Double Bass How would you describe that sound... and which EUBs would get close?

[choicesmade]

Hi everyone,

I just joined today after being a (slient) reader for a while! I've been playing the electric bass for a long time, and I think I'm finally getting the double bass bug Now I know... I should get a real DB, but space and neighbours probably mean starting with an EUB for now. I've tried reading as much as I can on the forum, but I still can't quite figure out what to look for / what keywords best describe the different sounds you can get.

For example, I've heard Baby Basses come close to an amplified acoustic DB, but they seem to focus mostly on punchy & round lows. They sound great, but the sound I'm after is closer to this, with more mids and a well defined attack (but not to the point of sounding distorted or "buzzy").


or


How would you describe that sound? Are there specific things to look for (magnetic, piezzo, certain woods...) when looking for EUBs to try out? Does a lot of it also come down the the EQ?

Any extra pointers would be awesome.
Cheers, see you around the forum!

 

[SteveC]

I had an Azola Bug Bass that I thought came the closest. I also had a Rob Allen Mouse (30" scale with tape wound strings) that sounded REALLY good.

 

[choicesmade]

Thanks Steve, I'll look them up - and hopefully can try them out sometime.

 

[jthisdell]

I have had an NS Design NXT 4 for about a year. Pretty easy to transition to it from BG (fret markers help) and like you I wanted something easier to transport and store than a full DB. But has taken some work for a good sound. Different strings helped but an important piece for any of the EUB's is the preamp. If it has a piezo pickup and passive electronics you will need a preamp with a super high 10 meg ohm input. Notice I did not say a "good" preamp, instead, one suited for using with a piezo. I have a Radial but there are other alternatives such as the fdeck. So yeah, eq is important if not critical. And part of it is using your ears and your head to get the right place. For instance, you can't run a scooped sound like you would for a vintage bg sound. Well, you can, but it does not work very well.

Good luck.

 

[SteveC]

Thanks Steve, I'll look them up - and hopefully can try them out sometime.

Well, they don't make Azola any more but you can find them used on occasion. The Rob Allen is a completely different animal but a very good animal.

 

[ArtechnikA]

I got a NXT-5 a couple of months ago and just last night felt comfortable enough with it to play it in an informal jam/rehearsal with my bluegrass buddies.
Sounded good even though my technique still needs work (which I expect to be a lifelong process...).
I'm using D'Addario Traditionals strings - I found the Contemporaries (standard) too bright and while it could cop a convincing fretless EBG vibe, I already have a fretless EBG...
Even with the Traditionals, I thought there was way too much sustain, which of course is the opposite complaint you hear on the BG side...
It was better with a lot of attention to left-hand muting, but I think I'm going to be experimenting a lot with bridge foam.
Oh - I agree with the guys who say the 'arco' switch setting is far preferable to the 'pizz'.

 

[choicesmade]

Thanks a lot for all that info! And congrats on your new EUBs.

You both sound happy with the NXT, after tweaking to get the right sound. I'll definitely have a closer look at preamps & types of strings. In a lot of NXT demos I found, people seem to leave them setup quite bright, closer to a BG sound with some fretless "mwah". Hopefully the Traditionals and some good EQing help dampen that. Do you have any recordings of the tone that you achieved?

EDIT: I just saw the NS megathread, I'll start reading through it to find sound clips! Cheers