http://www.shawn-graham.com/articles/SwitchingFromElectricBassToUprightBass.html

Check out the rest of my site at http://www.shawn-graham.com and write to me at the web site if you want to.

I think that your argument has merit, but once again I’m again stating that it depends on what your expectations are tonally. I’ve always found Esperanza Spalding’s live tone thin (not to at all to criticize her her talent as a bassist or vocalist). I’ve yet hear any upright bassist rave about the sound of her bass. If you favor the old jazz upright bass tone of a Underwood pickup through a Polytone single 12″ speaker, then yes the EUB could suffice. Since the recordings of her live performances is always pickup to DI, then EUB could be a substitute, especially through YouTube and my computer speakers. Maybe I am arguing your point for you, which is that no one notices or cares about the sound when she’s on stage because of her amazing voice and stage presence. But then again, she could just play bass guitar or even synth bass on a keytar and the average non-musician wouldn’t pickup on it.

When in a studio, where they almost always use a mic to record the bass, would you expect an indistinguishable difference using an Eminence?

Speaking of Mics, I took for granted the mics that we use as part of our pickup system and neglected to mention it. My unscientific survey based on the concerts that I have attended says that most professional upright bassists today use various setups that includes a microphone, which greatly aids in amplifying the acoustic depth of the bass. Is the mic a McGurk device and the added richness and depth is only in our head?

The reason why an EUB can’t be used in an orchestra is because there is no way that you can make a EUB with a pickup and amp sound like a double bass, especially arco. Basses in an orchestra are not amplified. Are you willing to wager 50 new sets of Animas and Garbos that I won’t be able to blindfold identify between an Eminence with an amp and a good double bass using common orchestral audition repertoire?

I will confidently assert that neither you nor I could discern the difference between the tone of a “real” URB and an Eminence (or similar) EUB, if both were set up well, using a quality pickup and the same amp and player, if you could not SEE the player while playing. Don’t underestimate that you often “Hear” with your eyes (Check this out for a cool illustration of this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ypd5txtGdGw&feature=player_embedded)

Imperfections in amplifiers/speakers/etc. — as well as EQ settings, amp placement, etc. will also “blur” any of those minute tonal differences by the time the sound is produced. I don’t discount the difference TO THE PLAYER, who may play differently due to the difference in the way the bass feels and responds – which also may impact the overall tone of the instrument due to his/her approach to the instrument – but that can be overcome with comfort with the bass, which comes with time.

My rebuttal consists simply of the following (and other clips like them):

Finally, your comment: “If EUB’s were really good enough, you’d have a mass exodus of players moving from the upright bass,” is a fallacy. There are other factors which keep many players continuing to use “the real thing” – for instance, you’d get kicked out of a legit orchestra (and many bluegrass groups) for bringing an EUB with an amp to a concert, there’s just too much tradition there. But as someone who sells a variety of EUB’s, I can tell you that MANY people have made the jump – if not to “replace” the big girl, at least have a smaller, more portable alternative.

Again – just to clarify – respectful disagreement here; I hope that my comments do not come off as snarky or disrespectful, that’s not my intent (but correctly transmitting tone is difficult on the internet!)

Even with a soundbar and sound post, there’s a lot more to getting resonance than those components. The sound of an upright bass is from the sum of all parts, not from the presence of certain components. Remember that the body of a bass is a resonance chamber. The lower frequency that you want it to resonate, the larger the body needs to be both in chamber volume and surface area. A good quality pickup today not only picks up the string vibrations, but a large amount of vibration from the top which is the bulk of where the sound from upright bass emanates from.

Let’s talk about salsa bands where the hollowbody EUB’s is the common bass, and where the Eminence is popular and most everyone knows how a bass commonly sounds in that genre. I would say that it has its own unique sound, and a good quality sound on its own virtues, but it is doesn’t have the depth and resonance of a real upright no matter how much EQing you do. EQing boosts certain frequencies, but it doesn’t add resonance. It has a hollow sound yes, but it’s a shallower sound. Works great for salsa, but I wouldn’t consider it as having the same sound as an upright bass. You’re not going to fool anyone in terms of sound where people expect to hear a real upright bass. Even with my Czech-ease which has far more of a resonance chamber than any EUB, doesn’t have the depth and resonance of a 3/4 upright bass and I don’t expect it to; I don’t expect it defy physics.

If EUB’s were really good enough, you’d have a mass exodus of players moving from the upright bass. I’d be the first in line if that were so. Who wants to haul around a huge 6 foot tall instrument unless the sound were that much better? I could drive a nice two seat convertible and I wouldn’t have to worry if the airline is going to allow me to check in the bass or not, and I wouldn’t have to spend hundreds on oversize baggage fees each trip. My back would certainly be in much better shape. We’re not sticking with the upright bass because we’re purists, we do it out of necessity.

In my opinion, the most you can expect from any EUB is that it sounds like a full-sized bass using a pickup. Which is all you SHOULD expect, since it is always played through an amp. And some of the so-called “hollow body” basses aren’t simply hollow bodies; the Eminence, for instance (which is the one I have personal experience with) has a functional soundpost and bass bar. It’s legitimately a “real” upright bass, only with a very small body. Since the pickup on it is where the pickup would be on a “real” upright, through an amp, it’s virtually indistinguishable from a “regular” upright being played through the same amp using a pickup. There are basses from other manufacturers that have similar results.

The solid-body instruments (Palatino, NS Design, etc.) are more of a “crossover” like you say, but string choice, judicious EQ, etc. can certainly pull them a lot closer to an “authentic” sound – if not quite fool a purist.

But I really like your site, hope you pick it back up and post some updates. I’ll be watching!

– Mark