Christopher Double bass's

fatgoogle · #1 12-15-2009, 01:05 PM

Hi again.
After my first thread i bought a Double bass locally and now 6 months later im regretting it. Ill need to spend another couple of hundred for it to be made perfectly playable.
So i was thinking Better to get something nice to learn that makes easier on the ears and easier to play to make the whole experience more fun. So selling my double bass quiet cheaply and then with my parents help buy something better around 1500 euro at the most, as i am now lead double bass player in the youth orchestra and am improving rapidly.
So looking at double bass;s im thinking along the lines of one of these hybrid Christopher's.
Like:
http://www.thomann.de/ie/christopher...rabass_3_4.htm
They do look very good to me.

Also
http://www.thomann.de/ie/thomann_kontrabass_33_02.htm
http://www.thomann.de/ie/thomann_kontrabass_1_e_34.htm
I believe the last one their is made by a reputable eastern European Maker of double bass's, i cant remember the name though.

Ive also seen Makes such as bellafina in America that look very nice but cant get them shipped.

Does anyone have any advice.

Thanks
Sam H

kurt ratering · #2 12-15-2009, 01:17 PM

we rent those christopher hybrids and the shen hybrids. i think that the shen beats the pants off of the christopher, when speaking of hybrids. for plys id reverse that statement.

fatgoogle · #3 12-15-2009, 01:25 PM

Well i think the Christopher is a ply bass as it says laminate spruce top, back and sides.

ive also just spotted these thompson bass's
http://www.stringemporium.com/thomps...ood-basses.htm
But cant find a dealer in europe.

longfinger · #4 12-15-2009, 02:26 PM

Hey there,

I looked at your old posts, and at that time you were looking at a local sale of a Cremona and later a Strunal. Which did you actually get?

fatgoogle · #5 12-15-2009, 02:45 PM

Neither, in the end the Strunal sold and i was told the cremona was crap so in desperation i went and bought a Antoni locally.

ctcruiser · #6 12-16-2009, 04:10 AM

I have a Chrissy hybrid and am very happy with it. I get a lot of positive comments about the sound.

fatgoogle · #7 12-18-2009, 10:23 AM

i was in touch with steve from the string emporium in the states and they can ship their bass's to Ireland and they do look and sound very good.
http://www.stringemporium.com/thomps...ood-basses.htm
http://www.stringemporium.com/hybrid-upright-bass.htm

Does any one have experience with these at all.

AMJBASS · #8 12-18-2009, 12:32 PM

I dig the Christophers. They are well made, and generally have a good sound. I have gigged quite a bit with the few I have owned, and haven't had any problems at all. Get a good set up, and they are solid instruments.

jon3673 · #9 12-22-2009, 09:52 PM

I think that you can be very happy with a Christopher bass. However, I would recommend that you purchase the DB304 that has a carved top, rather than the DB204 with a plywood top that is shown in your example web page. I think you will find the sound is very much better and the cost only a little more.
I have been using a 7/8 size DB304 Busetto (5 string) for about 10 years and dearly love its sound. Another friend recently purchased a 3/4 size DB302 (Gamba) and is also very pleased.

hensonbass · #10 01-02-2010, 07:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jon3673

I have been using a 7/8 size DB304 Busetto (5 string) for about 10 years and dearly love its sound.

I picked up one of these basses used a few months ago and it sounds great. It has most certainly exceeded my expectations.

Rick Auvil · #11 01-02-2010, 07:48 PM

I've had a Model 304 Christopher Busetto for about 5 years. Had a scroll break, fixed it, and it's solid as a rock. The sound is still great and it seems to get better each month. I'm trying to sell it to get a 5-string. I highly recommend the Chrissy as a reasonably priced, solid instrument!

Schindler · #12 03-10-2010, 02:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kurt ratering

we rent those christopher hybrids and the shen hybrids. i think that the shen beats the pants off of the christopher, when speaking of hybrids. for plys id reverse that statement.

can you explain/expand on this comment? I am in the market at this price range - Thanks

kurt ratering · #13 03-10-2010, 04:11 PM

what would you like to know? i think that the shen hybrids are better made, and to my ear anyways, sound much richer in tone than the chrissy hybrids. maybe its the stock we have or the stings on em, but whatever it is, they are just more pleasing to my ears. however, the chrissy plys are much louder (not always better i guess) and considerably lighter in weight than the shens. the shen 80/90s in my opinion, dont have as nice of a low end as the chrissys.

Rick Auvil · #14 03-10-2010, 05:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Schindler

can you explain/expand on this comment? I am in the market at this price range - Thanks

Like I mentioned, I own a Christopher Busetto 304 and a Shen SB 180 - both hybrids. The Christopher lows are booming nice because it's a bit older and "played in", but the Shen has a more solid feel, nicer finish, and slightly better playability (mostly due to Nick Lloyd's monster set-up!) Frankly, I like them both. In my case, it just depends on how much low end I want. Play them both with a good set-up and see which you like best. Either is a decent bass.