faking upright bass with an electric?

curtiswyant

Has anyone tried this or is it even worth it? I'm thinking I could "pluck" or maybe mic the strings. I'm using flatwounds...I love the double-bass sound but I'll never be able to afford one. What about a fretless?

hughindigo

I know I'm not answering your question. Check out www.cscproducts.com . Their base model (no pun intended) #80 sounds wonderful if set up properly. It lists for $1495, but usually streets for less. There are no pics on the site but it looks identical to the #100. Best value for an upright IMO. I know it's not cheap, but might be able to find a local shop that has a rental program on them.

apropos of nothing

Fretless DI'ed with proper technique and only a little gain will get you in the neighborhood. I think you'd have better luck with a good sample set (used tastefully, of course).
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kayagum

Danelectro or Jerry Jones bass with flatwounds will get you there.

http://jerryjonesguitars.com/NLHbass4.htm
http://danelectro.com/guitars1.htm
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E-money

Try micing the strings/fretboard to get some of your hand sounds as you play. Try mixing with a DI signal.

Try reamping your DI signal into a speaker placed inside a wooden box with a hole cut into it to get some of that hollow wooden sound.
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standup

I play upright bass, and no fretted electric is going to sound much like an upright. Fretless might be closer, depending mostly on who's playing, but still not very much like the real thing.

Best bet -- find a guy who's put in years playing upright bass, and get him to come in and overdub parts.

You know those settings on various effects pedals that are supposed to make your Strat sound like an acoustic guitar? It's the same problem approximating an upright bass (acoustic instrument, 42" string length, big hollow resonant chamber, made of wood) with an electric bass (slab of wood.) (I play both electric and upright, they're reeeeallly different things.)

steve3b1

fretless with flatwounds definitely, i agree with micing the guitar- try putting it on a guitar stand so that you can put the mic(s) really close and that way you can play more like an upright would be played (kinda). take a DI too so you can mix with the mic(s)

8th_note

I know this isn't what you asked but I'll throw it out there anyway. On a recent project we used a Kurzweil electric piano for upright bass and it sounded amazingly good. I've had several people ask who played upright bass on the project and when I tell them it was an electric piano (using the upright bass setting) they eyebrows go up.

AGCurry

Hee-man

Palm-muting the strings and plucking with your thumb can simulate the decay of an upright.

high five

You're probably not going to fool anyone but it might be enough to imply the sound of an upright by having (or exaggerating) a few of its distinguishing traits.

I think the decay is important. Uprights seem to have less sustain than electric bass. Try the Carol Kaye trick of putting some fabric near the end of the strings (near the bridge is best bet, but you could shove it between the strings and the fretboard at the nut) to dampen them. Sometimes when I play a guitar/bass with a dead spot on the neck it sounds kinda like and upright because the volume kinda crescendos just after you play the note and then dies off quickly.

Maybe playing fingerstyle but kinda smacking the strings against the neck (play like you're tapping out a beat with your fingertips on a table, but do it on your strings) to get that 'slap' sound. You mentioned micing the strings & the amp/DI... that's a cool sound to use in a mix anyhow, even when you're not trying to sound like an upright Smile

. Maybe some overdrive would help too.

I'd personally listen to a few recordings of The Bad Plus ("Give" among others) to have something to shoot for. That's always the sound I think of when I imagine what an upright bass sounds like. Plus the bass is mixed to the right, separate from the piano so you can hear it pretty well.

The other tips about a fretless with roundwounds are right... that's probably the biggest thing you can do. Just don't try pulling the frets out of your fretted bass!

Rodgre

I can't believe I've finally found a place to say this!

I get great sounding, though silly looking results with a Guild Ashbory bass.

It's a cheesy tiny bass with silicone strings that takes a lot of getting used to, but does the best approximation that I've found of an upright bass tone, especially if it's blended in the mix a bit.

Roger
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kayagum

vatoben

Randy

I agree with everyone here so far. You can't fake the plunk. But depending on what it is you are trying, I found a washtub bass can get you in the general area. all you need is a metal washtub (the kind they mix concrete in), a nice strong string, and a broom handle.
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