Does anyone use an electric upright bass for Rockabilly/Psychobilly. I plan on ordering a NS Design Wav4 EUB next week and am curious if it would work for this genre. I don't plan to slap. What are your thoughts?
Enjoy the benefits of a premium membership!
Upgrade Account
-
TalkBass has been independent since 1998. Add your voice.
Create a free account to reply to discussions, view embedded media, and browse with fewer display ads.
Join free Log in
Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.
Double Bass EUB for Rockabilly/Psychobilly
- Thread starter Dana R Gregory
- Start date
Any bass can be made to sound good for the music, but there is a very specific aesthetic to rockabilly which the NS might not fit into. I don't know, I used to play everything on an EUB, and I just didn't listen to the commentary of others.
When I had one, I had no problem getting a good sound. It's not going to match a nice high end sound of $3k+ bass but if your other option is a student bass or CCB or if you were going to kill the acousticness anyway then it'll be fine. The one issue I had was if I got aggressive it wobble back and forth since there wasn't a way to stabilize it against my body. I had one of the older Palatino EUBs.
It's going to be interesting getting into RaB or PsyB on any upright without slap. If you work out tasteful slap on an EUB it will be a novelty instead of an obstacle for bands you work with.. Slap is sort of expected, and light slap is even usable in old jazz and bluegrass.
I'd suggest trying to innovate a slap technique on whatever bass you use. It's worth the effort, another skill to add to your toolkit. If I can figure out a suitable slap on my uBass, you should be able to figure out slapping on an EUB.
If it was me, I'd get an EUB I could use synthetic strings on, first, which means the pickup system wouldn't be magnetic. A bridge wing and fingerboard piezo pickup system might be ideal for this.
Then, as long as it has a fingerboard, it can be slapped.
Good luck with whatever direction you choose. I wish you the best.
I'd suggest trying to innovate a slap technique on whatever bass you use. It's worth the effort, another skill to add to your toolkit. If I can figure out a suitable slap on my uBass, you should be able to figure out slapping on an EUB.
If it was me, I'd get an EUB I could use synthetic strings on, first, which means the pickup system wouldn't be magnetic. A bridge wing and fingerboard piezo pickup system might be ideal for this.
Then, as long as it has a fingerboard, it can be slapped.
Good luck with whatever direction you choose. I wish you the best.
I owned a NS Design Wav5 EUB for a short while. It was a nice instrument but in the end I had to let it go.
My main problem with it was the pizz/arco switch on it which I thought altered the sound too much in a way that I didn't find particularly pleasing for anything close to Rockabilly or Psychobilly. As far as I remember, you couldn't put the switch on "neutral" but were forced to use either preset (I may be wrong).
I think some EUB with a slightly bigger body, like the old Ampeg Baby Bass, may be a better option for you.
My main problem with it was the pizz/arco switch on it which I thought altered the sound too much in a way that I didn't find particularly pleasing for anything close to Rockabilly or Psychobilly. As far as I remember, you couldn't put the switch on "neutral" but were forced to use either preset (I may be wrong).
I think some EUB with a slightly bigger body, like the old Ampeg Baby Bass, may be a better option for you.
The NS basses are becoming common in bluegrass circles, but I just can't see one as a good choice for modern rockabilly (and definitely not for psychobilly) where the look is super important.
No slapping in psychobilly? Heresy!!!
No slapping in psychobilly? Heresy!!!
Last edited:
He's in pain. That's a brand new tat on his right arm, still red and covered with lotion... He probably was under the needle for about 8 hours.
Does anyone use an electric upright bass for Rockabilly/Psychobilly. I plan on ordering a NS Design Wav4 EUB next week and am curious if it would work for this genre. I don't plan to slap. What are your thoughts?
Wait, what? You're playing rockabilly/psycho and "don't plan to slap"? What's the point then?
That said - I play cowpunk/sortabilly on an Ramirez Baby Bass and it works pretty well. Zero feedback issues regardless of stage volume, and it's just kitschy enough to keep the aesthetics going.
