newbie got a bass!

quatzical · #1 04-25-2008, 12:30 PM

Just have to share 'cause I'm very excited--yesterday I handed over more cash than I've ever had in hand before and brought home a used Christopher 304T.

I'm a jazz pianist/flutist who took up bass guitar a while ago to work on my bass lines, then found more work as a bassist. Wanting to learn upright, I faithfully read through a lot of threads here over a year ago, researched bass brands and such for a good entry level bass, and being kind of intimidated about trying out basses in a bass shop without knowing how to play, ended up renting from the local music shop. Haven't done much with that bass because it was somewhat frustrating to play and I was just planning to give it back and wait until I'd saved up to buy a decent bass when I happened to check Craigslist and found the Christopher for sale. Turns out, I'd previously jammed with the guy selling it--he's really a sax player. And although he didn't get as into upright as he'd hoped, it so happens he'd taken a few lessons from the guy I called to ask if he'd go with me to look at the bass, so Gerry was able to tell me his opinion of it without going out there. You guys are right...it is sooo much nicer to play a bass that is properly set up. Anyhow, thanks for all the great advice on this forum and I'm off to sign up for lessons now. Btw, if I'm planning on playing mostly jazz, would you recommend taking a few lessons from a classical teacher for technique as well as a jazz teacher?

Eric Hochberg · #2 04-25-2008, 01:17 PM

Nice bass. You should send the "bass with cat" pic to Jason Heath at doublebassblog.org. He loves basses and cats!

bobba66 · #3 04-25-2008, 01:17 PM

Beautiful instrument.

ctcruiser · #4 04-25-2008, 01:26 PM

Nice pictures. Can't wait until I get my Chrissy muffin top.

dchan · #5 04-25-2008, 02:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ctcruiser

Nice pictures. Can't wait until I get my Chrissy muffin top.

??? Is 'muffin top' a reference to the fact that it's a hybrid or a busetto-shaped bass? Or neither? Either way, that's the first time I heard that reference, ever.

mjt0229 · #6 04-25-2008, 03:15 PM

I think that a good jazz teacher ought to be able to teach you enough fundamental technique that you shouldn't need to have 2 teachers. That means stuff like left and right hand positions, posture, bow hold, scales, etc. There are probably techniques that are more specialized to jazz, and it seems that arco playing is less important for jazz, but it's worth working on both arco and pizz.

ctcruiser · #7 04-26-2008, 10:12 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dchan

??? Is 'muffin top' a reference to the fact that it's a hybrid or a busetto-shaped bass? Or neither? Either way, that's the first time I heard that reference, ever.

The Busetto shape.

hdiddy · #8 04-26-2008, 01:06 PM

Looks exactly like my bass! Congrats!

Bass for Beef · #9 04-28-2008, 03:06 AM

Nice bass! You should practice everything with a bow to work out your intonation, maybe even play scales with a tuner. Not to downplay pizz but if you get it right on bow you can get if right with your fingers. Theres lots of great jazz players out there but so many of them would be better if they worked out their intonation issues with a bow.

jisbass · #10 04-28-2008, 12:40 PM

Nice!

It seems like they really improved on the finish of the Christophers.
Looks much better than the hybrid Christopher I used to have.

quatzical · #11 04-29-2008, 10:16 PM

Thanks everyone! I'm loving it, and possibly being bad playing around on it before having a really good lesson, but that will happen soon. I guess I'll start with the one jazz teacher and if it seems I need more I can always get a classical teacher later. Is there chamber music for contrabass, or is the usual classical outlet orchestras? Anyhow, I'll definitely be practicing with a bow for intonation plus I love the way arco bass sounds. I just hope learning to bow the bass is less disturbing to the neighbors than the auditory torture I inflicted in elementary school while (briefly) learning violin.

exprimate · #12 04-30-2008, 01:04 AM

Looks great, but from your pix, I would look at your bridge. It appears to be leaning forward. It is indicitive of strong string tension, and can change as you tune up. This will shorten your string length and may cause problems down the line. It should form a 90 degree angle from the back side of the bridge in relation to the top of the bass. Other than that, I see no problems. Congrats!

jakrees747 · #13 05-02-2008, 11:18 AM

congrats, just got one of these myself.

what setup stuff did you do?