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Double Bass Purely for practice

J

jayscheuerle

Oct 29, 2010
131
1
Philadelphia, PA
#1
Wandering to the EUB side. Howdy!

I have a nice Upton Standard Lam and have been taking lessons for less than a year. Time is tight, and so is practice time, though I do try to get in at least 30 mins. a day. It's just for fun. No delusions of grandeur here. But... I'm in a relationship where I spend every other weekend away from the house and get no practice time in whatsoever. I'd like to get a travel instrument that's for practice only. Same basic dimensions string-wise, but only has to sound good enough for me to practice my lessons.

Transportable. Inexpensive. Lets me go through the motions. Gives me enough feedback to make practice worthwhile.

What are some good starting places that fill this bill? I dont' want the cheapest POS out there (has to travel well), but I'm also not going to be plugging it in so that it sounds good to anyone but myself.

Basically, I'm a newbie UB player who wants to practice alone with a transportable instrument ever other week or so?

Any direction, friends? (I did read the newbie links)

Thank you! - Jay Scheuerle
 
#2
Hello Jay,

I have an Ergo 4-string that I use exclusively for practice when traveling. It's very inexpensive and very simple; its body, neck, and fingerboard is carved from a single block of mahogany. I've had it for four years and have been very happy with it.

Obviously, its unplugged sound is quiet, but it's loud enough for practice and has a pleasing acoustic sound. Its 42" scale length is close to the 41.5" of my Shen. Because the Ergo has no body as such, I'm tempted to cheat in thumb position and just use normal technique all the way up the neck; I usually have enough discipline to resist. The fingerboard seems flatter than my Shen, but the radius is small enough to practice bowing.

Because of its simplicity and lack of a body, it's very portable and durable. I carry the bass in a longbow case and the stand in the arrow and accessory case.

Players who gig with the Ergo usually replace the original stand and strings; because I've used my Ergo strictly for acoustic practice, I've been satisfied with them.

Check out the Ergo megathread for more information, or feel free to ask me more specific questions.

Thanks,
Pete
 

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