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BRIDGE VIOLINS DRACO DOUBLE BASS

This is a unique electric double bass that is made in the U.K.

The body is hollow, moulded from a kevlar and carbon fibre composite giving a high strength to weight ratio. The hollow body generates an open sound without the use of reverb or delay. It is smooth and forgiving when played and allows low volume practice too, even when using the bow. An added advantage is that this material is highly stable across temperature and humidity ranges.

The headstock is inspired by a Stradivari 1701 Viola da Gamba, modified to the modern sized peg box this headstock has become a trademark of ‘Bridge’. The distinctive shield, through peg box and neck is carved from a single maple block.

High quality metal tuning pegs are professionally fitted to give a smooth tuning action.

We have tested different sets of strings and we chose D'Addario Zyek for the E, A and D strings and D'Addario Helicore for the G string

The ebony fingerboard and nut are professionally shaped to modern standard orchestral measurements and traditionally finished. This particular bass has been worked on by one of the best double bass luthiers in Spain. The result is a low nut and perfectly shaped fingerboard that can be played up and down with no issues at all. We chose a slight curve to allow for arco playing while keeping a very low action that also allows you to get a great growl. This job alone costed more than 700€ but it's totally worth it.

You can take our word for it: there's no other Electric Upright Bass in the market with a neck that feels as close to a real double bass as this one. Response is identical even when using the bow. Unbelievable.

The tailpiece is also made from ebony and there's a high quality adjustable endpin.

The bridge houses the ‘Bridge’ pick up system, a piezo crystal configuration. This is a unique system used by Bridge Violins exclusively. It is designed to pick up both the string vibration and the body resonance generated from the hollow composite body. Utilising all the properties of a traditional acoustic bridge it captures the warmth of tone synonymous with its acoustic counterpart with no feedback.

Controls are simple and effective with just Volume and Tone, easily accessible for quick adjustment during performance. The tone control is a tilt control, not a boost/cut control, changing the tonal range of the instrument. This means you can get a lot of different sounds just by tweaking that control. When it is set wide open you get a full frequency response that sounds modern and beautiful. If you roll the Tone all the way down most of the Treble disappears but also the Low frequencies are boosted (Baby Bass style) making it ideal for Latin/Salsa. If you prefer a traditional sound, just set it in the middle. In case that's not enough we have installed a David Gage The Realist pickup under the bridge for an additional sound that works great for just any style or technique including arco. This will also allow you to process each pickup separately if you wish. Cool.

The battery holder is located neatly on the back of the instrument and powers the Bridge active circuitry. It houses a 9V battery which keeps the instruments light and is readily available and easy to fit. It provides approximately 3000 hours playing time and only drains whilst the jack is connected.

Jack Socket: ¼ inch mono jack - industry standard. The switch jack system automatically switches the active circuitry on and off as the jack is inserted or removed.

This is a used instrument and it shows some light marks of use but it plays and sounds better than new thanks to the excellent job by the luthier on the nut and fingerboard and the strings installed as well as the extra pickup

Please note: due to the size of the instrument it might not be possible to be shipped. Local pickup only but we can get a quote for shipping it to you (just contact us).