General tips for DB-ish sounds from ABG please?

[KohanMike]

A UBass with flat wound strings will get you pretty close if you plug it in.

That's exactly what I do, a RondoMusic Hadean 21" scale violin/Hofner hollow body bass uke that I have modified by Eric's Guitar and Pat Wilkins to look like a double bass, with Kala/Galli nylon core flatwounds and a Phil Jones Double Four amp. When I play walking bass lines on a few of our songs, I think it sounds pretty good.

 

[Eilif]

My experience is that there is too much sustain on an ABG, you have to fight it constantly

That's why a mute is a very good idea. There's some pretty good pics on this thread regarding size and placement. The mute will also take care of a bit of the trebly-ness of an ABG.

There's too much sustain in a regular electric bass as well, but a mute takes care of it also.

I know they would be okay with me using electric but since everyone is using traditional acoustic instruments I prefer to keep the vibe.

There is alot of wisdom.

It's a wise player who takes the appearance of themselves and their instrument into account when performing. I played alot of "acoustic" gigs back in the day with a 60's MIJ viola bass. Of course it's not acoustic, but it could nail an upright tone (microphonic pickups and a fully hollowbody helps...) and it looked much more appropriate in an acoustic ensemble than a solid-body bass.

Now (if not playing an upright) for acoustic gigs I use a Wendler Electrocousic. It's a solid body, but as a fretless with a wood bridge, carved top and a warm matte sunburst finish, it has a good aesthetic for these sort of gigs.

And of course I make a strong effort to dress for the stage/gig.

 

[GretschWretch]

They are completely different instruments. It is a fool’s errand. Would anyone consider trying to get a DB to sound like an ABG? I think not.

Then again, someone might. Post #58 in this thread.

https://www.talkbass.com/threads/upright-bass-bass-guitar-hybrid

 

[Maxra]

A few ideas…

1. Try plucking over the end of the neck rather than over the body...

5. .... Pick only the best notes to play. Let them bloom...

Thanks - I love that line 'Pick only the best notes to play', I should have that written on the bass where I can see it

Notes blooming - I have a Crafter acoustic fretless, and I'm pretty sure some notes on that 'bloom' as part of the mwaah thing, great. Also, the Alien bass has the soundhole in the upper bout rather than one the end of the fingerboard, which helps you pluck over the end of the fingerboard. Trouble is, that one's got frets - hmm.

 

[40Hz]

They are completely different instruments. It is a fool’s errand. Would anyone consider trying to get a DB to sound like an ABG? I think not.

That’s a cute comment. But the logic behind it really doesn’t hold water if you think about it for more than a half minute.

1. I think it’s obvious to everyone here that they are two completely different instruments as far as their timbre is concerned.

2. Experimenting in an attempt to expand your tonal palette, or to see what else your instrument can also do, is never a “fools errand.”

3. What some imaginary double bass player would or would not do has zero relevance to the question the OP asked. I mean seriously, why should anyone care if a DB player wouldn’t ever try sounding more like an ABG? What is that even supposed mean?

And FWIW, Dave Brubeck’s son Chris gets a remarkably DB-ish sound out of his fretless Ric when he’s not playing DB or trombone. And a Ric is about as far away from a DB as it gets as far as the respective core sounds of those two basses are concerned. So go figure.

The OP also said he was looking for a DB-ish sound. Neither he nor anyone else who offered a more helpful comment suffers from any delusions that an ABG will ever sound exactly like a double bass. But an ABG can quite successfully hint at a double bass sort of vibe and feel. And that’s all the OP is looking to accomplish.

 

[2saddleslab]

The closest I've come [in the studio] to the tone of an old doghouse is my Gretsch 6072RI w/ TI flats played at the end of the neck. Sounded pretty dang convincing.

 

[jd56hawk]

That’s a cute comment. But the logic behind it really doesn’t hold water if you think about it for more than a half minute.

1. I think it’s obvious to everyone here that they are two completely different instruments as far as their timbre is concerned.

2. Experimenting in an attempt to expand your tonal palette, or to see what else your instrument can also do, is never a “fools errand.”

3. What some imaginary double bass player would or would not do has zero relevance to the question the OP asked. I mean seriously, why should anyone care if a DB player wouldn’t ever try sounding more like an ABG? What is that even supposed mean?

And FWIW, Dave Brubeck’s son Chris gets a remarkably DB-ish sound out of his fretless Ric when he’s not playing DB or trombone. And a Ric is about as far away from a DB as it gets as far as their respective core sounds of those two basses is concerned. So go figure.

The OP also said he was looking for a DB-ish sound. Neither he nor anyone else who offered a more helpful comment suffers from any delusions that an ABG will ever sound exactly like a double bass. But an ABG can quite successfully hint at a double bass sort of vibe and feel. And that’s all the OP is looking to accomplish.

Thanks.
Nothing more needs to be said...but you can bet it will every time someone asks for some help.

 

[GretschWretch]

Then again, someone might. Post #58 in this thread.

https://www.talkbass.com/threads/upright-bass-bass-guitar-hybrid

This is a do-over; @HaphAsSard tipped me to the failure of my post url to load. Huge thanks. Try this.

https://www.talkbass.com/threads/upright-bass-bass-guitar-hybrid.1594665/page-3#post-27971489