I purchased an electric upright (in my case a used Carruthers SUB-1) and a French Bow and went back to work. While I've seen players use fret lines on electric (and even acoustic) Uprights and it's certainly not illegal, using a bow even if you never expect to play it live or in the studio will help your intonation quickly shape up.

Corresponding with my renewed interest in Upright Bass was my awareness of a different school of fingering advanced in the late 1970s by Francois Rabbath and later simplified by George Vance in a 3 Volume Set called Progressive Repertoire for the Double Bass as well as a scale study book, Vade Mecum. The best source for these books I've found is Lemur Music, a site which also is a great source for recordings, videos and even basses and bows. Shortly after coming off the Road I also purchased a Hungarian ply-top upright from a friend and had a luthier (in this case the great bassist and luthier Jim Ferguson in Nashville) set the instrument up for easy playing. That helped greatly with getting my chops back on the Big Bass .

If you are considering purchasing a String Bass, there are many sources, all the way from chain music stores to dedicated String Bass shops like Lemur, David Gage, and Samuel Kolstein. It's definitely worth the cost to pay the additional money to have a good luthier do a set up on the instrument. Fortunately, there are several good choices in Nashville and you'll find that most major cities with symphonies will have someone you can take the instrument to.

The String Bass world is expensive compared to Bass Guitars, so expect to pay $700 for a modest ply instrument on up to $3000 for a very good one. Carved top (non-ply) basses have a richer tone, but at an entry price point of up to $4-6000 they're an expensive proposition for a first string bass. If you're a jobbing bass player you can cover most all gigs with a decently set-up ply bass with a pickup (I'm using the Fishman Full-Circle into an Eden Time Traveler with a 1x10 cabinet these days). In the studio, I will generally have the engineer mic the bass 1-2 feet away from one of the F holes as well as take the pickup through a DI. If I know I'm dealing with an inexperienced engineer I will also sometimes use my Carruthers electric upright through my Eden Navigator and tweak the tone the way I prefer before I send it to him or her.

Some bassists, including Tony Levin, take it one step further. They triple on Tuba! Jerry Scheff, the LA studio legend who played with Elvis for so many years, maintains that the reason he got on so many sessions in LA in the 60s was that he would bring Tuba, String Bass and Electric Bass to a session if requested. Over the Atlantic, bassist Herbie Flowers was doing the same in London. If you can triple you can add Dixieland gigs, Church brass choir gigs, and even recording gigs on the Tuba to your call list. If you've played Tuba or Sousaphone in High School or College Band it might be something you want to keep your chops up on, just to add a bit more to the mix.

Bear in mind that if you're doubling you needn't be a virtuoso on all instruments. Bluegrass, Americana, and Country upright gigs just require good time and good intonation. Good bass lines in these styles tend to be simple. Tuba is challenging for Dixieland, but if you can deal with Jazz on both Electric and String Bass it's an easy transfer of ideas. Just the ability to play another bass instrument credibly adds depth to your client list. In the Pop World, being able to play Synthesizer Bass lines as well as bass guitar pops up time and time again in the Hip-Hop, Urban and Dance Music venues. All of those piano lessons your folks forced on you just might pay off after all!

Make no mistake, my first love is Bass Guitar, but my "affair" with String Bass has added musical experiences (and income) that would have eluded me had I not taken the plunge into the doubling world. If I had not hyperventilated when I tried to switch from Baritone Horn to Tuba in Junior High, I might have tripled as well…..

Peace and Low Notes,
Roy C. Vogt
Nashville Bassist
Bass Instructor, Belmont University, Nashville, TN

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