Kramer Ferrington III. Posted September 27, 2006 Share Posted September 27, 2006 Ok... so there's Brian Ritchie. And there's that old jazz guy that was on BP a few months ago. Does anyone else play acoustic bass much? And I don't really mean putting the licorice strings on and pretending to play URB. I mean really playing the acoustic for whatever it is. I've always loved acoustic and I'd love to hear what people do with it. Any suggestions? Band MySpace My snazzy t-shirt empire Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rocky McDougall Posted September 27, 2006 Share Posted September 27, 2006 I think you will find a surprising number of players who play both. If we started on electric fretted bass, I think it is natural to have a desire to play URB. Especially amoung the studio musicians. Many jobs call for both, and to be a pro, you need to be available to do either. This is my opinion although I am one of those who never got around to playing URB even though I would like to. Rocky "Democracy is two wolves and a lamb, voting on what to eat for lunch. Liberty is a well-armed lamb, contesting the vote." Benjamin Franklin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fred TBP Posted September 27, 2006 Share Posted September 27, 2006 I guess I should call up Eddie Gomez and David Gage and tell them the truth (sigh) - perhaps I'm not really a URB player after all. Even though they both gave me encouragement (along with others) to continue... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
moot Posted September 27, 2006 Share Posted September 27, 2006 Well, Mr. Kramer, I have been toying with acoustic bass for a number of years. I play an acoustic/electric 5 string that I picked up on ebay a couple years ago. It is made by JB Player and while the B string tends to be a bit floppy it does give a nice acoustic tone. Before that I played an Ovation 4 string that was a great sounding bass - if very quiet. The main uses I have for my A/E is porch/park/campfire/coffee shop playing. I find that it compliments acoustic guitar very well but is always in need of amplification. The other thing that it is just right for is spur of the moment lines. If something gets in my head that I need to figure out or improve upon, I just grab that baby off of the wall and plunk it out. Marvelous tool for those 2 uses. If you are seriously considering an A/E also consider a small battery powered amp to complete the package otherwise, you may have a tough time being heard. Do a quick search here and you will find many topics about price and functionality. Good Luck With Your Quest. http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b203/Mattulator/18373073.jpg "He is to music what Stevie Wonder is to photography." getz76 I have nothing nice to say so . . . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tnb Posted September 27, 2006 Share Posted September 27, 2006 I am primarily an electric player, but 70% of my gigs this month have been on upright. All of my good paying electric work was the result of being on an acoustic gig, meeting someone and them asking "do you play electric?". Go figure. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Max Valentino Posted September 27, 2006 Share Posted September 27, 2006 My primary basses are both "semi-acoustic" Godins. The are piezo only basses (a fretted A4 four string with TI Acousticore Strings and a fretless A5 five string with TI flats.) Although I have a number of electrics, I find that 90% of my work is with one or both of these. For a while I was doing a number of sessions in LA. Depending on the call I would bring either my "modern" MTD 535 or "vintage" 65 Fender P (with flats)..but always brought one of the Godins "just in case". After using the Godin on a few tracks, I began to get calls from producers and engineers requesting that bass over the others. With practice (any acoustic instrument is more difficult to work that a solid body electric), one can achieve a variety of sounds and tones with ABGs. Slapping, tapping...and, of course chordal playing...are all there. Hand position and pressure produces much more varied responses than on solids...and piezos (when well designed) have an enormous frequency and dynamic range. It is true than not too many bassist have really explored and exploited the possibilities of the ABG (most likely because many ABGs are poorly made, and the larger body models can be both physically and sonically unwieldy). Cheaper ABGs are just that...cheap. But I recently picked up a very inexpensive Samick model, which plays very well....yanked out the crap electronics and dropped in a DTAR Wavelength, and this bass is wonderful. There are some mighty fine models to choose from at around the $1k mark (the new Martin model with the OOO size body is really nice..as is the Martin Alt-X model, and the Fender Victor Bailey is a very nice bass...I have not been too keen on the Michael Kelley models only du to the large body size...but they, as do the Tacoma models, play and sound wonderful. And if you have the cash, the Ribbecke Bobby Vega Halfling is THE acoustic bass guitar from which all others are measured.) Thin-body "semi-acoustics" such as the models by Rob Allen, Rick Turner, and Godin are wonderful, verstaile basses, which altho' need amplification (actually ANY ABG needs amping for ensemble playing...)offer tons of tone and a certain "je nais se quoi" which more "conventional" basses cannot deliver. One bassist who has continually pushed the envelope as to the potential of the ABG is Jonas Hellborg. Tho now playing his new signature model semi-acoustic Warwick, he has played various Ovation models, a gorgeous Abraham Wechter ABG, and most recently a relatively inexpensive Crafter model which he put a Fishman sysytem into and achieved a wonderful sound (but then, he could play a rubber band stretched over a shoe box and sound wonderful!). His slapping on a ABG is jaw dropping astounding (yet always musical...never just "showy"). Personally, I like use an ABG in most contexts. It gives a unique sort of sound...something a bit different...and these intruments incredible dynamic response makes a most emotive and evocative performance. Max ...it's not the arrow, it's the Indian. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Brown Posted September 27, 2006 Share Posted September 27, 2006 Sunday was a "throwback" day in our P/W band. I took my 1912 Lowendahl Flatback and played with an acoustic guitar and 2 piece drum kit. Field mics, and a good time was had by all. Of course, in the orchestra, I play URB all the time. In fact, I rehearsed Frank Symphony #2 last night. Yep. I'm the other voice in the head of davebrownbass. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Martin Posted September 27, 2006 Share Posted September 27, 2006 I seem to be playing my early 60's Juzek on more than half of the live gigs I do these days... Dave Martin Java Jive Studio Nashville, TN www.javajivestudio.com Cuppa Joe Records www.cuppajoerecords.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Max Valentino Posted September 27, 2006 Share Posted September 27, 2006 That is VERY interesting, Dave..... .......is it just me or has the acoustic bass "sound" been having a sort of renaissance (not that it ever went away---and thus cannot be called a "comeback")? It seems that the URB tone has been "re-prioritized", or even has moved up a rung or two on the ladder of the musical tonal caste system.... ...and that seems to have permeated the flavor du jour of current EB tones as well (*semi-hollows, flat wounds on P basses, and, in general, a new distinction of low end tone--as opposed to the trebly, full-range and somewhat thin sounds of recent years). I have been noticing this trend in many other genres (in jazz, the doghouse has ruled for sometime), and it makes me want to go find a decent URB (or even EUB).... ...but then I recall the pain (both aural and muscular) I experienced when I DID play a doghouse! Oh yea...that's why I have the fretless Godin. OK, so it is an ersatz-faux-quasi-neo-imitation URB sound...but it works for me. Max ...it's not the arrow, it's the Indian. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Martin Posted September 28, 2006 Share Posted September 28, 2006 No, Max - it's simpler than that. Most of the live gigs I'm doing this month are bluegrass, western swing or jazz. Upright basses have never gone out of style on these gigs; it's as much about the look as it is about the sound (like every other king of music)... Dave Martin Java Jive Studio Nashville, TN www.javajivestudio.com Cuppa Joe Records www.cuppajoerecords.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kramer Ferrington III. Posted October 1, 2006 Author Share Posted October 1, 2006 Err... no. Maybe I didn't express myself clearly. Thanks for all the tips, but when I refer to "acoustic bass", I'm referring to ABG, not URB. I'd like to get an URB, but I'd need a station wagon before I even thought of buying one. And I've been playing ABG for years now. I'm not looking to buy another one. A Taylor would be nice though What I WAS asking about was who else besides Brian Ritchie and the jazz guy in BP a few months back plays it as his (or her) main instrument. I've always played my own stuff and all of a sudden I've become curious as to how other people play and what they do with it. SO! Who else's records can I listen to? And thanks especially to Max Valentino for the tips and suggestions. I agree: the range of timbres and harmonics and so on one can get from an ABG cannot be replicated by a solid body. I use a pick and I love the range of sounds you can get just by hitting the strings harder or more gently. To paraphrase Woody Guthrie, you get a rattlin' sound. Band MySpace My snazzy t-shirt empire Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lug Posted October 2, 2006 Share Posted October 2, 2006 I have a $200 Johnson. I love to play with my Johnson around the house. The thing I like most about my Johnson is that it is very big. Yes, I like to play with my big Johnson. Here is a pic of my Johnson. http://users3.ev1.net/~woodd/johnson.jpg I recomend that everyone, if they have one, get out their Johnson and play with it. I usually fantasize that about Brian Richie when playing my big Johnson and play this song first http://users3.ev1.net/~woodd/johnson1.wav Thanks for listening to me play with my big Johnson. You can stop now -jeremyc STOP QUOTING EVERY THING I SAY!!! -Bass_god_offspring lug, you should add that statement to you signature.-Tenstrum I'm not sure any argument can top lug's. - Sweet Willie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chad Thorne Posted October 2, 2006 Share Posted October 2, 2006 "I recommend that everyone, if they have one, get out their Johnson and play with it." Well, right now I'm at work, but... I never have played ABG. Always the lefty obstacle to overcome, and have never been knocked sideways by the tone. Lately, though, I've thought about getting one to practice on without having to plug in the electric rig. If KFIII says you can get good tones on 'em that's good enough for me! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lug Posted October 2, 2006 Share Posted October 2, 2006 Originally posted by Chad: "I recommend that everyone, if they have one, get out their Johnson and play with it." Well, right now I'm at work, but... I never have played ABG. Always the lefty obstacle to overcome, and have never been knocked sideways by the tone. Lately, though, I've thought about getting one to practice on without having to plug in the electric rig. If KFIII says you can get good tones on 'em that's good enough for me! I'm a lefty but learned with the E string on bottom so I just flip a righty and am ready to go. I have found a lot of use for the AGB when recording stuff that suprised me. They work well for more stuff than I would have thought before getting one. You can stop now -jeremyc STOP QUOTING EVERY THING I SAY!!! -Bass_god_offspring lug, you should add that statement to you signature.-Tenstrum I'm not sure any argument can top lug's. - Sweet Willie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rocky McDougall Posted October 2, 2006 Share Posted October 2, 2006 I expect most pro players have an acoutic bass guitar in their arsenal. I wonder what the percentage of pure acoustic to acoustic with factory installed pickup would be. I don't have a ABG but I think I would get one with electrics. Rocky "Democracy is two wolves and a lamb, voting on what to eat for lunch. Liberty is a well-armed lamb, contesting the vote." Benjamin Franklin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trucks Posted October 2, 2006 Share Posted October 2, 2006 Damn bass players!! Id love to join in being mainly into acoustic instruments... But with 3 letter abbreviations like URB & EUB im cluesess as to what you're all jabbering on about lol URB = Utilisation of Retro Beats... Under Rollover Banana's..... Utilitarian Ramification Boot.... Ahhhh Its ok.... I just googled it... Carry on.. Soundclick Myspace Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Martin Posted October 2, 2006 Share Posted October 2, 2006 Originally posted by lug: I have a $200 Johnson. I love to play with my Johnson around the house. The thing I like most about my Johnson is that it is very big. Yes, I like to play with my big Johnson. Ba da Boom! He'll be here all week! (...probably playing with his big Johnson...) Dave Martin Java Jive Studio Nashville, TN www.javajivestudio.com Cuppa Joe Records www.cuppajoerecords.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lug Posted October 2, 2006 Share Posted October 2, 2006 Originally posted by Dave Martin: Originally posted by lug: I have a $200 Johnson. I love to play with my Johnson around the house. The thing I like most about my Johnson is that it is very big. Yes, I like to play with my big Johnson. Ba da Boom! He'll be here all week! (...probably playing with his big Johnson...) Even a big name like Martin approves of my Big Johnson! You can stop now -jeremyc STOP QUOTING EVERY THING I SAY!!! -Bass_god_offspring lug, you should add that statement to you signature.-Tenstrum I'm not sure any argument can top lug's. - Sweet Willie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Fox Posted October 3, 2006 Share Posted October 3, 2006 Kramer -- Be sure to check out Jonas Helborg. He's an absolute MONSTER! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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