Double Bass string with 'Puh'

[bassloaded]

i have an EUB with D'addadrio helicore pizzicato strings.

the problem is, it doesn't produce enough Puh-sound when i pluck the string. and it has too much sustain.
in the result, it sounds like fretless bass.

can you recommend me any solution?
heavier gauge? helicore hybrid? thomasik or pirastro?

thanks.

 

[Uncletoad]

Turn it down, hit it harder.

 

[Peck_Time]

Also try raising your string height.

 

[Francois Blais]

You may want to try orchestral strings.
They're dampened so they have less sustain and less brightness.
Do you play pizz only or also with a bow?

 

[bassloaded]

string height is already as high as possble.

the harder i pluck, the attack goes 'twanger' - sound of fretless bass.

i play pizzi only.

should i go for Helicore hybrid/arco? or Thomasik/Pirastro?

 

[Jake deVilliers]

What are your string heights as measured at the end of the fingerboard, preferably in mm?

 

[Uncletoad]

Those strings are capable of much "Puh".

I still don't think a string change will help you all that much. It sounds like a setup issue or a playing issue. If it's low and flat and you can't lay into it no matter what you put on there it's going to sound like an electric fretless. Short of old school guts it's not going to have "puh" until your hands can provide it.

You have to be able to play it with a string bass technique to sound like a string bass. If you play with an electric bass technique you'll sound like a giant fretless all the time.

 

[bassloaded]

well, i have a DB also, and i have been playing DB for 5 years without such a problem.

i recently bought a EUB. and i just want it to sound more muddy.

is there anyone who will inform me of the character of the strings?

 

[Marcus Johnson]

I once played a friend's Eminence EUB that was strung with Velvet Garbos... it was a pretty good combination, it took a lot of that fretless edge off. Kind of an expensive experiment, though.

Evah Pirazzis might be good.

 

[Uncletoad]

Well, if it's not playing and it's not setup then try lighter gage arco friendly strings like Belcantos, regular or solo Flexocors, Solo or regular Dominants, or Evah Pirazzis.

What kind of EUB is it? Is it a piezo pickup or a magnetic pickup? The latter will sound more fenderish than the former.

 

[bassloaded]

thanks for advice.

my EUB is 'Landscape', which may be not common is US.
it has both piezo & magnetic pickup with blending knob.

i'll try Flexocors or Dominants.
do you have any idea about Helicore Arco string?

 

[Uncletoad]

thanks for advice.

my EUB is 'Landscape', which may be not common is US.
it has both piezo & magnetic pickup with blending knob.

i'll try Flexocors or Dominants.
do you have any idea about Helicore Arco string?

Is this it?

http://www.guitar-import.com/Luthiers/Landscape/lanscape.htm#contrebasse

Flexocor would be darkest of the three, the Dominant may still have to much Electric Bass unless you go with the Solo gage which some find to light and floppy. The helicore arco strings are a decent choice but you'll have to wear them in quite a bit to get them working where you want them.

I prefer the Flexocor.

Still may have to much sustain without getting the strings up higher.

 

[bassloaded]

yeah, mine is Swing Bass Artist.

okay- i'll go for the Flexocor.

many thanks for useful advices.

 

[Uncletoad]

That's a pretty cool looking bass, can you tell us about it?

 

[bassloaded]

Landscape is Japan company.
so you may easily find it in Japan.
i live in Seoul, Korea - nearby country, and had a chance to get one.
price range is about $2,000 ~ $3,000 here.

when i was looking for an EUB for travel gig, i tried a stick EUB bass (Yamaha silent bass), but it doesn't make me feel good when i play.
so i tried to find Eminence, which has some acoustic 'body'.
but i couldn't find Eminence here in Korea. and i finally find Swing Bass, a similar shape of Eminence.

it's not as comfortable as DB when i stand and hold it. and has a little hiss.
but EUB is EUB and that doesn't bother me. and i think it's pretty good bass, although this is my first EUB.
what i couldn't take is the fretless like tone. it sounds fretless when unplugged, too.
so i wrapped a handmade cloth damping on string's bridge side. and it helped a bit;
and now i'm trying to make changes for string set.

 

[jrlynch]

i'd suggest losing the magnetic pickup in the blend, changing strings as per the suggestions here, and playing with eq, using something like a presonus eq-3b, so you can narrow down the weird resonances in the instrument. i've an old prototype bsx that i'm still working at to get an acceptable sound ... it plays great, but the amplified sound just isn't quite there yet.

jeff.

 

[daHammer]

Hi,

I play an Eminence and your bass seems very similar. Since these are acoustic instruments and use "normal" DB strings you should be able to get a DB sound. As one of the other replies stated you should definitely stick with the piezo pickup and forget the magnetic for the most realistic DB sound. Also, since this type of bass generally has a lighter action than a DB there may be a tendency to pluck the strings with the finger tips (as with a guitar) rather than to strike them with the edge of the finger(s) which produces a more typical percussive DB sound. Since you are a DB player you probably already make this adjustment but I thought it worth mentioning.

There's a nice video on You Tube that contains an excellent example of how an Eminence can sound (which would be relevant for your bass using the piezo pickup) -- do ignore the bizarre arco bass solo at the very beginning and don't give up before the pizziccato begins

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Regards,

 

[bassloaded]

thanks.

it's better when i turn down the magnetic pickup.
and as i said, it produces little Puh and too much sustain when play unplugged.
in EUB, the body doesn't soak up the energy of the plucked strings. DB seems to soaks it up at the moment i pluck.
i think that's the problem. maybe darker string will help.

mm. it seems you listed wrong youtube address^^

 

[daHammer]

mm. it seems you listed wrong youtube address^^

Sorry about that. Try Invalid Link Removed
The song is Eliana Cuevas singing "Alfonsina y el Mar."

 

[ricobasso]

If you can't get the sound you want with a change of strings you could try to add damping by means of rubber pads between the belly and the bridge feet. Maybe start with cut up bicycle inner tubes and gradually go thicker. Good luck.