CCB Review Companion Thread

[Dubbin]

Originally Posted by Eric Hochberg

At DRURB's suggestion, let's make this thread the discussion thread regarding the posts on the original thread. That will keep the original on point.

Thanks!

Am I crazy or have the owners that spoke up mostly spoke up seemed satisfied with their basses for what they are? It's funny because that seems to be the case of the folks I've met in person who own a CCB.

[drurb]

Originally Posted by Dubbin

Am I crazy or have the owners that spoke up mostly spoke up seemed satisfied with their basses for what they are? It's funny because that seems to be the case of the folks I've met in person who own a CCB.

It seems that those who had their CCBs last long enough acknowledge the generally poor workmanship, have done a fair amount of work for themselves trying to correct that, have had realistically low expectations, and often replaced the CCB later. I didn't see any of the owners boasting about their sound. While the reviews suggest that these CCBs do seem to hang together longer than some would have thought, all-in-all they seem like a poor value for all but those who are willing to perform a bunch of DIY repairs and who don't need or expect to have a reliably constructed nice-sounding instrument.

The basses that MIKMAN chose seem to be exceptions but keep in mind that he is an extremely knowledgeable and savvy buyer and that he is quite talented in terms of the setup/modification work that he performs. Even so, he noted issues that would have cost a fair amount to have fixed if not done as a DIYer.

The reviews have been enlightening.

[Dubbin]

Drub, You have been the most vocal on this subject for several years. Do you have any direct experience with a CCB, i.e. have you ever played one or otherwise had first hand experience with one? Thanks,

[michaeln]

It seems to me that most of the responders to this thread who actually own or have owned CCBs have been overall pretty pleased with them, and felt they were a relatively good value.

[drurb]

Originally Posted by Dubbin

Drub, You have been the most vocal on this subject for several years. Do you have any direct experience with a CCB, i.e. have you ever played one or otherwise had first hand experience with one? Thanks,

First, I have been far from the most vocal on the subject. Second, my post above was based upon reading the reviews that have been posted here in this thread. If you or others draw different conclusions based on reading those same reviews, then please post your thoughts. I thought my summary was fair and consistent with your own review.

I found the reviews enlightening because they did cause me to shift my thoughts a bit. It seems that many of the current CCBs do hold together better than I would have expected. At least that's true for the small sample discussed here. The question I really asked myself was whether any of the information in the reviews would cause me to change my recommendations to newbies. The answer for me is "no." Based on my own experience with CCBs, my own 35-year experience with DBs in general, and the reports of owners of CCBs, I still believe them to be poor values for all but those I mentioned above (DIYers with realistic expectations).

IMO, a serious student of the instrument would do far better putting $500-$600 toward a $1200-$1500 instrument than spending it on a CCB that will likely need serious tweaking that will likely cost extra $$$. Dubbin, do you disagree with that?

Again, the exception would be someone who can do the work him/herself and goes into it with eyes wide open concerning expectations. For those with very limited funds and who are willing and able to do the work, the reviews suggest that a CCB might serve quite well for a time. Interestingly, that's more likely to be a somewhat seasoned player than a newbie who has no idea how things should be adjusted, let alone how to do it.

Originally Posted by michaeln

It seems to me that most of the responders to this thread who actually own or have owned CCBs have been overall pretty pleased with them, and felt they were a relatively good value.

I agree and most of them were willing to perform the fixes. In the end, judgment of value is in the eye of the bass-holder. I'll ask you as well what you would recommend to newbies. Specifically, what would you say to/ask of a newbie who asks about buying a $700 bass?

[michaeln]

Originally Posted by drurb

I'll ask you as well what you would recommend to newbies.

First, I'd recommend they ask someone more qualified than me.

But if I had to tell them something, it would be to buy the best bass you can afford from someone who sells basses for a living, and have it set up properly.

[iiipopes]

Originally Posted by drurb

I'll ask you as well what you would recommend to newbies. Specifically, what would you say to/ask of a newbie who asks about buying a $700 bass?

If possible, save your $$ and for $1400 + shipping get one set up properly after consultation and ready to play out of the box by Gollihur Music. Even Engleharts need setup after you get them.

Edit: Damn. To avoid flames, I need to address a private message I got. Don't take the above statement exclusively. There are, of course, several fine dealers across the country who can set a player up with a starter bass good to go for @$1500 to $2000, plus shipping. Gollihur was just the first that came to mind. The point of the post is that it is damn near impossible to get something playable out of the box for the $700; as the posts above confirm, a player thinking he/she is getting a bargain ends up spending about that much again for proper setup and after-the-fact repairs to even approach making one of these bso's playable.

[MIKMAN]

IMO, a serious student of the instrument would do far better putting $500-$600 toward a $1200-$1500 instrument than spending it on a CCB that will likely need serious tweaking that will likely cost extra $$$. Dubbin, do you disagree with that?

I do agree with DRURB, sice i used my CCB's as training projects in amateur DB lutherie. It is much better for any individual to buy an isntrument from a respected luthier, establishing with him/her a sincere relationship, which will be valuable for the future. It's better to devote time to master the DB technique than fixing problems with the instrument itself.
Mike

[Eric Hochberg]

At DRURB's suggestion, let's make this thread the discussion thread regarding the posts on the original. That will keep the original on point.

Thanks!

[Dubbin]

Fair enough, Drub, you asked me if I would recommend a CCB investment versus the step up for a serious student (to paraphrase). Absolutely not, a "serious student" should invest in the best instrument they can afford. I did for my education (which wasn't in music). I'm not so sure that I'd have the same bass recommendation for a hobbiest like myself. $1600 is . .. well it is twice $800. My repairs were pretty simple. How unusual is it for a DB to need a seam glued? I thought it was common.

Before I owned a DB I'd never even held one except in a music store. In an idle moment I plucked a sting and really liked the sound. I have a bunch of instruments here (guitar, trombone, sax, clarinet, trumpet, mandolin) that I just mess around with (no lessons for anything so far) and just trying out DB was what I wanted to do. Some might say I was just "dubbin" around. I've been playing my CCB for 4 years and DB takes most of my attention because I'm playing with a group and I need to learn the tunes and practice. I bought my Thompson Hybrid mainly to see if I was truly missing something here (after reading so much about how bad CCBs are) and it is a better instrument by far but it cost 3 X my CCB, which might be out of reach for some "bass curious" people. My approach would be very different if I had higher aspirations as a bassist.

By the way, I was amused that you didn't see yourself as highly vocal about the no CCB thing. No malice intended but that's the way it looked from here.

[drurb]

Originally Posted by Dubbin

Fair enough, Drub, you asked me if I would recommend a CCB investment versus the step up for a serious student (to paraphrase). Absolutely not, a "serious student" should invest in the best instrument they can afford. I did for my education (which wasn't in music). I'm not so sure that I'd have the same bass recommendation for a hobbiest like myself. $1600 is . .. well it is twice $800. My repairs were pretty simple. How unusual is it for a DB to need a seam glued? I thought it was common.

Before I owned a DB I'd never even held one except in a music store. In an idle moment I plucked a sting and really liked the sound. I have a bunch of instruments here (guitar, trombone, sax, clarinet, trumpet, mandolin) that I just mess around with (no lessons for anything so far) and just trying out DB was what I wanted to do. Some might say I was just "dubbin" around. I've been playing my CCB for 4 years and DB takes most of my attention because I'm playing with a group and I need to learn the tunes and practice. I bought my Thompson Hybrid mainly to see if I was truly missing something here (after reading so much about how bad CCBs are) and it is a better instrument by far but it cost 3 X my CCB, which might be out of reach for some "bass curious" people. My approach would be very different if I had higher aspirations as a bassist.

By the way, I was amused that you didn't see yourself as highly vocal about the no CCB thing. No malice intended but that's the way it looked from here.

Well, gee, we seem not to disagree. You're exactly the type of player for whom a CCB would seem to work out. You're not a novice as instruments go, you're willing and able to perform the necessary repairs, and you have realistic expectations of the limits of such an instrument. By the way, I never said that I wasn't vocal. I never said I wasn't highly vocal. I said I wasn't "the most vocal," which is how you described me.

[Tejano Bass]

drurb: - methinks thou art being waaaay too modest!

Join Date: 04-17-2004 - Total Posts: 5,950 (2.42 posts per day)

Who, pray tell, is more vocal than thee?

[drurb]

Originally Posted by Tejano Bass

drurb: - methinks thou art being waaaay too modest!

Join Date: 04-17-2004 - Total Posts: 5,950 (2.42 posts per day)

Who, pray tell, is more vocal than thee?

I claimed to not be "the most vocal" about CCBs. That was the original contention. As for who is or has been the most vocal overall, well, if you have the time to go through the stats, please be our guest.

In any case, I think it would be far more fruitful to stay on (or at least close to) Eric's intended topic.

[michaeln]

You are, however, the most vocal about not being the most vocal. ;-)

[drurb]

Originally Posted by michaeln

You are, however, the most vocal about not being the most vocal. ;-)

I'm the only one accused. Can we get back to the CCB reviews now?

[michaeln]

The reviews are in the other thread. This one is the "companion" thread.

[drurb]

Originally Posted by michaeln

The reviews are in the other thread. This one is the "companion" thread.

This is the thread intended for the discussion of those reviews.

Originally Posted by Eric Hochberg

...let's make this thread the discussion thread regarding the posts on the original.

[MIKMAN]

Originally Posted by Tejano Bass

drurb: - methinks thou art being waaaay too modest!

Join Date: 04-17-2004 - Total Posts: 5,950 (2.42 posts per day)

Who, pray tell, is more vocal than thee?

ΙΜΗΟ the thing that matters is not the number of the posts but what every post has to contribute in the forum. DRURB has contributed a lot, sharing his knowledge, his experience and his humor with the TBDB members. People like him, a bunch of seasoned players and some distinguished personalities in the DB world make this forum worthy.
Mike

[thirtyhz]

I'm curious, since I am in the market - what qaulifies a CCB as a CCB? I've seen plenty of CB'd out there getting from $2000 up to $9000 or $10000. ,Are we talking country of orgigin and/or price. Does anyone feel that there are "QCB's" out there? Are there particular brands that are the exception?

[Steve Swan]

Good examples of bad "Cheap Chinese Basses" are the horrific Cremona and Palatino rowboats that appear around the country on criaglsit and Ebay for $300-700 used or new. There are other related brands. The Cra-palatino-monas particularly breed like flies in the greater San Francisco bay area where they are locally distributed by two related companies. Not caring to qualify their dealer bases much, many Ebay and craigslist dealers are selling these out of their livingrooms and garages with no setup and very little knowlege about what makes a doublebass go boom-boom. Other brands make use of bright enamel colors as primary selling points. These companies are relying on a seemingly never ending supply of innocent customers ready to press the "Buy It Now" button on unresearched impulse. It's pretty pathetic.