what kind of eub should i buy?

$800 is not a lot for an EUB. Your options are limited at this price point.

Ergos are good instruments, but quite unlike the physical sensation of playing a DB. However, the scale length is similar to a DB so technique transfers quite well.

What are you looking for in an EUB?

 

If you are an electric bass player, go more for the DB tone than feel. If you really want it to feel like a DB, buy a DB

 

Which one has the tone then? I too would like to know this and I am an electric, not upright bass player. I have heard the Rob Allen's pretty much nail the tone of a UB.

 

As far as I know, the consensus among players is no EUB 'nails' the tone of a double bass. Some get close, particularly by using some acoustic qualities, but they tend to be expensive instruments.

However, barring these much more expensive instruments, many EUBs are fairly similar in terms of their build, consisting of solid wood body/neck and a piezo pick-up. If you use dark sounding strings like orchestral ones, high string height and DB technique, you will get close-ish. Low string height, thin and bright strings and BG technique will land you in fretless country.

 

Did you read this sticky?: http://www.talkbass.com/forum/showthread.php?t=532152

That said, like a few people said, the tone you'll get depends a lot on your setup and technique.
If you play a DB like a BG, you'll get more of a BG kind of tone.
The tone comes mostly from the hands.

 

For the money, I think the Ergo is a very nice bass. And if you play with DB technique you will adjust to it very easily.

I think there is one in the classifieds at the moment. There is also a Wav4 in your price range.

 

Ergo instruments are AMAZING. Get one.

 

Unlike others, I was very disappointed in my Ergo. Sound was thin and nasal and the construction was shoddy. w/e float ppls boats.

Even an NS bass does not compare to a real DB. For $800, I'd just go buy another Engle. IMO, I'd rather play a questionable Cremona than a more expensive NSD, so long as the Cremona doesn't implode.

 

The original poster needs to ask themselves what kind of double bass they would expect to get for $800.

So how much can you expect from an $800 electric double bass?

 

At the risk of bringing down untold misery on my head, I will give you a little bit of advice I have gleaned over many years and lots of money.

The ultra-cheap upright route- meaning the sub 700. range on Ebay- not a wise move because they don't last very long, when catastrophic problems happen they are horribly expensive to correct. if you do- what do you have....an ultra cheap upright.

The "rare-find" option- this is actually plausible, I found an old late 40's Epiphone for 900., in good shape, needed a little work and a few items like a new end pin etc. But, in the end you have a real bass. Get someone who knows something about them to help you troubleshoot potential problems BEFORE you buy.

The sub 800. EUB. Ergo is not a bad option, but you'll have to buy strings and constantly fuss with it- I do think they sound pretty good if you have the right strings, the right technique blah blah blah. (see the Ergo thread)

Can't speak to NSD WAV but that might be a good option too. Some folks say good things about Palatinos, but I would sure want to try it out before I plopped down $$. Again, the type of strings are absolutely crucial.

The electric bass that "nails the URB tone". I think there are some hollow body instruments that can emulate to some degree the bloom and color of an upright. What they can't do is create the push, the percussive effect of a longer string transmitting the sound via wooded bridge to a large resonating chamber.....it aint going to happen. Although, in certain contexts, the sound made by a hollow-bodied electric or electric/acoustic may be perfectly suitable for your application.

My final piece of advice may not be very meaningful becuase you have a budget....I know what that's like too, but the best result I got came from my Eminence.......bandleaders don't fuss, they just like it (drummers too!).
Hope this helps
JS

 

As my jazz-to-rock gig percentage increases on the jazz side I'm spending more and more time back with my DB. Like most of us who lug the big boys around I looked for smaller/lighter/cheaper alternatives that would acomplish the same tonal & feel goals as a DB. IMO, there was nothing that copped the feel and tone, to my satisfaction.

Most EUB's are entirely too skinny for my tastes and only marginally approach a DB sound. As stated above, the right strings for a particular bass will help, but it still sounds "electric" to my ears. Perhaps it's just the missing percussive element, maybe other things as well ....

If the OP is a slab guy looking for a DB-esque appearance/vibe, the Barker Bass will fit that bill. It is definitely a bass guitar turned vertically, but the chambered body creates a sustain that when properly controlled and stylistically played with a standard DB mindset can at least emulate the "upright" effect, and it is a beautifully constructed instrument. The Barker is not intended to be a DB, nor was it ever designed that way, but a residual benefit of the bass is that it can work in a fairly high percentage of jazz settings. Of course, if arco is a goal the Barker is completely out of the question ....

I'm having a 6 string Barker made as we speak and I can easily foresee using only the Barker 6 and the DB in the not-too-distant future. There have been a few used Barkers (4 & 5 strings) on the TB FS forums recently for very good pricing (in the OP's range), so if arco is not an issue and you're just looking for the emulation idea of a DB, that might be an excellent route to go ......