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Rockabilly Bass Question with Electric Bass.

Z

zimbodel

Oct 2, 2020
37
13
#1
I want to get as close as I can to an upright slap bass with either of my fretless basses.
I can mount it upright so that at least the technique needed becomes more similar.

Anyone have any pointers on very good double bass simulators that will bring e.g. a Fretless Jazz Bass close to a double bass ?

Plastic wound flatwound strings such as on old Hofner Fiddle Bases are a good start in my opinion.

It needs to go through my Ampeg Isovent stack finally, so it need to be a pedal or rack based solution and not pc-based.

Anyone have pointers from where I could start ?
 
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#2
I recommend that you look for a KK Bass. This is a compact wood-frame electric upright bass, patterned after the old Ampeg Baby Basses. Headstock, fingerboard and bridge similar to an upright, with a mechanical-percussive style pickup under the bridge. Passive through a normal bass amp. The KK basses are tough and very well built and capable of slamming around Rockabilly gigs.

They were made in the UK, and were surprisingly inexpensive; around $1500 new. Unfortunately, I believe that Kris closed the company down last year and no longer makes them. Look around for a used one.

Yeah, you can mount a fretless Jazz vertically on a peg with black tapewounds......Others have done it. The sound will be about like Paul McCartney on his Hofner in the early Beatles days. A cool soud, if that's what you want. But not so much like a good 'ol Kay upright.
 
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#3
Re Kay, It is all fine and well on paper, and I would have liked to use a 4/4 contra-bass again, but it is completely impractical.
It doesnt fit on a plane unless you are a billionaire.
The KK Bass is good, but it is a one-trick pony.

Using a standard electric bass, it is way way more versatile, as you can do almost any gig, fits on airplane, and I dont have to be a billionaire.

So my original question again is;
Anyone know of a rack unit or pedal that accurately converts electric fretless bass to upright. I might have to add an additional neck slap piezzo pickup, but without that I just want the basic upright sound and will go from there adding whatever I need.
My question is to someone who found a solution to this.
 
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#4
zimbodel said:
Re Kay, It is all fine and well on paper, and I would have liked to use a 4/4 contra-bass again, but it is completely impractical.
It doesnt fit on a plane unless you are a billionaire.
The KK Bass is good, but it is a one-trick pony.

Using a standard electric bass, it is way way more versatile, as you can do almost any gig, fits on airplane, and I dont have to be a billionaire.

So my original question again is;
Anyone know of a rack unit or pedal that accurately converts electric fretless bass to upright. I might have to add an additional neck slap piezzo pickup, but without that I just want the basic upright sound and will go from there adding whatever I need.
My question is to someone who found a solution to this.
Click to expand...

You have some IR of double basses available only but I don't know if you can get that specific tone with the JB but maybe you could try some tapewounds and probably some way of mic'in the bass to get that string snap sound, not just the sound from the pickups. But this is just me thinking out loud.
 
#6
Do you know if there currently exists a pedal (not the entire kemper thing) that can load IR's well?
I looked a year ago and it was not very good.
Just a pedal smallish that can say load 5 IRs, but does it well.
 
#7
I see TC seemingly less than a year ago released an IR loader in pedal form.
This might be the way to try for me as a basis to build a sound.
I just have to find out if it can load random IR's or find an alternative that can, then buy the best Double Bass IR possible, and build the sound up from there.
So If anyone know off hand if a pedal does exist that can load random IR's, that will solve my problem.
I will start digging, but if someone knows it would be great to hear.
Thanks
 
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#11
They are getting harder to find, but a Line6 Variax 700/705 modelling bass might work. One of the settings is a Kay bass emulation. This is older emulation tech. It is not the most convincing when soloed, but it has the correct tone and decay vibe and can be convincing in an ensemble setting. I have a 705 and use it in my big band when we are doing a lot of old swing stuff. The biggest problem is if the electronics start causing a problem, parts and service are pretty much non-existent.
 
#12
If it were me I'd just rock a 51 style p-bass with tapes. Or one of those ginormous acoustics like the dude from Violent Femmes. To your original post, a graphic EQ pedal might be helpful. IR's and whatnot seem like the long way around IMO. Of course YMMV. Either way best of luck in your pursuit.
 
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#13
I also agree with JimmyM about playing as if you were playing an upright. You are the beat, even more than the drums. Simplify your part to just the basics, don't get into a bunch of fancy fills. EQ out any clank. Sponge under the strings, left-hand muting or palm muting to shorten up sustain and decay.
 
#15
JimmyM said:
There are a handful of gear steps you can make that can get you more in the ballpark, but the best thing you can do is just think like an upright player and play like you would if you had an upright. And that you can do on anything.
Click to expand...

THIS. Jimmy the M is exactly right: A big part of 'emulating' a certain era is to play the way they played back then. Regardless of what instrument and whatever you are going to run it through, play in the style of those guys back then, this goes a long way to getting that vibe.

When synths and drum machines became common, you'd hear recordings with horn sections or string sections playing keyboard parts, nothing like the way real horns or real strings would have done it, or could have done it. Same way with drum machine parts where evidently the drummer had 3 legs, and five arms.

Don't be that guy.
 
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#16
I heard a fellow play a Danelectro Longhorn a month or so ago. He was able to get a sound that was very close to a slap stand up bass. I’ve also heard other Longhorns that have that nice sweet rumble of a stand up bass. That said, a lot of the unique sounds come from the player’s hands.
 

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