Easy to learn, fun to play, and a breeze to travel with!
David O. Baldwin Photography
The Walkingbass is a truly amazing lightweight upright bass!
Weighing less than 3 pounds, the Walkingbass folds up and fits in less than 50 inches of space, making it very easy to travel with - even by air! But its portability is just a side feature...what makes this upright bass such a joy to play, is the rich warm tone provided by nylon strings, and a specially designed electro-acoustic piezo pickup. If you have a good set of speakers or headphones, check out the MP3s and Videos below.
These rugged electric upright basses feature beautiful Hawaiian koa or mango playing surfaces. They can handle heat and humidity and their 37 inch scale length and the 12 black and white position markers on their sides make them easy to move around on. Playing a fretless instrument has never been so easy.
But, what really turns peoples' heads? Only three strings! Yes, that's right...only 3 strings. In all the examples listed below, I am playing in an open G tuning: G-B-D. This open tuning is extremely easy to learn, can be used in any key, and for all types of music, from jazz, swing and blues, to Hawaiian and country.
Tim Davies of "The Ukedelics", in Nashville TN, enjoying his new Walkingbass!
Should you wish to, you can tune the Walkingbass to a standard A-D-G using a custom made string set. So, you 4-string players, even though you would most likely catch on to the 3 string tuning quickly, this is a "fallback" for you!
Have a good set of speakers or headphones? Check out these videos or MP3's of the Walkingbass in action!
.mpg Video
MP3 Audio
Sweet Georgia Brown w/Led Ka'apana, 2006 Download the MP3 for a great example of the Walkingbass in action*
Amplifying the Walkingbass
A good bass amp will really let the Walkingbass sing! Any professional sound system or amplifier with at least an 8" speaker will do the job. At left is an example of a small (10 watt) bass amp for under $100, but a good equalizer is highly recommended. I actually enjoy using a Yamaha subwoofer like the one shown to the right. Check Ebay or Craigslist, or local hock shops for good deals in the $40 to $80 range. I use my EQ box (see below) as a preamp with my subwoofer and professional musicians that I play with are always commenting on the sweet rich sound that this setup produces.
A great little amp for playing the Walkingbass anywhere! Roland Micro Cube Bass Amp is an inexpensive 10 watt amplifier which can handle bass instruments. It contains it's own rechargeable batteries and charging system. It also has a built in tuner, drum machine to help you practice your rhythm holding skills. This particular amp has a built in equalizer so you won't need to buy one of those.
Acoustic pickups are sensitive to finger noise. An equalizer is recomended to filter out this noise and boost your volume. The Boss GBE-7 is a 9 volt bass equalizer/preamplifier that works well with the Walkingbass. When playing through a regular guitar amplifier, adjust your equalizer to limit frequencies above 270 hz. Add a couple of 6 to 8 foot guitar cables, and you are ready to play anywhere!
David O. Baldwin Photography
Acoustic pickups are sensitive to finger noise. An equalizer is recomended to filter out this noise and boost your volume.