First upright bass?

[FingeringAm]

k well i searched pages of info and havnt found any helpful suggestions
heres my question--

what bass should a first time bass player buy?

background info--
-messed around with guitar
-not much music training/experience
-only gonna be playing rockabilly
-might need a 3/4 as im small in stature
-i will be getting a teacher so i have to lug it around so a kinda light bass would be nice
-price limit: $1,000


thanks

[jayarroz]

Ohhhhh Boy, welcome to Upright....and now the slammer. Nothing at 1,000 "unless your extremely lucky" will suit your needs in the UB category. Bump up to 2,000 and you can buy something that has a resale value. If you like bluegrass get a Kay, or Engelhart.

[GeneralElectric]

There's a Kay in the classifieds.

[jschall84]

90% if all upright basses are 3/4 size. what kind of music are you looking to get into?

[jayarroz]

Rockabilly, I think he said.

[Gearhead43]

Check out the prices on a new Engelhardt at Fretwellbass.com. Jerry includes a setup and choice of Innovation strings in the price, which makes this a very good deal. You'll need a bit more than 1000 dollars for a new one though.

Try looking for a used one on Craigslist. Do yourself a favor and stay far, far away from the cheapo chinese ebay basses (do a search for "ccb" and you'll see why) they will end up costing you more in the long run by falling apart, and will never sound good. They have names like Palatino, Deville, Merano, Milano, Spagettio, etc.

Also check out Rockabillybass.com, tons of good info there, but do everyone a favor and use the search function to find your answers before posting questions that have already been answered at length 10,000,000 times.

[FingeringAm]

Originally Posted by Gearhead43

Check out the prices on a new Engelhardt at Fretwellbass.com. Jerry includes a setup and choice of Innovation strings in the price, which makes this a very good deal. You'll need a bit more than 1000 dollars for a new one though.

Try looking for a used one on Craigslist. Do yourself a favor and stay far, far away from the cheapo chinese ebay basses (do a search for "ccb" and you'll see why) they will end up costing you more in the long run by falling apart, and will never sound good. They have names like Palatino, Deville, Merano, Milano, Spagettio, etc.

Also check out Rockabillybass.com, tons of good info there, but do everyone a favor and use the search function to find your answers before posting questions that have already been answered at length 10,000,000 times.

well i did search and yea i got some decent info but for my situation nothing fit sorry if it troubled u

ive checked my local craigslist(and within a 100 mile radius)
i guess ill be saving for a lil while longer to get a englehart or kay thanks learned a lot so far from that rockabillybass.com

thanks all more info if u got it

[us_soccer]

if you're ok with used, you can get something decent.
I think you'd be very happy with a Shen plywood --
you can probably get a used SB 80 for under a $1,000

[mlz77096]

Another suggestion while you are looking. Put your hands on as many basses as you can and see how they feel. The necks are all different. I was looking at purchasing a bass that someone else would play, but when I put my left hand around the neck of the old laminate I'd gone to see, I realized I wanted to play it. That hadn't happened with other basses. FYI - $1000 on Craigslist and about a 4 hour drive away. Got it last Oct. and am loving it. If you were in the Houston or Dallas area, I see there are several considerations listed now that might interest you. Good luck

[jayarroz]

Originally Posted by us_soccer

if you're ok with used, you can get something decent.
I think you'd be very happy with a Shen plywood --
you can probably get a used SB 80 for under a $1,000

For the Ply's I like the Christopher PLY, worth checking out. But I do like the Shen Hybrid 150's better than even a fully carved Christopher.

[pfactor2]

Originally Posted by GeneralElectric

There's a Kay in the classifieds.

where is the classifieds?

[pfactor2]

where are the classifieds?

[mlz77096]

Scroll to the bottom of the first page when you go into the Double Bass forums. Then select the classified section that meets your needs.

[bkbirge]

I think the Roma from Ideal Music is in your price range. I've got the hybrid and love it. If you are going to be playing rockabilly though you might want to think about an amp, a mic or pickup, and other things that might put you over budget. Oh yeah, and lessons. http://bassesonline.com/roma.html

You should also go here: BASS FORUM LINKS (Newbie Links): PLEASE READ BEFORE POSTING NEW TOPICS

[FingeringAm]

thanks for the info all
i think ill wait for an electric/mic ect till i get in a band and start gigging

i have a music teacher at my school and will take lessons daily so i just need something between my hands!!!

thanks for the info ill keep the search going...not much by way of craigslist around here
but i am going to a local shop to try some out

[drurb]

Originally Posted by FingeringAm

i have a music teacher at my school and will take lessons daily so i just need something between my hands!!!

Well, if that's all you need, then why not just...

[Gearhead43]

FingeringAm,

You are right on about waiting till later on to get an amplifier.

It's best to practice until you can get a good sound and good volume out of the bass before you worry about an amp, pickup, etc. Players that always amplify from the beginning can tend to use the amp as a crutch, in a way.

Remember that the double bass is an acoustic instrument first and foremost, and bad playing only gets worse through a pickup and an amplifier. Garbage in, garbage out.

If you are interested in Rockabilly slap bass playing there are a few good instructional DVDs out there. These focus on right hand slapping technique, which you can start mixing in after your pizz playing gets up to speed:

"Rockabilly Slap Bass With Pete Turland" - there's a clip on youtube from this DVD. Gotta put your headphones on for this to hear the bass well:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u0iicnBBy8k

"SLAP BASS - THE UNGENTLE ART" taught by Mark Rubin & Kevin Smith is another good one.

Hope this info helps and good luck finding a bass. I was lucky enough to get my upright in trade for a P-bass Special and a couple hundred bucks. Hope you can find a good deal also.

[Eli_Upright12]

Originally Posted by jayarroz

If you like bluegrass get a Kay, or Engelhart.

If you like sore wrists and bad technique.

[mjt0229]

Originally Posted by Eli_Upright12

If you like sore wrists and bad technique.

I think that's a little flippant. I started playing classically on a Kay and for financial reasons used it all through high school. I auditioned for Cinci and Oberlin on it (accepted at one, not the other). All you need is a decent setup, not a $5K instrument.

[Gearhead43]

Originally Posted by Eli_Upright12

If you like sore wrists and bad technique.

edited because I am trying to become a better person.