VIDEO ADDED and Price drop to £995 - English 5-String EUB with built in Pickup and Case - OAKWOOD (Made in England) - *SOLD* £1250 Chessington / SW London

[d_g]

Hi all

 

I bought this lovely EUB from The Gallery just before lockdown for a show that never happened and feel it should be enjoyed by someone who will play it more than I do now. 

 

It is an old Oakwood which as far as I know was build in the UK in the 80s and has a 'laminated figured sycamore and bubinga body'. The built-in pickup has a very similar sound to a Realist. It's in great condition for its age, there are a few chips around the 'shoulder' which you can see in one of the pictures and a few small age-related dings elsewhere but nothing major. Some useful dots on the side of the neck too! Currently strung E-C but have also had it set up B-G with no issues. You're welcome to come for a coffee and to give it a try in Chessington, Surrey (South-West London). I'm also more than happy to pick you up from Surbiton station (20 mins from Waterloo) and drop you back afterwards if you're serious about it. 

 

Very good quality soft case included, the 'shoulder' is removable for easy transportation. Bow and quiver not included, but happy to sell with the quiver if you'd like it.

 

SOLD

 

The closest I can find currently for sale is this four string one one here https://edinburghmusiccentre.co.uk/guitar/vh98ju6dav7y9eb305m73cm2ism3eo for double the price!

 

Any questions, give me a shout.

 

Thanks

 

Dan

 

 

Edited May 31, 2022 by d_g

[d_g]

Bumps and also to answer a couple of questions:

 

- This is proper double bass scale length, not the shorter scale like NS design etc

- it’s also set up to feel like a ‘proper’ double bass, you can dig in properly and play with a bow etc.

 

Thanks

 

Dan

 

[d_g]

Price drop and open to offers!

[theheed]

Hi there. Oakwood is a new one on me. Looks lovely. Am considering a NS WAV4 but this looks interesting. As EUBs go, how much like a upright does it sound? Do you know of any clips on YT to give an idea? Also is it ‘plug and play’ ie jack straight into amp. Thanks!

[d_g]

Hello!
 

The reason I bought this was was because of how similar to an upright it feels. It is the closest sounding EUB to an upright that I’ve personally ever played. I also considered the NS designs ones but found that they basically sound like a fretless and the action is so low in them that you can’t play them like the real thing either.

 

The Oakwood has a ‘proper’ double bass scale length of just over 41” (I think a lot of the NS ones are shorter) and also has a hollow body so does resonate on its own like a double bass, although a lot quieter.

Yes it can be plugged in direct - I tend to use a preamp to shape the sound a bit but you could do the same with the EQ on your amp. I can do you a quick video later today to show you the sounds if you like?

 

Let me know if you’d like to come round and give it a try.

 

Thanks

 

Dan

 

[theheed]

Hi Dan. Thanks for the reply. A video would be great! I’m sure other browsing Basschatters would appreciate it too. Cheers!

[d_g]

Hi all

 

Excuse the Sunday outfit/hair but here's a quick demo showing the bass pizz and arco.

 

The bass is plugged directly into a Markbass LMK set flat. Audio recorded by a condenser mic in the room so should be a very good representation of how it would sound live. In my opinion, if you shut your eyes you'd be hard pushed to notice the difference between this and a 'real' double bass with a realist pickup.

 

Hope this helps!

 

Thanks

 

Dan

 

 

[theheed]

Thanks Dan. Great video. It does sound very ‘upright’. Closer than most EUBs I’ve  heard so far. Gonna go away and do some serious thinking. And a bit of maths….

[d_g]

3 hours ago, theheed said:

Thanks Dan. Great video. It does sound very ‘upright’. Closer than most EUBs I’ve  heard so far. Gonna go away and do some serious thinking. And a bit of maths….

No problem at all, I probably should have done one in the first place!

 

Still open to reasonable offers if it helps…

[theheed]

Hi Dan. You say it’s strung E-C at the mo. Is it as simple as tuning it down to B-G or would I need to buy a whole new set of strings? Sorry if this is a daft question. But I’ve never dabbled with uprights before.

[d_g]

12 hours ago, theheed said:

Hi Dan. You say it’s strung E-C at the mo. Is it as simple as tuning it down to B-G or would I need to buy a whole new set of strings? Sorry if this is a daft question. But I’ve never dabbled with uprights before.

Hi there

 

You certainly could get away with what you suggest, the strings would be fairly low tension but a lot of people, myself included, like that. You could also just buy a low B string and shift all the others up one. So you definitely wouldn’t need a whole set.

 

I can have a look at what strings I have lying around in case I have one that I could throw in if that helps too!

 

Cheers

 

Dan

[hubrad]

I've not played their EUBs, but I used to work for Martyn, half of Oakwood, so got to play quite a few of their instruments. All handmade in Leeds, and even their most basic of mandolins is really nice, so I'd expect this to be an excellent bass at what seems like a bargain price!