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URB info needed – Ping Ted P.

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Question:

> Greetings all, > I am looking for an inexpensive upright. Anyone out there have any > experience with basses under 1 or 2K? I don’t want a looker but a player > with decent sound. Any ideas? Brands? Even better, brands to stay away > from?

Here are a couple of posts from acousticbass.com: http://acousticbass.com/webboard/messages3/4822.html http://acousticbass.com/webboard/messages3/4737.html for more perspective on "Chinese basses". Ted and John, do you concur with these i. e. that "cheap" Chinese basses /= all Chinese basses? – Gary Rosen

Response:

I’d agree with that. Here’s my story: When started playing upright, I bought a new Chinese bass to use as a "transition" bass. It was bad right out of the box. First off, it had a nasty lacquer smell – worse than 10 Cort Curbows put together. Second, I could not get the G string up to tune. The string finally snapped in half. I took the bass to a friend who does string repairs in town. In addition to the usual problems of cheap basses – fingerboard need to be dressed, bridge needed to be shaped, etc – he found a crack in the heel of the neck. It had just been covered with wood filler, and painted over. He signed an affidavit for me listing the problems, and I shipped the bass back. Shoddy repairs aside, you can easily spend $500 to get one of these dogs into playing condition. By the time you figure in the costs, that $600 Cremona is not such a great deal. Sound wise, They are not all that great either. Obviously, every bass is different, but you can get a lot better sound for a few hundred bucks more. IMO you would be better off buying a new Englehardt or Knilling instead of spending the cash to get your Chairman Mao up to speed. Better yet, find a nice old Kay or King bass. — Learning funk bass? visit www.js3jazz.com/store.htm

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -> Greetings all, > I am looking for an inexpensive upright. Anyone out there have any > experience with basses under 1 or 2K? I don’t want a looker but a player > with decent sound. Any ideas? Brands? Even better, brands to stay away > from? > Here are a couple of posts from acousticbass.com: > http://acousticbass.com/webboard/messages3/4822.html > http://acousticbass.com/webboard/messages3/4737.html > for more perspective on "Chinese basses". Ted and John, > do you concur with these i. e. that "cheap" Chinese basses > /= all Chinese basses? > – Gary Rosen

Response:

Let me chime in here, and say that there ARE some really good Chinese basses too. I bought one that my local violin shop has been importing for years – they built up a relationship with a shop in China over the years – and I have been very very happy with it. After it came in, my local shop did a first class setup, and I brought my bass teacher in to help me pick one out among several that were in stock. My bass teacher and I both played several, and picked the one that we both liked the best It’s a plywood bass with a nice ebony fingerboard, and an adjustable bridge. I’m using Spirocores on it, and have installed a pickup from Bob G. If you check out the website, you’ll hear a tune with that bass on it called "In the Quiet"… According to my bass teacher, the worst thing you can do is to buy a bass without a professional setup. He’s seen lots of students quit the instrument because they have bought one that is just not playable from the music store. After going thru the process, and seeing some of those basses in the local stores, I see what he means. — David DeVos – I’m just the bass player http://www.amyyoung.org

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -> I’d agree with that. Here’s my story: > When started playing upright, I bought a new Chinese bass to use as a > "transition" bass. > It was bad right out of the box. First off, it had a nasty lacquer smell – > worse than 10 Cort Curbows put together. > Second, I could not get the G string up to tune. The string finally snapped > in half. > I took the bass to a friend who does string repairs in town. In addition to > the usual problems of cheap basses – fingerboard need to be dressed, bridge > needed to be shaped, etc – he found a crack in the heel of the neck. It had > just been covered with wood filler, and painted over. He signed an affidavit > for me listing the problems, and I shipped the bass back. > Shoddy repairs aside, you can easily spend $500 to get one of these dogs > into playing condition. By the time you figure in the costs, that $600 > Cremona is not such a great deal. > Sound wise, They are not all that great either. Obviously, every bass is > different, but you can get a lot better sound for a few hundred bucks more. > IMO you would be better off buying a new Englehardt or Knilling instead of > spending the cash to get your Chairman Mao up to speed. Better yet, find a > nice old Kay or King bass. > — > Learning funk bass? visit www.js3jazz.com/store.htm > > Greetings all, > > I am looking for an inexpensive upright. Anyone out there have any > > experience with basses under 1 or 2K? I don’t want a looker but a > player > > with decent sound. Any ideas? Brands? Even better, brands to stay away > > from? > Here are a couple of posts from acousticbass.com: > http://acousticbass.com/webboard/messages3/4822.html > http://acousticbass.com/webboard/messages3/4737.html > for more perspective on "Chinese basses". Ted and John, > do you concur with these i. e. that "cheap" Chinese basses > /= all Chinese basses? > – Gary Rosen

Response:

For this price you are almost certain to get a plywood bass. With luck you might find a hybrid (solid wood top, plywood sides and back). You will get more for your money buying a used bass, but be careful of structural cracks and flaws. It would be a good idea to find an experienced upright player or teacher to help you evaluate. Kaye and Englehardt are common brands of plywood basses but brand names have much less significance for URB than for electric. Finally, though you didn’t ask, I strongly recommend lessons from a qualified teacher. It’s a tough instrument to play and you want to learn good habits and technique. – Gary Rosen

Response:

Sorry I’m so late getting back…. I was in Louisiana all weekend on some family business. For my dollar, my Kansas City Strings URB is getting the most use so far. It’s all carved and has a great sound to it. YMMV… I’d stay away from all of the Chinese stuff on ebay (cremona, etc…) and hold out for a decent carved 3/4 axe. There are deals to be found. You might want to track down Bob Gollihur and see what he has in stock for your money. Oh, and take some lessons. you’ll never regret it. _ ‘ ): Ted Partin / http://members.aol.com/dblbassted

Response:

Also 3/4 or 4/4? I am 5′10" Kirk

Response:

> Also 3/4 or 4/4? I am 5′10"

Most basses are 3/4, 4/4 are extremely rare. There are some 5/8 and 7/8. Also, there is no real "standard", they are all shaped a little differently (at least ones from different luthiers). 41" is a common string length (nut to bridge), but it can range at least from 40 to 44. And there are even more variations in body length, body width (front to back) and bout width (side to side, upper and lower, "C" bout is the narrow part in the middle). – Gary Rosen

Response:

Go with 3/4; it’s the most common type. as far as plywood or solid top - depends on what you want to do. Plywood has an attack that is great for pizz (finger) playing, like jazz, rock & country. Carved top basses have a "darker" sound, well suited for bow techniques. Plywood basses are generally much less expensive, but you can always find a deal somewhere. An ebony fingerboard is preferable, but in your price range, expect to find a lot of Rosewood "ebonized" (read: painted black)fretboards. Good brands are in your price range include Kay, King, Englehardt, and Knilling. Stay away from the cheap Chinese basses (Cremona, Poirot, etc) – they’re not worth it, trust me. Oh yeah, the Sam Ash uprights are crap as well. Also, Bob Gollihur is selling a fully carved bass for around $2K. I’ve heard good things about it: http://www.urbbob.com/doublebass.html — Learning funk bass? visit www.js3jazz.com/store.htm

Response:

Greetings all, I am looking for an inexpensive upright. Anyone out there have any experience with basses under 1 or 2K? I don’t want a looker but a player with decent sound. Any ideas? Brands? Even better, brands to stay away from? TIA, Kirk

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