I want to learn to play the upright bass. I want an EUB. What do you recommend for a beginner? It needs to be affordable but not a piece of junk.

Thanks

So you want a regular upright scale (around 41 inches)?
Or a short scale instrument, like a BG?

Affordable? What's your budget?

You want an EUB that you could play with a bow, or pizz only?
What style of music will you play with it?

Tell me about the short scale uprights.

I would like one I can use with a bow or fingers. I don't expect to play any one style. This is really just for my own enjoyment so I'll probably try to play whatever grabs me at the time (Blues, Bluegrass, Classical, anything...).

Can one of these things be had for less than $500? What are the common brand names I should look for?

I don't know many short scale EUBs.
They're a minority.
A few brands:
Bassix (http://www.bassix.freewire.co.uk/)
Buckdancer's Choice (http://www.buckdancers.com/EUB.html)
Conklin MEU (http://www.conklinguitars.com/)
KYDD (http://www.kyddbass.com/)
ZETA (http://www.zetamusic.com/)

I don't know if all can be bowed though.

Interesting links:
Bob Gollihur's EUB links (http://www.gollihur.com/kkbass/basslink.html#eurb)
Sander Huiberts EUB gallery (http://ebass.nl)
EUB reviews (http://www.bgra.net/reviews/eub-index.html)

$500 seems a little short IMHO...

You're a builder? Why don't you build one? You can have whatever you want that way, at whatever price level you can afford. There's a ton of info on EUBs at Gollihur.com.

I mention this because a friend of mine who builds ukulele for a living wanted an EUB, and so he built a very nice one over a four day period. He started out taking lessons from me using the EUB, then sold it on Ebay and built himself a real double bass.

I thought about that but I don't have a lot of time to build for myself. However, at the prices these thing sell for I may not have a choice. Thanks for the info guys.

I never thought I'd be one to say this, but: if you want to learn the URB, then get a URB. At the very least, if you're certain you want an EUB, get one that is full scale. The transition from that to URB is much easier.

Just my $.02