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Double Bass New (to me) EUB for Latin Jazz

Andy Allen

Andy Allen

"Working Bassist"
Aug 31, 2003
791
13
Los Angeles, CA
www.myspace.com
#1
Well, I finally broke down and bought an EUB. This morning I picked up midmoto's Azola Bugbass II, and first impressions are that it is a very nicely made instrument, and plays well (although I'm not so keen on the strings - more about that later).

I play regularly in a Latin Jazz ensemble (see my sig. below) and it has become clear over the last year or so why many Latin Jazz bass players use EUBs. With all those noisy percussion players standing (and sitting) around hitting things it soon becomes a problem amplifying an upright bass over them. Not to mention that with so many band-members stage real-estate is at a premium, and an EUB has a much smaller footprint.

So who here is using an EUB for Latin music, and what kind of settings or other tricks are you using to get that classic sound?

And what strings are you using? The Helicore Hybrids that are on there are a little light and twangy for my taste (but as I learn to set the pre-amp better maybe that'll be less of an issue). I'll probably try the Flex'92 D&G I have laying around to start with, but what is the favourite string out there for Latin Jazz EUB?

Andy
 
#2
Andy, I have been using a Floating Top Bug for over six years now. After experimenting with lot's of different strings, I decided that I like regular Obligato's for D and G, Spiro Weich or Orchestra for E and A. The D and G Spiro's are a bit harsh sounding for my taste. The OB's amplify well with the Spiro's, it's a balanced sounding set. Jill Azola told me that some Latin players really like the Thomastic Solo Gauge Ropecore strings, but I found them to be mushy feeling and muddy sounding when tuned down to regular pitch. I like to "dig in", and they didn't work to well for that. I suppose that if you crank the amp up and play with a lighter touch, that might work. Hope that you enjoy playing EUB!
 
#3
mrpc said:
Andy, I have been using a Floating Top Bug for over six years now. After experimenting with lot's of different strings, I decided that I like regular Obligato's for D and G, Spiro Weich or Orchestra for E and A. The D and G Spiro's are a bit harsh sounding for my taste. The OB's amplify well with the Spiro's, it's a balanced sounding set. Jill Azola told me that some Latin players really like the Thomastic Solo Gauge Ropecore strings, but I found them to be mushy feeling and muddy sounding when tuned down to regular pitch. I like to "dig in", and they didn't work to well for that. I suppose that if you crank the amp up and play with a lighter touch, that might work. Hope that you enjoy playing EUB!
Click to expand...

Thanks for the info mrpc.

I swapped out the Helicore Hybrid G, which was the only one that was really bothering me, for a Pirastro Flex92, and it sounds much better solo, but will probably be a bit too dark for a band situation. Like you I also prefer a little tension to my strings, so de-tuned solos are out. I like the Spiro orch. E, so I'll likely fit that, and I have an orch A around here somewhere too. If the Flex's are too dark at rehearsal tomorrow then I'll use a spare superflexible D&G for Friday's gig. So many strings and so little time :rollno:

Jill Azola PM'd me with some tips and EQ setting suggestions (and a rather nice welcome to the Azola 'family'), and I'm getting there solo. Of course this is bound to all change once I get with the band :rolleyes:

In between all the fiddling about I've been playing it and it's much easier to handle than I expected. I wondered how I'd be able to balance it without a large body, but it seems to be a non-issue.

Best,

Andy
 
#4
While I was away in San Diego on a family vacation I was able to visit Jill and Steve at Rancho Basso in Ramona.

They gave me a great welcome into the Azola family, and we chatted for quite a while about all things bass. I got to try some of the new models...they have a cool little "Gypsy" bass - and I liked the Acoustic Bugbass a lot...there's something about the feel of the sympathetic vibrations in the acoustic body that's very pleasing, even though it's not designed be used ampless.

I got to sign their wall, and had my picture taken. Hopefully it came out better than a passport photo and will find its way onto the Azola web page.

Steve gave me a tour of the shop, and while we were chatting he gave my BugBass a going over - a basic set-up and a couple of minor modifications to bring it up to the new-bass spec. And he custom-bent a new bout/arm to the angle I needed to get the bass to balance perfectly for me - which has made a big difference to my playing comfort. I had been very pleased with it anyway, but those final tweaks have been the icing on the cake - it's now literally better than new. :D

And all for no charge - the Azolas have the best of customer service reputations for good reason. :hyper:

Anyway, I'm a happy camper, and have a recording session booked shortly for a different Latin band than I usually work with on the strength of having the EUB, so I'm looking forward to that. :)

Andy
 
#5
I use a Knutson Messenger and started with Spiro E and Obligator A D and G. While this was a good sounding set the Oblis were just a little too loose, but nice and dark. I then switched to Spiro E and A and Original Flex D and Flex92 G. It sounds more focused and the G string isn't nasal at all. I'm very happy with this set up. It also bows well (for an EUB) with this setup.
 
#6
A bit of research showed that most af the Latin EUB-players around here use Spiros. Many of them use Spiro solos, but I wasn't prepared to go quite that low tension, so I put on a set of Weichs. They are just starting to lose thier twang, and sound and play very well. They are a little more versatile than the Flex92s, which I liked when playing solo at home, but disappeared a little with a band. With the the EQ available on both the on-board pre-amp and my Solstice I can make it darker or brighter as I wish.

Andy
 
#7
I play old school blues rather than latin jazz, but do play an original BugBass that I've had for about 5 years now. I've been through quite a few strings along the way.

I thought the E on the Spiro Weichs sounded thin and overly growly.

Several medium gauge strings seemed too deep, such as Spiro mediums and TI Ropecores.

I've actually settled on light gauge Helicore Hybrids, the best balance between playability and tone.

I should mention that my Bug has just the single passive BassMax, so newer models with dual pickups and a preamp might perform differently with these strings.

AND...that sounds like a great idea to go on vacation to San Diego with the BugBass and have it "meet its maker" :rollno:
 
#8
airbass said:
Anyway, I'm a happy camper, and have a recording session booked shortly for a different Latin band than I usually work with on the strength of having the EUB, so I'm looking forward to that. :)
Click to expand...

The recording session went very well - I don't expect to win any awards for my playing (I wisely kept it simple rather than risk awful mistakes), but the Bug-bass sounded great. :cool:

I lightly threaded a small towel through the strings at the bridge to dampen them a little and got that classic Latin sound - just perfect. And very comfortable to play for about 4 hours or so. :bassist:

And I got another gig out of it, so I'm considering it quite a success. :D

Andy
 

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