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Making your electric sound "like" an upright

L

LeoSash

Feb 13, 2012
102
0
#1
So i'm trying to my mod my 4 string to sound more like an upright (not completely like an upright, i know thats pretty much impossible.) What i've done so far is:

1. Got nylon tapewound strings over roundwound ( i may use flats in the future but i don't know yet)
2. I put foam under my strings near the bridge to cut the sustain
3. I turned my bridge pickup knob all the way down and my neck pickup and tone all the way up (these are stocks by the way)
4. I play with either my thumb or the side of my fingers (or as my teacher calls it the "meat" of my fingers)

I'm wondering if i need to do anything else like get a fretless job on it or get better pick ups or something? I don't have the money to get an upright otherwise i would've gotten one already.

Also if this is in the wrong forum, idk if i can move it or not, but can someone move it or something if it is in the wrong forum? Idk where to put this really.

Any help would be appreciated.
 
#3
Sounds like you're on the right course. Amp setting adjustment might help too.
I put tapewounds on my jazz and use the neck pup with the tone rolled way down to get
more of that sound. works well. not using the foam trick on mine though. A fretless neck helps a lot but it's not absolutely necessary. You're probably close enough to blend into a live mix with a more acoustical sound already.
 
#6
I've been complimented on multiple occasions about how upright-like my sound is. I play a Carvin LB75P, which has a piezo pickup under each string on the bridge. I also have flatwound strings on it. When I want an upright-like tone, I set my bass to full-piezo, with no magnetic pickups mixed in at all, roll the highs off a bit, and pluck at the end of the neck. I'm not sure how far you'll be able to get with magnetic pickups, but moving your right hand farther away from the bridge will definitely help.
 
#7
I think the thumb playing can get you there. YouTube Todd Johnson bass and hear his technique. Ed Friedland does a nicemo on this palm muting thumb technique and Todd is a master of it. His jazz standards like cherry with Ron eschete sound like a very good approximation of ray brown
 
#8
Jazzdogg said:
Six simple steps:

1. Make the body hollow, with f-holes, and much larger;
2. Change the scale length to 42";
3. Flat-wound or gut strings;
4. Increase the string height considerably;
5. Reproduce the sound with a large diaphragm mic instead of pick-ups;
6. Change your playing style entirely.


:D:hiding:
Click to expand...

:D lolol That gave me a good laugh

I looked at that link and i'm awfully surprised of the lack of pick-ups on the mouse 30. You just gave me GAS :rollno:

I think i will try the fretless thing on it, it would cost significantly less than getting a fretless or getting an upright.
 
#9
flaquito said:
I've been complimented on multiple occasions about how upright-like my sound is. I play a Carvin LB75P, which has a piezo pickup under each string on the bridge. I also have flatwound strings on it. When I want an upright-like tone, I set my bass to full-piezo, with no magnetic pickups mixed in at all, roll the highs off a bit, and pluck at the end of the neck. I'm not sure how far you'll be able to get with magnetic pickups, but moving your right hand farther away from the bridge will definitely help.
Click to expand...

I generally play at the neck for the sake of a warmer sound but its gonna be tough for bop tunes (the jazz ensemble i'm with is playing blowin the blues away, so its 240 bpm :D)

I'll check out that guy as well. thanks for the help
 
#13
flaquito said:
Out of curiosity, which bass are you talking about? Your profile says you've got a Dean acoustic bass... you might be better off trying to get the sound you're wanting out of that one.
Click to expand...

I've tried to do this with the acoustic and it honestly doesn't sound right to me. Plus i haven't strung it in a while. I'm using my other 4 string for this. maybe i will experiment with the dean, but not til i get new strings, but what should i use for that bass? i tried nlyons and they aren't great on the acoustic.
 
#14
Have you tried plucking the strings around the 19th-20th frets? That, coupled with what steps you've already taken, should get pretty damn close. I also pluck diagonally 'across' the strings rather than perpendicularly 'through' when I pluck between or over the pups. I find my index finger acts like a hook which, IMO, adds to that nice upright tone you seek.

EDIT: I just re-read your OP; you're already plucking this way :D
 
#15
LeoSash said:
I've tried to do this with the acoustic and it honestly doesn't sound right to me. Plus i haven't strung it in a while. I'm using my other 4 string for this. maybe i will experiment with the dean, but not til i get new strings, but what should i use for that bass? i tried nlyons and they aren't great on the acoustic.
Click to expand...

I bought my acoustic years ago, but if I'm not mistaken, most of them come with some sort of round-wound phosphor-bronze string, which I thought was way too bright. I put flatwounds on it (maybe Thomastik-Infeld jazz bass strings?), and it did a decent job. I haven't played that bass since I got my Carvin, though. But an acoustic bass with flatwounds, played with the right style, in my opinion is the closest you'll be able to get.
 
#16
I used to emulate upright on one of my fretless electrics by using which ever pickup sounded better for the task (sometimes it's the bridge pickup but with teh bass control turned up on your amp.... uprights can be surprisingly bright), using the side of my thumb for plucking, and wresting the side of my hand against the strings right at the right to reduce sustain in a controlled fashion.

With roundwounds on fretless (yes, they eat the board, but there is nothing that sounds as good), I could go between upright sounding bass parts to screaming lead bass solos in my old jazz groups. Just by changing my playing style.

People were always commenting about it, at least the observant ones.
 
#17
ugly_bassplayer said:
IMO it can't be done.
Click to expand...

+1000

What I hear as an upright sound on electric is usually just a distant approximation, I hear electric players say they sound like an upright, but it just ain't so...there is so much more to this than getting a woody sound on your electric. The upright has a 40+ inch string length and you cannot in any way approximate the attack, sustain, and decay as it occurs on 34 inches of string. Then there is the issue of the acoustic resonating chamber. It is all too different to really come that close.

Don't get me wrong though. I think it is cool to get a good approximation on electric. I just don't think you can get that close, my opinion..
 
#18
LeoSash said:
I've tried to do this with the acoustic and it honestly doesn't sound right to me. Plus i haven't strung it in a while. I'm using my other 4 string for this. maybe i will experiment with the dean, but not til i get new strings, but what should i use for that bass? i tried nlyons and they aren't great on the acoustic.
Click to expand...

I would defret the Dean, Put flats or nylons on it and play up the neck. I have a cheap ABG that I can get a decent-ish upright tone from. It won't nail it but fill get closer than your EB.
 

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