Double Bass Minimalism

[VictorW126]

(though I think "no bumpers" may be taking it a bit too far)

I am not a fan of rat style and worry about every new scratch, and even bumpers also do not give me peace of mind. But I like the idea that double bass is not a violin and it cannot look perfect. It is too large and is always scratched when used. If you enter a new room and you can choose from several double basses - take the most scratched one. It was played most of all, probably because it had the best sound. Scars adorn the bass.

 

[groooooove]

I don't disagree with the OP.


but, lets be honest, side bumpers and bridge adjusters aren't excessive! they're so practical.

my younger self, the electric bass guitarist, would hate that now I don't like seeing pickups mounted on basses - visually it definitely takes away from the purity... but, lets be fair, some people use pickups every single time they play.

 

[Don Hergert]

Do you have a steampunk version as well?

Hmmm, I must have missed this thread while on vacation...

1) Front

• Don Hergert
• Feb 6, 2019
• alcoa #342-244 electronics

I could post more, but I don't want to give anyone nightmares.

The quiver actually hides the pre-amp and a lot of the cables.

From the top of the F-holes on up it looks pretty minimalist, for an Alcoa. That said, the gold powder-coated Deuce I bridge and custom Deuce tailpiece pretty much decided the issue from the start.

 

[GretschWretch]

Hmmm, I must have missed this thread while on vacation...

1) Front

• Don Hergert
• Feb 6, 2019
• alcoa #342-244 electronics

I could post more, but I don't want to give anyone nightmares.

The quiver actually hides the pre-amp and a lot of the cables.

From the top of the F-holes on up it looks pretty minimalist, for an Alcoa. That said, the gold powder-coated Deuce I bridge and custom Deuce tailpiece pretty much decided the issue from the start.

Actually, my post was a reply to one by James Condino, but you can play too if you want. Just don't go punkier-than-thou on us.

 

[Jeff Kissell]

solid bridge
leather bumpers
no quiver
Underwood that spends more time off than on, same for Troll mic

Interesting conversation, I prefer playing, hearing and/or seeing double bass acoustically and unadorned but that's not everyone's reality. My second choice is always a bass sitting perfectly in the mix with the right sound for the music and I don't really care that much how it gets there...

 

[Reiska]

I`ll second the thought of purely acoustic instrument with it`s functional and aesthetic aspects, but understand and subscribe that needs of music and individual players differ. I don`t play highly amplified loud stuff and don`t need that type of approach. I only recently tossed the pickup as I got my new bridge ready. I like to think about chain of resonance that doesn`t get interfered by anything, no pickups, bow quivers nada on the bridge, tailpiece or afterlenghts. Gut strings, lightweight yet sturdy bridge with ebony adjusters all the way down, rosewood tailpiece I shaved some weight off. Only fully resonating and vibrating system that gets miced if needed. Simple, classy, elegant, sounds and plays great!

 

[RBrownBass]

My bass has an adjustable bridge and three (soon to be four!) pairs of leather bumpers along the lower treble bout. Sounds extreme, maybe, but the edges never touch the ground when I'm picking the bass up, even if the endpin is all the way in.

 

[marcox]

In addition to an adjustable bridge, my bass wears its pickup history proudly and simultaneously, starting with a Realist under the bridge foot, a Full Circle in the adjuster wheel, and the cyborg-like Biesele at the end of the fingerboard. I've got a back-up for my back-up!

 

[Stewie]

This my old Rock n Roll bass. A Krivo magnetic pickup and a Line-6 wireless transmitter, hidden behind the fingerboard. I was often asked if I wouldn't be louder if I somehow miked the bass

 

[VictorW126]

my younger self, the electric bass guitarist, would hate that now I don't like seeing pickups mounted on basses - visually it definitely takes away from the purity... but, lets be fair, some people use pickups every single time they play.

Oh, I have a completely different opinion about electric basses. On my eub there was everything you could wish for, including fine tuning of the strings on the tail. There it seems to me appropriate!

 

[james condino]

I can imagine a world where people actually listen and I play minimalist acoustic, but then the 30,000 daily drunk tourists in this funny town remind me why all of our alcohol fueled venues insist on a lot of amplification...