New to electric DB

[THE-NIG]

Hi all , I am wanting to buy a decent electric upright bass for gigging , are Stagg bass any good as they seem a fair price , and from what I hear on youtube they sound pretty good too , but are there any drawback as I've also looked at others beyond my price range . Thank You !

[DanOwens]

Hello! I own an NS and a Yamaha EUB and I like both of them for what they do. The generic advice is to try before you buy, but personally there's not that many places to try one near me. Where are you based? Perhaps there's a local basschatter who would help. Alternatively you could just by a Stagg on Amazon and return it if you don't get on with it.

Lots of people modify the Stagg to improve its sound, by putting rubber under the bridge and other small adjustments. they're better covered over on Talkbass than here.

Also strings are an important variable. Recently I've had Helicores, Silver Slaps and Honeys on my NS and the Honeys have really changed the way I play.

[petebassist]

Staggs seem have quite a few quality issues as mentioned, so they wouldn't be my first choice for gigging, and seem to be a bit flimsy, going by the number of damaged ones for sale from the places that sell them.

The Aria SWB is the original and better quality stick bass that the Stagg copies, and the Far West is another option that looks to be much higher quality (in fact there was one on this forum for sale).

[Staggering on]

I started with a Stagg but when I found a used Yamaha SLB 200 at a great price I grabbed it fast. It is much better(IMO) than the Stagg and I gigged with it until I bought a DB for gigs although in cramped quarters I still use the Yamaha.As said above, try as many as you can but as you will find, not many stores have them in stock. There are some good suggestions in the earlier posts.

As with many other instrument purchases if you get a very basic cheaper model you may get serious GAS for something better so it might be a good idea to get the best you can afford. Check out the for sale listings on this site, you might get lucky.

What type of music are you going to use it for?  Will you use just an amp or DI into a PA? Check out reviews of the various brands of EUB and you may get an idea of what's available and which ones are best for you.

Good luck!

Edit: I just looked and there are several EUB's listed in the for sale listings.

Edited November 21, 2019 by Staggering on

[mangotango]

If you are willing to look at second-hand kit, you may get more for your money. For little more than the price of a new Stagg, I found an Aria SWB-03.  It has both a magnetic pickup and bridge piezos, with separate volume controls for each source....and unlike the Stagg, it has a small semi-acoustic body which gives it a little more warmth and resonance, and also enables audible unamplified practice.  As has been said, you need to find the right strings to match your bass; but overall I'm very pleased with my EUB, and several people at the recent Sarf-East Bass Bash also seemed to like it.

No, it's not a DB, never will be; but in the mix with an amplified band and using your best DB technique, it more than does the job.

[THE-NIG]

Hi thanks for relying , I tried out a gear4music  upright  not much of a selection I know  where I live (Teesside) , it sounded fine , all be it a bit flimsy to play and hold . I have a 3/4 double bass which has had it's knocks through time , but still sounds good . At the moment I'm nursing a poorly thumb which hurts like buggery if I merely touch something ..so I'll have to wait now .

[petebassist]

Stick basses tend to be flimsy to play, especially with low-quality end pins. I've tried the Aria SWB and harley benson/Palatino clone, which has a small body, that Thomann sell, and they both moved around a lot. The Eminence has a special foot at the end of the end pin to stabilise it, which I think some people have tried to copy on their stick basses. Good luck with finding something you can play.

[Paul S]

I like my Stagg quite a lot.  I carried out a couple of cheap and easy mods to make it more to my liking.  The biggest was making a stand for it a la NS Design tripod as I found it more comfortable and easier to play on a stand than on the endpin with the arms attached.  That meant I could then remove the endpin and the associated rattle problems vanished.   I then moved the tailpiece for the bridge so that it would take ordinary DB strings and strung it with black tapewound Rockabilly style strings - which gave me a sound much closer to the one I was seeking from it.  I don't consider it to be a double bass experience, more a case of 'it is what it is' - which is an eye-catching bass that is fun to play.  In the right context, anyway.

[CalDeep]

Also new to EUB's. I play electric professionally and a little DB. Looking for something to gig and record with that ideally takes effects well. Ive found an SWB-03 and an NXT and Im a little torn. Particularly with the NXT, most videos ive seen sound crap but the odd one Ive found sounds amazing, could that be a strings thing? Any advice greatly appreciated. 

 

[petebassist]

13 hours ago, CalDeep said:

Also new to EUB's. I play electric professionally and a little DB. Looking for something to gig and record with that ideally takes effects well. Ive found an SWB-03 and an NXT and Im a little torn. Particularly with the NXT, most videos ive seen sound crap but the odd one Ive found sounds amazing, could that be a strings thing? Any advice greatly appreciated. 

NS Design seem to make some great quality instruments, but as you've found they don't create any decent videos showcasing how these can sound - even the expensive CR range sounds little better than a cheap electric bass to me on most vids. I think anyone wanting as close to an amplified acoustic upright sound as possible would ditch the stock strings and either get the Traditional NS strings or put on normal double bass strings, Evah Pirazzi, Spirocores,  Prestos etc to kill the sustain. And the action is usually too low to use a proper pizz technique so you'd raise the action way up. 

[CalDeep]

2 hours ago, petebassist said:

NS Design seem to make some great quality instruments, but as you've found they don't create any decent videos showcasing how these can sound - even the expensive CR range sounds little better than a cheap electric bass to me on most vids. I think anyone wanting as close to an amplified acoustic upright sound as possible would ditch the stock strings and either get the Traditional NS strings or put on normal double bass strings, Evah Pirazzi, Spirocores,  Prestos etc to kill the sustain. And the action is usually too low to use a proper pizz technique so you'd raise the action way up. 

Thanks for clearing that up! I did wonder if it was maybe the strings. I am fancying an NXT5 as the low Bs seem to sound really great. I'm assuming the stock strings are glorified electric strings in that case. 

[petebassist]

1 hour ago, CalDeep said:

Thanks for clearing that up! I did wonder if it was maybe the strings. I am fancying an NXT5 as the low Bs seem to sound really great. I'm assuming the stock strings are glorified electric strings in that case. 

I'd assume a new NXT would have NS Contemporary Bass Strings by D'Addario™. You can get NS Traditional also, which are standard on the CRT models. It could be an expensive swap though I think if you buy the NXT and then have to change strings. Maybe you can mute the strings a bit with some foam near the bridge if you did want to tame the sustain. Or put on an old set of double bass strings.

[Petey]

If you are serious and want the best experience go for an Eminence - I picked one up second hand - pricey I admit but worth every pound you will pay. They are an all wood built EUB (bracing- framework, etc =like a  real solid wood an upright - but has been on Slimfast ) - fantastic sound, adjustable bridge with a built in pickup and a fingerboard & neck to die for - easy to transport and you'll keep it until you cannot gig anymore then sell it and you'll get more than you paid for it by then - YES I love mine and intend to keep it till i'm well  into my 80's = God willing

There's an Aria SWB EUB up for sale at bassdirect (its been there since before Christmas) - I nearly pulled the trigger on it twice after extensive research and dipping my toe into the world of EUBs, but for some reason before and after Christmas delayed and the Eminence came up.

They at imported through the company who deal with SIMMS in Kent or online through ebay or Golihur Music in USA but before COVID-19 come in between 3-4K what with freight and Custom charge

Edited May 2, 2020 by Petey