Making my bass sound like a viola?

[dumelow]

I guessing using a bow would help but would I have to put something on the string first like quick fret or something? And surely just that wouldnt do it? Eq tips or pedal tips?

Strange question i know but i want a better option than triggering a patch on laptop or something expensive like that

[Doddy]

I wouldn't really recommend using a bow. You could try using an Ebow,or you could use a volume pedal to
swell into the notes.
Reed Mathis,formally of Jacob Fred Jazz Odyssey,gets an almost violin-like sound with a Digitech Whammy
pitched up an octave and a volume pedal.

[icastle]

Bowable instruments have a pronounced radius to the neck to allow individual strings to be bowed - the radius on most bass guitars is going to be too shallow to allow this.

[xgsjx]

I used to have a Zoom 708 fx pedal that had a patch that did just this, it gave the note a slow attack (which was variable).
Other option would be an ebow & a volume pedal

[BottomEndian]

[quote name='xgsjx' post='1220916' date='May 5 2011, 12:30 PM']Other option would be an ebow & a volume pedal[/quote]
+1

Also, no frets.

[xilddx]

Are you going to be playing fast groups of notes? Or just long slow notes?

I have to make my bass sound like a cello for quite a few songs, long slow notes. I use compression and clean boost, a little chorus, reverb and delay, and my volume pedal. I also use the cello/violin style vibrato technique. I'd use the piezo emulator if I wanted it to sound more woody and hollow. An up octaver would probably suit you to get viola pitch.

Can't help you if you want to play like Paganinni on the viola though. You'd need something to auto slow the attack and mimic the characteristics of a bowed acoustic instrument.

Edited May 5, 2011 by silddx

[gafbass02]

[quote name='silddx' post='1220975' date='May 5 2011, 01:12 PM']I have to make my bass sound like a cello for quite a few songs, long slow notes. I use compression and clean boost, a little chorus, reverb and delay, and my volume pedal. I also use the cello/violin style vibrato technique. I'd use the piezo emulator if I wanted it to sound more woody and hollow. An up octaver would probably suit you to get viola pitch.[/quote]

+1 to this exactly what i do to get that effect

[pete.young]

I have a Behringer pitch shifter which makes my fiddle sound like a double bass ( a little bit) so you could try one of those, it goes up as well as down.

It doesn't do semitone up, which is what I bought it for, so it's yours for £20 shipped if you want it.