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Guitar Scale Acoustic Basses

#281
SBassman said:
Tell us about your D-Walker. I just looked them up. Very nice. Does it come tuned to standard pitch? What kind of strings come stock on it?
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Hey there,
I come in a bit late on this one, but I play a D-walker (Ortega Deep Series Traveller; it might be an earlier model, I got it second hand and I'm unsure if they've changed) and I'm glad to answer any questions I can. I like playing it, but there are definetily some issues:

In my opinion, the D-walker sounds (and on closer inspection looks) much like a cheap guitar, out of the box. I come from playing washtub bass and poly-stringed ukebass; I like the lows low and the bass to fill out the lower end without too much middles and highs.

I really don't like the unplugged sound of the D-walker. Through an amp with all knobs flat it still sounds hollow. I run it through a pre-amp (Headway EDB-1; there is now built-in preamp), with lows turned way up and highs way down. And still, I turn any amp (I play small combos, Laney, Fender Rumble, etc) the same way - lows up, highs down. I'm not very experienced with amps and gear, so this is what I came up with.
Please, do share other ideas, including alternative strings!

Even with pre-amp and amp turned to all lows, I found the sustain of longer tones to sway and sound "un-bassy", and its hard to play with any force. So now I play it with foam under the strings, by the bridge, and I quite like the feel and the "thumpy" sound, though it's a bit limited to have only that sound.
 
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#282
Firstly, there have been a lot of discussions about strings. Don't know what you have on your bass but changing them could help. Myself and several others have gone for the Labella CB40s on their short scale acoustic basses and we seem to like them. I found foam helped with the stock D'Addario phospher bronzes on my Taylor because they were just too bright and scratchy, but don't need it with the CB40s. Re. amplification, my experience is that ABGs sound great at low volume but when turning up to compete with vocals and other instruments the sound just got lost in a lot of low end resonance which just destroyed any tone needed to project the sound. When I tried cutting back the bottom end, it just ended up too thin. I've done 2 things which help - first, I use a soundhole cover which seems to negate some body resonance and vibration being picked up by the bridge transducer. Secondly, I can't afford to spend loads on amps so I have a Fender Rumble 100 V3. I've replaced the original speaker (which I think was partly responsible for the dire amplified sound) with a Fane Sovereign 12 250TC, which is full range with a triple cone, and put a thin open cell acoustic lining in the cab. The result is a nice mellow tone at a decent volume with both thump and solid mid range, which was lacking. Adding treble actually works now as well, rather than ending up amplifying all the scratching artifacts!
 
#284
Thanx, Roger B! I will look into strings and a lid for the hole, right away! Can't find a Labella dealer in Europe, though, so they will cost me some.

tymbrewolf, you refer to Taylor strings. Is that what you had on your D-walker? I'm not sure what mine are, but I took for granted they were "Ortega D-Walker ODW-4 Short Scale Bass Strings".

As far as amps go, I play on different rigs (I get around by bike or public transport, with a minimum to carry), so I need to do the most with instrument and pre-amp.
At home I have Yamaha THR10, which is really forgiving - it filters out the "scratching artefacts" and leaves a clean mellow thump. Then it's not very powerful and doesn't do the lowest lows justice, but I do recommend it for practicing and jamming in smaller settings!
 
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#285
Plunker, I found the d walker above average and worth what I paid for it. It has a high quality albeit simple active pickup. Much less extraneous noise than lots of other peizos. I did not like the stock strings. However, it wasn't until going to dadarrio strings did I start polishing them. I traded for shorter scale size not because of any other reason.
 
#286
tymbrewolf, I agree that the D-walker is well worth the price and that the pickup is good! I also like how it feels and that it's quite sturdy - the binding and glossy coating makes it seem indestructible (well, compared to the natural mahogany ukebass I also play, anyway). By discussing this with you, here in the forum, I feel ever more convinced that the thin/hollow sound mainly results from the inferior stock strings, and that Labella CB40s is the way to go. Thanks guys!

One last thing, on this subject: Can I expect the Labellas to fit smoothly on the D-walker? I haven't looked into dimensions and string-ends.
 
#287
Very happy to see people getting mileage out of the CB40s. While I bailed after a failure, I had plenty of success with them, too. And I really loved how they sounded and felt. They are far superior to the stock phosphor bronze, in my opinion. If they'd only size a set specifically for these types of basses ...
 
#289
String alternative found:

I have a working string alternative: with an asterisk -

I am now successfully using Ernie Ball Silhouette bass strings on my 26" scale solid body bass. They can be cut to size successfully, they sound very good, and feel great.

I haven't put these on my Ibanez Parlor yet, and I won't get to that for a while, but one of my may want to try on your acoustic. I think it will work out.
 
#290
SBassman said:
String alternative found:

I have a working string alternative: with an asterisk -

I am now successfully using Ernie Ball Silhouette bass strings on my 26" scale solid body bass. They can be cut to size successfully, they sound very good, and feel great.

I haven't put these on my Ibanez Parlor yet, and I won't get to that for a while, but one of my may want to try on your acoustic. I think it will work out.
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Is there a specific model number for the strings?
 
#293
Hey guys, I need some advice/recommendations regarding strings. If this topic has been hashed over before maybe you can send me a link.

I have a Jasmine (Takamine) Acoustic-Guitar Bass that has been living a fretless life. At the moment I have D'Addario HalfWounds but would like to switch to some flats. I would like the closest to double bass feel and sound as I can get.

Your suggestions are much appreciated.
 
#294
GrapeBass said:
Hey guys, I need some advice/recommendations regarding strings. If this topic has been hashed over before maybe you can send me a link.

I have a Jasmine (Takamine) Acoustic-Guitar Bass that has been living a fretless life. At the moment I have D'Addario HalfWounds but would like to switch to some flats. I would like the closest to double bass feel and sound as I can get.

Your suggestions are much appreciated.
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Maybe look into La Bella Black Tapewounds.

[Invalid or Expired Link Removed]
 
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#295
SBassman said:
Maybe look into La Bella Black Tapewounds.

[Invalid or Expired Link Removed]
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After hearing lots of good stuff about La Bella’s I bought the 750N (light gauge). I’m impressed, at least at home. Thursday evening I’ll be practicing with a trio (jazzy & bluesy, very raw) for a lil’gig at an art gallery Nov 30th.
 
#297
I'm thinking about modding my Ortega D-walker for poly-strings (Pahoehoe Black Std Set 22.5" to 24" scale, I figure).
Is that even possible?
What would be most problematic, if it can be done?
I'm most greatful for any pointers on this!

(And, yes, I am aware that by transferring to poly, I'm also warping over to the "Sub-Short Scale Talk"-thread, here in the forum. But, since I'm still copper wound, this is where I'll start :) )

* I figure I would have to widen the gaps by the neck.
* It shouldn't be impossible to wind the thicker strings on the existing tuners. I hope.
* The D-walker comes with ball-end strings, fastened with plastic pegs, so the holes by the bridge should be sufficient (too big?).

Here are some specs on the D-walker strings:
- Silver Plated Copper Wound on Nylon Silk,
- .043'' .059'' .071'' .080'' Gauges
 
#298
Plunker, I couldn’t find a UK dealer who could supply the CB40s so I got them online from Strings By Mail in the US. With standard shipping they arrived in a few days and cost just over £20 all in. That’s around half the price of the D’Addario phosphors in the UK for strings that in my opinion (and many others) are far superior, especially when amplified. They fit on my GS Mini perfectly, despite Taylor’s dire warnings, so it’s win win for me.
 
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#299
Plunker, I was so desperate I was thinking the same as you and almost ordered a set of Pahoehoes. I have them on my Ashbory so started experimenting a bit. You’d definitely have to mod/replace the top nut. I thought I could probably shim a bit off the 3rd and 4th to get them into the tuner post. I got as far as tying a knot on the end and feeding them up through the body to the bridge but there was a lot of slip from both ends. I got the 1st & 2nd stable enough to tune them but to be honest, they sounded the same as a cheap U bass, which defeats the object of a longer scale ABG. Try the CB40s first.
 
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#300
Roger B, thanks! I was hoping for some prior experience and I'm so greatful you share yours! I just really want to hear what it would sound like, through an amp. But you're probably right.

(The irony is that I have an Ortega Lizzy and an Ortega D-walker, and now they've combined the two, in "PM-Shaman". Which, of course, gave me the idea of doing the same, kind of.)
 

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