My first upright....

jacofollower · #1 01-08-2007, 07:35 AM

I just got my first upright bass,a Cremona SB-2,it's about five years old, and i paid $300 dollars for it.

I know there are some mixed opinions of Chinese basses. But mine came with nice strings on it. I'm wondering if this bass will serve me well for jazz, it seems like it will, but my first rehersal is this thursday so i guess i'll find out then.....

Oh yeah i'm an electric player who's just came to the "Dark Side"

Greg Clinkingbeard · #2 01-08-2007, 07:45 AM

For $300 it may be OK. Time will tell the tale.

If you're ready to take it to a rehearsal, you're advancing quickly on it. Beware of trying to adapt slab technique to the upright. You'll develop many bad habits that way. Do you have a good teacher?

Also, for most Jazz settings, you will need to amplify, so be sure you're covered there.

jacofollower · #3 01-08-2007, 09:15 AM

I don't have a teacher i live in a fairly secluded area(rural tn),so all the players here are bluegrass anyway.

I did forget to mention that this bass was used on at least two albums before i got it, but that doesn't mean much too much.

I do have amplification covered.but i have to switch from slab to upright in the same rehersal because we play a wide range of music,so techniques will be horrible for a while.

"Jungle Boogie" doesn't sound too hot on upright.

theshadow2001 · #4 01-08-2007, 11:22 AM

Do a search on cremona from what I remember they are meant to be alright as far as the cheap chinese basses go. I dunno for sure though

jacofollower · #5 01-08-2007, 03:46 PM

From what i've found alot of cremona owners are pretty satisfied,plus i didn't even pay what most of them payed.....

Sippy · #6 01-20-2007, 07:52 PM

hmmm How can I put this without sounding like a prick? If you have just recently bought your first upright, and have yet to play one prior... you are NOT ready to go to a rehearsal or play live.

SebBass · #7 01-20-2007, 11:20 PM

Heya dude,

Really, this is just my 0,02$, but I did that a couple years ago and it's a mistake im still paying for today. Long story short, trying to be superbassman rewarded me with 2 tendonitises (sp?), one in each arm, and 3 months physiotherapy, on top of really sounding like crap the first couple gigs I took it out on.

Of course your mileage will vary, but my advise is to make everyone, starting with yourself, a favor by taking just a little bit of time to learn how to be with the new girlie.

Again, my 2 cents - Cheers on the new bass

bilco · #8 01-21-2007, 01:38 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SebBass

Heya dude,

Really, this is just my 0,02$, but I did that a couple years ago and it's a mistake im still paying for today. Long story short, trying to be superbassman rewarded me with 2 tendonitises (sp?), one in each arm, and 3 months physiotherapy, on top of really sounding like crap the first couple gigs I took it out on.

Of course your mileage will vary, but my advise is to make everyone, starting with yourself, a favor by taking just a little bit of time to learn how to be with the new girlie.

Again, my 2 cents - Cheers on the new bass

+1!!

I have only been playing a month and I have had 3 lessons, mostly dealing with left hand technique (Simandl) that is radically different from the technique that I have used on my Pbass for 35 years. I thought I was doing really well last week, so I ran major and minor scales and played some walking patterns for 2 hours straight in half and first position. I didn't feel it at the time, but the next day my left thumb was killing me. At my Sunday lesson, the instructor showed what I was doing wrong with my left thumb and I could barely play during the lesson. I am getting better now, but when folks here tell you to take it slow and get a teacher, they know what they are talking about!! Don't hurt yourself.

and by the way, you won't believe how much more fun the upright is to play than electric. It's addicting!

Bill Colbert

Sippy · #9 01-21-2007, 07:09 AM

Yea I'm glad everybody agrees... it's just dangerous to jump into gigging with an upright. healthwise, and musicwise. It takes so much physical attention to play the upright and everything is repeated, it's VERY easy to hurt yourself... tendonitis HURTS lol...not to mention there is no way your intonation is going to be at all decent with just picking up the instrument for a day.