I play bass guitar, acoustic bass guitar, electric upright and acoustic upright. They all have different playing and sound characteristics and I use them in different situations.

The upright is, obviously, perfect for acoustic situations and I use an electret microphone mounted in front of one of the f-holes when needed. I've tried various combinations of pick-ups and mics and found the simple solution to be best in terms of sound quality and lack of string noise. It may not however be best in high volume situations. I also find a mic much better when playing with a bow. Pick-ups tend to give too much bow noise.

I use the EUB, a Bridge Cetus, for stage work, often with a wireless transmitter attached. It plays like an acoustic upright but has a greater sustain and a wider range of tones and no feedback problems. I prefer to use a wide range foldback (monitor) rather than back line for both these instruments.

The acoustic bass guitar was bought as a portable alternative. It's just ok unamplified in quiet sessions. With a small combo it's fine for small venues. It has a brighter sound, possibly because of round wound strings. I've also used it for recording because there's no spill problems.

I rarely use the bass guitar these days just occasionally when we particularly want a rock feel.

For slap, it's usual to lower the strings but be careful not to go too far and get buzzes. Changing the string height at the nut by a small amount has a marked effect on the action without significantly changing the string height above the end of the finger board.

regards

Mitch
http://www.stradivarious.co.uk