Anyone play an upright bass?

[Steve DeRosa]

Originally Posted by letseatpaste

...The U-bass sounds AMAZING, really deep tones like an upright, it's perfect for that style of music. The only real downside is needing electricity and an amp when you're playing in an otherwise acoustic group...

Problem solved:

http://www.zzounds.com/item--CRATX50DB

[RustyAxe]

Wow. From a question about acoustic upright bass to a discussion about the U-bass. Talk about thread drift!

[philjs]

Originally Posted by RustyAxe

Wow. From a question about acoustic upright bass to a discussion about the U-bass. Talk about thread drift!

I thought we'd hit left field with the introduction of a violin (but I've been wrong before)!

Phil

[RustyAxe]

.............

[Dru Edwards]

Originally Posted by philjs

I thought we'd hit left field with the introduction of a violin (but I've been wrong before)!

Phil

LOL. I'm surprised, and impressed, by the number of helpful responses on this thread. Thanks everyone.

[Earl49]

I have played electric bass some over the years, but never very seriously. After taking a couple of bass workshops at the National Old Time Fiddle Contest in Weiser, ID two summers ago I got the bug and started researching the options.

My left hand was OK with regular electric bass and acoustic guitar conditioning and callouses. The workshop teacher was using an archery glove for her right (plucking) hand, which I thought was a clever way to avoid raw fingertips.

Also being a uke player I was well aware of the Kala U-bass. Instead of $2K for a plywood upright, I spent less than $500 for a deluxe U-bass. When I got back to the campground, friends were looking for me to ask if I would play bass on stage later that night with their group. So I went from not owning one to playing the U-bass on stage (price tag still attached) in about two hours. After the show, audience members were coming up saying that they wondered where the upright bass sound had been coming from and eventually figured out it was from my tiny little uke.

It really does sound quite good through a PA system. You will need some sort of amp because acoustically it is almost inaudible even in your living room. But the U-bass plus a good amp is still cheaper and more portable than an upright. The huge polyurethane U-bass strings are very easy on the fingers. No regrets here, and I even have a mini-van to transport a full doghouse upright bass if I wanted to.

[posternutbag]

Originally Posted by philjs

An octave mandolin might be easier...same tuning and same technique but fuller sound. Seems to me Russel may still have a bouzar --an octave mandolin in a tenor guitar body -- for sale...(highly recommended)!

OR if you really, really want a bass, a Kala UBass might be just the thing (though you will need a small bass amp...you can hear one to practice on but you'll need amplification for a "real" bass sound).

Phil

My guitar teacher has a Kala UBass and I was shocked by the sound. I mean, lets be honest, nothing sounds (or feels) like a proper upright, but the Kala had a great tone and serious thump. People see it and think is a toy, but it is a very serious instrument.

[Mobilemike]

I play upright bass too. Mine's a cheap plywood bass - got it for orchestra when I was in 6th grade and it was the cheapest one they had... But I love it! I think it sounds really nice - maybe I just got lucky. Survived a move from Florida to NYC earlier this year, gigging and practicing all over the city, and still has the original strings on it (I should probably change those)

It is a very physical instrument - you gotta work to produce a good sound from it but its very rewarding.

-Mike

[Dru Edwards]

Originally Posted by Mobilemike

I play upright bass too. Mine's a cheap plywood bass - got it for orchestra when I was in 6th grade and it was the cheapest one they had... But I love it! I think it sounds really nice - maybe I just got lucky. Survived a move from Florida to NYC earlier this year, gigging and practicing all over the city, and still has the original strings on it (I should probably change those)

It is a very physical instrument - you gotta work to produce a good sound from it but its very rewarding.

-Mike

Hey Mike, sounds like you got a good one. Did you ever need to get it setup?

[jeepnstein]

I've had my upright since early December. Mrs. Claus was very good to me and we found a screaming good deal. My bass is just a generic Chinese plywood thing. It sounds pretty good. No, it's not a orchestra instrument but it suits this hillbilly just fine. If anything it has too much sustain. We found it for sale CHEAP from a guy who was liquidating a music store down in Kentucky. He thought I was going to use it as a decorator piece since "Nobody plays those things any more."

Transitioning to bass from guitar was pretty easy, at least on a basic level. The theory is the same. I used some automotive pinstriping to mark the stops so I could get used to playing with proper intonation. I have fret markers on the side of the neck now. And I am not ashamed of that. I added a JJB Electronics pickup and it sounds nice through a PA. I'll eventually lose the steel strings and switch to gut just to dry out the tone a bit.

Bluegrass players want you to just thump along root + five. I can live with that. I do some runs and stuff every once in a while but get dirty looks if I go too far off the reservation.

It's an awful lot of fun and I'm hooked. The guys I play with demand you either be a smoking hot player or willing to play different instruments. Since I'm not very good I have to be versatile. It's a beast to travel with so I can understand why very few players take them on.