5 Ways to Make Your Electric Bass Sound Like an Upright - [ AN's Bass Lessons #2 ]

Ever need your electric bass to sound a bit more like an upright? Here are a couple cool ways to get that doghouse sound from the slab. Jazz is just around the corner!

Please let me know if there's anything in particular you'd like to hear about! This is a new series, and will be ongoing - every Monday for the foreseeable future.

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Associated links:

0:09
Musicomic

0:28
DIY Fretless

0:39
Ronan Guilfoyle

0:58
Mingus

1:15
Jeff Berlin Masterclass

1:59
Palm Muting w/ the Thumb

2:19
Hi Shutter Speed Bass Shot

2:40
Steve Swallow

Peace,

Adam

[artyomca]

Here is another tip, use a little sponge strip tucked underneath the strings near the bridge. The original Fender P-Bass had one underneath its bridge cover.
This way you still get muted sound AND you can pluck near the fretboard.

[JFS]

I was surprised to not hear about foam! I got a jazz gig a few months ago and a thick piece of foam did the job perfectly. It's like combining the palm muting technique with the playing at the fretboard technique.

[yvancluet]

the pedal actually makes it sound electronic to me, and therefore way less "upright bassy" but more "techno bassy"

[markokv]

dude, I've watched like 15 videos, and I don't even play bass... :))

[KyNiDo]

I really love how clean that OC-2 makes the bass tone - it makes it really present and effective, without competing. Very unique sound

[brocklanders]

I've found the best results by soloing the bridge pup (you obviously need a 2 pup bass) turning the tone down, putting a kitchen sponge under the strings near the bridge, and using the 1 finger pizz style up by the neck. This works even with roundwounds.

[pablochavez]

Idea: don’t buy a new fretless bass, buy a fretless neck and put it on the bass you already have

[jtbsax]

When I was in college, this French trio came in and did a masterclass. The bass player played electric but got an upright sound by playing every note with the LH index finger and subtly muting the string with the other 3.

[ampthebassplayer]

No mention of using the tone knob! I use that trick with palm muting all the time to get an upright sound.

[MikeontheMandolin]

At Grey Fox this summer I noticed lots of bass players using an acoustic/electric Uke bass with a bass amp. I was amazed at how good it sounded, and it's way more portable.

[PhantterY]

That octave pedal is a great idea! Maybe blending in just enough to get the tone really booming? Anyways, gotta say I like these shorter videos of yours. I have gone through your channel a few times in the past, and your old technique videos that discuss left-/right-hand techniques  allowed me to continue bass playing. I have chronic tendonitis on both of my wrists from playing video games all day as a kid. So I owe you a big thank you.

[martinheath]

Great tutorial! The only further suggestion I could make is to try a mic pointed towards the top end of the fingerboard to pick up some mechanical sound of strings on wood. Adds an extra degree of realism when blended in!

[johnpatitucci]

It's time to update this video. Technology has improved vastly, and now there's a way to create the sound using Impulse Responses. I was able to recreate it with a couple IRs and my Headrush MX5. It worked flawlessly with my fretless and even my electric upright. It recreated the timbre that a real upright projects perfectly. It also worked great with my customized Squier with flat wounds.

[UnrealSoundDesigner]

i put a sock by the bridge to keep the muted sound and also play closer to the neck :D worked wonders

[zubrycky]

Great video! Another trick that I use when I want to emulate the upright tone is play less notes than I would play on electric (In other words, I try to play my electric bass with an upright player mind frame) .

[StephenTack]

You can get the thump of palm muting, and the full low-end of plucking toward the neck by putting some foam or rolled/folded cloth under the strings by the bridge...kills sustain and excess highs. Cheers!

[jacobmoore]

Hey Adam,

I'm a guitar player but I use an octave pedal to play bass in jazz settings all the time. In duos or trios with a vocalist or horn player I think it's nice to play guitar on some songs, and bass on others. Walking and comping on guitar is great, but I think some songs work better with a little musical space, and playing bass instead helps achieve that aesthetic. A bass may sound better, but keeping an octave pedal and a spare cable in my go bag is more practical.

[Ted_DiSanti]

My junior year in high school I played an upright bass in jazz band and it was great and all but it was a pain in the ass. For my senior year I decided to stick with mi electric since most of our songs were more geared towards the electric sound. But whenever I needed that upright sound I found that the one finger trick over the fingerboard works the absolute best with the mix. It also helps that I was and still am going through a bit of a flat wound string phase...but yeah. Use the one finger trick for dayyyys

[mickkennedy]

The low E on a bass has a wavelength of 27 feet -- that's a sphere of air of 344 cubic foot -- that's EIGHT TIMES more than the low E on a 6-string guitar -- pushing that much air requires power/effort

[johnbarham]

I've been playing upright bass fo 60 years(Theatres, concerts, classical, light music, duet gigs etc )and electric fretless for the last 15. Every dy is a school day, and I have just discovered your channel. If not looking at the screen the OC-2 I would have hought that was a string bass. I also agree wih everything you said. (I don't play "pop, metal etc.) A very well presented lesson.