randythoades

Ha, maybe! It is a little strange though as I REALLY like the set I have on my main bass. But then that bass never got on with the spirocores that everyone else raved about.

As an update: I got my new set of BC strings. This might be an unfair appraisal but they 'seem' more cheaply made than previous sets, even unrolling the fresh strings they don't have that same slippery and sliding like a snake feel that I remember from previously . I put a set on my EUB and they feel a bit lifeless and rattly, no real tone, a real step down from the Prestos that normally reside. Obviously, not an ideal test being a Stagg stick bass and not a 'proper' bass, but even so. They might just not suit that bass which is entirely possible. Prestos going back on. I will try this same set on my other bass too (that also has prestos on) to see how they go before I reserve full judgement.

I also have the Krivo pickup as well and I find it great if you want a more natural double bass sound, especially with the Prestos. For my own purposes, I prefer to sound pretty much like a big fretless bass guitar, with a smidge of overdrive, into my Ashdown ABM and I find the Armstrong pickups better in that scenario so have the Krivo as a backup. Sorry about the BC being out of stock now, I ordered 2 sets just in case because I do slightly prefer the steel strings to the Presto (mainly because that is what I have been used to and I get that slightly longer sustain, without the real brightness that I got from Spirocores) So, if you were interested, you would be more than welcome to have a loan of both Prestos and Krivo to see if it would suit?

Hadn't realised that they now had a UK supply. That is excellent news!!! I will take the opportunity to get another set to try out on my other bass. I would definitely prefer to play them over the Prestos. I will keep the Prestos as a backup, or my second bass may actually prefer the Prestos and I will have the BC as a backup. Once I have swapped them off to try, you are more than welcome to try the Presto set, AndyBass. for a comparison

I of course meant occasional LEFT hand blister mainly on my little finger when sliding up to notes... One of those days.. Doh

I use 2 basses and a Stagg EUB. 1 bass and EUB with Presto Ultralights and Blast Cult lowlifes on the other, both double basses fitted with Armstrong magnetic pickups and EUB has piezo. The Blast Cult are slightly thinner and lower tension than the Prestos and are nice under the fingers. The Prestos are nylon wrapped and a little sticky so I get occasional blistering on my right hand where I slide up, the Blast Cult are great for that. Sound wise though, the Blast Cult are a little indistinct on the E and A so you need to get a boost pedal or something to make them zing a bit, the D and G a little bright, whereas the Prestos sound good to me straight into my Ashdown. But the big killer for the BC strings is availablility. You can get them direct from Blast Cult in the USA but they never have full sets in stock (even though you can still buy single strings) and the shipping is horrendous making it over $250 a set plus import tax, or you can get them from a dealer in Sweden but you can only pay for them in Swedish currency (which the bank will charge £25 to pay) and with the shipping again they cost more than £180 a set. When the Prestos can be bought for just over £100, the Blast Cults seem like a bit of an extravagance. I do slightly prefer playing with the Blast Cults, but the Prestos don't offend me in any way so have chosen not to buy any more BC when they need replacing. To be clear though, I rarely slap and use more for swing style pizz playing.

True, but you could treat the family to a day out at the London Eye, and just happen to make a stop off on the way! Everyone wins

As I mentioned in an earlier post, if anyone happens to be London way then you would be more than welcome to come and try out. I am only a few minutes from mainline railways station or M25. I have a Stagg EDB too which I really like too but it does fall away from me as I play which the slimline doesn't.

Mine doesn't seem to like Spiros so well. I tried both Mittel and Weich and it just felt a little 'choked'. I used Presto Ultralight for a long time and now use Blast Cult Lowlifes as I use Magnetic pickup mainly now to get a slightly more 'electric' sound. Interestingly, I tried recording my full size with both a pickup and condenser mic (positioned by bridge on E side) at home. I recorded the Slimline one with the same setup on 2 other tracks too for comparison and I couldn't really tell much actual difference and picked the slim one for the final mix on the demo!!

jrixn1 It does get a little lost in a full depth bag so is a little uncomfortable on shoulder straps, and I put a couple of cushions in the car to stop it moving around. But it is much lighter and less cumbersome and I even put it neck down in the footwell with the back resting on my front passenger seat (laid flat as much as possible), so I can go to rehearsal in my convertible car if the wife needs the estate.

Compared to my full depth bass it is probably about 25% less volume, maybe a touch more. Loud enough to play along to rehearsal tracks but not loud enough to wake up the kids or to play along with anything more than an acoustic guitar. It is perfect for me, it is easier to play than my full depth, easier and lighter to transport and easier to amplify, so it is my go to bass. That said, it doesn't have the same mojo as my full depth bass, for some reason the front is very plain and a yucky reddy brown gloss varnish whereas the back is nicely flamed.

I have a set of silver slaps that I have just taken off my stagg and put steels on. You are welcome to try them if you haven't sorted this. Drop me a message if you are still looking

I have one too. I really like it. Even my luthier was surprised with it. He hadn't seen one before but was generally impressed. As you can imagine, the sound isn't as strident and loud as a full depth one and is less complex, but still pleasant and sounds like a 'proper' DB, just a bit quieter - ideal for home practice actually. If I was playing in an acoustic bluegrass band it wouldn't be my choice, but I play amplified and it is SO much easier to amplify than my full depth one. It is also easier to transport being that little bit thinner although it does look a little strange when you are used to a full size (which I think happens to be a good thing as far as I am concerned - I do like to be a bit different). If you happen to be all the way down south towards London then you would be more than welcome to come and try out.

I am also interested in trying out a Far West but also got no replies through the website contact page. I like my Stagg for the convenience and the sound, but it doesn't suit my 6'4" frame particularly well and keeps rotating away from me slightly when playing and singing. I have made a real effort to get my acoustic DB to sound less like a DB and more like an EUB (don't ask - the guys in the band prefer it) so it is less of an issue now but I would ne keen to try another EUB to save me having to take the big car every time to rehearsal!!

Thanks for all the suggestions guys. Update: Had my first rehearsal last night using some of the suggestions. Firstly I tried the Kent Armstong pickup into my regular Phil Jones bass rig - was ok, but not quite what I wanted, still sounded too detailed and double bass like, so then I went from my pedalboard preamp into a Carlsbro keyboard amp that was in the studio. A major step up closer to what I was after! I had to remove a lot of the low bass as it got very woolly very quickly, but it was a flatter sound just from my Mesa preamp DI and sounded both very 'electric' and punchy at the same time. I might try compressor as also suggested, just to smooth out the delivery, but the other guys were very happy with the sound so I didn't need to use my EUB at all. So, thanks to all those suggestions, it has put me a lot closer than where I was a week ago.

Hi Beedster: I have been using the Krivo magnetic pickup but it still sounds very double bass like to me, I still get those nice overtones, ambience and finger noise but I can't seem to dial in the big fat sound that I have in my head, but I can using the EUB. When I played a little while with a folky country band it was perfect, but this band seems to need / want a different tone. On TheRev's sggestion I am going to try out an Armstong pickup which I am led to believe is a bit less detailed and run just it into my normal electric rig to dial out some of the offending frequencies.

Thanks for the suggestions. I will try these out at the next couple of rehearsals and see if anything works. TheRev: I happened to catch up with the guy locally that had used the Kent Armstrong pickup and he didn't like it for exactly those reasons, a bit sterile, and not enough finger noise. He still had it so I am borrowing his to try, to save you posting one out (very much apprecaited by the way, a very kind and trusting off to make!). He also wants to keep it as a backup so if it works I will contact Armostrong and get one made. Thanks for the input!

Thanks for the offer Rev, much appreciated, I may well take you up on that offer. Where are you based? I will try that idea of blocking up the f holes and damping the resonance first, sounds like a reasonable observation, it does definitely sound like it has far too much 'air'. I had a slimline bass from Thomann a couple of years ago but sold it on when I moved house and it certainly used to amplify better than my current squeeze, but it was half the depthc of a standard bass. An acquaintance locally did have a Kent Armstrong pickup too a while ago which he didn't like so I may talk to him about what he didn't like.

I tried one of the Fishman preamps, but this gave it more acoustic 'air' so I just started going straight into an amp, but I do have the Mesa Boogie Subway DI for my electric bass so I might give that a go (I go straight into PA with electric bass as we all used IEM). Strangely, I used a touch of reverb and TC Electronic Body Rez on my Stagg to make it feel less 'flat' and to dail out some of that piezo quack but didn't really consider using preamp on my regular upright. I can't quite work out why my Stagg with piezo pickup can give that fat fretless bass sound but I can't get my upright to do the same. I am always loathe to boost bass and swamp the sound so maybe I need to cut some of the upper frequencies or high mids. Thanks, I will dig out my Subway DI and give it a go next week at rehearsal with a flat amp. I suppose along similar lines, using my Ashdown head would give me a different approach than my Phil Jones so might take both. Back in the day an Ampeg SVT with 8x10 cab seemed to be the thing but I need to fit all my gear and a full PA into my car so need to keep my own rig quite small.

Very bizarre concept I know, particularly for this part of the forum, and I don't want to start an argument, just looking for some suggestions... My current band (a modern slightly jazzy take on rock and roll, jive and swing) has just single guitar, drums and bass. The others prefer the sound of electric bass to really fill out that bottom end but I want to play the upright (partially because I prefer it, partially because I have on going shoulder issues which makes wearing an electric bass uncomfortable). So currently I play my Stagg EUB almost exclusively which allows me to boost the bass without the feedback which works for the most but I am struggling to replicate that with my actual upright and I would prefer to use it over the Stagg - I use steel strings (either Blast Cult Lowlifes or Spiro Weic)h and Krivo magnetic pickup - but it still sounds too 'double bass' like for them. They like the sort of sound that Lee Rocker used to have in the 80s with steel strings and magnetic pickup but I can't seem to work out exactly what he used or how he did it. Would it help if I went up to a higher tension on the strings and played with a lighter touch? Would that create less of the finger noise that seems to make it sound more double bass like? Is there a less detailed magnetic pickup that I could try - or I can maybe build my own out of a P Bass pickup and build a support frame for it? Cheers

I also struggled to find a medium scale Precision after years of playing 32" Aria's. I just made my own. Found a Squier 32" neck on ebay and modified the neck pocket on an aftermarket precision body to fit. Needed an extra bolt in through the body for the base of the neck, and trim the pickguard, but with some careful measuring I was able to leave the rest as is. I did round off the top horn a little to gain slightly more access to the higher frets but if you play in the dusty end then no need. Because the pickup is is the same place as the regular P but the scale is shorter, it is 2 inches closer to the neck and makes a lovely woody thud compared to my other P. I keep trying to change to something else with a proper 'name' on it, but I keep coming back to it.

I prefer playing my Stagg EUB than my acoustic upright in my 50s rock and roll / country band and use the TC Electronic BodyRez and a Keeley Memphis Sun delay/reverb pedal to just add a smidge of 'air' to proceedings. Hardly anything at all on the delay and reverb, but BodyRez pedal at about 9 o'clock. Band mates much prefer the sound of my Stagg compared to my DB. If you are going to be amplified and particularly through the PA it may work to your advantage to have a tiny bit as you won't hear any 'acoustic' qualities really, but would the PA mixer not have reverb you could try before you buy anything?

I prefer playing my Stagg EUB than my acoustic upright in my 'non traditional' 50s rock and roll / country band and use the TC Electronic BodyRez and a delay/reverb pedal to just add a smidge of 'air' to proceedings. Hardly anything at all on the delay and reverb, but BodyRez pedal at about 9 o'clock. Band mates much prefer the sound of my Stagg compared to my DB (which i have always struggled getting a consistent amplified tone from) as the bass is much more strident like it would be from bass guitar (unsurprisingly) which gives a bit more space for the single guitar to back off rhythm a little. Works for me either into my own small rig (Phil Jones Bass D200 and C4 cab) or into the studio backline - I just need to back off the bass by quite a chunk if going into a 15" combo. Live I use my rig mainly for monitoring and DI into PA, on guitar or doubling on EUB.

I prefer playing my Stagg EUB than my acoustic upright in my 50s rock and roll / country band and also use the BodyRez and a delay/reverb pedal to just add a smidge of 'air' to proceedings. Hardly anything at all on the delay and reverb, but BodyRez pedal at about 9 o'clock. Band mates much prefer the sound of my Stagg compared to my DB (which i have always struggled getting a consistent amplified tone from) as the bass is much more strident like it would be from bass guitar (unsurprisingly) which gives a bit more space for the single guitar to back off rhythm a little.

I currently use the Smooth Hound too with my upright as I don't use a pedal board at my feet. This is my second unit, the first suffer from repeated dropouts when playing live in a venue that has free WiFi, but the second unit been fine so far. Chris at Smooth Hound is very approachable and helpful too and offered me lots of advice and updated the firmware etc on my unit. I think it was a glitch somewhere with our digital mixing desk muddying the frequency. It was good enough though for me to buy a second unit and just keep the first transmitter as a spare. The Smooth Hound is great for me with the small transmitter to plug into the magnetic pickup on my upright. I have also used the cheap Alto Radius 200 UHF system from Gear4Music (down to about £80 now). It is not as great a sound but it certainly does the job and doesn't lose frequency. Not sure it goes low enough for some people, particularly active bass, as I think it is probably designed for guitar, but it certainly works fine with my EUB (although I have a more mid oriented sounding pickup than a regular fat bass sound). It is my backup system should the Smooth Hound suffer problems again, but I just don't like having the belt pack to fix onto something (I've stuck a ptach of velcro on the back of the pack and on the back of my EUB).