New to the Game

#1 03-29-2009, 12:05 PM

Yo. I'm lookin into the whole upright/eub thing.

right now, i got a fender/squire p bass(customized) and a dean playmate acoustic/electric.

have no freakin idea where to start looking for an upright model, but i know it needs to be pretty cheap(in price, not quality).

Any advice?

clink · #2 03-29-2009, 12:10 PM

Welcome to our sandbox.
Read this:
BASS FORUM LINKS (Newbie Links): PLEASE READ BEFORE POSTING NEW TOPICS

Realize that once you enter the dark side, you can never escape it's grip.
You may be broke at the end of the process.

Still interested?

#3 03-29-2009, 12:10 PM

Eric Swanson · #4 03-29-2009, 02:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by clink

Realize that once you enter the dark side, you can never escape it's grip.
You may be broke at the end of the process.

Still interested?

Or broken...

What a gas, though, really. Welcome.

drurb · #5 03-29-2009, 02:47 PM

Needs to be pretty cheap? Yo, you're not gonna get a decent entry-level instrument with a good setup (extremely important) for less than about $1500. One way or another, you'll end up spending that. In the long-run (and the short-run), if you're considering a new bass, your best bet is to buy from a real bass shop. Forget the guitar stores and on-line musical mass merchants.

3019

Eric Swanson · #6 03-29-2009, 02:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by drurb

3019

clink · #7 03-29-2009, 03:31 PM

How did I miss that?

MollyKay · #8 03-29-2009, 06:17 PM

Since this opportunity has presented itself I am going to derail this thread with a rant

…my sweetheart of a husband has just spent the better part of two weekends working on an inexpensive Korean made bass for a new friend.

Well let me tell you cheap basses do not mean they are cheap to maintain. This bass is 9 years old and in near perfect condition…looks like it has never been played…well now we know why it looks so shiny and clean…it has not been played. This bass (little did we know) had a fairly bad vibration in the A and E strings its entire life. The fellow wanted a new sound post because it was cracked…it was nothing more then a pencil line

…but hubby agreed to look it over any way. OMG about 10- 14 hours later of working on the fingerboard…plaining, scraping, dressing the fingerboard he thinks he has the vibration licked.

The workmanship and quality of the wood made this an inexpensive bass to purchase but not a cheap bass to maintain. No luthier in their right mind would work on these basses and try to make a living. Hubby could have put on a new fingerboard in less time then trying to case the vibration on the original board.

In the end the best we can determine is the ebony in the fingerboard is inferior quality and has soft and hard spots so you can not scrape the board evenly.

Bottom line is we love vintage basses and vow to not stray from the fold ever again

…what a lesson learned trying to be a nice guy. Inexpensive basses are made with inexpensive materials for a reason…to drive you nuts.

OP do yourself a favor…don’t buy cheap or you will pay dearly for the playability and stability down the line. Oh yeah did I mention the lamination has begun to separate inside the bass already.

tomshepp · #9 03-29-2009, 07:05 PM

It never ceases to amaze me how producers of instruments of poor quality continue to stay in business. I guess there is just a never ending stream of unsuspecting folks who fail to realize that there are two meanings to the word cheap.

Despite how hard folks here try to educate them, more never ask and end up with basses that are destined for ...... what? the fireplace?

Marcus Johnson · #10 03-29-2009, 07:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tomshepp

It never ceases to amaze me how producers of instruments of poor quality continue to stay in business. I guess there is just a never ending stream of unsuspecting folks who fail to realize that there are two meanings to the word cheap.

Despite how hard folks here try to educate them, more never ask and end up with basses that are destined for ...... what? the fireplace?

That's it right there. Look how many times we (collectively) have answered questions similar to that of the OPs on this forum....seems like one a day at least.... people with $599 saved up, looking at some lo-rez pic of yet another bass-shaped object on ebay, no clue on why or how double basses are different from bass guitars. Sometimes, sadly, they've already bought these pieces of crap, and are now wondering why they're coming apart at the seams, or the fingerboard is splitting in half, or the neck joint has popped. Too late, baby. At least TEAMSSMASH asked first. But think about how many never think to do so; that's why these bull**** basses and cellos will continue to flourish on the web.

MollyKay · #11 03-29-2009, 07:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tomshepp

Despite how hard folks here try to educate them, more never ask and end up with basses that are destined for ...... what? the fireplace?

LOL...my hubby at one point said do you think I would be doing him a favor if I set it on fire right now?

gprigge · #12 03-30-2009, 11:38 AM

I switched from electric a couple years ago, and snagged a 1947 Kay from a local school for $900. It had been sitting for 10 years, in a closet, unplayed. It was my first upright, and it may be the only one I'll ever own. The constant quest for the next better elecrtric bass is over. I found the answer in an upright.
My Kay is dinged, scratched and marred, but sounds wonderful. I'm learning to play the beast, and loving it.
Point is, you can find a good used bass out there. When the player is ready, the bass will come.

scotty77 · #13 03-31-2009, 12:48 AM

Unfortunately, many people don't find "talkbass" till too late. As has been pointed out, they just don't know any better. And, I think at that point they don't have a teacher that can lead them to a better decision. Luckily, a lot of folks have found this great site before making a terrible mistake.
I count myself as one of those. I'm still renting a bass, but have a 53 Kay in my hands now that needs work (broken neck, lamination concerns). Luckily, I have a very good local luthier willing to give me a hand with making the neccessary fixes.
The point of my post is to say thanks to all the more senior members here that offer help to us newbies. It's greatly appreciated.

DallasStrings · #14 03-31-2009, 08:28 AM

It's unfortunate that our society has adopted what I call the "Wally world principle". Assume everything's good quality, even if it's cheap. Though this works for most goods, it doesn't work for the violin family or basses. Ebay is a great place to get instruments as long as you stick to Upton or the equivalent. I talk to so many parents of beginner orchestra students that just can't seem to break their fixation on that $500 ebay upright bass. I'm often unable to convince them not to buy it (even with the assistance of their orchestra director) they do so anyway. A year or so down the road, most of them make it a point to find me and let me know how right I was. That also helps me argue out of having to fix their "instrument shaped object", with an end block that's literally a 2x4, and get them into a rental. It's unfortunate that they won't have the rental credit for purchase built up like the customer who did it right to begin with..