Switching between EUB and electric bass while gigging

[MrTea]

Is anyone here switching between the two regularly on a gig? I'm getting to grips with the upright and I'm tempted to start getting it into the set for my Rock and Roll but wondered how are people switching between the two? Will a simple A/B switch do the trick? I'm currently muting with the tuner then switching the cable but I don't like it! 

Bonus points for cheaper solutions - I'm sure there are lots of nice solutions out there but I need to try and keep the budget down at this stage (still interested to hear though).

[Dad3353]

33 minutes ago, MrTea said:

...Will a simple A/B switch do the trick? I'm currently muting with the tuner then switching the cable but I don't like it! ...

If unplugging and swapping cables works, then a simple A/B switch will do the same job, but without the hassle. We've used a Boss AB-2 very successfully in the past; not for this exact application, but for avoiding swapping guitar leads. Other switch pedals are available.

Hope this helps. 

Edited May 22, 2018 by Dad3353

[Happy Jack]

I'll get no bonus points for cheapness, but for me the first stop would always be a Radial Bigshot unit (several flavours to choose from). In one band the setlist has me switching between DB and EB several times in each set, and my Bigshot is invaluable.

It's passive so I have no cables or batteries to worry about. I've got two inputs with an adjustable gain on one of them so that I can balance up the signals as between the two instruments. There's a separate Tuner Out. 

Switches are Toggle between inputs, and Mute. There's also a Ground Lift / Phase switch.

Like all Radial kit this thing would survive having a Chieftain tank driven over it. If you don't fancy paying the thick end of £100 for one, they're very safe pre-owned buys. 

 

[Happy Jack]

Now have a cuppa.

 

[TheGreek]

10 minutes ago, Happy Jack said:

 

 

Sweet....

[Huge Hands]

I got a pedal made up to my spec by BrightOnion for this very task, but as HJ said, it had no gain controls, so balancing the two was a pain.

At the time I went for a Radial Tonebone Bassbone V2 which was a couple of hundred notes, but worth it for me - I don't think the model HJ has was available then, or I missed it!

[Happy Jack]

https://www.gear4music.com/Guitar-and-Bass/Radial-Tonebone-BigShot-I-O-True-Bypass-Instrument-Selector/VFK?origin=product-ads&campaign=PLA+Shop+-+GENERIC&adgroup=GENERIC&medium=vertical_search&network=google&merchant_id=1279443&product_id=40736d1&product_country=GB&product_partition_id=127211954479&gclid=CjwKCAjw_47YBRBxEiwAYuKdw6TtJ5ufAX8SCpNbtuSYItVNWa1HOW9uditoew3jFEN7pijch4V7HhoCp-8QAvD_BwE

 

[MrTea]

Thanks. I like the look of that radial big shot. At the moment I’m compensating for volume difference by switching my Tonehammer off when I switch to upright. It kind of works but this looks like a good solution. 

 

[haruki]

I use a simple 2 into 1 switch -pretty cheap solution

Works fine for me  but I have to use the bass guitars volume control  (more than normal )to mute it  and to balance volume levels out.   

 

[Daz39]

Yes - as @Happy Jack and others will say, Radial do exactly the gear for this sort of thing; especially for using DB/EUB as one of your instruments.

[JPJ]

I do this in the 'big band' and I have this at the front end of my little pedal board http://sfxsound.com/micromix/ The electric signal arrives from my wireless via a Boss tuner and TC Spectracomp and both signals departs via a Microthumpinator to my amp. The EUB runs via a Headway EDB-1 which has a built in mute switch which I use to mute the EUB when switching to electric.  

[MrTea]

Thanks @jpj - the micromix looks like a pretty good solution as well but seems a little pricey and lacks any ability to mute either of the inputs so I'm not sure that's right for me. 

The Radial Bigshot I/O looks to be the best solution for me so far - the only thing I'm not sure about is the lack of LEDs on the black version to signal which input is active (there seems to be a black and a green version and I'm assuming the green one is newer?). I know as soon as you pick up the instrument it's fairly obvious!

[jrixn1]

How about a Boss LS-2.  Each channel has its own level control and a coloured LED - I have mine setup to cycle on each footpress through channel A, channel B, and neither (i.e. mute).
 

[JPJ]

On ‎04‎/‎06‎/‎2018 at 11:47, MrTea said:

Thanks @jpj - the micromix looks like a pretty good solution as well but seems a little pricey and lacks any ability to mute either of the inputs so I'm not sure that's right for me. 

The Radial Bigshot I/O looks to be the best solution for me so far - the only thing I'm not sure about is the lack of LEDs on the black version to signal which input is active (there seems to be a black and a green version and I'm assuming the green one is newer?). I know as soon as you pick up the instrument it's fairly obvious!

You are right, it is quite expensive especially compared to the BigShot I/O but space was premium for me on my little go to pedal board that fits neatly in the lid of my road case for leads etc. plus I already have one of Max's Microthumpinator's on that board. Given more real estate, I would have also gone with the Bigshot I/O. 

[MrTea]

Don't get my wrong - the microthumpinator is great (I also have one) and I do like the size of the micromix. 

[Floyd Pepper]

On 04/06/2018 at 12:03, jrixn1 said:

How about a Boss LS-2.  Each channel has its own level control and a coloured LED - I have mine setup to cycle on each footpress through channel A, channel B, and neither (i.e. mute).
 

This.

I regularly change between EUB and Electric between songs and use an LS-2 because as @jrixn1 mentions, you can set individual levels for each bass. Fantastic piece of kit for around £80 new or near half that on eBay (secondhand) and it also gives you LED indication as to which channel you are on.

[basshead56]

I switch regularly and have a 'doubling rig' for just that.

2 X Line 6 G30 wireless units going to a Whirlwind A/B/Y switch, to a TC Poly Mini Tuner, DOD Milkbox Compressor, modded clean boost pedal into s VT Bass Deluxe and into a noise gate to amp.

I use the A/B to toggle between the inputs so A is designated for bass guitar and I match that with three saved tones on the A strip of the VT Deluxe, B for upright on both A/B and VT also, with the 3 saved channels on the B strip on the VT voiced differently for the EUB.

It all fits on a Pedaltrain Junior quite comfortably (receivers and Warwick Rockboard PSU mounted underneath).

Was thinking of getting a Fishman pro platinum and adding that to the mix also but still toying with that.

 

A Radial Bassbone is a solid option too

[razze06]

After a few months of frantically switching jacks and tweaking gain and volumes, i've built a small pedalboard for this purpose:

Double bass --> Headway EDB2--> A channel of ABY switch --> Boss tuner --> amp

Bass guitar --------------------------------> B channel of ABY switch--> Boss tuner --> amp

I tweak the volume and gain of the DB preamp to match the bass guitar during sound check, and then it's just a matter of putting the DB somewhere safe onstage when I swap them around  

[Happy Jack]

I'm guessing you don't have two Boss tuners ...

[Al Krow]

Really useful thread, thanks guys. Gonna make including an EUB a whole lot easier for me with my 50s / 60s band.

Seems to me from the comments above the leading contenders are either the Radial Bigshot or the Boss LS-2?

Is the Radial providing anything 'more' than the Boss to make it first choice given its additional cost? Or is it the case that we won't go wrong with either and simply go with whichever one can be picked up for a decent second hand price?

[Happy Jack]

Not so much 'more' as 'different'. I've had both, loved them both, but used them in different ways.

The LS2 is a classic Swiss Army knife; there's no limit to the number of ways you can get your money's worth from it, just a pedal that every bass player should own because ... well ... just because.

The BigShot is a dedicated tool for dealing with this one particular issue, and dealing with it really well.

If you routinely swop between (say) electric and double bass during gigs then I would recommend the BigShot without hesitation, and I would advise you to practise always using it in the same configuration.

If swopping is something you only do occasionally, then the LS2 makes more sense simply because it will spend less time sitting in a drawer and gathering dust - you'll find other uses for it as well.

 

[MrTea]

LS2 seems tempting as it’s so flexible but I still like the look of the Radial Bigshot I/O. I actually did this at my last gig with my wounded paw blender v4 but it’s huge and just doesn’t feel quite right for the task. 

I’ve hopefully a new EUB imcoming tomorrow which will soak up any funds so this may have to wait until I can pick up a ls2 or bigshot cheap. 

Edited June 9, 2018 by MrTea

[Al Krow]

A Mooer ABY MkII can be had for around £25 (new) and takes up little pedal board real estate. It would mean needing to use the volume control on either the EUB or your electric bass to ensure balanced volume, but I don't see that as being any more effort than adjusting the volume control on a pedal. 

What am I missing?

Edited June 10, 2018 by Al Krow

[Happy Jack]

46 minutes ago, Al Krow said:

What am I missing?

I do like Mooer stuff, and that would certainly be one possible solutions, but what are you missing?

Well, the BigShots can work perfectly well in passive mode and can therefore be used anywhere on stage, without the need for power and/or a pedalboard. In fairness, that means that the LEDs won't work, of course!

The BigShot is also available in two different flavours, the BigShot I/O and the BigShot ABY, allowing you to choose exactly the feature set you want for your needs. Both BigShots have a dedicated tuner out.

A key difference between EUB and DB (for live use) is that a DB does not have a volume control. The BigShot I/O assumes that you will plug your DB through channel #1 and your bass guitar through channel #2, then use the DIM/BRIGHT controls to equalise the two signals without altering your bass's volume control and therefore its tone. It also has a Mute button (very handy for switching between instruments, especially when one is a big noisy feedback-prone thing which must either be laid on the floor or placed in an awkward stand).

If you're playing EUB rather than DB then the BigShot ABY probably makes more sense, and of course it is a direct competitor for the Boss LS-2.

As opposed to the Boss LS-2, the Mooer has a (reversible) 2 --> 1 plugging system whereas the Boss LS-2 has a far more flexible 1+2 --> 1+2 system. Equally important is that the LS-2 has separate Level controls for each of A & B. And whilst the LS-2 needs power, it runs very happily off a 9V battery.

I think that's about it.

Whether or not that makes the two BigShots worth £89 (each!) or the LS-2 worth £82 is obviously an individual thing. If I already owned neither a BigShot nor an LS-2 then I'd certainly look at the Mooer as a starter for ten - £25 is a good price. But you get what you pay for.

 

[Al Krow]

Thanks for that. Picking up on a couple of points:

1 hour ago, Happy Jack said:

A key difference between EUB and DB (for live use) is that a DB does not have a volume control. The BigShot I/O assumes that you will plug your DB through channel #1 and your bass guitar through channel #2, then use the DIM/BRIGHT controls to equalise the two signals without altering your bass's volume control and therefore its tone. It also has a Mute button (very handy for switching between instruments, especially when one is a big noisy feedback-prone thing which must either be laid on the floor or placed in an awkward stand)./

I'm not sure that a volume control on a pedal on the floor will necessarily be easier (for me anyway) to adjust than either on the amp or the bass (if it has one). A mute control is always handy, I agree! Fortunately both my gigging amps have one.

1 hour ago, Happy Jack said:

 ...But you get what you pay for.

Sometimes that is true, for sure, and it's nice when that happens!

But often you can end up asking yourself did paying three times as much make any noticeable difference to the quality of the [bass, pedal, amp head etc.] - delete as applicable  

I think provided the Mooer isn't a noisy pedal (anyone had negative experience on that score?) it looks like it should tick the relatively simple switching task I need for it to do and I can then pretty easily make volume adjustments on the bass or amp during sound check (or during the gig if required).

Edited June 10, 2018 by Al Krow