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Not exactly an amp or a cab - but wow! Eich BassBoard

J

jefframm

Supporting Member
Dec 2, 2003
242
488
Western SC
#1
New "BassBoard" day for me. I play in several settings - one of which is our church where the stage is "silent". No amps, all DI, everyone on IEM's. After 50+ years playing bass and most of it being a "move air" sort of thing - I loved IEM's for their clarity and ability to control my own mix, but couldn't get over the lack of "ummphh" when I played.

I tried the BackBeat V2- which I know lots of folks love - but it just didn't do it for me. It felt more "buzzy" and despite trying lots of levels / volume, I moved on.

I had seen the Eich BassBoard's and was very happy to find that John @ JohnFoxBass was stocking them. I bought the medium size and WOW - what a killer product. For reasons beyond my technical understanding - the "rumble" on the soles of my feet reminds me a lot of a stage where I have a live rig behind me. It's not exactly the same obviously - but is making a world of difference when I have IEM gigs.

We have a stereo power amp that feeds my BassBoard and a Buttkicker mounted under the drum throne. My mix is 60% bass / 40% kick drum. The BassBoard is a complete game changer for me with IEM's. I find myself playing "lighter", not struggling to be heard in my ears, and just enjoying playing WAY more now.

It doesn't hurt that I also get to play this fabulous LEH 4-string from Ellis Hahn @ LEH Guitars that you can see in the pic. If you haven't checked out Ellis' work - you owe it to yourself to look at them. I have Sadowsky's, US Lakland's, vintage Fender P, and while I love them all, the LEH is the best bass I've ever been blessed to play. And Ellis is incredibly easy to work with. Props to John @ JohnFoxBass for the help on getting a BassBoard. Absolutely killer.

IMG_7203.jpg
 
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#3
babaseen said:
This looks interesting as I had the same experience with the BackBeat...thanks for posting. Hopefully a used one comes up for sale.
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Have since moved to another church - and have the BassBoard installed there. Different set up - as I'm the only thing signal wise in the BassBoard - so I'm using one of the inexpensive TC Electronic heads to power it. I take a 1/4" out from my pedalboard and feed it straight into the TC Electronics amp. Works great.

It's not really practical for me to use it on gigs - as the rock band I play in doesn't use IEM's (we use super high quality wedges) and it's not the easiest thing for me to haul around. I love it though for the church gigs. Really complements to the IEM's.
 
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#4
babaseen said:
This looks interesting as I had the same experience with the BackBeat...thanks for posting. Hopefully a used one comes up for sale.
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I went the DIY route at less than half the cost of an Eich bassboard. Probably not as good as an Eich bassboard, but it has plenty of feedback and very immersive playing with IEM's on a silent stage... and it really is a game changer. Band members always tell me they can feel the stage vibrating from my bassboard. It's also a lot smaller and lighter, so I do take with me where ever I play. Another nice thing about having a bassboard, is I can play at home feeling like I'm playing loud, but in silence... and not bothering others in the house.

silentprac11may26.jpg
 
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#5
erayser said:
I went the DIY route at less than half the cost of an Eich bassboard. Probably not as good as an Eich bassboard, but it has plenty of feedback and very immersive playing with IEM's on a silent stage... and it really is a game changer. Band members always tell me they can feel the stage vibrating from my bassboard. It's also a lot smaller and lighter, so I do take with me where ever I play. Another nice thing about having a bassboard, is I can play at home feeling like I'm playing loud, but in silence... and not bothering others in the house.

silentprac11may26.jpg
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Very cool! I had toyed with the idea of building one - but our church folks were worried about anything "sticking up" too much and I couldn't figure out how to do a bottom mount of the drivers easily - so just gave in and bought the Eich. I suspect yours works exactly as well as the Eich as the concept is pretty straight-forward.

I debated about the smaller size of the Eich - but I have a tendency to bounce around a little when I play - and at the young age of 66, I did actually consider what would happen if I took a dive off the side of the small one!

I'm generally a little surprised that this concept isn't used more heavily. They really enhance IEM's for bassists.
 
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#6
jefframm said:
Very cool! I had toyed with the idea of building one - but our church folks were worried about anything "sticking up" too much and I couldn't figure out how to do a bottom mount of the drivers easily - so just gave in and bought the Eich. I suspect yours works exactly as well as the Eich as the concept is pretty straight-forward.

I debated about the smaller size of the Eich - but I have a tendency to bounce around a little when I play - and at the young age of 66, I did actually consider what would happen if I took a dive off the side of the small one!

I'm generally a little surprised that this concept isn't used more heavily. They really enhance IEM's for bassists.
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I have the parts to build an Eich board... I have the same handle, aluminum edging, ports, transducers, plans, etc... but it's just sitting in the closet. If I ever build it, it would probably be just be in-home use only. The weight from the parts alone discouraged me from making it... and that's without the plywood. I'll get around building it some day... but I'm pretty satisfied with what I'm using currently. Funny thing about why it isn't used more... but every bass player that ask me questions, and let them try it... they all say they all like it. Some ask if I could build them one... but I hate spray gluing the covering... another reason why I haven't come around building the Eich bassboard... haha...
 
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#7
erayser said:
I have the parts to build an Eich board... I have the same handle, aluminum edging, ports, transducers, plans, etc... but it's just sitting in the closet. If I ever build it, it would probably be just be in-home use only. The weight from the parts alone discouraged me from making it... and that's without the plywood. I'll get around building it some day... but I'm pretty satisfied with what I'm using currently. Funny thing about why it isn't used more... but every bass player that ask me questions, and let them try it... they all say they all like it. Some ask if I could build them one... but I hate spray gluing the covering... another reason why I haven't come around building the Eich bassboard... haha...
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Would you be willing to share your plans and the parts list? I've thought about making a smaller one for gigging.
 
#12
babaseen said:
Just curious since EICH has a XS version (extra small and lower price), would it be good enough to just have one foot on the BassBoard rather than having to stand on it to get the benefit?
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This is a great question - and I think the answer is yes based on my experience. I'm 66 - so sit down for some of our rehearsals - usually on a stool where I keep a one foot on the BassBoard. (The stool is not on the board). You can definitely get some of the benefit that way.
 
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#13
jefframm said:
Would you be willing to share your plans and the parts list? I've thought about making a smaller one for gigging.
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The plans are in my head at the moment. I have an idea of how to make it based on the Eich product vids I've watched. You make a valid reason of why I haven't started my DIY Eich version bassboard. I planned on making a 48" x 24", but the size and weight was discouraging. Making a smaller version makes sense to me now. I think a 24' x 24" is more practical to use at home and transporting, and it's the same size of my current... but the transducers would be internal. I dug out the parts from my closet... I have 4 transducers, but I would only use 2 for a smaller board.

eichbassbrdparts.jpg


If I do the build, I'll most like share in this forum... but still to busy to start on it now.
 
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#15
I made one for myself, in a quick and dirty proof of concept way. It shakes me hard enough to blur my vision and make me somewhat nauseated. I power it with a Quilter BB800. Total cost was about $300. I’m planning on painting the 2x4 sides and generally getting it looking a little better. At first, I tried two of the Dayton BST-1s under the board, but I bought them as open box and both were blown, so I got a used Buttkicker Advance. I thought about getting two of the smaller ones to mount under the board, but opted for more power handling and a more piston weight.

It’s 24x36. I’m not sure if I’m going to use it with the Buttkicker facing forward or back.




tempImageE1emsm.png
 
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#16
jefframm said:
Would you be willing to share your plans and the parts list? I've thought about making a smaller one for gigging.
Click to expand...
Glad you mentioned making a smaller one. After a few years of my parts sitting in the closet... I got a workbench for father's day, and started my DIY Eich Bassboard. It's slightly bigger than XS, but with 2 transducers and with a handle. I have 2 extra transducers since I'm making smaller board... but I have other plans for those.

I still don't have plans on the internal design. While I'm riding the Peloton stationary bike in the mornings, that's when I think of ideas in my head... then I execute my thoughts on the fly. All the gluing and cutting is done, now I'm planning the placement of internal isolation silicone feet. I also have to drill all the holes to mount the external feet, handle, transducer speaker covers, and D-series panel for the Speakon cables. DIY allows me to think of ways to make it maintainable... I want it to be easy and quick to open, so if I can adjust resistance on the silicone feet or replacing them if worn out, or replacing a transducer if needed... etc...

However... I'm hitting another busy schedule with work, and music schedule. Probably going to be another month till this is done... or longer. Here is a pic of my DIY Eich inspired bassboard as it sits currently...

diy_eichbb_btm.jpg


I've got about 1/4" clearance from the bottom board to the wire connecting poles on the transducers. This should be okay, but I'll notch out another 1/4 inch to have a safe clearance. In the pic, the bottom board is resting on the wire connecting poles since don't have the internal silicone feet in place yet.

BTW... I don't recommend building your own if you don't have tools. So far I've used a table saw, circular miter saw, handheld jigsaw, power drill, workbench, different sized clamps, electric sander, etc... and I haven't used my router, and Dremel... which I'm sure I'll be using later. I do a lot of DIY stuff at the house, so I've had all these tools in my work area in the garage... Tools could be costly... screws and nuts can nickel and dime you to death. I like doing DIY projects for the fun of it... but building a bassboard it isn't worth the cost if you don't already have what's needed to build it. You're probably better off buying it from Eich or used.
 
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#17
erayser said:
Glad you mentioned making a smaller one. After a few years of my parts sitting in the closet... I got a workbench for father's day, and started my DIY Eich Bassboard. It's slightly bigger than XS, but with 2 transducers and with a handle. I have 2 extra transducers since I'm making smaller board... but I have other plans for those.

I still don't have plans on the internal design. While I'm riding the Peloton stationary bike in the mornings, that's when I think of ideas in my head... then I execute my thoughts on the fly. All the gluing and cutting is done, now I'm planning the placement of internal isolation silicone feet. I also have to drill all the holes to mount the external feet, handle, transducer speaker covers, and D-series panel for the Speakon cables. DIY allows me to think of ways to make it maintainable... I want it to be easy and quick to open, so if I can adjust resistance on the silicone feet or replacing them if worn out, or replacing a transducer if needed... etc...

However... I'm hitting another busy schedule with work, and music schedule. Probably going to be another month till this is done... or longer. Here is a pic of my DIY Eich inspired bassboard as it sits currently...

diy_eichbb_btm.jpg


I've got about 1/4" clearance from the bottom board to the wire connecting poles on the transducers. This should be okay, but I'll notch out another 1/4 inch to have a safe clearance. In the pic, the bottom board is resting on the wire connecting poles since don't have the internal silicone feet in place yet.

BTW... I don't recommend building your own if you don't have tools. So far I've used a table saw, circular miter saw, handheld jigsaw, power drill, workbench, different sized clamps, electric sander, etc... and I haven't used my router, and Dremel... which I'm sure I'll be using later. I do a lot of DIY stuff at the house, so I've had all these tools in my work area in the garage... Tools could be costly... screws and nuts can nickel and dime you to death. I like doing DIY projects for the fun of it... but building a bassboard it isn't worth the cost if you don't already have what's needed to build it. You're probably better off buying it from Eich or used.
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That's extremely clean work - congrats on your progress. Agreed on the tools front - I'm fortunate to have a pretty tricked out shop as I've been doing woodworking for 40+ years. Given my backlog of woodworking projects already - if I go for a smaller one I'm likely just to buy it. Every now and then they come up in the TB classifieds too.
 
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#20
erayser said:
BTW... I don't recommend building your own if you don't have tools. So far I've used a table saw, circular miter saw, handheld jigsaw, power drill, workbench, different sized clamps, electric sander, etc... and I haven't used my router, and Dremel... which I'm sure I'll be using later. I do a lot of DIY stuff at the house, so I've had all these tools in my work area in the garage... Tools could be costly... screws and nuts can nickel and dime you to death. I like doing DIY projects for the fun of it... but building a bassboard it isn't worth the cost if you don't already have what's needed to build it. You're probably better off buying it from Eich or used.
Click to expand...
Your work is impeccable! I really appreciate you sharing this with us.

I didn’t do all that. I just got a 2’x3’ piece of plywood and 2x4s which I got cut to size at Home Depot. Screwed the whole thing together and glued a nice rug to the top. It’s not nearly as pretty as yours but while I’m standing on it, I’m not thinking of that.

I’m thinking about shakerboard 2.0.

I’m curious as to what you used for feet. I’ve tried a few things, but I’m looking for something with a bit more squish.
 
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