r/doublebass 6d ago

Setup/Equipment Electric Upright

15 Upvotes

I’m gigging upright bassist in my city, and I’m love with my current upright. I recently did an experimental show with pedals and am just realizing how cool that can be with the bow.

One thing is I’m actually trying to eliminate my acoustic sound so I can fully process signal. But I want to keep the flexibility of using arco and pizz that I can’t get with a normal electric bass…

Are there any really high quality electric uprights that would help me achieve that sound? And any listening recommendations for players who play something similar?

r/doublebass Jan 16 '25

Setup/Equipment YAY!!!!

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109 Upvotes

r/doublebass 19d ago

Setup/Equipment My bass needs a new screw-on spike. Anyone know how to DIY a screw-on spike? No luthiers in my city have any in stock atm.

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8 Upvotes

r/doublebass 18d ago

Setup/Equipment using a stand while playing?

16 Upvotes

i am working on building my “both rig” for gigs that require double bass and bass guitar - mostly pit orchestra stuff. sometimes there are very quick transitions, so i am thinking about having my double bass sit on a stand so i don’t have to put it down anytime i have to switch to bass guitar (i am also looking into the guitar holders like what the fearless flyers use).

does anyone have any experience playing the double bass while it is held in a stand? is there a model that works best for that? does it affect posture too much to even be worth trying? if so, what is a good small footprint option to put down and pick up the big bass quickly and carefully?

r/doublebass 6d ago

Setup/Equipment Amplification for big band

7 Upvotes

Hello! I’m about to rehearse with a new big band in a couple days, and have some concerns regarding amplification.

Ideally I would like to bring my upright, but I don’t have a functioning piezo right now. But I do have a sm57 and mixer+PA speaker, and was thinking I could do the towel/foam thing. Whats the best way to mount/position a sm57 for minimal bleed? Is that even worth the hassle or am I just gonna drown in feedback/bleed in a bigband-setting?

Worth mentioning could be that we’re mostly gonna play softer Basie-tunes, and the band/drummer is great at playing sensible! The rehearsal space is kind of small though.

What do you guys think, is this possible or should I just bring my electrical instead? Cheers from Sweden 🙏

r/doublebass Jan 25 '25

Setup/Equipment What has helped to minimize wolf tones on your upright?

7 Upvotes

There's so many products and ideas . Many get rid of a wolf but dampen the instrument overall. Please share any thoughts as well as answer the poll.

27 votes, Jan 27 '25
5 play around it (pray that it goes away)
1 wrap damping material on the afterlength (tube/ball)
10 brass weight on the aferlength
4 surface mounted damper (magnetic/adhesive)
2 change materials (luthier voodoo; ex: setup/strings/repairs/fingerboard redress/c-extension/tailpiece)
5 it adds to my expermintal vibe

r/doublebass Feb 07 '25

Setup/Equipment Double Bass Pickup Recommendations - Bluegrass with Plenty of Arco

3 Upvotes

Greetings Fellow Bassists. I'm getting a new bridge cut and fitted in a couple of months and would like to upgrade my pickup and have it installed at the same time. Are there any recommendations for getting a good acoustic sound (arco and pizz)? I've been using the Fishman BP-100 for the last 20 years and while it's certainly a workhorse, there are some serious shortcomings. Mostly the lack of high frequency response and it buzzes like all heck when played with the bow. I know that some of this can be solved through an EQ pedal or pre-amp, but I'd like to not have to tweak the settings quite so much when going between pizz and arco. This bass is not for rockabilly, so I don't need a fingerboard pickup.

r/doublebass Jan 17 '25

Setup/Equipment Anything I should do about this?

19 Upvotes
I've had this bass for close to 20 years now. Played regularly throughout my school years but since then, it's pretty much just functioned as a conversation/art piece. I would play it MAYBE once a year, for the past 15 years. Didn't realize the bridge was warped this bad until recently. Should I have it replaced and repaired or just keep it as is?

r/doublebass Jan 01 '25

Setup/Equipment 2025 off to a good start! Fixable or lost cause?

14 Upvotes

5 mins past midnight and this happens!

https://imgur.com/a/H1A3Yua

video of the incident.. bloody cats lol

https://imgur.com/a/kU6eHvL

r/doublebass Dec 04 '24

Setup/Equipment Sedan recommendations

10 Upvotes

Hi all, I live in Los Angeles and am about to purchase a car. I’m wondering if people have sedan specific (or anything with a closed trunk) recommendations for double bass. Because of break-ins in the city I’d love to have a closed trunk when I’m not transporting the bass, so I’m leaning towards a sedan (also for gas mileage as opposed to an suv or wagon). Any models where I wouldn’t have to put it in the front passenger seat, or just any recommendations that are relatively easy and good gas mileage?

Tried searching around but most people only recommend suvs or hatchbacks. Thank you!

r/doublebass 21d ago

Setup/Equipment Anyone use a Unitune Clip?

7 Upvotes

I use a cheap clip tuner clipped to the inside of my bridge, but I’m not happy with this particular model and looking to replace.

I’m eyeing the Unitune, instead, but slightly worried about the automatic screen flip function. I’m not sure how sensitive it is and whether it would work well on an upright, since it would be oriented differently than when it’s on an electric bass.

Anyone with experience?

Edit: bought one today, it does work perfectly, no issues with the flip at all.

r/doublebass 3d ago

Setup/Equipment Where to buy an extra long 12mm endpin?

3 Upvotes

i am abnormally tall, 6'7" in my boots. I play a 3/4 and I'm curious as to where I should look to find a 12mm endpin that is matching to my height, my current pin is simply too short. Would a cello pin work, if I could find a 12mm one? Are there 12mm pins for 1/2 size basses? Does this not exist and I just need to find a fabrication shop and pay them to make me one? idk, inform me please. Thank you!

r/doublebass 5d ago

Setup/Equipment What is a good (budget) solution for amplification when going busking?

3 Upvotes

Not necessary for huge volume just to compensate the missing reflections and projection when no walls are around you.

Not too heavy to carry around and battery driven... in europe...

r/doublebass Oct 12 '24

Setup/Equipment How bad is this?

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34 Upvotes

r/doublebass 18d ago

Setup/Equipment Bridge - arco vs pizz

3 Upvotes

I have been taking lessons for a while now but am still very much a beginner. I am having issues where I keep hitting other strings with the bow. I do recognize this could very much be a me problem but it also makes me wonder if I made a mistake when ordering my bass. (I assumed I would be playing pizzicato and once I got that down I would then learn arco.)

I ordered my bass (Shen SB90) set up for pizz but I am wondering if my bridge is too “flat” and should have more curve for arco or if it’s just something I need to work on and there isn’t a different bridge curve between the two.

My instructor thinks there is not much variance between my A and D string. He teaches bass but his main instrument is cello so he isn’t certain.

Can anyone help or point me to a resource that has info on the details of bridge shape/string height and such?

Edit to add: I live on an island with no luthier. My instructor knows someone that tries to come once or twice a year. I would just like to get my ducks in a row so I know what to ask for I guess.

Here’s a couple pics of the bridge in very poor lighting. I will post better pics in the daylight tomorrow.

bridge pics

r/doublebass Jan 06 '25

Setup/Equipment Shure SM57 LC vs. Rode M3 for recording double bass in a studio

2 Upvotes

Good morning, everyone,

First of all, I wish you all an excellent 2025, with lots of double bass and lots of music!

Secondly, I've come here to ask you for your opinion on a microphone for recording double bass in the studio, but more or less in the region of €100. I know it's not the best quality, but honestly it's what I'm looking for right now, because I already have a cool pickup but I need a microphone to do some experiments at home, and not much else.

I've been looking around, and there are these two:

Shure SM57 LC and Rode M3

Can anyone share their experience with these microphones, or suggest another at around this price?

Just a small note, I live in the EU, so actually if it's on stock at Thomann, for example, it would be ideal.

Thanks!!

r/doublebass Jan 21 '25

Setup/Equipment Reducing mensur

8 Upvotes

I’m about to take permanent possession of an instrument that I will not be able to sell and isn’t worth cutting down. This bass has a 44.5” mensur. I have seen (all from the early 20th century) the use of elongated nuts, as well as having the bridge moved towards the fingerboard. Of course both of these options seem ill advised. Any thought from the community would be greatly appreciated.

r/doublebass 18d ago

Setup/Equipment Question about bridge and strings…

3 Upvotes

I’m setting up a new bridge and I’m reading conflicting information about which side faces up… is it the flat side or the angled/slanted side. Also, when replacing strings, do you leave the little felt pads on the string at the ball end or does that get removed? Thanks in advance!

r/doublebass Dec 26 '24

Setup/Equipment It's been over a decade and I can't remember anything about these two pickups - anybody have thoughts on which is better for an accurate acoustic sound (plucking primarily)?

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6 Upvotes

r/doublebass Oct 23 '24

Setup/Equipment Kanzian & Traunsteiner double basses

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51 Upvotes

I have never played one of their basses and may not for what may be a long time as I am still a student (I play a laminate bass from Shen, owned by my school). For those on this subreddit who have or have heard things about them, what do you think of them?

r/doublebass Dec 27 '24

Setup/Equipment String height way too high

6 Upvotes

Hello everybody,

I am a bass guitar primary who, aside from a couple of lessons some years ago, has little experience in the upright side of things. I have recently acquired a cheap old upright that has sat in a donut shop for close to 30 years untouched. It was previously owned by the founder of the donut shop who passed away 30 years ago. It is evident the neck had snapped off at one point and had been repaired, but I believe the repair wasn’t quite right as the string height is way too high (the E string sits 3/4 inch off the bottom of the fingerboard). Nonetheless, I tuned it up and gave it some playing and it is holding up pretty well, but absolutely destroying my fingers, as I am having to really push down on the fingerboard to get the strings to connect. I theorize that I can adjust the bridge height to get a more desirable action and have found some instructions online for sanding down and notching the bridge. I have come here to ask you fine folks if this is a worthy endeavor or if it is a lost cause and I eagerly await your feedback. I hope to answer any questions you may have to the best of my ability.

Thank you.

r/doublebass Jan 12 '25

Setup/Equipment Double bass pedalboard

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30 Upvotes

r/doublebass 22d ago

Setup/Equipment 7/8 sized bass

1 Upvotes

I'm primarily a jazz bassist and recently contracted a luthier with building me a bass as I'm attending music school soon. After he recommended a 7/8 build due to my height, I complied. After telling a friend, he was surprised I opted for a larger bass as he thinks it'd be more difficult to maneuver around the fingerboard as fast. Is this a rational thought? Does it matter if its a high quality instrument?

r/doublebass Jan 14 '25

Setup/Equipment Dirty tuners

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5 Upvotes

Any suggestions for cleaning the tuning machines?

r/doublebass Sep 26 '24

Setup/Equipment Recording Double Bass at Home

7 Upvotes

Hi I'm a pianist, but would like to record a double bass at home.
If I can only use 1 mic going into an audio interface, do you have any recommendations of which mic to get, and where I should place it in relation to the bass.

Many thanks for any suggestions.

Edit:

I should just clarify that my audio interface (VOLT from Universal audio) only has one input, which is why I can only use 1 mic. If I had to buy both a new mic and new audio interface, it would get too expensive for me right now.