the bridge a little with my leg, it might misalign it. Have any of you encountered this issue? If so, how did you fix it? Other than this, I'm absolutely loving my Ergo, so I need to come up with a good solution.
 

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