orm-irian

Yeah the headphones were the issue. I've got some almost-new Sennheiser HD599s and they're perfect.

May be because the headphones have a volume control - I'm getting some "new" phones today that are more standard, better bass response too. We'll see.

WAV, passive pickup. The problem may turn out to be my headphones! They work fine on a tablet but I couldn't get any sound out of them on my Scarlett Solo either so I'm trying other headphones tomorrow.

I got a little Blackstar headphone amp for my NS eub, which I know has a high impedance pickup - but I'm not getting any sound out of it at all. Is this normal? Is there a workaround?

I can't hold a bow at all, thanks to missing hand-arm-shoulder muscles. I'm going to experiment with bowing left-handed at some point in the future, but I doubt my right hand can hold the strings down (certainly I can't do 1/2 or 1st or 2nd position stretch with my shorter fingers). I'm content with pizz. also fwiw in not a he, I'm a they 🙂

Thanks, I've got The Evolving Bassist in order already, plus Ray Brown's Bass Method.

My eub lands next week, I've got a teacher lined up, but I'm wondering if anyone's got recommendations for good exercise books to learn from for pizz only? (I won't be using a bow because I can't hold one for reasons of anatomy, but pizz is fine). I guess I'm after books with scales, études, that kind of thing, ideally not aimed at kids (I'm Old™). I already have a solid musical background, so I don't need "this is a bar line" level of education. Any thoughts?

I'm actually going to try out their stock endpin - I can return it if it doesn't work (or use it as a model for something better before I return it), I've got some ideas up my sleeve but need to actually have the bass in my hands to work out what will work best. in other news, someone in the US pointed me to a thing called a ninomute that makes EUBs sound way more acoustic-like, and wanted to sell me one for $50 plus shipping (and then VAT and the UK charging me £10 to collect that), so I took a good look at the thing in a couple of video reviews, and realised I can make my own for like 50p. It's literally just a strip of compact foam with slices into it that fit over the strings, up against the bridge. Different thicknesses give more or less dampening, so you can have more or less "thump". I've got an old leather belt and some packing foam that'll do the trick fine, I can experiment with different thicknesses and then have a couple handy for different sounds.

Sorry, just me geeking out that I've finally been able to order an NS WAV 5 eub, set up with trad flat sound strings and raised bridge, and with an endpin so I can play sat down in my wheelchair. I've been wanting one of these for literally almost a decade, since my disappointment trying to play an acoustic upright (I bought a lovely old Stentor, but my mutant arm couldn't cope with their body size). That's all, just excited to get into it! It's so great now compared to a decade ago, you can just go online and find free video lessons and so on, while I'm looking for a local teacher.

I mean I'm going to have to make my own adaptations to make it doable, because of course it's harder pizz. And I'm not expecting to make anything perfect. For now, the only one I know off by heart already is the Prelude to the third suite (I actually learned it on a marimba 15 years ago), so I have some kind of head start there!

Thanks - incidentally, for further evidence of how amazing a double bass pizz version might sound, it's worth listening to Christian Roderberg playing the cello suites on a marimba. All the space!

I'm gonna be playing it pizz anyway, as I can't use a bow

Excellent news, thanks - I have the cello edition, this will make a good addition.

Someone elsewhere suggested a sling, but I'm not sure whether my mutant shoulders can take the weight. I'd be best off with a spike.

Anyone know whether there are transcriptions out there of Bach cello suites rejigged for bass? my soon to arrive NS is a 5-string, so I'll have a bottom B but will need to transpose down a semitone to take advantage of open strings (where possible).

Yep

Thanks, I've ended up already getting an amp from someone here, as it has features I'd appreciate but can't afford new :).

I'm just starting out playing an NS eub for jazz and for playing Bach pizz style (I have a mutant hand so I can't bow). Can you recommend small cheap practice amps with a suitable headphone output? The amp itself needs a high impedance input option as the pickup is passive. There are so many amps out there, and all the recommendations are for bass guitar rather than DB/EUB.

Hi, after a decade of craving, I'm finally getting an NS WAV5 eub. Things have changed in the last couple of years - mainly I'm now a wheelchair user, which means I'll be playing sat down with the bass between my knees. it doesn't look like any of the NS spike/end pin accessories will work for that, so I was wondering whether anyone knows of anyone else who plays sat down, and what mods they've used to make this work? I'm imagining I'll have to end up making some kind of padded thing the base of the bass can sit in, with a spike that slots into my wheelchair's footplate. Also, any recommendations for good YouTube channels for someone learning jazz pizz technique? Due to my mutant hand, I can't bow anyway, so it's all going to be pizz. One less thing to learn! Now my only big decision is: which colour?

Thanks, that's a very helpful overview.

I'm finally getting closer to being able to buy an NS EUB, but I'm very confused about which ones do what. I've been listening to loads of videos of people playing, and (as a newcomer to bass) I can't tell what's the instrument and what's the string choice when it comes to sound. i want access to the jazz upright wownngg (I'm sure there's a technical term for the particular tone jazz upright bass has that you don't really get on a fretless electric bass). I also plan to play Bach on it :). so how much of a difference is there in tone between the cheapest and most expensive NS models, and what are the best strings to choose for more traditional bebop-style jazz? They range from £900 to £4,300 and I could probably afford somewhere in the middle of that, and I have no clue. I can't travel to try them out, as I'm disabled and we're in a plague at the moment. there are specific reasons (to do with my mutant anatomy) why this instrument will suit me better than any of the other main EUB models out there, incidentally, before we go into "why not Stagg" etc i do have a little double bass experience - I got a Stentor bass a few years ago but my mutant arm couldn't cope with the big belly and broadness of the traditional instrument (my hands can do the work, just my arms couldn't keep them in the right place). so my question probably boils down to: What really are the differences between CR/CRM/CRT models, and why would you choose them over, say, the NXT or the WAV models, for sound? what are the best strings for a good jazz twang-slap sound and sustain?

I'm in Exeter.

Hi! I'm 57 and finally getting the money together to get an NS EUB (unsure which model yet, depends on funds). I've not played bass before - I did have a couple of lessons on an upright bass many years ago, but I'm missing some muscles on my right side and couldn't manage the reaching across the bass body with my right arm (it was a lovely Stentor). Anyway, I've been a wheelchair user for the last year, and I'm confident the NS uprights will work fine for me sat in my wheelchair (with spike, not stand). I live in Devon, I've posted in the EUB forum about looking for an NS EUB to hire so I can make sure my weird right hand can cope before I splash out on buying a bass. my main target genre is jazz, so I'll be aiming for an NS that sounds sufficiently "wooden". I'm also a singer and percussionist - cajón was made for people like me :).