The Jazz Guitar Chord Dictionary
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  1. #1

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    I find I am playing my Höfner violin bass more often and feel I am getting moderately profficient at walking bass. I'm toying with the idea of getting an upright electric bass (would love an acoustic one but don't have the space - maybe review this in a few years if I like playing an inexpensive electric upright).
    At this stage I don't want to spend more than 1.000€ on a "starter" model.
    In price points the market offer jumps from the Harley Benton DB-02 at a little under 600€ to the ND Design WAV4C-AB-OB at around 1325€. I am discounting the Ibanez UB-804 MOB at just under 1,000€ because it dosn't stand on a traditional spike but on a tripod support somewhat like a music stand, which looks like a built-in "trip yourself up" mechanism!
    I have 50 years of guitar under my belt and 6 years of classical 'cello lessons behind me, so playing a vertical neck shouldn't be a big issue other than adjusting to scale length (I hope). just don't ask me to switch from bass to mandolin in mid-set..... The upright bass will be played through a tc electronics BAM200 head into a Toob 6.5" Metro BG (thanks Gitterbug ), and a Fender treverb in front of the amp to make up for its absence of reverb.
    Would appreciate any shared experience and recommendations from other forum members.....
    Looking forward to all your ideas.
    Ray
    Last edited by Ray175; 04-17-2021 at 11:05 AM.

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  3. #2

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    There's also these, fairly inexpensive. The guy in my big band has one and it sounds great.

    Stagg Electric Double Bass | Musician's Friend

    They also come in lots of different finishes.

    stagg bass - Google Search

  4. #3

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    Hi there, Ray! My bandmate (aged 84) has had the H-B for a few years now. He bought it used and had to replace the bridge, which was badly bent. The structure is as simple as it gets and could be lighter if the solid pinewood body were hollowed-out. The tone was originally so-and-so but improved dramatically with a new string set. The spike's adjustment screw tends to loosen, so we drilled a couple of holes through the outer pipe and the spike, which is now held in place by a cotter pin. He's got a a TOOB 10B powered by G+K MB 200. The sound is actually very good now.

    Edit: Ampeg made a popular upright electric back in the 1960s. I wonder why they disappeared - except for one place in the world: Cuba. They seem to have a local version, and bass is the rock-solid foundation of Cuban son.
    Last edited by Gitterbug; 04-17-2021 at 12:15 PM.

  5. #4

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    Thanks for the comments Woody and Markku! much appreciated.

    Also on the horizon, which I hadn't noticed is a Warwick RockBass Triumph Lite at 899€, which in terms of build and materials looks more professional - nice adjustable bridge and a genuine Wenge fingerboard. Warwick make some nice gear - I almost bought the 4 string active rockbass in natural a few years back wen looking for a short-scale bass, but eventually decided on the Höfner VB for its much lower weight (no regrets)

    Warwick RockBass Triumph Lite, 4-String - Solid Black High Polish | W-Music Distribution

    Picture is getting clearer.....

  6. #5

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    Quote Originally Posted by Ray175
    Thanks for the comments Woody and Markku! much appreciated.


    Warwick RockBass Triumph Lite, 4-String - Solid Black High Polish | W-Music Distribution

    Picture is getting clearer.....
    That one's got your name all over it!

  7. #6

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    Naïve question..... given that these electric basses are 3/4 size, with 104cm /41" scale, can someone point me towards the type of strings I will need? Standard length upright bass? Specific length for 3/4 size? Makes? What guages equate with light and medium on these instruments? So much to learn......

  8. #7

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    Here's another very reasonably priced one, with a more "traditional" shape.

    https://www.amazon.com/CECILIO-CEDB-...dp/B003LD1YS0/

  9. #8

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    Quote Originally Posted by Ray175
    Naïve question..... given that these electric basses are 3/4 size, with 104cm /41" scale, can someone point me towards the type of strings I will need? Standard length upright bass? Specific length for 3/4 size? Makes? What guages equate with light and medium on these instruments? So much to learn......
    Good ol' google:

    3/4 upright bass strings - Google Search

  10. #9

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    I don't have an EUB but feel tempted. One thing I like about the Stagg and HB models is the apparent "old school" way the string pull seems connected to the body. To my impression the Warwick tailpiece does not look designed to be used in their EUB. The Ibanez has tempted me a few times for compactness and for using normal (34" scale) strings but the string anchoring and bridge seems too fancy to be robust with too many essential functions stuffed into a single (delicate?) component. But up to now I tried neither of them.

  11. #10

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    I play an Eminence bass. It's an actual upright, and has a great sound. It's more expensive than the solid bodies, but it's a cut above sound-wise.
    Eminence Electric Upright Bass

  12. #11

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    The Eminence looks nice, but at 3,750$ after shipping and taxes into Europe, it's just a little over the 1,000€ ceiling I've set for my fun initiation....

  13. #12

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    Understandable. I got mine used for a lot less, but it's still expensive compared to the solid bodies. However, it paid for itself pretty quickly and opened up a lot of gigs that wouldn't have hired an electric bass.

  14. #13

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    I've pulled the trigger on a Warwick RockBass Triumph Lite 4. The colour I want is not available for about 10 weeks, even directly from Warwick, but despite the wait I've ordered. the good news is that the site I'm buying from in Strasbourg has a 5% discount on upright basses at the moment so the price dropped from 899€ to 854€. I contacted Warwick to see if they would like to price match, but they're not interested...... The price drop will go part way to financing a qaulity set of strings. I've ordered the Thomastik Spirocore mediums for the moment - I couldn't bring myself to splash out on a full set of Pirastro Olivs - that would cost about 3/4 the price of the bass! Good guitar strings are expensive, but for double bass, nothing below 150€ gets a decent review.......
    A new adventure begins in a few weeks.

  15. #14

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    Congrats !
    And don't worry too much about double bass strings : they're supposed to last forever (or close to)

  16. #15

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    I thought I bought the idea, to ease my temporary goalness and mild depression... then turned out a usable instrument is between $800 - $2000 (without strings! :-), it is a bit expensive, I mean, just for fun (plus I am left handed, so the market is way limited)

  17. #16

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    Quote Originally Posted by Ray175
    Naïve question..... given that these electric basses are 3/4 size, with 104cm /41" scale, can someone point me towards the type of strings I will need? Standard length upright bass? Specific length for 3/4 size? Makes? What guages equate with light and medium on these instruments? So much to learn......
    Strings on EUB is a different science project from DB. You will find tons of research in the EUB and Strings topics on the TalkBass DB forum.

    FWIW I've played Spiro Mittel Orchs on every double bass I've ever owned. My ancient Carruthers EUB came strung with Spiro Solos tuned-down one step, and they definitely deliver a more 'acoustic DB' sound on that.

    Good luck with EUB, Ray. (I can't wait to get my DB back from the shop . . . five days and counting . . . )

  18. #17

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    For something completely different, check out Bayou basses.

    [Bass of the Week] Bayou Basses Swallowtail | eBass

    Electric upright bass for fun-bayou1-jpgElectric upright bass for fun-bayou2-jpgElectric upright bass for fun-bayou3-jpgElectric upright bass for fun-bayou4-jpg

  19. #18

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    Visually interesting, Woody!