Stepping up from a Stagg EUB - recommendations please!

[Al Krow]

1 hour ago, Burns-bass said:

The world of DB is expensive, better get used to it!

Yeah, I'm starting to get the message! 

If any of you good folk who have posted on this thread have any clips of you playing your recommended EUBs, that would be marvellous! Please feel free to share.

[TheRev]

I'll record something. Do you want a particular style of music?

[Al Krow]

1 hour ago, TheRev said:

I'll record something. Do you want a particular style of music?

Wonderful! Please feel free to play whatever style you would like that you feel shows off the capability of your EUB.

[knirirr]

4 hours ago, Al Krow said:

Some really useful practical perspectives from you both @Burns-bassand @Staggering on - for which many thanks!

There are a couple of EUBs in the FS right now, both significantly above my £1k budget, but I must admit I'm more than a little tempted by one of them, despite it not having any side dots...😊

 

 

 

I used to use side dots on my previous EUB (see below), but I've been able to adjust to not having any. In fact, the point of getting that particular model was so that I could see if I could manage without them.
Some of the suggestions made by the fellows you mention should sort you out in any case.

[Al Krow]

What's the model in the pic? It has a super slim body! 

[Staggering on]

Re dots

I just looked at the Thomann UK website and searched "fret markers" and they have several kinds of stick ons including dots for the side of the fingerboard. Might be worth checking out if you get a EUB without dots.

Good luck.  

[knirirr]

3 hours ago, Al Krow said:

What's the model in the pic? It has a super slim body! 

It was a one-off 5-string custom job made by this company:
https://starfishdesigns.co.uk/
Presumably they don't do basses any more.
Five strings were too many for me, but I sold it to a colleague who's using it around Southampton (covid permitting).

[TheRev]

On 21/12/2020 at 12:48, Al Krow said:

Wonderful! Please feel free to play whatever style you would like that you feel shows off the capability of your EUB.

OK - Eminence EUB with Presto Jazzicato tungsten strings via a Fdeck HPF preamp with the HPF control turned right down (35hz).

Down in the hole.mp3 love cats.mp3 noodle.mp3 stop.mp3

Edited December 22, 2020 by TheRev

[Al Krow]

Just listening to them now. What a rich, full sound! Love it!

But how much is the kit and how much is the magic ingredient: your fingers?....😁

[TheRev]

Good question.  If you can't play the bloody thing then no amount of gizmos will do it for you. I only put the Jazzicatos on a few days ago and they're a bit stiff for my liking but I'm liking the sound so far.  In my experience, EUBs need orchestral or gut emulating synthetic strings to get the DB sound - there's too much rigidity/sustain to use steel strings, they just sound nasal and twangy.  I have found that the Fdeck works really well with the realist pickup and gets the best out of the bass.   

The best sounding eminence that I've experienced was at one of the DB bashes - I can't recall who owned it, but it had Evah Pirazzi weich and a Full Circle pickup and sounded amazing, but I'm sure the operator had a lot to do with the sound....

[Huge Hands]

I just wanted to say that before you totally discount the NS Design - I have an NXT5 and have gigged it many times.  I find that even though the stand is a tripod, you can still rock it around and tip it on the feet without feeling it is going to collapse in half..

It is never going to be as mobile as a DB on a single pin, but you can still throw some shapes beside it without it just standing still.

I love mine -I just wish I still had the gigs to play it..... 

[Al Krow]

The NXT kit definitely has a big fan base (for good reason) but DB and in my case EUB on a single pin just has that greater intimacy / dare I say showmanship which can be a cool part of the audience engagement.

[E sharp]

What are your guy's thoughts on the Ray Ramirez EUBs?

I know they're a sort of copy of the Ampeg Baby Bass , so leaning towards the Latin/Salsa type of sound .

Are they limited to that sort of thump , or can they get an quasi DB sound too?

[knicknack]

The KK Baby Basses could be a bet too. Perfect sound for more Latin styles, I'd happily use one for function work. Prices a little cheaper than some of the options here, and a few different models available. 

 

Edited December 24, 2020 by knicknack

[Al Krow]

Just rediscovered an older thread which covered a fair bit of the same ground: Where next after a Stagg...... - EUB and Double Bass - Basschat and, in particular, this excellent post from @Staggering on which I've taken the liberty of re-posting here.

On 16/04/2017 at 00:52, Staggering on said:

Yes, I played my old Yamaha RBX750A with flats for almost 25 years in a big swing band and several smaller bands before I went over to the dark side and started playing upright. A double bass would have been my first choice but in this climate (very cold and very hot) and my small house the EUB made more sense. By the way, I use a Laney RB5 (rare on this side of the Atlantic) for home practice but for gigs go direct into the band's PA, makes for a good sound through our Bose L1 system.

A few of the resources I used:

• Geoff Chalmers discover double bass website-good beginner and more advanced lessons-not intimidating and each lesson is short and easy to follow
• Jim Stinnett's lessons on line - he also has books-he does EB and Double Bass stuff and some things(walking bass lines etc.) are useful for both instruments and you can download some of his written stuff-I found a lot of his ideas easy to understand and use-very relaxed and not too stressful
• The Jazz Bass Book by John Goldsby - good history and all kinds of stuff to work on in the instruction part of the book, some advanced stuff too which will take me a lot of time to work through

I have looked at a lot of sites in the last 2 1/2 years and have copied fingering charts and other things from some and just listened to others. The ones above were the ones that I thought of first, I'm sure I'll think of some others after I send this.(...slaps forehead..."oh yeah, I forgot that one...")

It helps if you read but a lot of the material is done as a demonstration and may or not show the notation. Be forewarned that there are some absolutely terrible videos out there, both in terms of information and production, some are embarrassing to watch. I started with Geoff and then moved on to other sites and it has worked for me, some other BC members may have other suggestions, particularly for specific types of music.

It's pretty frustrating at the start but as you pick up some technique it gets to be fun and very satisfying and of course because you are playing upright you start to feel like a "real" bass player, if you know what I mean.

[Staggering on]

Thanks Al, I'd forgotten about that post. 😊

 

[E sharp]

13 hours ago, knicknack said:

The KK Baby Basses could be a bet too. Perfect sound for more Latin styles, I'd happily use one for function work. Prices a little cheaper than some of the options here, and a few different models available. 

 

Unless I'm being thick , I've not been able to find any prices anywhere on their web page . So no idea what the price ranges are for the KK EUBs

[philparker]

This is a clip I listened to before making up my mind to buy an Eminence:

I've since sold it back to the original owner and bought a Yamaha SLB100 for genuine 'silent' practise. Of course, neither will replicate the sound of a double bass and I play mine regularly and really enjoy the sound and feel and feedback, none of which I can get the same from any EUB. Oddly enouhg, I found the Eminence more portable than the Yamaha even without removing the neck.

If I had a choice of EUB, I would definitely get the Eminence - there is still a reasonable volume unamplified, which was no good for me when I finished an evening shift - or at least no good for my next door neighbour.

[philparker]

This recording, with my old Eminence, doesn't really do it justice, as an EUB, but it was the only track I used it on, as I used fretless on all teh others:

 

[knicknack]

1 hour ago, E sharp said:

Unless I'm being thick , I've not been able to find any prices anywhere on their web page . So no idea what the price ranges are for the KK EUBs

Ahh yes, i had to email them! Around £1150 for the KB1 or Vintage models 

[E sharp]

That’s a lot less that I thought. Have you tried one?

[knicknack]

Nope not yet, was hoping to this year but, erm... you know! They have some in stock at the bass gallery in Camden by the looks of it?

[Al Krow]

1 hour ago, knicknack said:

Nope not yet, was hoping to this year but, erm... you know! They have some in stock at the bass gallery in Camden by the looks of it?

That's a useful tip - just up the road from me!

[NickA]

Check the weight of the kk mind.  Nothing baby about it .. if that's an issue.  Big solid body on them. 

Re dots on the fingerboard ... .  No dots on a double bass as they were invented for classical music, and when you're reading music you can't look at your fingers. You don't really need them as the heel of the neck gives a good reference to where your hand is and muscle memory kicks in with practice.  Can be harder on an eub as they don't all have that reference point ( you can add one though). Even us classical musos add pencil marks ( or even drill tiny holes ) on occassion though; used for finding a difficult note after a 45 bar rest!

[TheRev]

There's a Bespoke Superlight EUB on Ebay for £1000:

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Bespoke-Basses-electric-upright-double-bass/293894729565?hash=item446d7daf5d:g:VxsAAOSw2gBf1elW

They're not made anymore but they had a good reputation as well made and good sounding EUBs.