Post by GKon on Feb 10, 2015 21:50:08 GMT
So, I'm a happy owner of the EUB 500. I've been an EB (Electric Bass) player for almost 30 years but have never played an UB.
The last couple of years I've gotten interested in learning, but didn't want to buy an UB right off the bat because they are expensive.
I wasn't willing to take the plunge on an instrument I may not ultimately like.
Also, I like things that are a bit out of the ordinary. Those two things drew me to the HB EUB 500.
I researched buying one for a few months prior to deciding to buy it. I heard very positive reviews from many people,
watched quite a few videos on YouTube. Also, I had a 50€ gift voucher from Thomann. Thus, I went for it.
I have to say I'm very happy with it. I find it a nice enough put together instrument. The sound I get out of it is quite similar
to an amplified UB. The shape and way it's put together appeals to me more than a stick type EUB because the body has a cool
shape, is chambered so it adds a bit of body sound and vibration when you're playing, like and UB.
It's an active bass but has the nice feature of being able to turn the battery power on and off with a sliding switch.
At the switch is also an 1/8" headphone jack so you can just plug in headphones without an amp and practice. You can also
play it without headphones and an amp and still hear it enough to practice.
I made a minor mod of placing some inner-tube rubber under the feet of the bridge, giving it a bit more of a mellow, acoustic sound.
When I first got it, I did have a problem with the piezzo style p'up. The E, D and G strings sounded great, but the A string was
just one big THUMP when you played it. You could barely hear a note, but you'd hear THUMP when the string was plucked.
For some reason, flipping the Piezzo 180degrees took care of that problem. Now it sounds great.
The bridge is adjustable, which I like. But, the shape of the top of the bridge is uneven. It's much higher on the bass (E) side than the
treble (G) side. To have the G at the same height as the E, you have to adjust the G side a considerable amount (I'd say 1/4" without actually measuring).
Although do-able, i found that you then loose a bunch of volume when playing the G, as it doesn't vibrate down through the bridge into the piezzo
very well. I'm not sure how to change this other than getting a new bridge. Getting one requires a luthier, which I'm not ready to do.
I've only played it piz (finger style) till now. I have a bow on the way from Thomann. I'm looking forward to seeing how it sounds bowed
(although I don't know how to bow yet
).
The stock steel strings on it are ok. I don't have any experience with other strings, so I don't know much about the difference, but many have
recommended spirocore hybrids. As soon as I can get the money I'll try them out.
That's it for now. I'd be happy to answer any questions.
The last couple of years I've gotten interested in learning, but didn't want to buy an UB right off the bat because they are expensive.
I wasn't willing to take the plunge on an instrument I may not ultimately like.
Also, I like things that are a bit out of the ordinary. Those two things drew me to the HB EUB 500.
I researched buying one for a few months prior to deciding to buy it. I heard very positive reviews from many people,
watched quite a few videos on YouTube. Also, I had a 50€ gift voucher from Thomann. Thus, I went for it.
I have to say I'm very happy with it. I find it a nice enough put together instrument. The sound I get out of it is quite similar
to an amplified UB. The shape and way it's put together appeals to me more than a stick type EUB because the body has a cool
shape, is chambered so it adds a bit of body sound and vibration when you're playing, like and UB.
It's an active bass but has the nice feature of being able to turn the battery power on and off with a sliding switch.
At the switch is also an 1/8" headphone jack so you can just plug in headphones without an amp and practice. You can also
play it without headphones and an amp and still hear it enough to practice.
I made a minor mod of placing some inner-tube rubber under the feet of the bridge, giving it a bit more of a mellow, acoustic sound.
When I first got it, I did have a problem with the piezzo style p'up. The E, D and G strings sounded great, but the A string was
just one big THUMP when you played it. You could barely hear a note, but you'd hear THUMP when the string was plucked.
For some reason, flipping the Piezzo 180degrees took care of that problem. Now it sounds great.
The bridge is adjustable, which I like. But, the shape of the top of the bridge is uneven. It's much higher on the bass (E) side than the
treble (G) side. To have the G at the same height as the E, you have to adjust the G side a considerable amount (I'd say 1/4" without actually measuring).
Although do-able, i found that you then loose a bunch of volume when playing the G, as it doesn't vibrate down through the bridge into the piezzo
very well. I'm not sure how to change this other than getting a new bridge. Getting one requires a luthier, which I'm not ready to do.
I've only played it piz (finger style) till now. I have a bow on the way from Thomann. I'm looking forward to seeing how it sounds bowed
(although I don't know how to bow yet
).The stock steel strings on it are ok. I don't have any experience with other strings, so I don't know much about the difference, but many have
recommended spirocore hybrids. As soon as I can get the money I'll try them out.
That's it for now. I'd be happy to answer any questions.
