Double Bass Yamaha SLB300 Pro - arco sound?

[b1644]

Just wondering how these are for arco playing. I would mainly use this for jazz gigs but I do play 1-2 musical theatre gigs per year and this would be a nice option for the tight theatre pit we have... if it sounds OK with a bow.

I love playing musicals with my 1950 Juzek but it's always a risky endeavour bringing it into the pit.

- Martin

 

[El Thumpo]

Can you even buy the Pro model any more? I’ve never been able to find one for sale in the US.

The electronics, and therefore sound, of all SLB300s are identical, however. The arco sound on mine is convincing enough that I’ve had colleagues specifically ask me to bring it to the recording studio.

 

[mattgreven]

Just wondering how these are for arco playing. I would mainly use this for jazz gigs but I do play 1-2 musical theatre gigs per year and this would be a nice option for the tight theatre pit we have... if it sounds OK with a bow.

I love playing musicals with my 1950 Juzek but it's always a risky endeavour bringing it into the pit.

- Martin

I'm playing with the local wind ensemble for a concert, all latin stuff. There are some arco passages, and it took some adjustments, but I got to a really decent arco sound. It'll depend on what amp you're using. I found that if I rolled the treble off a bit, that helped. Different halls project bass differently, so you need to keep that in mind. I used SRT mode 3 last night--I think I'm going to try the others bc the "warm" sound of #3 is a little too bassy ("said no bass player...ever!"). Good luck!

 

[hensonbass]

I use my SLB 300 for my church services. I currently use Thomastik solo gauge Superflexible strings with this bass and get a good response with both arco and pizz.

I also should mention that I have had troubles with excessive noise in the SLB preamp and also felt the bass lacked punch. To combat these problems I installed a Realist Lifeline pickup and combine that signal with the output of the SLB into a K&K two channel preamp. I find the resulting sound much more satisfying and punchy.