Jonathan Starr Posted July 30, 2001 Share Posted July 30, 2001 I am learning to play an NS CR4M electric upright, which sounds great for some of the wierd songs that my Wailuku Garage Band plays. I want to try using a bow, and there are no local stores here that sell them. Can anyone give me advice on what to look for and where to purchase an inexpensive starter bow? Aloha, Jonathan Starr kalepa@maui.ent Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BenLoy Posted July 30, 2001 Share Posted July 30, 2001 I'd check Bob Gollihur's Double Bass links out...you can find his site at http://www.gollihur.com/kkbass/basslink.html I know Lemur music's site sells bows...I'm not sure about pricing, though. You can access Lemur's site from the Gollihur page. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ed Friedland Posted July 30, 2001 Share Posted July 30, 2001 I'd get a fiberglass bow to start with. As long as you get real horsehair instead of the synthetic, it will play fine. Bowing an EUB is tricky, they don't respond the same as an upright, and they can be awkward to hold while bowing. If you've never played with a bow anyway, I guess it's all new and different...Good luck! ------------------ www.edfriedland.com www.edfriedland.com The Bass Whisperer Bass Whisperer TV Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tornadobass Posted July 31, 2001 Share Posted July 31, 2001 For a bow, try: www.quinnviolins.com www.lemurmusic.com www.swstrings.com All are good shops and all have a good range of choices. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jonathan Starr Posted July 31, 2001 Author Share Posted July 31, 2001 Thanks for the useful info. I was able to order a fiberglass French 3/4 Glasser bow with real horsehair from Quinn Violins for about $50 including shipping. This should allow me to have some fun and learn enough to make an informed decision about whether I can get interesting, consistent sounds by bowing the Steinberger, and if not, what I will need to get to do so. Best Aloha, Jonathan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BenLoy Posted August 5, 2001 Share Posted August 5, 2001 One more thing--find a teacher!!! Pronto! There are many subtleties to bow technique that are difficult to figure out on your own--even with a good technique book. Just learning getting a good sound that never scratches or stutters WITH a teacher will probably take a year, so save yourself some frustration and find a good teacher... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jonathan Starr Posted August 6, 2001 Author Share Posted August 6, 2001 That is great advice. I do have a really good teacher, and being the good teacher that he is, I don't think he will be teaching me arco for a while. Although I have been playing electric for years (with sloppy technique) he has started me with the basics, working through the Simandl book, and making every note sound right while teaching me the positions and how to read. It's slow going for me, having reached the far side of 50, and having to spend most of my practice time working up tunes for my band. I wish I did this decades ago. Right now I am just looking to experiment a bit on my own, maybe try to get some useful sounds for use on avant tunes my band does, and eventually begin a real regime. I can see that this is leading me towards acquiring a real upright. I am getting hooked on the swelling sounds that come from the CR4M (though with it's low action it sometimes sounds a bit like a giant electric sitar, which is kinda cool in it's own way), and my teacher brought over his Azola, which is a lot more like a real bass this week, and it was fun for me to play it during my lesson. Aloha, Jonathan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BenLoy Posted August 6, 2001 Share Posted August 6, 2001 Yeah, the NS bass is kinda like its own weird hybrid animal...one of the reasons I didn't go for it when I was shopping around for an EUB...I wanted to learn the double bass on something portable, but I didn't want to have to relearn how to play when or if I finally got a real double bass. The Messenger, built by John Knutson, works great for that. I can set it up to mimic the feel of a real double bass, or lower the action all the way to "cop-out" height. I keep the action kinda beefy, since I play it in a jump blues band and it really speaks well set up that way. Ironically, I played my teacher's 5-string Phretchner (sp?), and it was actually easier to play (and sounded huge)! You can mimic the sound of a double bass with an EUB, but you can't duplicate it...wow. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SmakBass Posted August 8, 2001 Share Posted August 8, 2001 You may also need some sort of switchable eq to make it sound decent at least thats what I found... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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