Newbie Finding a Bass

mikey11415 · #1 01-04-2009, 10:45 AM

Hi-

I am new to TB, revisiting a very old interest in the standup and orchestral music. I am now reading the FAQ posts about finding a standup bass. I have a few questions. Here is what I am thinking/wondering:

Most importantly, without having played or touched a standup in 20 years -- how can I go into a shop and start playing/testing a bass to make sure that it is 'the one'? I don't even remember how to hold the instrument!

I am in the NYC area. I have read here about a place called David Gage. Is this a good place to get a starter bass? Are there any other bass shops? Is there any way to rent a bass for a few months? Are there teachers who can loan basses before purchase while a student 'gets started'? Then, with a little better feel, the student can purchase one?

I am leaning towards (more or less) just getting a starter bass, taking some lessons, and seeing what happens. I can trade-up to a better standup if and when the time comes, so I am not sweating too many details at this time. Is this a good idea?

I have a nice electric bass & amp and I am thinking that I maybe can trade my electric bass & amp to someone for an upright. What is the best way of accomplishing this?

Thanks!! (PS I have also posted some questions on how to find a teacher in the Orchestral Technique Forum)

fdeck · #2 01-04-2009, 11:57 AM

Welcome to the strange and wonderful world of the double bass. You live in the bass capital of the universe, and so your options are probably limitless. My suggestion is to find the shortest possible route to simply learning and enjoying the bass, which probably means renting a starter bass and getting a teacher.

An issue with a starter bass is that it's easy to buy one, but selling it later might not be a cake walk. As documented in a recent thread, brand new entry level basses depreciate, and the cheapest of cheap basses also require a lot of work to overcome hidden defects. If you buy a starter bass, it might as well be an older one.

I know bassists who are playing professionally on their original student bass. This suggests that there is a level of bass which would be affordable yet of sufficient quality to take you all the way from beginner to pro unless you end up on a trajectory towards a seat in a professional orchestra. Finding that bass eliminates the hassle of selling it later.

Andrew McGregor · #3 01-04-2009, 03:59 PM

There's a level of bass that will take you right through EVEN IF you end up playing in a professional orchestra... it's ONLY in the US (and to a lesser extent in the German-speaking world), and ONLY in the top tier orchestras, that anyone thinks it necessary to spend the price of a nice new car on a bass... you don't have to do that. Although, admittedly, that's still going to be a rather expensive bass for a beginner.

In any case, a quality instrument you're very likely to keep even once you have something superb... more than one bass is kind of necessary for a professional.

zeytoun · #4 01-04-2009, 05:21 PM

"a quality instrument you're very likely to keep even once you have something superb"

I like that way of thinking...

Andrew McGregor · #5 01-04-2009, 07:00 PM

I must say... my own bass turned out to be the sort of thing I'm talking about... it is, I gather, worth about $15k, about half as much again as my car. It's a top of the line East German shop bass from some time in the late 1950s. It probably wouldn't cut it in a top-tier orchestra, but I did play it in a second-tier orchestra for about 15 years... and I'd have to argue that for most of the time, I had the best instrument in the section.