Double Bass Salsa EUB!

[Juggernaught]

I've been doing some research on what sort of bass would work for salsa music. The Ampeg baby bass is usually mentioned. What else? Is the lightning bug any good? NS CR4M? Are there any that can do salsa but also do jazz as well? What about for traditional Cuban Son?

 

[Francois Blais]

Any bass on which you can control the thumpiness will do.
For this, strings choice may become very important.
Orchestral strings have more damping material so the tone has less sustain, it's more edgy.

 

[Ric Vice]

I've been doing some research on what sort of bass would work for salsa music. The Ampeg baby bass is usually mentioned. What else? Is the lightning bug any good? NS CR4M? Are there any that can do salsa but also do jazz as well? What about for traditional Cuban Son?

Juggernaught,

I caught Panco Sanchez last year here in St. Louis. Tony Banda plays smoking latin bass in Pancho's group. He uses a Azola Gypsy Bass and it sounds great. This instrument is based on a shorter scale length than the upright, but Tony played a variety of styles on it. It's really more like a EUB based on a fretless BG.

Ric

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[elgecko]

There are the South-American Baby Bass copies (i.e. Sendel, MOG). I play a NS WAV in the "arco" setting. It's okay, but I've been gassing for one of these. They have a magnetic diaphragm pickup like the Ampeg.

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[Juggernaught]

There are the South-American Baby Bass copies (i.e. Sendel, MOG). I play a NS WAV in the "arco" setting. It's okay, but I've been gassing for one of these. They have a magnetic diaphragm pickup like the Ampeg.

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I don't know very much about the WAV, but I've been considering the NXT as an option.

I've heard of Sendel, but they seem to be hard to find.

Also, I'd rather get a 41" scale length. I've heard a lot of good things about the gypsy bass, and it's really well prices and available now (as opposed to 1 year or whenever a used one pops up), but I'd rather be able to go in between an EUB and normal DB more easily.

 

[bassdaddyfive]

Azola makes a bass thet can be fitted with a string mute that can go from Mambo mute to Jazz tone and back. With the right strings, you never know.

 

[Juggernaught]

Azola makes a bass thet can be fitted with a string mute that can go from Mambo mute to Jazz tone and back. With the right strings, you never know.

Wow, that's pretty sweet! I think I'll keep my eye out for an Azola.

 

[scojack]

There is the old trick of dampening the bridge with either cork or rubber under the feet and raising the string height.

 

[wxfloyd]

check out my post in this thread regarding the WAV4 and getting a tumbao sound out of it...

 

[Juggernaught]

Well, I'm the soon-to-be proud new owner of a used Azola Mini Baby Bass Latin pickup (magnetic diaphragm like 1960s Ampeg) + bridge wing-mounted dual-element piezo pickup system. Maybe overkill, but should do the trick!

 

[Francois Blais]

Well, I'm the soon-to-be proud new owner of a used Azola Mini Baby Bass Latin pickup (magnetic diaphragm like 1960s Ampeg) + bridge wing-mounted dual-element piezo pickup system. Maybe overkill, but should do the trick!

Wow!
Congrats on the new baby!
Lucky man!

 

[caribconsult]

you should check out the Steinberger EUB's. They have a selectable pickup circuit that can sound like the old Ampeg baby basses, or with full sustain like a normal upright, or anything in between ( I think it's continuously adjustable but not sure). Also, we have a guy on the island here (Puerto Rico) named Rodriguez, first initial 'R' who makes gorgeous baby bass-style instruments, either fiberglass or wood. I can't remember his first name and had no luck on Google, but he does have a website and maybe someone here knows about it. Worth checking into, if you're looking for a good salsa bajo.

 

[maxito]

Are you thinking of Ray Ramirez? He's in PR. Very nice basses.
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[caribconsult]

That's the guy I was trying to remember. He does make some beautiful instruments. I think his stuff is also available with switchable pickups, so you can get the 'thud' sound of the old Ampeg diaphragm pickups as well as a full jazz sustain like an acoustic upright, so you really have the best of both worlds.

As an electric Fender-style bassist, I was unaware of the sustain issue until a fellow bassist who plays both types of basses informed me...I asked him one night at a gig why he was playing his acoustic upright instead of his baby bass (he had a real ampeg) and he explained about the sustain issue.

 

[rbolanos]

I have the ampeg baby bass reissue by Azola. great bass for latin and also Jazz. it also have the magnetic diaphragm+piezo wing pick up
....just realized, he already got an azola..oh well. anothe reason to show the pictures..lol

 

[line6bassist]

I have the ampeg baby bass reissue by Azola. great bass for latin and also Jazz. it also have the magnetic diaphragm+piezo wing pick up
....just realized, he already got an azola..oh well. anothe reason to show the pictures..lol

wow....thats one of my dream basses.....

 

[TCube]

I use a Zeta Strados Uprite (41.5" scale - not the x-over) for salsa and other latin-flavored gigs. Awesome bow sound too.

 

[Stefanobass]

Hi Guys

I have heard a lot of theories related to aluminum bridge as opposed to maple for baby bass. I play salsa and jazz , I have KK baby bass made in UK, the bass sounds awesome loud punchy and fat with the maple bridge on passive magnetic diaphragm pick up. I wonder what is the difference with aluminum and are there preferences to strings type if metal bridge used.
Some of the original Ampeg BB were featured with metal bridge?

 

[audiorep2]

1966 Ampeg, current Ramirez Caribbean, and Azola/Ampeg reissue. I sold the old Ampeg because I need the sustain afforded by the other 2.

 

[scojack]

Sweet