basso navo Posted February 1 Share Posted February 1 Dear experts of two worlds, being a double bassist, I'd like to explore new grounds: the electric bass. My goal: A fretless bass guitar. Here are my questions: 1. Are there instruments with a thickness of the neck similar to that of a DB? 1. Are there basses that enable a near-upright position of the fretboard? Looking forward to your ideas. bn Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lfalex v1.1 Posted February 1 Share Posted February 1 [Don't throw rocks at me for this] Coming from DB to BG ought to be a doddle, even allowing for the relative unfamiliarity of the dimensions. BG is a whole lot easier to play in general. You could get a custom made neck (and bass) made to your specs, and a good bit of strap adjustment might well pull the neck upwards. But not as much, I suspect, as you're looking for. Back in the day, both Ampeg and (iirc) Gibson did endpins for their BGs. Have you tried a BG and did you really not get on with it? If not, can you give us any insight as to why? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
itu Posted February 1 Share Posted February 1 Clevinger had a bass that was close to an upright in terms of playability. I found only one picture of it: https://reverb.com/item/34879027-clevenger-eub-prototype-green-jade Ned Steinberger (NS Bass) and Ibanez have made smaller uprights that can be carried on a strap. If I was you, i would try to check Overwater fretless basses with 36" scale. Maybe you would like to use shorter scale, but 36" feels like, can I say spacious? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
basso navo Posted February 1 Author Share Posted February 1 1 hour ago, Lfalex v1.1 said: Have you tried a BG Not yet. As said, I am at the brink of exploring new ground. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
basso navo Posted February 1 Author Share Posted February 1 33 minutes ago, itu said: Overwater fretless basses Thank you, itu, for the info. However, these, prices are way beyond my financial range. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
basso navo Posted February 1 Author Share Posted February 1 41 minutes ago, itu said: fretless basses with 36" scale. Maybe you would like to use shorter scale Not really, since I come from DB with a really long scale. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
itu Posted February 2 Share Posted February 2 Please ask some luthier about a custom 36" or similar bass. It may be not that expensive after all. Just keep all extras to minimum. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sambrook Posted February 2 Share Posted February 2 I believe a Takamine TB10 might suit you? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pineweasel Posted February 2 Share Posted February 2 If you've not played a bass guitar at all, the simplest first step would be to try a regular 34" scale model for a while to see how you get one with it. You'd discover if you really need an extra long scale, an upright position or a very thick neck. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
petebassist Posted February 2 Share Posted February 2 The NS Design Omni Bass can be played vertically and horizontally like a normal bass guitar, and has the same neck length. I don't know about the neck width though. If you prefer the longer double-bass length neck, the NS Double Bass might work? 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MacDaddy Posted February 3 Share Posted February 3 On 01/02/2024 at 20:46, basso navo said: Dear experts of two worlds, being a double bassist, I'd like to explore new grounds: the electric bass. My goal: A fretless bass guitar. Here are my questions: 1. Are there instruments with a thickness of the neck similar to that of a DB? 1. Are there basses that enable a near-upright position of the fretboard? Looking forward to your ideas. bn Paging @Happy Jack Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JoeEvans Posted February 3 Share Posted February 3 I think there are three different instruments here - double bass, electric upright bass, and electric bass guitar. Find a nice one of whichever type you like and accept its character, limitations and possibilities. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lfalex v1.1 Posted February 3 Share Posted February 3 But please bear in mind that they're not mutually exclusive!! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Happy Jack Posted February 3 Share Posted February 3 I really can't imagine having a bass guitar with a neck anywhere near the depth of that on a DB. I've had both the Takamine TB10 (a great instrument) and the Safran Iris with which I replaced it. Both of those have necks - unsurprisingly - far more like a bass guitar than a DB. Playing a bass on a strap in an upright position is a very awkward thing, unless you happen to be Bill Wyman. I strongly recommend you start by simply buying a cheap fretless to experiment with. Lots of bassists buy a fretless and find they don't get on with it, so they are easy to find pre-owned and often at very reasonable prices. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
velvetkevorkian Posted February 5 Share Posted February 5 Speaking as someone who pointlessly gave themselves tendonitis trying to replicate my DB technique on electric bass, I would not try and do that. They're different instruments, and although there are lots of transferable skills treating electric bass as a small DB doesn't really work (nor does treating DB as a big fretless, as lots of people have found going the other way). Do what Happy Jack says. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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