New Double Bass necessary.

J Strat · #1 02-21-2009, 09:40 PM

Whats the best upright bass i could get for Jazz, Classical, Bluegrass, in that order of importance, for $1500 or less?

ShowKing · #2 02-21-2009, 09:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by J Strat

Whats the best upright bass i could get for Jazz, Classical, Bluegrass, in that order of importance, for $1500 or less?

you should ask in the double bass forum

Jim Carr · #3 02-22-2009, 05:25 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by J Strat

Whats the best upright bass i could get for Jazz, Classical, Bluegrass, in that order of importance, for $1500 or less?

Check the DB stickies and do a bit of searching. Browse TB classified listings, and visit Upton, Gollihur, Craigslist, etc. Google is your friend.

Cheap == unplayable, IMHO.

McGryff · #4 02-22-2009, 06:56 AM

You can probably find a laminate Shen SB-80 or SB-100 for around $1500, but it depends on the shop, setup, and accessories (you'll want a bow, bow case, rosin, etc, right??). I plug Shens because of personal experience, I've got a carved Shen, and I the know the distributors... they're reliably very good instruments.

Upton's basic ply goes for a bit more I think... maybe $1700? Anyway, I agree with Dr. Jim there... you're playing with fire if you set your price too low. If you must stick to 1500 or less, be extremely cautious, you could wind up with something more trouble than it's worth. These aren't cheap instruments, and you can't always find a bargain with DB.

Like Dr. Jim also said, check Uptons, Bob Gollihur's site, Shens & Christophers are good, and there are several good bass shops around the country that could help you out too. Good luck!

arcbass · #5 02-22-2009, 07:35 AM

There is a Johannes Kohr K64B on ebay right now with a buy it now price of $1500. From searching threads on talkbass it is my understanding that this Kohr model is in actuality a Christopher 303 series busetto style bass, i.e. a bass with a carved top and laminated sides and back. Buying a bass of off of ebay may not be the best way to purchase a bass, but a Christopher hybrid busetto (a reputable company) in what appears to be excellent condition is a bargain at $1500.00. I have a Christopher TB603 double bass that is the fully carved version of this bass and it is really a wonderful instrument. It would be a great instrument in your price range.

Phil Rowan · #6 02-22-2009, 08:37 AM

^ Looks good, though I'd be concerned about how well a pawn shop can pack a bass for shipping.

Also, KCStrings has a ply for $1900 (and they're located in Kansas). I know it's more than $1500, but like others said, paying a little more now might actually be saving you some money in the long run.

ksilacci · #7 02-22-2009, 08:42 AM

I bought a Sunrise Solana from Lemur Music... it was $1495, but I picked it up there. I think shipping is another $300 or so (sounds like they actually build a crate for your bass or something). I think they did an excellent job on the setup... I'm not that experienced, but the guy I take lessons from was also impressed with the setup.

drurb · #8 02-22-2009, 10:31 AM

ksilacci · #9 02-22-2009, 10:53 AM

what's 3015 mean?

Phil Rowan · #10 02-22-2009, 12:04 PM

I may be way off here, but I think that means this is the 3015th thread in which a question posed by someone was successfully answered by one or more members.

zeytoun · #11 02-22-2009, 12:46 PM

Or maybe,

1,507,500=<n(What is the best bass I can by for $x?)=<4,522,500

Where, n is the number of times said question has been asked, and x is an arbitrary number greater than 500, but no greater than 1500.

reedo35 · #12 02-22-2009, 01:14 PM

The simpler, less mathmatical version is that this is approximately the 3015th time a newbie has asked the same question without doing any prior research.

Phil Rowan · #13 02-22-2009, 01:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by reedo35

The simpler, less mathmatical version is that this is approximately the 3015th time a newbie has asked the same question without doing any prior research.

I stand corrected.

ksilacci · #14 02-22-2009, 01:23 PM

I see. I'm sure it gets old seeing the same question over and over. I can't speak for the OP, but for me... double bass is so different than everything I'm used to. With electric bass, it's easy to get a recommendation of "brand x is a good buy in the n $$ price range"... and in the 1,000 price range, there are a lot of good options. No matter how many times it is said, it's hard to wrap your head around the fact that $1,000 won't buy you a good instrument (db), it's hard to grasp that the setup has as much to do with playability as the build does, and it's hard to grasp just how much variation there is between individual instruments - even when they are the same make and model.

I read the newbie links, and also kept searching the forums whenever I found a new supplier (to read opinions on stringemporium, upton, lemur, gollihur, etc.) and was still tempted to post a "what's my best option" question. I eventually came to terms with the fact that there wasn't a magical answer, but I do understand the temptation to look for one.

barbarbass · #15 02-22-2009, 01:24 PM

Check out www.bassesonline.com. YOu can find what you're looking for under 1500 -- of course, it will need some setting up, no doubt.