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Gold Tone MicroBass Talk

#902
selowitch said:
Why is the dude commenting on how "loud" the strings are? He's plugged into an amp that presumably features a volume control.
I'd be much more interested in knowing how loud the bass is acoustically.
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That's exactly what he does before he comments on loudness: he lowers the volume control to zero. Text appears onscreen signalling when that unamped section of the video starts and ends.
 
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#904
I wish mini acoustic bass makers would stop concentrating on and trying to market volume. It's an irrelevant consideration. As long as it's loud enough to be heard alone then it's loud enough. And how about properly recording audio? The sound quality in that video is horrific. I like the gold tone bass but I don't understand their strategies for putting it out there.
 
#905
Now I see that when the text "* Plugged into Amp" goes away, that means he's turned the volume down to zero. I missed that detail the first time I listened to the video. The bass does sound reasonably loud acoustically, although to my mind the fella is playing rather hard, harder than I would typically play.

My personal metric is whether an ABG could be heard when played around a campfire with two other instruments (e.g., a guitar and a banjo). In any case, I think I would prefer the LaBella strings to polymer strings if I owned this bass.
 
#906
Gorn said:
I wish mini acoustic bass makers would stop concentrating on and trying to market volume. It's an irrelevant consideration. As long as it's loud enough to be heard alone then it's loud enough. And how about properly recording audio? The sound quality in that video is horrific. I like the gold tone bass but I don't understand their strategies for putting it out there.
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I agree that the tone in the video is not very good. I do think their market research probably suggests that volume is a big concern among potential buyers who are interested in playing/performing without an amp but with other musicians. With apologies to Jaco Pastorius, the bass is not primarily a solo instrument.
 
#907
Do they really think their product can compete unamplified with the volume of almost any other instrument? No acoustic bass guitar can except for rare novelties like the earthwoom. This bass and basses like it exist for portability and unique tone. That's it. That should be their focus.
 
#908
Gorn said:
Do they really think their product can compete unamplified with the volume of almost any other instrument? No acoustic bass guitar can except for rare novelties like the earthwoom. This bass and basses like it exist for portability and unique tone. That's it. That should be their focus.
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I agree; however, it would be nice to be able to leave one's amp at home when attending an outdoor jam, though of course I can always bring my Phil Jones Double Four BG-75 and run it off a laptop battery.
 
#909
selowitch said:
My personal metric is whether an ABG could be heard when played around a campfire with two other instruments (e.g., a guitar and a banjo). In any case, I think I would prefer the LaBella strings to polymer strings if I owned this bass.
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selowitch said:
I agree; however, it would be nice to be able to leave one's amp at home when attending an outdoor jam, though of course I can always bring my Phil Jones Double Four BG-75 and run it off a laptop battery.
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Since larger solutions (an upright, an old Earthwood-class fatso, even a conventional ABG) seem to be out of the question in your case, the only acoustic micro appearing to be designed for remotely decent acoustic volume is the Aquila Invalid Link Removed. It's about as big as a classical guitar, and like those it has a very thin top. Comes with their ThunderReds. 23.6-inch scale for the "12" (frets clear of the body) versions, 26.4" for the "14" models. I'd expect it to sound even louder with Pyramids or Silverbacks on (the 14s would probably be too long for these).
A cheaper alternative would be to convert a classical guitar, and slap a Silverback set on it. I'll spare you the math, but extrapolating from the similar Pyramid set and taking into account the larger gauges of the La Bella A and E, I'm fairly confident the total tension of a bass uke set would not exceed that of an extra-hard classical guitar one by too much, IOW the neck should take it. If you took that road, the bridge would need reworking to accept ball-end anchoring, and the strings themselves may not be long enough if the "25 inches" is to be taken literally, in which case a 7/8 classical (24+ inch scale) would be needed. On the plus side, it would have a less monstre nut width (48mm vs. 50 or more).
 
#910
HaphAsSard said:
Since larger solutions (an upright, an old Earthwood-class fatso, even a conventional ABG) seem to be out of the question in your case, the only acoustic micro appearing to be designed for remotely decent acoustic volume is the Aquila Invalid Link Removed. It's about as big as a classical guitar, and like those it has a very thin top. Comes with their ThunderReds. 23.6-inch scale for the "12" (frets clear of the body) versions, 26.4" for the "14" models. I'd expect it to sound even louder with Pyramids or Silverbacks on (the 14s would probably be too long for these).
A cheaper alternative would be to convert a classical guitar, and slap a Silverback set on it. I'll spare you the math, but extrapolating from the similar Pyramid set and taking into account the larger gauges of the La Bella A and E, I'm fairly confident the total tension of a bass uke set would not exceed that of an extra-hard classical guitar one by too much, IOW the neck should take it. If you took that road, the bridge would need reworking to accept ball-end anchoring, and the strings themselves may not be long enough if the "25 inches" is to be taken literally, in which case a 7/8 classical (24+ inch scale) would be needed. On the plus side, it would have a less monstre nut width (48mm vs. 50 or more).
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But what's wrong with the GoldTone MicroBass 25 fretless? It seems like it would fit the bill and at $450, its cost is reasonable. That, and I like the GT company and find the quality of their offerings to be high.
 
#911
selowitch said:
But what's wrong with the GoldTone MicroBass 25 fretless? It seems like it would fit the bill and at $450, its cost is reasonable. That, and I like the GT company and find the quality of their offerings to be high.
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Absolutely nothing. I just think it's probably not the right tool for the job if unplugged volume with a small ensemble and intimate settings is one's goal: a bigger instrument with (presumably) a thinner top stands a better chance, that's all.
Or, you can accept you need to bring your portable amp and call it a day. :)
 
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#915
selowitch said:
I *hate* websites that hide the prices of things, making it impossible to know if I'm genuinely interested in the product or not.
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Agreed, it peeves me off too.
selowitch said:
But if I'm going to be bringing an amp anyway, why not bring my Traveler TB-4P instead, which is a solidbody 32" headless bass that fits in a small gigbag?
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If you don't have aesthetic restrictions - acoustic(-looking) instruments only - why not? Unless you prefer letting your approach be shaped by an acoustic instrument. Or if you prefer a piezo sound. Strings like the Silverbacks may sound more similar to a conventional electric compared to synthetic ones, but their tone is not exactly the same as steel-core rounds through a mag pickup.
 
#916
I'm late to the party on this. I bought a MB-25 last week. I'm planning on playing it, at least for a set, with a 20 piece jazz big band on NYE. I've been shedding a lot with it to get used to the shorter scale. The only gripe I'm having is getting these strings to stay in tune. I'm obviously still in the stretching phase. I'm curious to find out how the strings are going to react to me sweating on the band stand after an hour or two. I will have a rehearsal tonight. So we will see how the bass sits in the mix with the band. Thank you all for commenting on your experiences with the basses and the strings. It helped me make my choice to go this route. I will let you know what I find out although I'm not sure I will come up with anything different than the rest of you have.
 
#917
Tim Grant said:
I'm late to the party on this. I bought a MB-25 last week. I'm planning on playing it, at least for a set, with a 20 piece jazz big band on NYE. I've been shedding a lot with it to get used to the shorter scale. The only gripe I'm having is getting these strings to stay in tune. I'm obviously still in the stretching phase. I'm curious to find out how the strings are going to react to me sweating on the band stand after an hour or two. I will have a rehearsal tonight. So we will see how the bass sits in the mix with the band. Thank you all for commenting on your experiences with the basses and the strings. It helped me make my choice to go this route. I will let you know what I find out although I'm not sure I will come up with anything different than the rest of you have.
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Don't be afraid to stretch them, although if you're using the thunderguts then be careful that they don't sausage. If you have pahoehoes on there, stretch them farther than you think they should (like shooting a bow and arrow - they'll take it). Other than that, just check your tuning now and again. For the next two days though focus on stretching them a lot. I would sometimes tune my ubass up a half step or while step and leave it overnight, and in the morning it would be closer to standard tuning.

Get a billiards talc bag (or some powder if you can't find the billiards bag locally and Amazon can't get it to you on time) as well, that will help if you're sweating and it gets sticky. The billiards bag makes less of a mess but powder works the same.

Have fun, record the show if you can!
 
#920
Get a billiards talc bag (or some powder if you can't find the billiards bag locally and Amazon can't get it to you on time) as well, that will help if you're sweating and it gets sticky. The billiards bag makes less of a mess but powder works the same.
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Good advice. I'll look for one tomorrow.

Rehearsal went well. No one said anything but, I thought it sounded good in the mix. I'm still getting used to that scale though. ;)
 

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