Electric Upright Bass Database

Ampeg - Baby Bass (original)

• Vintage: 1980
• Number of Strings: 4
  • Double bass strings compatible
• Bowable: Yes
• Thumb Reference: E♭
• Playable Seated: Yes
• Balance While Playing: (8/10)

I got this back in 1980 when Baby Basses were not in high demand for $450.

It was a nice bass with a fatal flaw, a really awful pickup. All thud, no sustain and a thin sound. Salsa players love them, but for general purpose bass work a plywood bass with a Fishman or Underwood blows it away.

I sold it a few years ago to an Ampeg collector who put a regular wooden bridge with pickup on it (yes, he held on to the original!!!) and he told me it improved the sound tremendously. The new Azola-built reissues from Ampeg have this feature, by the way.

It's a tough call on this one: unless salsa is your main thing, an original Baby Bass is not in the same tonal league as more modern EURBs; the Reissues are improvements but cost a LOT more (you can buy two originals for the price of one reissue).

It is a fun bass to play, though, so if you're willing to track down an old one and get the bridge upgraded, it could be happening (or if you just want it around because it looks so cool and don't care to ever play it!!!).