|
Post by lar on Oct 9, 2018 19:42:07 GMT -5
My newest acquisition; the Gold Tone Acoustic-Electric MicroBass. Gold Tone MicroBassI saw a lady play one of these on television recently and was very impressed with the sound. I bought the fretless version with the 25" scale. It came today and I used it tonight when Jan and I practiced. This is a very cool little bass. The body is roughly the size of a parlor guitar with a more or less dreadnought shape. The strings are some kind of rubber type compound. I bought the fretless because it has a sound that is somewhat reminiscent of a stand-up bass. I ran it through my Fender bass amp tonight with a 15" speaker. It sounded great. Jan liked it a lot, especially when I turned it up. I plan to use this mostly for recording but I wouldn't hesitate to take it to a gig. I think it's a pretty good buy at $450.
|
|
|
Post by drlj on Oct 9, 2018 19:50:08 GMT -5
It looks pretty cool. Have fun with it.
|
|
|
Post by Village Idiot on Oct 9, 2018 19:54:26 GMT -5
That looks like a lot of fun, even for me. Why did you choose the fretless?
|
|
|
Post by Hobson on Oct 9, 2018 20:28:13 GMT -5
Resistance is futile. Looks like a fun instrument. I've enjoyed my Kala Ubass with 20" scale. Works great with my smaller hands.
What VI said, why fretless? I went with fretted, thinking that was the right one for a guitar player.
|
|
|
Post by drlj on Oct 9, 2018 20:41:11 GMT -5
Lar is so easy going and laid back that I never expect him to fret.
|
|
Dub
Administrator
I'm gettin' so the past is the only thing I can remember.
Posts: 19,857
|
Post by Dub on Oct 9, 2018 21:10:33 GMT -5
The first bass I came across with those silicone rubber strings was the Ashbory Bass. Since then I’ve seen acoustic bodied instruments with piezoelectric pickups built using the same idea. I’ve seen a couple of people with a large ukulele version played through a Pignose Hog 50. Very close to a double bass sound.
|
|
|
Post by lar on Oct 9, 2018 21:25:11 GMT -5
That looks like a lot of fun, even for me. Why did you choose the fretless? The fret less sounds more like a standup bass. Gotta be extra careful with the fingering though.
|
|
|
Post by lar on Oct 9, 2018 21:28:22 GMT -5
The first bass I came across with those silicone rubber strings was the Ashbory Bass. Since then I’ve seen acoustic bodied instruments with piezoelectric pickups built using the same idea. I’ve seen a couple of people with a large ukulele version played through a Pignose Hog 50. Very close to a double bass sound. I’ve had an Ashbory for years. I love it. It’s getting harder to find strings for it. I do like the longer scale of the Gold Tone.
|
|
|
Post by drlj on Oct 10, 2018 7:57:19 GMT -5
I can’t recall who it was, but I watched a video of a great jazz quartet on YouTube several months ago and the bassist was playing one of those Ashbory basses. It sounded great but I was struck by how tiny it was. I had never seen one before. He was all over that thing. If I figure out who it was, I will post it but that is a big if.
|
|
|
Post by Marshall on Oct 10, 2018 8:00:46 GMT -5
|
|
|
Post by drlj on Oct 10, 2018 8:02:37 GMT -5
GAS vs gas: an age old problem. Or is it an old age problem? I forget.
|
|
|
Post by lar on Oct 10, 2018 8:10:25 GMT -5
One drawback to the Ashbory is the silicone strings. Although they sound great they break easily. It has not been unusual to open my Ashbory case only to find one of the strings is broken, usually the G string. It takes forever to get new strings to hold pitch. Even then it's necessary to re-tune fairly often.
From what I've read the strings on the Gold Tone last a lot longer and hold pitch more quickly and better than the Ashbory strings. They are also supposed to work on the Ashbory. I bought a set a few weeks ago but haven't had a chance to put them on yet.
|
|
|
Post by lar on Oct 10, 2018 8:13:42 GMT -5
I can’t recall who it was, but I watched a video of a great jazz quartet on YouTube several months ago and the bassist was playing one of those Ashbory basses. It sounded great but I was struck by how tiny it was. I had never seen one before. He was all over that thing. If I figure out who it was, I will post it but that is a big if. A few years ago I played in a rock & roll band and our bass player would pull out his Ashbory for the last set of our gigs. He was an incredible bass player and watching him play the Ashbory was a real treat. In addition, the odd shape and size of the Ashbory attracted a lot of attention. I used to ask him, "Is that a bass or are you just happy to see me?"
|
|