looking into a bass

[speedydee]

i play mainly bass guitar but through my school i have been playing upright. i love it but know nothing about it. im loooking into purchasing one. im just starting so it doesn't matter how good it is, im sure it can't get any worse than what im playing now anyway.

what would be the VERY CHEAPEST bass i could find?

[Basschair]

Originally Posted by speedydee

im sure it can't get any worse than what im playing now anyway.

Oh, you'd be surprised...

You could get a "bass" for really, really cheap...$500 range. When you're trying to spend that little amount of money, you might end up with what could be called a disposable bass. If you want something that will (at the bare minimum) last as long as you need it to...I'd say at least $1,200. This is from the perspective of where I am locally (San Joaquin Valley...near Sacramento, San Francisco, etc.). That could get you a sturdy, Chinese-made plywood that would last you for a while and would be something to learn on. And if it's set up well, it'd be enjoyable to play.

If you dig, research, and find someone in your family with a credit card who's willing to order it for you, you could get a plywood that is a step or two up from that, or even a hybrid bass for not a whole lot more from one of the shop/business owners who frequent this forum, or who advertise here. I haven't tried one personally, but have heard great things about (AH) Bob Golihur's basses, as well as the Upton models.

I hope this helps, and best of luck to you!

[Marcus Johnson]

Man, this road has been travelled so many times here. It rarely ends well, so have a look at the newbie links for some beginner's info. Basschair knows what he's talking about, BTW.

Before you do any shopping, I'd try to play some basses that belong to working pros in your area if possible. The reason being; you've already apparently been playing a low end DB, so you may be willing to settle for a bass that's only marginally better, if that. However, you also may not know what a well set up, reasonable quality bass feels like. Forgive me if I assume too much, I just don't know how much actual experience you have.

In addition, you can get some hands-on tips from people who play every day, and hopefully avoid costly mistakes right at the beginning. If you are near a reputable DB shop, you may be able to rent a nice instrument at first, and apply the outlay towards the purchase price if it works out for you.

Anyway, check out the newbie stuff, and then feel free to ask more questions if you don't find the answers there. Good luck.

PS... if you can give us a general idea of your geographical location, we can possibly suggest some places to start your search.

[Silversorcerer]

Typically we divide "double basses" into two categories, double basses (DBs) and "Bass Shaped Objects" (BSOs). The second category is suitable for low budget movie props where the sound is dubbed in by midi .....

Real double basses are items worth more than the cost of shipping. And BSOs are just ways to fill up the empty ballast on a boat that needs a little more stabilizing weight to float out of China with something that ships on a deadline. Disposable Double Bass is not necessarily "playable" Double Bass either. Keep an eye out for deals on real DBs. Get a teacher to help you look. Spend your money wisely on something that will have a resale value if you decide it's not for you. Take your time and it will be worth your while, and as always, we are here to help, not doll out undue criticism. There are a bunch of good beginner basses out there. Enjoy the process of looking at them, researching and finding the one for you.

[Steve Swan]

I see Cremona and Palatino basses for as little as $400.00 on Craigslist. That's about the cheapest that I've seen, although I did see another plywood bass with part of its back missing for $200.00! These awful basses have been discussed at length in various threads, so there is no need to rehash it here. If gettting a bass like that does get someone interested in playing doublebass, that's great. I worry that they'll just get scared off and never pursue it after this first strongly negative experience.

[Marcus Johnson]

It may be worth checking into the recent "Palentino" thread, if you dare. Especially the most recent posts, in which the new owner is already experiencing structural problems, two months after his purchase.

[Tvrtko]

Originally Posted by speedydee

i play mainly bass guitar but through my school i have been playing upright. i love it but know nothing about it. im loooking into purchasing one. im just starting so it doesn't matter how good it is, im sure it can't get any worse than what im playing now anyway.

what would be the VERY CHEAPEST bass i could find?

I've heard somewhere how BASS players are "guys in the band with the biggest balls".
You are involved here in battle of testosterone driven yuppies and low budget investment.

If you want to just "check out how it works", do what I did. Go to ebay, search for upright bass, setup cheapest first, bid on those upright THINGS of different colors and get one just $2.00 above shippment price.

You will get more plywood and sound than you can handle at this point. Don't even bother to change strings. Play on it until you see if that's what you want. If you conclude you like it, change strings. Get one for $25. Don't go for more expensive. You know why? Because, you never know if that thing is going to end up in your fireplace one day.

Would you buy Ferrari just to try to drive car with gearshift? (PS it's not a fun to drive one - your nose is just on level where all exhoust pipes are...all you can see are big fat truck tires in front of you)

BTW. Get yourself pink, green or yellow glow strings. 99% of people will think you got ELECTRIC UPRIGHT! Just $35!

And I am not kidding. I am not spending rest of my life playing "ping-pong" be-bop.... If someone wants to be A STAR, that's fine, too.

But, I don't think we all need to be ACADEMICS with various degrees on 4 fat strings... It's just FUN, people.

[Marcus Johnson]

Originally Posted by Tvrtko

It's just FUN, people.

Especially if you really enjoy working with clamps and glue every weekend.