Double Bass small electric which sounds like an upright?

[jzucker]

Looking for something along the lines of the marcustico or "the base". An electric bass that can be "worn" with a strap and played horizontally.

Not looking for muted flatwounds on a rickenbacker. I'm actually looking for something that you could do a jazz gig with and get the sound of an upright bass. Something along the lines of these:

Considering the marcustico but there's a 5 month wait and he recommends 60% humidity and the warranty is void if anyone other than Marcus does any work on it which is a bit inconvenient considering he's 4000 miles from me!

Just found out about "the base" today but I have no idea what the price is...

 

[Francois Blais]

Do you want a short-scale EUB, in the likes of 34" or normal scale, around 41"?
The Eminence could me a regular scale alternative.
Eminence Bass from G. Edward Lutherie

 

[jzucker]

Do you want a short-scale EUB, in the likes of 34" or normal scale, around 41"?
The Eminence could me a regular scale alternative.
Eminence Bass from G. Edward Lutherie

I guess I should have specified. Looking more for a 34" scale or at least something which can be played horizontally

 

[VictorW126]

Looking more for a 34" scale or at least something which can be played horizontally

Nothing sounds like a double bass except a double bass.
But you can try Godin A5 (or any BG) with DB-sound emulator.

 

[RHA III]

Kala Ubass

 

[ClusterFlux]

This has been discussed many times before, including here:
Electric bass that sounds like an upright

and previously here
Electric bass guitars that "sound like an upright"

Since I contributed to the first thread above, I've started playing upright, and am a bit more skeptical of the current "EB sounds like DB" options -- especially when it comes to YouTube videos. The decay just isn't the same, and obviously you can't do arco. At a minimum, I think you'll need to use impulse responses and other effects wizardry... and still hope that the nuances of the tone get lost in the mix.

From what I can tell, "The Bace" is not commercially available.

In addition to the issues you noted, something like the Marcustico is actually more expensive than a giggable entry-level upright.

I think at this point, you could end up throwing a lot of money and time at things that sound sort of, but not quite, and possibly not quite enough, like an upright.

 

[jzucker]

This has been discussed many times before, including here:
Electric bass that sounds like an upright

and previously here
Electric bass guitars that "sound like an upright"

Since I contributed to the first thread above, I've started playing upright, and am a bit more skeptical of the current "EB sounds like DB" options -- especially when it comes to YouTube videos. The decay just isn't the same, and obviously you can't do arco. At a minimum, I think you'll need to use impulse responses and other effects wizardry... and still hope that the nuances of the tone get lost in the mix.

From what I can tell, "The Bace" is not commercially available.

In addition to the issues you noted, something like the Marcustico is actually more expensive than a giggable entry-level upright.

I think at this point, you could end up throwing a lot of money and time at things that sound sort of, but not quite, and possibly not quite enough, like an upright.

Dario Deidda from the clip I posted above is playing with Kurt Rosenwinkel and even Kurt said it sounds like an upright...It's pretty damn close for a small body instrument.

 

[turf3]

...
Not looking for muted flatwounds on a rickenbacker. ...

How about a Precision?

Honestly, if you want something small and horizontal that you can play standing up with a strap, you know, there's a reason why Fender sold jillions of those things to jazz, R&B, country players when they came out.

 

[Don Hergert]

Looking for something along the lines of the marcustico or "the base". An electric bass that can be "worn" with a strap and played horizontally.

Not looking for muted flatwounds on a rickenbacker. I'm actually looking for something that you could do a jazz gig with and get the sound of an upright bass. Something along the lines of these:

Considering the marcustico but there's a 5 month wait and he recommends 60% humidity and the warranty is void if anyone other than Marcus does any work on it which is a bit inconvenient considering he's 4000 miles from me!

Just found out about "the base" today but I have no idea what the price is...
...

I guess I should have specified. Looking more for a 34" scale or at least something which can be played horizontally

You're describing a uBass. But, specifically, you're describing a fretless uBass. Only practical amped, but possibly as close as you can get to an amp'ed DB tone, without the DB baggage. I have a fretless uBass personally, and while I'd much rather have my DB with me to play, the fretless uBass sounds recognizably amp'ed DB'ish, and it easily "goes where no DB has gone before".

 

[jzucker]

How about a Precision?

Honestly, if you want something small and horizontal that you can play standing up with a strap, you know, there's a reason why Fender sold jillions of those things to jazz, R&B, country players when they came out.

sounds *NOTHING* like an upright. I play upright too and I have a jcr and valenti fretless. They both sound great but nothing like an upright. The two basses I posted videos of actually have an upright bass vibe.

 

[jzucker]

Kala Ubass

this???

Kala U-Bass Fretless Acoustic-Electric Bass Ukulele - Striped Ebony

 

[Don Hergert]

Yep. But, be aware, there are a number of makers, and you may want to look at more than just Kala. Mine is the Kala model you've spotted in the URL and I like it for my more portable DB needs, but there are a number of QC issues. I'd specifically recommend considering Gold Tone and a few other companies before pulling the trigger.

Here's a URL for the Gold Tone mBass area. Keep in mind you may have to specifically request fretless.

Also, I'd suggest that we don't expect anything acoustic to sound like a DB sounds acoustically. My observations are exclusively comparing amped to amped.

 

[turf3]

Well, maybe your ear is a lot better than mine.

No, the classic Precision with flatwound strings, foam rubber under the strings at the bridge, tone control rolled all the way off, small amp set flat, doesn't sound EXACTLY like an upright. Nothing will. But it's a darn good substitute for when the load-in's just too ridiculous.

I would submit that "sounding NOTHING like an upright bass" would be reserved for some other choices: contrabassoon, tuba, grand piano, tubular bells, etc.

Once you give up the visual effect of the double-bass, I believe few listeners will detect a difference between a well-set-up bass guitar and an upright.

I will say the U-basses give a surprisingly upright-like sound, though I don't know what is done on the EQ side to get them there. I've only fiddled around with one a bit and I played for some time with a guy who used one - but I never looked at his amp settings.

 

[VictorW126]

Dario Deidda from the clip I posted above is playing with Kurt Rosenwinkel and even Kurt said it sounds like an upright...It's pretty damn close for a small body instrument.

There is a lot of controversy about how a double bass sounds. Did the sound on the video convince you? I'm not there. If you don't trust the DB-sts on this forum, can you ask the BG players?
Once a month (or more often) a bass guitar player says he found a vertical sound on a bass guitar, but I never hear those words from double bass players. Perhaps BG players' ears work better than our tired old hearing...

 

[ClusterFlux]

No, the classic Precision with flatwound strings, foam rubber under the strings at the bridge, tone control rolled all the way off, small amp set flat, doesn't sound EXACTLY like an upright. Nothing will. But it's a darn good substitute for when the load-in's just too ridiculous.

The setup you're describing gets you the Jamerson-Motown sound, not an upright sound. It doesn't have anywhere near the same attack and resonance as an upright.

You might as well just play EB and find a sound that you like and/or works for the ensemble.

 

[jzucker]

This has been discussed many times before, including here:
Electric bass that sounds like an upright

and previously here
Electric bass guitars that "sound like an upright"

Since I contributed to the first thread above, I've started playing upright, and am a bit more skeptical of the current "EB sounds like DB" options -- especially when it comes to YouTube videos. The decay just isn't the same, and obviously you can't do arco. At a minimum, I think you'll need to use impulse responses and other effects wizardry... and still hope that the nuances of the tone get lost in the mix.

From what I can tell, "The Bace" is not commercially available.

In addition to the issues you noted, something like the Marcustico is actually more expensive than a giggable entry-level upright.

I think at this point, you could end up throwing a lot of money and time at things that sound sort of, but not quite, and possibly not quite enough, like an upright.

The base is commercially available though it's in a startup phase. I already play upright. I'm looking for what I'm looking for!

 

[turf3]

There is a lot of controversy about how a double bass sounds. Did the sound on the video convince you? I'm not there. If you don't trust the DB-sts on this forum, can you ask the BG players?
Once a month (or more often) a bass guitar player says he found a vertical sound on a bass guitar, but I never hear those words from double bass players. Perhaps BG players' ears work better than our tired old hearing...

You know, that's a good point too.

Which DB sound are you wanting to reproduce? Gut strings with mile-high action a la Wellman Braud? Jimmy Blanton? Ray Brown's steel string sound? NHOP? Brian Bromberg? Christian McBride (whose sound I'd put squarely in the Brown/Carter tradition)? Bill Black and Marshall Grant?

 

[jzucker]

There is a lot of controversy about how a double bass sounds. Did the sound on the video convince you? I'm not there. If you don't trust the DB-sts on this forum, can you ask the BG players?
Once a month (or more often) a bass guitar player says he found a vertical sound on a bass guitar, but I never hear those words from double bass players. Perhaps BG players' ears work better than our tired old hearing...

you might want to check the clip I posted of darrio deidda who is currently touring and recording with kurt rosenwinkel. He plays upright but is traveling and performing with the marcustico. Even Kurt has said it sounds and feels like an upright to him. I'm not trying to debate that a small body electric sounds just like or as good as an upright. I'm just looking for a particular niche. Not sure why every post here has to devolve into a philosophical debate.

 

[VictorW126]

you might want to check the clip I posted of darrio deidda who is currently touring and recording with kurt rosenwinkel. He plays upright but is traveling and performing with the marcustico. Even Kurt has said it sounds and feels like an upright to him.

So you've found your sound. Look for 32" acoustic bass and use it as a Marco counterpart.
I was interested in Marcocoustic in 2008 or 2009. He was with my friend. Then I found out that one of the great bassists (Marcus Miller?) uses marco bass instead of double bass on the recordings. I tried to repeat his path. I didn't own Marco, but I don't believe in miracles. I had over ten acoustic basses (Washburn AB10 x 2, MK Dragonfly FL, fantastic Greco AB fretless, Cort-factory ply ABG, cool masterbuild Solid wood ABG, cheap masterbuild ply ABG, Phill Pro ABG, Taylor AB-3, Jolana Aciustic Bass, hand made acoustic guitar to bass conversion, and other) and I did a lot with them. I changed strings, used an EQ, used an emulator, etc. Every time I was convinced that it was not a double bass.

I didn't use Marco specifically. But my experience is enough for me. If Marco really looked a lot like a double bass, it would be a revolution. Clones and copies of Marco would be sold everywhere, and the owner would become a usd-billionaire, etc.
If it sounds like a double bass to you, then this is your choice! There is no sound standard. A different sound is good for everyone.

 

[VictorW126]

Not sure why every post here has to devolve into a philosophical debate.

I'm not a villain. I think I can understand your situation. My experience allows me to give one piece of advice: a good emulator. These can be turnkey solutions such as Godin A4 or Line6-BG, or any BG and processor. ABG more appropriate, but it needs a lot of attention and you need to keep feedback in mind.