Electric Upright Bass Database

Azola® Basses - Bug Bass II

• Vintage: 2000
• Number of Strings: 4
  • Double bass strings compatible
• Bowable: Yes
• Thumb Reference: E♭
• Position Markers: Yes
• Playable Seated: Yes
• Balance While Playing: (8/10)

I recently purchased this bass after a year of researching EUBs online.  It has a soild ash body and a maple neck which sports a beautifully striped rosewood fingerboard. My instrument is equipped with position markers on the side of the fingerboard which I find to be quite handy reference points when playing. You can get the Instrument without markers but I like them. It has Grover tuners. It has two piezo pickups in the maple bridge piece. It has passive tone/arco and volume pots. It has an adjustable end pin that works well and is fully retractable for storage and a right side extendable "bout" to simulate the feel of an upright bass. (which I happen to find quite handy.) The finish is satin with an amazing iced tea burst. I am not a huge fan of burst finishes but this one is exceptional! There is an optional stage/display stand that I purchased with the bass that I whole heartedly recomend. Not only is it very useful live but it gives you a place to put the bass as opposed to just leaning it on something. The Bass comes from the factory with a top notch gigbag that does a great job of protecting the bass and in the bag is a wrench for adjusting the neck angle/string height, but more on that later...

The sound is great! It sounds very close to my real double bass when it is plugged in. The Biggest bonus....NO FEEDBACK!!! I have been to hell and back trying to keep my Double Bass from feeding Back in a live setting but this bass doesn't feed back at all. The Arco sensitivity is amazing!!! Played with a bow these basses can't be beat!!! I did replace the factory strings with D'addario Helacores as those are my personal favorites. Azola offers a variety of optional pickup configurations to suit almost any taste, but the standard setup is is working just fine for me. It has a percussive quality to the pizacato sound which is very normal for piezo pickups used with basses. With a good amp and a flexable EQ I can't imagine a sound that this bass can't make.(Well it can't make airplane sounds or bock like a chicken but what do you want from a Bass really?)

The action when I purchased this bass a wee bit high for my tastes but The adjustment was so easy that it was a non-issue. I adjusted the action no fewer than eight times the day I bought it to find the right feel for me and now that I found the sweet spot it has stayed locked in and soild ever since. The adjustment only requires an allen wrench (supplied) and a phillips head screwdriver. It couldn't be easier. The pickups are positioned at the factory and they warn against moving them around too much. I have left them alone, figuring that they knew more than me about correct placement. The fit and finish was flawless. The tuners appear robust and more than up to the task of handling the 3/4 scale bass strings. They are a tad close together for my tastes but they function well so it is really just a personal taste thing.

For such a compact instrument this bass feels really solid it weighs in around 12 lbs. The overall instrument seems completely durable with my only caveat being that the adjustable bout is aluminium and the set screw that holds it in place is steel so it leaves little gouges in the aluminuim rod. This in no way effects the function or sound of the instrument it is just something I noticed. Perhaps a steel bout rod would be less prone to marring. It is a little complaint but really there isn't much of anything else to fault so I felt it should be mentioned. The finish is deep and rich I don't forsee any wear issues. As I switch between fretted bass guitar and upright during gigs I really love the stage stand that Azola offers. Were I to play only upright I would trust this instrument to come through for me without worries as to having a backup.

I corresponded with Jill Azola prior to my purchase and she was very friendly and helpful. She answered all my questions with speed and courtesy. They have a great website and their customer (and potential customer) care was top notch. Their kindness and quick response definately influenced my decision to purchase one of their products.

I have been playing bass guitar for around 10 years and upright bass for a little over a year now. The feel and sound of this instrument is close to that of an upright, not exactly the same but close. I hate to post a review that sounds like I am just a "YES" man, but this is truly a quality product made by quality people. I played several other EUBs but their quality and reputation for good customer service was not on par with Azola. Personally this bass fit me well and felt good. I play this instrument daily, the only way I would sell it would be to replace it with another Azola. For the wish list.... A Built in active Three Band EQ would be neat, But really, the passive electronics work fine. That's my Two cents worth anyway.