Electric and Electro Acoustic / Double Bass

[Dazed]

What’s out there that can handle all types of bass well? Either head or combo version. 
Giggable volume needed I guess 3-500 watt range?

Is FRFR the way forward? 
 

[Dan Dare]

Any bass rig that leans towards clean/hi-fi, rather than characterful, should do the job. The frequency range it needs to reproduce is pretty well the same, after all. A SVT would probably not be ideal, although I have heard excellent results on electric DB from a big Trace rig. PJB kit works well on DB (other brands are available). I use mine for both electric and acoustic bass. The most important thing is the pickup/transducer system you use. Garbage in, garbage out and all that.

[jrixn1]

1 hour ago, Dazed said:

Is FRFR the way forward?

 

Yes, absolutely this.  I have a Stanley Clarke preamp pedal - one channel for bass guitar, one for upright.  I have a light overdrive pedal in front of the bass guitar channel.  The Stanley Clarke goes straight into a powered speaker, and that's it.  Compact, easy switching between instruments, HPFs, additional routing for taking a monitor feed and sending DI to a PA system if necessary.

[Dazed]

Is that preamp specific for an acoustic or db? Just curious if they have any particular requirement different to electric. Some of the combos I’ve looked at that are aimed at non electrics seem to have different frequency ranges not sure if that’s the cab or the in built head though. 

[Dazed]

@Dan Dare yes I have PJB Doublefour and that works really well for both. 

[jrixn1]

1 hour ago, Dazed said:

Is that preamp specific for an acoustic or db? Just curious if they have any particular requirement different to electric.

 

It has some upright-specific features, but that doesn't mean you couldn't use it with other instruments.  EBS explain it better than I could: https://ebssweden.com/content2/effects/ebs-stanley-clarke-signature-acoustic-preamp/

[itu]

I have played and still play through a Glockenklang Soul. My cab has been the 2x10" combo, and later 2x12" alusonic. Every bass and pickup has worked just fine. Not every pickup and string set has sounded good, but the reason has been in that end, not at the amp end.

 

Disclaimer: my opinion is highly subjective, and someone else may dislike the sound.

[Dazed]

23 hours ago, jrixn1 said:

 

It has some upright-specific features, but that doesn't mean you couldn't use it with other instruments.  EBS explain it better than I could: https://ebssweden.com/content2/effects/ebs-stanley-clarke-signature-acoustic-preamp/

That’s a pretty comprehensive spec! Shame it doesn’t have compression built in. I’d never heard of it before you posting. 

[Chienmortbb]

I have to say I have no knowledge of upright bass although in tests at the South West Bash last year, smaller cabs/ drivers seem to be preferred for DB. Whether that is also true for upright bass (EUB) I do not know. As for amps, something you know can be set flat would be a good starting point. 
 

 

Edited September 5, 2023 by Chienmortbb

[Dazed]

Wonder how the EBS compares to the latest Headway Pre

 

[Dazed]

19 hours ago, Chienmortbb said:

I have to say I have no knowledge of upright bass although in tests at the South West Bash last year, smaller cabs/ drivers seem to be preferred for DB. Whether that is also true for upright bass (EUB) I do not know. As for amps, something you know can be set flat would be a good starting point. 
 

 

 
Thats works for me as I tend to go for 10”/12” drivers usually because of their size

and lighter weight. 

[jrixn1]

58 minutes ago, Dazed said:

Wonder how the EBS compares to the latest Headway Pre

 

I've had a previous Headway model, the EDB-1.  It's more of a blender e.g. when you have a single instrument which has both a piezo and a mic.  It is less useful for switching between two separate instruments, as there is no footswitch.

 

It's large and sort of awkwardly shaped - it won't fit on a small pedal board due to how long it is.

 

The EBS layout is a lot simpler (i.e. better): top row for channel #1, bottow rom for channel #2 - the Headway should have 'ch.1 gain' where 'master' is, and 'ch.2 gain' where 'Mute' is.

 

I find a variable HPF essential for preventing rumbly feedback when loudly amplifying a double bass - the Headway doesn't have one.

 

Design-wise, its dotted-line signal paths and 'Dymo' aesthetic makes it look too much like an engineering project 🤓

 

BTW have a look at the EBS MicroBass 3, if you haven't already.  (I'm not sponsored by EBS, honest!)

 

Edited September 6, 2023 by jrixn1

[TheRev]

The best* single combo offering for upright and bass guitar is probably one if the twin channel combos from AER. They're not cheap and they're heavy by current standards but they sound amazing.

 

There's a handful of 2 channel amp heads aimed at players who double on upright and bass guitar (different EQ centres on each channel)- the Acoustic Image Clarus S2 being the primary example.  There's also the,  now discontinued, Euphonic Audio Doubler. I have one of these and it's a great amp. I note that there's one for sale in the classifieds forum at the moment... (no affiliation).  The benefit of going with the likes of AER/AI/EA is that the input on the double bass channel will be high impedance to match the requirements of piezo pickups, so you don't need a buffering preamp.

Cabinet wise, for upright I much prefer lots of small speakers (6" or 8") to single 10s or 12s. Notable exceptions* are the Barefaced One10 and the LFSys Monaco.  I tried the Monaco at last year's SW bass bash and thought it was a great cab for double bass - the notes on the E string had plenty of separation/articulation, which is rarely the case with 12" cabs*

 

 

*IMO/IME

 

 

Dave

[jazzyvee]

I have an EUB and so far have found the best combination to be my Schertler Unico combo which I think is about 180w and a barefaced LF800 powered sub driven from the Schertler's sub woofer or aux output channel.

I have it set so that the sub only warms things up without too much emphasis or domination on the low end. 

[Downunderwonder]

On 31/08/2023 at 05:09, Dazed said:

 

Is FRFR the way forward? 

Yes. But it will require trimming high and low to conform to norms.

[JPJ]

Another vote for the EBS Stanley Clarke preamp pedal. I double between NS NXT EUB and fretless Fender Tony Franklin P bass, and this handles both with ease. 

[jazzyvee]

On 17/09/2023 at 11:35, JPJ said:

Another vote for the EBS Stanley Clarke preamp pedal. I double between NS NXT EUB and fretless Fender Tony Franklin P bass, and this handles both with ease. 

At the moment i am mostly using mine for quiet practice at home, rehearsals sending it's output to the power amp/return socket on the provided bass head. 

That's a nice tidy pedal board. My guitar pedal board looks like the aftermath of a fight in a rope factory. 

[stevie]

On 10/09/2023 at 09:23, TheRev said:

Cabinet wise, for upright I much prefer lots of small speakers (6" or 8") to single 10s or 12s. Notable exceptions* are the Barefaced One10 and the LFSys Monaco.  I tried the Monaco at last year's SW bass bash and thought it was a great cab for double bass - the notes on the E string had plenty of separation/articulation, which is rarely the case with 12" cabs*

 

Thanks for the plug, Dave. If you're going to the SW Bash again this year, you'll be able to try the LFSys Monza, which is basically a scaled-down version of the Monaco with a near-identical sound. I'll also be bringing the first of a new range of lightweight cabs, which were designed for bass guitar but could also be of interest to double bass players, as they're full range with a very smooth frequency response.

[xgsjx]

If you’re going FRFR, then the Bassics BPA-1 was designed for what you have in mind, as it has 2 channels with independent levels & switchable impedance. 
I just got mine from another chap on here recently. 

[Dazed]

On 27/09/2023 at 11:44, xgsjx said:

If you’re going FRFR, then the Bassics BPA-1 was designed for what you have in mind, as it has 2 channels with independent levels & switchable impedance. 
I just got mine from another chap on here recently. 

That’s an interesting looking box of tricks. Thanks for the suggestion 👍🏻

[Dazed]

How do FRFR cabs compare to bass specific powered cabs - only one I know of is one of the GRBass models but I’m sure there many more out there 

 

[xgsjx]

Just the same as DIing straight from your preamp (or back of your bass amp head) to the FOH, except you get to hear it like the audience does. 

[Dazed]

Is it just me that thinks how strange it is that for ever we’ve been using bass amps as monitors that rarely sound anything like the sound foh.
It’s all a bit fools gold really unless you’re mic’ing the cab?