Double basses in Sydney?

dguna · #1 06-04-2006, 07:56 PM

Hi there,

I'm an electric bass player looking to get into double bass... does anyone know any good places to get double basses in Sydney? I'm probably looking around the $1500 to $2500 price range.

thanks!

Mark Latimour · #2 06-04-2006, 07:59 PM

I think there is a place call like "The Bass Shop" in Cabriata which specialises in double basses.

Here is its details from the yellow pages:

Address
133 Cabarita Rd
Cabarita
NSW, 2137
Australia

Contact Details
Ph

02) 9736 1981

David Burgess knows a lot about this shop. Try posting in the "Basscast" forum on this website as David is more likely to see it.

chog · #3 06-04-2006, 08:19 PM

The Bass Shop's the way to go, best customer service I've ever had from a music shop. Their website is www.thebassshop.com

I was in there on Saturday and they're pretty run off their feet at the moment because they're in the process of moving to a bigger (and better located) place on Parramatta Rd. Their still open but moving all through June and I think the plan was to be in the new place at the start of July. Give them a call and they should be able to sort you out with something.

dguna · #4 06-04-2006, 08:26 PM

Thanks guys... I went there on friday and yeah they're in the midst of moving, getting new stock and stuff...

Comparatively though, their prices are much higher.. e.g. Chinese hofner bass I can get for $1500 (from say musicianswarehouse.com.au), but they sell for $2500. This price does include setup and new strings, but for $1000 more is this really justifiable? How much does the setup cost? I know strings are around $250...

chog · #5 06-04-2006, 09:31 PM

They do quite a bit of work in setting them up. I can't remember all of what they do but it's a whole custom setup to suit your playing style which involves filing the fingerboard to get to get the right curve, setting the height of the strings, filing the foot of the bridge so it's curved to sit snugly against the body of the bass to transfer the vibration of the string to the body better and therefore makes it sound better and louder and probably a lot other stuff which I can't remember. I believe they also offer one free follow up set up in case you want to tweek anything.

The best thing to do is try to find another music shop with a hofner (I think Allans used to have one but I'm not sure if they do anymore) play that and then compare it to the same bass that has been setup properly and my guess is that there'll be a huge difference in both feel and sound. A well setup bass is a lot easier to play and sounds a lot better than one straight out of the box. Setup for double bass is not cheap so I'd say that the price is justifiable plus you could probably talk them down a little too.

As I said before, A/Bing with one that's not setup would be a good idea and, if you haven't already, get the people at the bass shop to go through all that's involved in the set up so you can see what goes into it.
Hope this helps.

dguna · #6 06-04-2006, 11:08 PM

Thanks chog,

I understand the amount of work that goes into setup, the guys at the bass shop explained most of it to me, but is it worth $1000? I wondering whether I should by it from elsewhere and then get the bass shop to set it up... seems like it would be a lot cheaper?

Also would you know any good DB jazz teachers in sydney?

chog · #7 06-05-2006, 12:25 AM

I don't know what the going rate for a setup is but it would at least heading up towards that price to get it done properly, you'd have to ask around. The bass shop are the only ones I know of who do setups, repairs, etc around Sydney but there may be others.

As for good jazz teachers, what I did was I went to a few gigs and after hearing who's playing and sound I liked (in my experience it requires a lot more technique-wise to get a good sound out a an upright than an electric) I approached them after a gig and asked if they did lessons (this is also how a drummer friend of mine ended up getting lessons off Chad Wackerman). A lot of the promanant jazz players in Sydney give lessons, even to beginners on the upright, as I was (and still am really). As for some info on gigs to check out, some good websites are www.sima.org.au and www.jazzgroove.com.au.

dguna · #8 06-05-2006, 01:13 AM

thanks mate

I'll do some more hunting...

**Matthew Tucker** · #9 06-05-2006, 01:53 AM

If you buy a new cheap bass from somewhere like smithy's without setup you might end up with a cheap bass that you won't like playing and when you give up and try to sell it you'll get not much for it.

you might of course be lucky and get something great, but will you know it?

If you buy the same bass and then take it in to get it set up properly, even paying $600-$1000 extra, you may end up with a bass that you can play and it might even sound OK, and if you want to sell it later you probably won't lose the extra you spent. But you won't know unless you spend the extra in the first place. Might be a lemon. The bass shop can't guarantee anything for you on a bass they don't sell you.

as my brother would say, "You can't polish a turd, but you can buff it up a little ..."

if you buy a secondhand bass that has already been set up and played by someone else, whether from the bass shop or anyone else, you know what you're getting. Might cost a bit more, but at least you know more or less what it can do. But you might not know if there are cracks or problems. And with more work, you might be able to improve it.

if you buy a new bass that has been set up by, say, the bass shop, you can play it before you buy it and you know what you're getting.

The bass shop is the best double bass sale/repair shop in Sydney. A full setup will probably include new strings which will cost you a couple of hundred anyway. The cheap basses have crap factory strings on them. Then there's the fingerboard dressing which will make it nice to play and no buzzing. And cutting the bridge, and maybe some adjusters included (I can't speak for them of course) which are very useful for a beginner IMO as you get the feel for high string height, low string height, tension changes etc. What about a pickup if you're going to use the thing gigging? Sound post adjustment or replacement to try to make the thing speak to you? Got a decent bag to protect your investment?

Find out what's included in the setup. Every minute Dave spends on the bass will be worthwhile.

Ask Dave or Susan at the Bass Shop about jazz bass teachers. They know most of them ...

The only problem with approaching working musicians for lessons, is that the good ones are too busy!

dguna · #10 06-05-2006, 02:44 AM

thanks matt... btw, good luck with the bass building!

dguna · #11 06-16-2006, 06:42 AM

Ok i've decided to get a hofner bass set up by puglisi in melbourne and hopefully it will arrive early next week.

Does anyone know any good jazz double bass teachers in sydney?

bassguy001 · #12 06-16-2006, 03:58 PM

Hi dguna,
Would you mind telling me how much is it?
I thought that Bass shop and Puglisi are of the same price range regarding to the hofner range.
Is your hofner a solid top laminated back and side?

dguna · #13 06-16-2006, 04:49 PM

$2000 at puglisi and $2500 at bass shop... both have full setup and strings of choice. The bass shop doesn't have stock at the moment...

and its the solid top with laminated back and sides

bassguy001 · #14 06-17-2006, 05:52 AM

Thanks, $2000 with the choice of stings and full set up, quite a good deal. As just a set of new strings (say if you buy it at a local music shop- Helicore ) will cost you aprrox $200+.
Does it cost a lot to ship the bass to Sydney?

dguna · #15 06-17-2006, 06:43 AM

around $40... a bit more for insurance.

-Sam- · #16 06-17-2006, 06:59 AM

I'm inserterested in pretty much the same thing as original poster, but looking more towards second hand basses. Whats the second hand market like in sydney and where would i look for one?
i wouldnt really mind something with a bit of history and character to it. you know a few battle marks. Any help would be great.

bassguy001 · #17 06-19-2006, 12:17 AM

I think you may have to rely on the Trading post or go to special music shop like The Bass shop, or if you do not mind, interstate like Puglisi in Melbouren or Bass Works in Adeliade.
You can go to their web site and have a look.
http://www.benedictgpuglisi.com/
http://www.bassworks.com.au/

im2bassic · #18 09-13-2006, 11:03 PM

Regarding price difference between Bass Shop and Puglisi Hofners:

Two quick phone calls have revealed the following:

The Bass Shop Sydney
Hofner price $2500
Includes Fingerboard plane, name brand strings (no factory strings) Aubert french bridge (no factory bridge) with or without adjusters and action customised, padded bag and bow.

Puglisi Melbourne
Hofner price $2000
Includes Fingerboard plane, name brand strings (no factory strings) but the bridge is the FACTORY one. Also padded cover and bow.

Puglisi says that the full set-up with the Aubert bridge would be $2500. Puglisi gives customers the choice of which set-up they prefer. Bass Shop only does the full set-up.