what's the diff between electric bass and electro-acoustic bass?

[alocispepraluger102]

i notice gene torres playing one now and it sounds and looks really good; he plays the instrument seated.

Edited August 16, 2012 by alocispepraluger102

[Dave James]

Same as the difference between an electric guitar and an amplified acoustic.

[alocispepraluger102]

Same as the difference between an electric guitar and an amplified acoustic.

thx. i haven't seen many electro-acoustic basses.

Edited August 16, 2012 by alocispepraluger102

[Pete B]

I've tried out two or three different ones in the past. The setups feel different - the strings were at a much lower tension. Also, there was significantly longer sustain. I never found one that I really liked, but i was on a budget and did not audition any of the high-end makes.

I heard David Freisen play one a few years ago in a duet with a guitarist and he was brilliant. He also plays his while seated. He achieves a sound very much like that of an acoustic bass.

Edited August 16, 2012 by Pete B

[JohnT]

While I own 2 standard upright basses and several electric basses, I spend about 50% of my playing now using an NS Design Electric Upright Bass(EUB).

http://thinkns.com/instruments/nxt_bass.php.

I was a little hesitant at first but found that most of my fellow musicians really like the sound. It can really cut through, especially with loud ensembles (it' always seems like a battle playing Upright Bass with a large ensemble like a Big Band)and it is great if you play outside or on a small bandstand. IMHO, it's amazing how close the sound comes to an upright bass and it's so easy to carry (my back now thanks me too!)

Another plus (to me) is that I'm currently one of the few guys regularly playing one in my area so I kind of stand out uniquely (for better or worse) from the rest of the crowd. However, there are some band leaders who only want you to play the traditional Upright Bass and I'm cool with that too because, overall, you can't beat the sound of the traditional Upright Bass. But I've made a lot of converts in accepting the EUB!

[jazzbo]

Looks like a fascinating instrument. I have a contrabass violin (not a great one) and five electric basses (yeah, I'm a nutty collector) and this looks really intriguing, but too expensive for me right now, but I can see where this, a contrabass violin and a Fender Jazz may have all the bases covered.

[alocispepraluger102]

:crazy: :crazy:

contrabass fiddle???

Edited August 16, 2012 by alocispepraluger102

[Dave James]

The violin family:

[alocispepraluger102]

The violin family:

thx. for the fabulous photo

[JohnT]

but I can see where this, a contrabass violin and a Fender Jazz may have all the bases covered.

Yeah, an EUB, a contrabass violin (aka upright bass, double bass, doghouse, bass fiddle, etc.) and a Fender Jazz will pretty much have you covered (I have all 3).

...but if I played Tuba too (I actually wish I did), I'd really have all the basses covered!!

@Jazzbo: I got my EUB for around $1,000 so you might be able to find something affordable when and if you ever want to get one.

[jazzbo]

John, thanks for that price info, that would be possible somewhere down the line. Looks easier to play than the contrabass violin, but as you say that is the only thing that is really like that.

I have two Fender Jazz, both American Deluxe models, one with a fretted maple fingerboard, one a fretless rosewood fingerboard. I also have an American Fender Precision Deluxe, a Jack Casady Epiphone, and a Wishbass in persimmon wood made by luthier Steve Wishnevsky. I really should stop, I'm not much of a player.

Edited August 16, 2012 by jazzbo

[JohnT]

The NS Design EUB would be a great instrument for someone who wanted to make the transition from the bass guitar to Upright bass in that it has dots on the fingerboard where the frets would be (although having learned on the regular Upright bass if I look at the dots it really throws me!).

@Jazzbo: Wow! What a great collection of basses!! That Wishbass made me drool!!!

I know what you mean, I used to have many more electric basses but now (besides my two uprights and the EUB) I'm down to a recent model American Standard Fender Jazz Bass (I sold my early '80's Jazz bass many years ago which I still kick myself for selling!), a '73 Fender Precision Bass and an '86 Westone Spectum XL electric bass which I keep as a fretless (it came with an extra bolt on fretted neck). It's a really cool bass!!

http://www.westone.info/spectrumlxbass.html

I don't play electric bass too often anymore but they're fun to play when I do!

[jazzbo]

That Westone looks cool. The Wishbass is really something. It makes you work because there's just one pick up and a volume control, all the rest is YOU. But that's an advantage too. It really feels like an upright on the neck, which is interesting.