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Double Bass small electric which sounds like an upright?
- Thread starter jzucker
- Start date
Is that you playing it? Great playing. And if so, is that after you modified it from stock?
Yes, I’m playing it. A that time, it had a DB bridge and sound posts installed by a luthier, but the tailpiece was a 1/4 size. Although Chennell advertised it at that time as being capable of being strung with EB or DB strings, I found that the instrument had to be modified to accept DB strings. As I said, it was a prototype. I got a great deal, but nonetheless had to modify it. Not sure if that is still the case. I never strung it with EB strings… it came with some odd type of string, and a proprietary tailpiece… a wooden block with wire extensions to the endpin. These came off immediately, as i knew what i had envisioned. It’s really a 1/8 DB with lighter hybrid guitar-DB, construction, and longer neck. At least it is now…
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Thanks for the info. I kind of wonder if it would be worth having one made from spruce ply to avoid warpage/cracking due to humidity issues. I live in NE Ohio usa and even with a humidifier it's often 35% humidity in the house
Had considered that. But the Arco has a longer string length, and an “F” neck. Also, i bought at a great price, less than what one would pay for a laminated 1/8 DB. As well, there is an extremely limited selection of string makes in 1/8 size, with 1/4 size DB strings having slightly more options
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Jbass,
I realize now that your suggestion was aimed at the OP, as i didn’t read your post carefully. Thanks for the compliment!
I doubt if Chennell would make a laminated instrument. But i do notice that a glance at some of his new Arcos feature a traditional type bridge and tailpiece. I spoke with Toby at length in 2010 about some of the issues i had with some of his build features, and he did finance some of the initial modifications to make the instrument capable of performing as advertised with DB strings. Perhaps he took my recommendations to heart. I also hope he is not building the basses with white glue anymore, as you will never be able to remove the top or back efficiently and safely with white glue construction. I would also recommend getting a round carved back, not a flat one, as i experienced some warping of the back, and repairs were tremendously challenging , as the instrument cannot be opened. I have had to glue and cleat cracks personally on the back and ribs, and it was not fun. Oddly enough, the back has lessened its degree of warpage, likely because i had to remove part of the lining to effect a crack repair.i suppose the lining contracted, and pulled the back with it into a concave curvature in an area near the lower bout.I’d say the instrument is a luthier’s nightmare, at least as mine was constructed. In fairness, my NYC apartment is not carved bass friendly. It has old-school, steam radiators, and the temperature and humidity cannot be kept seasonally consistent. And I don’t keep the instruments cased when not in use. Every carved instrument i own has undergone undesired transformations.. cracks or warpage.
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Ugh, i don't feel like dealing with any of that. I've had horrible luck dealing with luthiers in a different country so I probably won't be purchasing one of these.
I would suggest you speak with Toby before making any decision one way or another. He was very engaged in my conversations, and he may have changed some aspects of his construction methods in the last decade.. as I said, I bought a prototype of the Arco. I don’t regret purchasing the instrument, Despite the maintenance challenges. Living in NYC and not being a car owner really figured into my predilection for a DB that is more easily transported, especially when one is carrying amplification. Must be Subway and Cab friendly. Also. Since it is a “Bespoke” instrument, he would likely build the bass to your specifications. Perhaps even to the extent of construction methods, such as glue type. But the arco is actually a hybrid of guitar and violin -family construction methods, as least as mine is/was configured. I’m not sure to what extent his construction methods differ when one orders a bass with soundpost installed at construction.. my soundpost(s) sit atop horizontal bracing on the back, and the two vertical bass bars on the top plate.. so the have notches to accommodate the height of the bracings, which intersect at right angles! So it’s incredibly tedious to reposition them should they fall, which they have when removing strings to make repairs. But I have a limited background in luthiery , as I served an apprenticeship to a bass oriented luthier for a few years, and can effect structural repairs. Probably the best analogy for what I bought is a small Berda, a Eastern European instrument which at first glance is a type of double bass, but which does not utilize a soundpost.. it has two bass bars on the top, and is not played arco
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As Aesopslyre mentions, he doesn’t have a production Arco - he has an early prototype, bought privately at an excellent price that reflected that clearly-stated status, and as you see, on balance he’s quite happy with the bargain he got.
My own Arco is an early production model and has none of those same issues as far as I can tell, and has survived the journey from England to San Francisco, years there, a trip to Vancouver BC and over a year here without humidification without hint of a crack.
[it’s probably good to note that Bournemouth, San Francisco and Vancouver are all seaport cities. If I lived in an arid climate, humidification of all my instruments would probably be a concern for me.]
As a point of relevant comparison, I own the prototype of the Sonic Farm Tantra bass amp, which they gave me at a significant discount (as thanks for my help in the testing process). It certainly sounds the same and has exactly the same circuitry, but it’s not a “Tantra” - it’s a Tantra prototype, complete with cryptic handwritten labels in gold marker on a generic black metal case, mismatched screws, generic plastic knobs with masking tape labels (which I’ve now bought replacement knobs for from Amazon) and one of the outputs (which I’ve never needed) non-functioning. I am completely delighted with the bargain I got.
There’s a bit of a necessary trust relationship here - my representing this as a “Tantra” would make people shake their heads at a seeming sloppiness which is really merely part of the prototyping process. Aesopslyre is being quite careful to point out his is a prototype.
My Arco is a production Arco built with “lessons learned” from Aesopslyre’s prototype and suffers from none of those teething pains, as far as I can tell. And from the sounds of it, I also paid an accordingly higher price. Everybody I know that’s inspected it has commented on the craftsmanship, which is extremely high-quality.
My own Arco is an early production model and has none of those same issues as far as I can tell, and has survived the journey from England to San Francisco, years there, a trip to Vancouver BC and over a year here without humidification without hint of a crack.
[it’s probably good to note that Bournemouth, San Francisco and Vancouver are all seaport cities. If I lived in an arid climate, humidification of all my instruments would probably be a concern for me.]
As a point of relevant comparison, I own the prototype of the Sonic Farm Tantra bass amp, which they gave me at a significant discount (as thanks for my help in the testing process). It certainly sounds the same and has exactly the same circuitry, but it’s not a “Tantra” - it’s a Tantra prototype, complete with cryptic handwritten labels in gold marker on a generic black metal case, mismatched screws, generic plastic knobs with masking tape labels (which I’ve now bought replacement knobs for from Amazon) and one of the outputs (which I’ve never needed) non-functioning. I am completely delighted with the bargain I got.
There’s a bit of a necessary trust relationship here - my representing this as a “Tantra” would make people shake their heads at a seeming sloppiness which is really merely part of the prototyping process. Aesopslyre is being quite careful to point out his is a prototype.
My Arco is a production Arco built with “lessons learned” from Aesopslyre’s prototype and suffers from none of those teething pains, as far as I can tell. And from the sounds of it, I also paid an accordingly higher price. Everybody I know that’s inspected it has commented on the craftsmanship, which is extremely high-quality.
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Ah. I’m in Canada, so you’re all the same “respected foreigners that present the standard concerns involved in cross-border dealing” to me
Seriously, I’ve bought both crap and brilliance from the US, China, Italy, the UK, Brazil etc. The best you can do is get as many opinions from owners as possible and do your research carefully. As a pretty picky and discriminating owner of a fair bit of boutique gear, I will unhesitatingly put Toby in the “buy with complete confidence” category.
Hmmm, this just came up as a new thread but it appears to be similar to what the OP was targeting, might want to look it over...
Thread: It’s alive! My handbuilt “Remnants” accused-stic upright bass
Thread: It’s alive! My handbuilt “Remnants” accused-stic upright bass
I'd read that first posting again. This is not at all what the OP is interested in.
He likes expensive, exotic Bass Guitars, wants something he can play horizontally, as a BG style instrument and gave several examples.
this is one of those really dangerous topics ...lol
there are many nice basses around but there are just a few in my opinion,
that gets very close to the upright. many are just a nice option but still stay quite far from the u.b. vibe.
yes, we all know that nothing can exactly sound like an upright,
but there is something that can achieve results that we can include in that league someway.
in my opinion the best one that wins hand down is the Marcustico.
i never bought one cause i can't afford it, so i am quite satisfied with my 1968 Coronado
that with the right settings and the right amp can do the job am looking for, but it is a quite different thing.
I was told that playing the Marcustico it is not so easy and immediate at all, and i completely believe it.
I think that when You buy the Marcustico you buy the innovative project first, and about this i have to pay my best compliments to the luthier who created it.
Anyway i can understand his point of view, but i don't agree that much with his policy that oblige me
to send the bass to Spain.
i would like to find a luthier that wants to make some experiments in this direction, what i don't like
of the Marcustico is the difficulty to reach the high register, that is an important aspect to me.
Another thing that i want to say is that up to this point i watched some Marcustico users videos
but the tone differs quite much from player to player. Yes, different hands, etc but i think that to get the best
out of it some other settings or more research for the most functional set of strings is needed.
in my opinion Dario Deidda managed to find the best tone out of it, very thick, dark and very functional
in a jazz environment. forgive me for my dodgy english : ))
there are many nice basses around but there are just a few in my opinion,
that gets very close to the upright. many are just a nice option but still stay quite far from the u.b. vibe.
yes, we all know that nothing can exactly sound like an upright,
but there is something that can achieve results that we can include in that league someway.
in my opinion the best one that wins hand down is the Marcustico.
i never bought one cause i can't afford it, so i am quite satisfied with my 1968 Coronado
that with the right settings and the right amp can do the job am looking for, but it is a quite different thing.
I was told that playing the Marcustico it is not so easy and immediate at all, and i completely believe it.
I think that when You buy the Marcustico you buy the innovative project first, and about this i have to pay my best compliments to the luthier who created it.
Anyway i can understand his point of view, but i don't agree that much with his policy that oblige me
to send the bass to Spain.
i would like to find a luthier that wants to make some experiments in this direction, what i don't like
of the Marcustico is the difficulty to reach the high register, that is an important aspect to me.
Another thing that i want to say is that up to this point i watched some Marcustico users videos
but the tone differs quite much from player to player. Yes, different hands, etc but i think that to get the best
out of it some other settings or more research for the most functional set of strings is needed.
in my opinion Dario Deidda managed to find the best tone out of it, very thick, dark and very functional
in a jazz environment. forgive me for my dodgy english : ))
