Toontrack EBX: Disco Pop

Present Retro

The ultimate electric bass, MIDI and presets for retro to modern disco.

If there was a time when the bass truly stepped out of the shadow of the drums and took center stage, it was during the golden days of disco.

Even though the jumpsuits, platform shoes and flared pants may be a thing of that 1970s era, disco has never been more now than it was back then.

It may have taken on more of a pop suit, but listen to the likes of Dua Lipa, Daft Punk or Bruno Mars and you’ll hear it.

In the forefront of that sound is a classic bass belting out a juicy double-note-infused and octave-ridden disco groove.

For this EBX, we went out of our way to find the ultimate instrument that could bridge that gap between classic and modern - one that had all the vintage traits but also enough girth to stand its ground in a modern pop production.

It's not just any bass, it's one of the 356 ever built Hagström Super Swedes.

Co-designed by the late Rutger Gunnarsson of ABBA fame, this is a bona fide disco bass icon just like the very man who once played it.

In addition to the instrument itself, this EBX also includes a broad selection of classic-to-modern-sounding presets as well as a basic collection of big, chunky and trademark disco-type basslines.

Whether it be a funky 1970s-style disco track or a hyper-modern banger, for your next four-on-the-floor, make sure the bass gets some jaws on the floor.

If you're looking for an EBX with a vintage vibe as much as a modern mojo, this is it.

Features

• A rare electric bass from the end of the disco era
• Inspired by disco music from the 1970s through to today
• Sampled using a finger playing style and includes tapping and muted slap articulations
• Offering a range from D1 to E4
• Includes a collection of presets covering a wealth of mix-ready tones for disco and pop
• Comes with a custom MIDI library tailored for the instrument

The Instrument

The last bass of the disco age.

With roots dating back nearly a century, the classic Hagström brand has become a Swedish institution and a household name among musicians around the world.

Originally a manufacturer of accordions, the company expanded into guitars and amplifiers sometime in the late 1950s.

By using materials from the accordion production in its other instruments, the first line of guitars (and amps, for that matter) had a completely new and innovative look, feel and vibe unlike anything else on the market at the time.

In 1983, the company ceased production.

The last-ever electric bass guitar to be designed and built in its Swedish factory was the very model sampled for this EBX, the Hagström Super Swede.

It was a collaboration between the company's chief guitar designer Per-Åke Olsson and legendary ABBA bass player Rutger Gunnarsson.

With only 356 units leaving the factory floor, this is a bass beyond rare - it's a museum piece.

The specimen sampled for this EBX was factory-equipped with the optional white covered DiMarzio pickups and, quite frankly, sounds absolutely amazing.

The Sounds & Articulations

Thud, slap and bite.

Seeing as the finger playing style is absolutely predominant in any facet of disco music regardless of era, this EBX was sampled focusing solely on capturing that to its fullest extent.

What makes it stand out compared to other EBXs is its own unique muted slap articulation, though.

All combined, you'll have both the ultimate round and thick thump to back up a sturdy four-on-the-floor as well as that squeaky bite a bass needs to properly pop through on octaves and percussive accents.

The Presets

Maximum tone, maximum groove!

Inspired by anything from the classic to the modern and all involving vintage amps, cabs and effects, the presets for this EBX were engineered to offer a go-to library of ready-made tones specifically tailored for this bass.

You'll find round, warm and thuddy to bright, snappy and piercingly sharp tones, all engineered to sit right in your mix.

Of course, if you feel the need to tweak, each preset offers its own custom set of controls allowing you to fine-tune each setting to suit your groove down to a T.

As always, should you want to run the instrument through an external signal chain to dial in your own tones from scratch, use the 'DI' (direct in) preset and then the 'Multi-Out' option to route the bass out to your DAW.

From there, the sound shaping possibilities are endless!