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Far west EUB


greyparrot
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Hi all,

Recently i was on the lookout for an EUB after selling my DB as its very hard in my band to prevent feedback.. (i only use it in the 1st set) and after owning a DB its pretty hard to find an EUB that sounds like one...any way i asked a mate i know (he has 3 different ones) if he had one for sale, he said he had the far west that he had made and never used it in 2 years just been in the case after day of delivery!...i looked on the net, not a lot about them, anyway i got it and TBH expected the normal large fretless sound...i was blown away it sounds great, very similar to an acoustic DB...i did a quick recording with it here, i only had it for 20mins at this point, so still getting used to it...It has a great percussive sound ...looking forward to using it at tonight's gig....Anyway here it is no preamp its just plugged strait into the m audio box..... well worth a look i think if your looking for one...he prefers his Aria ...which funny enough i had one and did not think it sounded like a DB..

[size="2"]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OhCnPyWyuBk[/size]

[size="2"]Rich [/size]

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  • 2 weeks later...

Hi Rich,

Just listened to that and thought it sounded great :)
I've not seen a Farwest EUB, and if I saw one come up 2nd hand anywhere near me
I'd be tempted to try it out, having seen & heard that video

You're quite right, EUB's don't usually sound like (or feel like) a "proper" DB
I started out with a Stagg, which really just sounded like a big fretless bass guitar - though it was a good introduction to DB
Now I have an Eminence, which sounds very like a DB - with some EQ'ing
From sound clips I've heard, the Yamaha Silent bass also sounds really good, and very DB-like

Can I ask, how much are those Far west EUB's?

EDIT: Nice sound & playing on that video too mate

Edited by Marc S
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Very impressive sound and nice playing.I also went from EB to a Stagg as my introduction to upright and like Marc found it fun but not the sound I
wanted and didn't want to get into the tweaking that some people do to the Stagg . I found a Yamaha SLB 200 and I love it.I plug it straight into my little Laney amp(rare over here in Canada)or directly into the Bose PA we use in our band and use the tone and volume controls on the bass to get the sound I like.I found the treble and bass controls very sensitive and a minor adjustment makes a big difference in the sound.Using the volume control carefully makes a huge difference too.To my ears and to most people who have heard it it sounds pretty much like a DB.
Sorry I got a bit sidetracked there but my point is that your lovely bass and mine often don't need a lot of messing with to sound great.I don't have the skills or knowledge to start playing with the signal,I just pretty much plug and play as you did.It makes life a lot easier and sounds good.
Thanks for the sound clip,you have a great instrument there.

Bob

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  • 1 year later...

[quote name='greyparrot' timestamp='1446289614' post='2898345']
Hi all,

Recently i was on the lookout for an EUB after selling my DB as its very hard in my band to prevent feedback.. (i only use it in the 1st set) and after owning a DB its pretty hard to find an EUB that sounds like one...any way i asked a mate i know (he has 3 different ones) if he had one for sale, he said he had the far west that he had made and never used it in 2 years just been in the case after day of delivery!...i looked on the net, not a lot about them, anyway i got it and TBH expected the normal large fretless sound...i was blown away it sounds great, very similar to an acoustic DB...i did a quick recording with it here, i only had it for 20mins at this point, so still getting used to it...It has a great percussive sound ...looking forward to using it at tonight's gig....Anyway here it is no preamp its just plugged strait into the m audio box..... well worth a look i think if your looking for one...he prefers his Aria ...which funny enough i had one and did not think it sounded like a DB..

[size=2][url="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OhCnPyWyuBk"]https://www.youtube....h?v=OhCnPyWyuBk[/url][/size]

[size=2]Rich [/size]
[/quote]

Rich - did you hang on to your Far West? They do seem like a really interesting option and competitively priced alternative to the Yamaha SLB 200 or even the NS NXT. I'd be really interested to hear how the Far West EUBs hold their own for play-ability and sound against their better known rivals?

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  • 1 year later...

I am also interested in trying out a Far West but also got no replies through the website contact page. I like my Stagg for the convenience and the sound, but it doesn't suit my 6'4" frame particularly well and keeps rotating away from me slightly when playing and singing. I have made a real effort to get my acoustic DB to sound less like a DB and more like an EUB (don't ask - the guys in the band prefer it) so it is less of an issue now but I would ne keen to try another EUB to save me having to take the big car every time to rehearsal!!

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On 12/04/2019 at 14:03, randythoades said:

I like my Stagg for the convenience and the sound, but it doesn't suit my 6'4" frame particularly well and keeps rotating away from me slightly when playing and singing.

I've only briefly tried the Harley Benton/Palatino and the Aria SWB Lite stick bass and they both to spun/rotated.

The Far West looks like a quality instrument, though I don't think the  bridge is adjustable so I thought twice about that one, as I didn't know how it was set up. The Eminence or Yamaha SLB-200 are both stable, so I hear, difficult to try out though as I'm sure you know.

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  • 4 weeks later...

Finally got a phone number for Chris Balmforth the founder of Far West upright electric basses.  I went to see him on the train to Cambourne in Cornwall.  I tried a Red Head II that Chris has just finished. It had steel stings and was a bit too metallic for my taste.  I then tried another Red head that Chris uses with Superior Bass Works synthetic gut strings these gave a much more Jazz bass sound to my ear.  So I have commissioned a new Red Head II and I even did some drilling and routing under close supervision from Chris.  As it is a red head I decided to go for blood red SBW strings!  Photos in the next message as soon as I work out how to get the photos on the the lap top from my phone!  

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First photo Chris Balmforth and the body of the red head bass with an ebony finger board.  

Second photo the pickup holes and routing I did under supervision from Chris.

Fourth Photo, the components

Third photo gluing the components

Nice to feel that I took part in the construction of my Far West Red Head II. 

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