Hollowbody Bass Guitars

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Gear_Junky

Gear_Junky

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I also started this topic on talkbass.com forum. I don't see people talking a lot about hollowbody or archtop basses. Let's hear from some folks who use them. What are some good ones available right now, etc. Include "beatle" basses, etc.
 
I just did a three band tour and the bass player in one of the other bands used a new Epiphone Jack Cassidy (which looks sorta like a 335) and it sounded SWEET and full and round...and barre chords sounded amazing!
 
Junky;
I saw your post at talkbass, you recieved a much better responce There. I have tryed the JC Epi. and the Guild Starfire 11 and I liked them both. My problem is I had a 1959 Gibson
EB2-c many, many, moons ago. This was my first real bass. I replaced the Humbucker with a DiMarzio and boy did that bass rock. It looked just like the 335 with the short scale and a really thin neck. The bridge was shit, you couldnt adjust the intonation but it rocked anyway. During a drunken Jam session the strap poped off the stud and it did a neck first swan dive to the basemant floor. As a result the truss rod snaped and the neck looked lika a reflex bow. Back then(1978) the $150.00 to remove the fret board and replace the truss rod was out of the question so I played EL Cabong with the guitar. Dam I wish I never did that! Anyway when ever I pick up a semi-hollow body bass I think back to the old gibson.

PS; all my guitars now have strap locks!

RussP
 
I play a '95 Epiphone Viola bass; I havent regretted anything since its purchase five years ago.. extreme humidity wreaks havoc on occasion, but you get that with any instrument. Anyways I enjoy it for the playability/comfort and once you climb up the neck you get the McCartney/"Pet Sounds" sound. Also, I use it with a Hartke 200W w/15" XL cab. It gives me a tone I'm consistently happy with.
 
Hollowbody Basses

I took my Dad to see Willie Nelson at Heinz Hall in Pittsburgh last week for his birthday. The bass player used a gold top Epiphone Jack Cassidy bass, and the sound was warm, and thick, yet pronounced. It looked like he was having a good time playing it, and some of the great sound could have been Heinz, but I think it would be great to own one.
 
Thanks for the tip on talkbass.com, I'd never heard of that place.

Years ago I played a no-name hollow body violin shape bass. It had a pretty distinctive sound to it that I liked. I had some sort of black nylon tape (?) type strings on it. Hard for me to describe the sound, since it was actually more years ago than I care to remember. But it was perfect for the school jazz band that I was playing in at the time. Had a nice pluck to it, not too electric sounding. Unfortunately I ended up selling it to get the money for a bass which I do like much better, but I still wish I'd kept it for those times when I want a different sound.
 
The bass player from Shihad (great New Zealand rock band - Check http://www.shihad.com) plays an Epiphone JC gold-top, I think thru an SVT, and has the fatest, juiciest tubey semi distorted bass tone! It sounds amazing for the style.

Obscure, I know, but I love'm and they deserve to be heard (for much more than just the bass tone)

SteveMcB
 
Past Blasters

Anyone ever seen a Hallmark Flying Wedge? Semi hollow body,
f-holes - looked like a bass ackwards flying V. What about the ole Les Paul Profesional Bass - another rare bird- double cutaway wth f-holes.
 
Just from what I know about guitars, I'd be willing to bet that a semi-hollow or acoustic or stand-up bass would have a richer, more natural sound than any solid body electric basses. I'm telling ya, if I had a million dollars...

Anyway, I was wondering if any of you could offer a suggestion on how to achieve that slightly overdriven bass effect that was mention once already on this page. I really like the sound of it. I'm talking, like, Train, maybe? Some of you have heard the bass sound on their record, right? Just slightly overdriven. I'm a guitarist before I am a bass player and I have some toys...

Any suggestions?
 
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