Just ordered my first EUB total noob what have I done?!

[stingrayPete1977]

Awesome mate! Have you done any mods yet?

[Norris]

No mods yet. I'm going to have to sort out the hip brace (for want of a better description) as it does clatter a bit as I move - and the whole bass is microphonic due to the piezo. I think a bit of PTFE tape (plumbing joint tape) wrapped around the ends of the brace should do it in a non-destructive way. (For any other readers unfamiliar with the bass the brace mounting is a bit like a giant brake pipe - the brace goes through the centre of the nut, which screws into the body. There is a rubber seal on the end of the brace that acts like a flange, but this doesn't stop all of the rattles as you move around)

I tried it out through a powered monitor last night and it sounded massive. I've previously only used my dinky little practise amp before. I might have to take it along to our next gig on Sunday - if there's room in the pub! I don't think I could play it for much more than 1/2 hour at a time at the moment though.

[stingrayPete1977]

Have you put the foam behind the strings near the tail piece?

[Norris]

I have now and it's a lot better. I've gotta sort the spike rattle next - I think that's most of the noise is coming from (and I'm sure the additional electrical shielding will follow!)

[stingrayPete1977]

Yes the spike does rattle a bit, I have wrapped mine in the thin foam that it was packed in and sellotape, fine now

[Bob G]

I've just been reading through this thread - I have a real hankering for an upright, I've been playing saxes for about 8 years but following recent dental work it's quite uncomfortable, and as a bass-player of some 30 years the old low notes are calling to me once again. I don't really have room for a 'real' DB unfortunately, so I reckon EUB might be the way to go. Having read all this, I am definitely going to count the pennies a bit. If not a Stagg (which seems to have nice features) is there something a little better/more expensive, say around the 7-800 quid mark? Cheers, Bob

[stingrayPete1977]

You know Bob I'm not sure there is, I thought I would try the Stagg then upgrade if I could play it but the only ones worth going to for me are a lot more cash like the Yamaha Silent basses, There may be some more obscure ones I dont know of but just trying them to play before buying to compare is a challenge! Get a Stagg and do the mods and you wont be dissapointed If you go for Spirocore strings or similar you are up to £450 anyway, add a bow at £100 and a few other bits and its adding up, a nice bass with crap strings is not going to be better than a cheaper one with good strings from what I have learnt so far.

[TheRev]

You might pick up a second hand Bassix or Bespoke Superlight or an Aria SWB for that sort of money, but they don't come up for sale that often. Keeping an eye out on eBay and Gumtree is the best way to find something.

[apa]

[quote name='stingrayPete1977' timestamp='1361471274' post='1986294']
You know Bob I'm not sure there is, I thought I would try the Stagg then upgrade if I could play it but the only ones worth going to for me are a lot more cash like the Yamaha Silent basses, There may be some more obscure ones I dont know of but just trying them to play before buying to compare is a challenge! Get a Stagg and do the mods and you wont be dissapointed If you go for Spirocore strings or similar you are up to £450 anyway, add a bow at £100 and a few other bits and its adding up, a nice bass with crap strings is not going to be better than a cheaper one with good strings from what I have learnt so far.
[/quote]

Very true. I think the next logical upgrade would be the piezo. Just a guess but Im sure that would push the Stagg up a league. If I was Stagg Id consider marketing an up market EUB with better attention to QC and upgraded components. Theres probably a market for it.

A

[stingrayPete1977]

They do make a deluxe one with a better finger board and stuff, is another couple of hundred quid.

[Norris]

I had my first DB gig last night! I only played two songs on it, but it was great fun and sounded terrific. I played Jailhouse Rock & Moondance [color=#a9a9a9](did I just hear Bilbo whimper?)[/color]. Now the other band members want to learn Stray Cat Strut I'll have to see if we could find a not-quite-so-obvious song

The strangest bit though was going back onto my bass afterwards - the neck felt like a matchstick!


Anyway, I sorted the spike rattle by neatly winding several layers of gaffa tape round the very top of the spike to pacl it out. This means it's a much better fit in the routing hole, but still lets me pack it away (about 1mm clearance). So with the foam under the strings and the spike rattle sorted the bass is giggable. I can't say I've noticed much hum.

[stingrayPete1977]

Thats all good mate, same here Moondance and suggestions of stray cat strut about ten mins after, we do Love Cats and a couple of Police covers, all obvious ones but who cares? The hum will come in if you stand over a mains cable or something, or if the venue has a bit of a crap earth at the sockets etc, no top of the mods list but worth the extra £5 or so to do it, also when I took my back plate off the end pin had been rubbing the piezo wires, a few more pack aways and I would of needed new ones! How are your nut slot and bridge slots? My E string kept making a bid for freedom when trying to get a bit rockabilly on Love Cats (as much as you can on EUB).

Glad your liking it and yes even my Ray 5 neck feel like toy guitars! Makes me chuckle when people say they cant play a Jazz width or cant play a P width neck!

[Norris]

I've not had any issues with the strings slipping out of the nut or bridge, although I am going to have to tweak the bridge height again now that the bass is in dropped tuning (semi-tone down to ease the stress on the vocals)

Did your bass have any shielding at all under the cover? Mine has a pretty basic shield glued in over the top of the piezo & jack wires. I've not taken the tone control off yet - just the long back cover.

Edit: I have taken photos, which I'll use when I write up a review (when I get the time!)

Edited February 26, 2013 by Norris

[bremen]

[quote name='Bob G' timestamp='1361400561' post='1985564']
I've just been reading through this thread - I have a real hankering for an upright, I've been playing saxes for about 8 years but following recent dental work it's quite uncomfortable, and as a bass-player of some 30 years the old low notes are calling to me once again. I don't really have room for a 'real' DB unfortunately, so I reckon EUB might be the way to go. Having read all this, I am definitely going to count the pennies a bit. If not a Stagg (which seems to have nice features) is there something a little better/more expensive, say around the 7-800 quid mark? Cheers, Bob
[/quote]

The Aria is definitely a nicer instrument (I've had both) but as Pete says you do need to spend 100+ on strings whatever you get, so that makes it more like 900 quid.

There's one on Ebay with a cracked headstock, not sure how structural/repairable that would be.

[stingrayPete1977]

Mine just had a piece of aluminium foil stuff that had been thrown at it from a few metres away! nothing behind the preamp bit at all, it is quite satisfying once its done and mine is silent even at gig volume under strip lights etc

[Lfalex v1.1]

[quote name='Bob G' timestamp='1361400561' post='1985564']
I've just been reading through this thread - I have a real hankering for an upright, I've been playing saxes for about 8 years but following recent dental work it's quite uncomfortable, and as a bass-player of some 30 years the old low notes are calling to me once again. I don't really have room for a 'real' DB unfortunately, so I reckon EUB might be the way to go. Having read all this, I am definitely going to count the pennies a bit. If not a Stagg (which seems to have nice features) is there something a little better/more expensive, say around the 7-800 quid mark? Cheers, Bob
[/quote]

Ns design NXT4 fits your budget.
That said, I just bought an Ns design CR5 for £850... S/H on here.

[Paul S]

Just thought I'd say 'hello, I have just joined the Stagg EUB club'. I bought one locally the day before yesterday.

Nice, aren't they! Not as hard to play as I feared, although getting the new muscles up to strength will take a little while.

Question - how do you keep the bass still when trying to slide up or down? Is that a general posture thing or a particular trick? At the moment I 'sort of' keep the thing steady using pressure from my left hand.

[Norris]

The weight of the bass should mainly be taken by your hip so that your left hand shouldn't need to do too much support. I'm still trying to get used to that, and trying to lean it in to me. I've bought a copy of [url="http://www.amazon.co.uk/The-Evolving-Bassist-Rufus-Reid/dp/0967601509/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1368616778&sr=8-1&keywords=the+evolving+bass"]The Evolving Bassist[/url] by Rufus Reid, which is good even for novices, although not done nearly as much practise as I should have!

Edit: Forgot to quote you
[quote name='Paul S' timestamp='1368612437' post='2079105']
Question - how do you keep the bass still when trying to slide up or down? Is that a general posture thing or a particular trick? At the moment I 'sort of' keep the thing steady using pressure from my left hand.
[/quote]

Edited May 15, 2013 by Norris

[Dave Vader]

I have gone for the "jam your knee in by the endpin" method. Works ok on the Harley benton, don't know about the Stagg.
Have used the brace thingy as a coat hanger instead...

[Owencf]

Sitting or standing ?

[Dave Vader]

[quote name='Owencf' timestamp='1368623299' post='2079327']
Sitting or standing ?
[/quote]

Standing (unless you didn't mean me)
As in the picture of me in the avatar with my EUB held up by a well placed knee twixt endpin and body. Staggs might not work like this though.

[Owencf]

Sorry i meant Paul S see above

[Dave Vader]

[quote name='Owencf' timestamp='1368624094' post='2079343']
Sorry i meant Paul S see above
[/quote]

Makes a lot more sense that way certainly Owen.

[Paul S]

Thanks all. I am standing and playing with fingers (is that pizz?). Spent an hour noodling about earlier and leaning it towards me more than I was doing before seems to work.

More questions!

Hip brace - is it important that it rests on your hip or does it just depend upon which is more comfortable/how big you are etc? Mine seems to end up a bit higher.

And I am trying to angle the fretboard (except it hasn't got frets- what do you call it?) to me slightly rather than have it facing away completely. Wrong?

[stingrayPete1977]

I found the more I played it the more the position feel into place, my brace is above my waist too, set the nut to just above your eye brow rather than worrying about the brace height. I don't really use the small brace but always use the hip one as I can feel bad habits creeping in when its not fitted. Give it a few Weeks and your arms, shoulder and back will hurt less after each practice, welcome to the club! :-)

Ps has it had all the mods done?