What does your double bass sound like?

[Steve A]

Hi,

I just thought I'd record a few bars of nonsense into Garageband using the internal microphone on my Mac, having just put some Innovation Honeys on my Michael Poller Romanian bass... it's not a top quality instrument, I only paid about £900 for it so it's definitely budget compared to some... but, it's reasonably comfortable to play and is a decent workhorse 'til I can afford something better.

I like the strings, I think they'll sound great when played in a bit, but this recording is a fairly good impression of what I'm hearing in the room.

Please excuse all faults, clanks, heavy breathing etc....!

(The text message received in the middle of the recording was John Patitucci. The message read 'HA HA HA HA HA HA....' Cheeky git!)

Hope this might be helpful to someone...

Steve

Edited March 26, 2010 by Steve Amadeo

[valere24]

On my page at [url="http://www.valeresperanza.com"]http://www.valeresperanza.com[/url], there's a version of "How Insensitive" that starts with bass only.

It's a carved, 12 years old, Korean bass with Helicore Hybrid strings, medium action. Recorded with a realist + SM57 at bridge level.


[quote name='Steve Amadeo' post='778591' date='Mar 18 2010, 01:53 PM']Hi,

I just thought I'd record a few bars of nonsense into Garageband using the internal microphone on my Mac, having just put some Innovation Honeys on my Michael Poller Romanian bass... it's not a great instrument, I only paid about £900 for it so it's definitely budget compared to some... but, it's reasonably comfortable to play and is a decent workhorse 'til I can afford something better.

I like the strings, I think they'll sound great when played in a bit, but this recording is a fairly good impression of what I'm hearing in the room.

Please excuse all faults, clanks, heavy breathing etc....!

(The text message received in the middle of the recording was John Patitucci. The message read 'HA HA HA HA HA HA....' Cheeky git!)

Hope this might be helpful to someone...

Steve[/quote]

Edited March 24, 2010 by valere24

[Steve A]

Lovely tone and nice playing there Valere!

[butterfingersbeck]

Here are a couple of my solo multi-track efforts using (among other instruments) my blue Stagg EDB 3/4 electric upright.

First of all, an instrumental version of the classic [url="http://www.alphabeck.co.uk/music/buzzcocks.mp3"]"Ever Fallen In Love (With Someone You Shouldn't've)"[/url] by seminal punk band Buzzcocks. As well as the Stagg bass, I am playing a green Mahalo U-30 acoustic ukulele and a Dübreq S1 Stylophone. Drums are a loop programmed in HammerHead RhythmStation 1.0, a great if basic freeware drum machine.

The second track is an instrumental cover of Burt Bacharach's [url="http://www.alphabeck.co.uk/music/walk_on_by.mp3"]"Walk On By"[/url]. This uses two bass tracks; one pizzicato and the other played with a violin bow for the sustained notes at the end of each chorus and under the fadeout. Other instruments are: three ukuleles (one rhythm and two leads in harmony), Stylophone once again, chromatic harmonica, penny-whistle and (very badly played) electric violin, triple-tracked and detuned so it sounds like a string section. Drums are once again from HammerHead.

Enjoy (or otherwise)!

[valere24]

Great playing Steve! I see what you mean about the strings - the sound of the bass is bit bright, I'm sure it will mellow after a few weeks of playing the strings. The rest is spot on though :-)


[quote name='Steve Amadeo' post='778591' date='Mar 18 2010, 01:53 PM']Hi,

I just thought I'd record a few bars of nonsense into Garageband using the internal microphone on my Mac, having just put some Innovation Honeys on my Michael Poller Romanian bass... it's not a great instrument, I only paid about £900 for it so it's definitely budget compared to some... but, it's reasonably comfortable to play and is a decent workhorse 'til I can afford something better.

I like the strings, I think they'll sound great when played in a bit, but this recording is a fairly good impression of what I'm hearing in the room.

Please excuse all faults, clanks, heavy breathing etc....!

(The text message received in the middle of the recording was John Patitucci. The message read 'HA HA HA HA HA HA....' Cheeky git!)

Hope this might be helpful to someone...

Steve[/quote]

Edited March 26, 2010 by valere24

[Steve A]

[quote name='valere24' post='786588' date='Mar 26 2010, 07:55 AM']Great playing Steve! I see what you mean about the strings - the sound of the bass is bit bright, I'm sure it will mellow after a few weeks of playing the strings. The rest is spot on though :-)[/quote]


Thanks!!

[Bilbo]

[url="http://basschat.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=81903&hl=manu"]http://basschat.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=81903&hl=manu[/url]

I like the sound as a generic 'double bass' thing but am very much still developing my own perspectives on playing so, like most of us I guess, its a work in progress.

[Steve A]

Sounds great Bilbo!

[51m0n]

See my myspace link....

Track 1 & 2 are me 'fiddling about' on the Roscoe with the stock strings....

[Steve A]

Very nice Simon, however what I meant was, what does your DOUBLE BASS sound like? I didn't originally put that in the topic headline because it was in the double bass section of the forum anyway...

The Roscoe sounds nice though.

Edited March 26, 2010 by Steve Amadeo

[TheRev]

[quote name='Steve Amadeo' post='778591' date='Mar 18 2010, 01:53 PM']Hi,

I just thought I'd record a few bars of nonsense into Garageband using the internal microphone on my Mac, having just put some Innovation Honeys on my Michael Poller Romanian bass... it's not a top quality instrument, I only paid about £900 for it so it's definitely budget compared to some... but, it's reasonably comfortable to play and is a decent workhorse 'til I can afford something better.

I like the strings, I think they'll sound great when played in a bit, but this recording is a fairly good impression of what I'm hearing in the room.

Please excuse all faults, clanks, heavy breathing etc....!

(The text message received in the middle of the recording was John Patitucci. The message read 'HA HA HA HA HA HA....' Cheeky git!)

Hope this might be helpful to someone...

Steve[/quote]


Lovely sound there Steve! How do you get that lovely growl? Low action? Light guage strings? Technique? I tried some Honeys on my Eminence EUB but that were all thump and no growl.

[Steve A]

Thanks Rev, very kind!

I've been playing with high action until recently which I suppose has aided in strengthening my hands somewhat. The action isn't that low now but it's more comfortable than it was. Glad you like the sound... it's getting there!! I think I'm also so used to the sound of Spirocores that I'm stil aiming to get some of that singing tone from the bass even with strings that have less sustain, like the Honeys. So, I find myself trying to coax that kind of sound from the bass. The new strings just feel more comfortable. I'm also striving to get the type of sound my favourite players have, which I suppose is what guides most of us.

Edited March 29, 2010 by Steve Amadeo

[geoffbassist]

Hi Guys, this is my most recent double bass recording for a wedding band jazz trio. It's really cheesey!
I was recorded on the fly in my friends lounge with a mic so you can really hear the tone of the bass. It was strung with Evah weichs which i love. Im not thrilled with my playing but you can hear the bass as its got the first solo :-)

Edited April 4, 2010 by geoffbassist

[Steve A]

Nice Geoff! A lovely tone, full, warm, round, fat, beautiful!

[fatfehn]

Im really liking that Bilbo!

[geoffbassist]

[quote name='Steve Amadeo' post='796127' date='Apr 4 2010, 11:42 PM']Nice Geoff! A lovely tone, full, warm, round, fat, beautiful![/quote]

thanks Steve :-)
hope lifes going good mate.

[Major-Minor]

Geoff - that sounds lovely ! Which bass is that ?

The Major

[geoffbassist]

It's my previous bass (100 year old german trade bass bought from turners violins in 2005) foolishly traded it in for my current one. I do like the sound of the recording.
When I get my new bass sorted I will post some clips :-) cheers Geoff

Edited April 5, 2010 by geoffbassist

[thisnameistaken]

When I can get someone round to play it for you, I'll record my DB.

Or alternatively you can give me a few more months, I am still trying.

[Higgie]

[quote name='geoffbassist' post='795945' date='Apr 4 2010, 07:55 PM']Hi Guys, this is my most recent double bass recording for a wedding band jazz trio. It's really cheesey!
I was recorded on the fly in my friends lounge with a mic so you can really hear the tone of the bass. It was strung with Evah weichs which i love. Im not thrilled with my playing but you can hear the bass as its got the first solo :-)[/quote]

That is the best Double Bass tone I have ever heard in my life.

[geoffbassist]

I'm a York native and am staying with my parents on micklegate till thurs. If u need any pointers feel free to pop in :-)

[quote name='thisnameistaken' post='797143' date='Apr 6 2010, 01:59 AM']When I can get someone round to play it for you, I'll record my DB.

Or alternatively you can give me a few more months, I am still trying.[/quote]

[geoffbassist]

[quote name='Higgie' post='797149' date='Apr 6 2010, 02:12 AM']That is the best Double Bass tone I have ever heard in my life.[/quote]

:-)
comments don't get any better than that!
It's all about the strings. I do love the evahs but think my old spirocore weichs may have been even better.
I heard The Major using some evahs though recently and he sounded fantastic. I think they are a bit gut like, with out the serious hassle of actual gut strings. And for the first 6 months or so they still growl a bit.

[gcordez]

Heres my bass on a gig, about as warts and all as your gonna get. Toughest thing in the world to get a good acoustic sound in dive bars...

[url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9ezk57otWuA&feature=related"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9ezk57otWuA...feature=related[/url]

[geoffbassist]

Great sound.really meaty! What's strings r u using?

[gcordez]

[quote name='geoffbassist' post='801980' date='Apr 10 2010, 06:19 PM']Great sound.really meaty! What's strings r u using?[/quote]

thanks man.

using a Schertler DYN-B pickup, Evah Pirazzi E and A, Oliv D and G. its hard on gigs when your sound is dependant on a FOH guy, but this chap did a decent job.