dazza14 Posted November 21, 2016 Share Posted November 21, 2016 Been toying with the idea of getting myself a double bass but due to the bulk of them have settled on the idea of an eub, the Harley Benton one in particular (due to price and when I tried the Stagg I found it had a tendency to spin and I'm hoping the added 'wing' on the HB will prevent this). I recently lost out to one of these on e-bay but it's only made the temptation stronger so does anybody own one of these and have good or bad feedback about them? I understand the stock strings aren't the best so they need swapping out. Or, even better does anybody have one surplus to requirements they're looking to sell on? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bornagainbass65 Posted November 21, 2016 Share Posted November 21, 2016 There is one on gumtree in Bristol at the moment (I don't know the seller). I have one that I bought 3rd hand. Paid around 250 quid I think. I am very happy with it for playing pizz, but can't get a good arco sound (g string is OK but others sound too harsh, (this may be down to my set up and/or poor technique). I gig it regularly. Like the Staggs, they are budget instruments, and there are some simple upgrades that can improve them. These include: New strings - I have innovation honeys on mine If you are using the stock pick up try putting a thin piece of rubber inner tube between the foot of the bridge and the pick up, it gives a more double bass sound (The piezo pick up failed on mine so I replaced it with a Shadow pick up for around 100 quid, the one I got includes a little battery powered pre amp.) Upgrading the bridge altogether I replaced the metal tubular body rest thing with one I bodged together out of wood, which made it more comfortable to play. If you are looking to experiment with an EUB, with a view to playing pizz, and don't want to spend a fortune, I would go for it. They come up fairly often 2nd hand. They are also built like a battleship, as they are basically a great big lump of wood. - Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dazza14 Posted November 21, 2016 Author Share Posted November 21, 2016 I just looked at the Gumtree one, lots of upgrades but with it a nice increase in cost, I'm looking at spending £250 ish and do the upgrades when I need to and if I want to. Some great comments though, thank you for taking the time to write this, the inner-tube tip sounds brilliant. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marc S Posted November 22, 2016 Share Posted November 22, 2016 The Stagg EUB also has a couple of "wings" / fake body bouts Did the Stagg you tried have them attached? There's been one in a shop near me for a while, and it's not got them attached Some shops may just leave them in the case / box. Due to the nature of the shape of EUB's, I think they pretty much all have a tendency to spin. So I don't think the HB will be any better than the Stagg in that respect Adaptations to the end-pin may help - i.e. something chunkier, made of rubber, with a bit more grip I've heard of some people using the end piece designed for walking sticks... I started with a Stagg EUB, and at around £250 s/h it was a bargain, and got me in to playing DB Good luck with your search Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobmartin Posted November 22, 2016 Share Posted November 22, 2016 [quote name='dazza14' timestamp='1479722037' post='3178639'] I tried the Stagg I found it had a tendency to spin and I'm hoping the added 'wing' on the HB will prevent this). [/quote] there's 2 wings on the stagg, i couldn't play mine without them. no caps, sleeping dog on lap... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marc S Posted November 22, 2016 Share Posted November 22, 2016 [quote name='bornagainbass65' timestamp='1479735001' post='3178815'] ..... there are some simple upgrades that can improve them. These include: New strings - I have innovation honeys on mine...... [/quote] Shameless "plug" for a set I have for sale atm http://basschat.co.uk/topic/290765-db-string-set-innovation-honeys-sale-or-trade-for-gold-or-silver-slaps/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dazza14 Posted November 23, 2016 Author Share Posted November 23, 2016 (edited) Morning all, I'm now the proud owner (once it arrives through the post) of a s/h HB 500. From what I've learnt about the bass it's all stock so I'm looking at the future headache of all kinds of things to resolve (strings, pickup possibly needing a 180 turn, rubber feet under the bridge and pickup etc etc) so I can see myself being a regular visitor to this forum. The seller says there was damage to the bridge but doesn't affect playing but I'll be looking at a replacement at some point - only thing is the internet is low on suggestions for this, Eminence ones seem to be a good fit but they're expensive and require a little fettling. Strings are something I will be looking at so if your strings are still knocking about in a few weeks/months I may well come sniffing around Marc. Edited November 23, 2016 by dazza14 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TPJ Posted November 23, 2016 Share Posted November 23, 2016 Congrats, you're on your way Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Staggering on Posted November 23, 2016 Share Posted November 23, 2016 You will have loads of fun.I play bass guitar but about 2 years ago I got a Stagg EUB and loved learning a whole new instrument.Less than a year later I upgraded to a used Yamaha SLB200 and it is even more fun than the Stagg.I play in a jazz standards quartet and now use the Yamaha on almost every song and I just love it and so do the others in the band.I toyed with the idea of a double bass but the EUB is easy to fit in a car and my house and is basically a plug and play instrument. Good luck and let us know how it works out for you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dazza14 Posted November 28, 2016 Author Share Posted November 28, 2016 Well it's here! And a few dings and scrapes here and there aside, it's in better condition than I had imagined. The bridge has had the rubber innertube mod done, it's been set up with a lower action than I even though possible and all in all, very happy. I'll post some photos eventually but it's what you would expect. The seller told me he swapped the strings from the stock ones but I can't tell if he has or hasn't but they sound pretty good to me. I'll live with them for a while and if I'm tempted by another set, I'll look into it then. It's a bloody workout playing it though... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ivansc Posted December 16, 2016 Share Posted December 16, 2016 (edited) Er what is the rubber innertube mod? I have bits of gaffer tape on the bridge, under the strings, which partially tapes the scratchy piezo sounds.... also stuck a large miracle fabric/foam duster between the strings and body to damp out resonance behind the bridge. As alternative to the bit of gardeners wire to stop end-pin rattle is a single layer of gaffer tape round the pin on the inside of the tube. Works a treat! But I am seriously considering upgrading the strings too. Edited December 21, 2016 by ivansc Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maude Posted December 16, 2016 Share Posted December 16, 2016 If you don't need the onboard preamps headphone feature then I can heartily recommend bypassing the the preamp by wiring the pickup straight to the output jack socket. My onboard preamp just added hiss and a general lack of depth to the sound, its much better using a preamp pedal or just straight to the amp, both my Ashdowns and Phil Jones amps like the signal direct without the need for a pedal. I put a strip of rubber under the bridge and the only other thing needed was to slightly bend the wire scroll on the tailpeice to stop them vibrating together. Loads of warm thump and depth. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ivansc Posted December 21, 2016 Share Posted December 21, 2016 Maude - what do you do for a volume control if you are by passing the preamp? Had thought of doing that on mine but do like being able to tweak volume and bass tone whilst playing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maude Posted December 22, 2016 Share Posted December 22, 2016 When I was using the Harley Benton I just set the amps controls and forgot about it, if you used a preamp pedal you could tweak that if you must fiddle There's no controls on a doublebass so I didn't worry. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Vader Posted December 23, 2016 Share Posted December 23, 2016 (edited) I have one of these that I gigged the hell out of a couple of years ago. Built like a tank, and sounds marvellous. The bridge did leap out of it on the beautiful days stage, but me and the sound guy got it back in and retuned while lead vocalist was still doing the guitar/vocal intro to the next song. My fault, didn't check it over properly before gig as too busy filling self with cider. Making sure the bridge is at the right angle is paramount to these things, as the output drops significantly if it goes on a bit of a wonk (led me to think it was broken when I first got it). Didn't spin on me, but I have a rather unconventional technique that involves jamming my knee into the back of it most of the time, and don't use the tubey frame thing. Enjoy it. Edited December 23, 2016 by Dave Vader Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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