Is this an OK starter bass?

[KUNGfuSHERIFF]

Not to mention that for a lot of us, Engels/Kays are THE SOUND for some genres.

[will33]

Do the skinny necks cause you to want to grasp them more with your hand rather than use body leverage to finger notes, or cause bad habits that don't transfer well to "proper" necks? What constitutes a skinny vs. fatter neck?

I'm a pretty big guy, 6'2" with big hands and sausage fingers, some electric bass can almost look closer to a guitar size instrument on me. I can play thinner necks just fine, bit a (electric) jazz bass neck feels like I coukd snap the thing if I wanted to. The very few uprights I've tried to play (no idea what kind they were) all felt like big necks by comparison obviously but I don't know what to compare to between uprights. This made it difficult to grasp the neck, which I later found out I shouldn't be doing anyway, and did cause some discomfort after a while.

[drurb]

Originally Posted by Matt Ides

Steve, they still have there place in the bass ladder of life. As Crow pointed out Engels were the only option for most of us when got our first affordable/starter bass.

A Kay was the only affordable option my family could afford decades ago. That was then; this is now. IMO, there are so many superior options available today that virtually every newbie would be better served by casting Engels off from any rung of the bass ladder. I can think of no aspect of the design or sound of an Engel that is up to the level of, say, an entry-level or comparable Shen. In addition, there are other fine options as well. I know that Engels have some devotees. To each his own.

Originally Posted by will33

Do the skinny necks cause you to want to grasp them more with your hand rather than use body leverage to finger notes, or cause bad habits that don't transfer well to "proper" necks?

Yes, they lead to the baseball-bat hold because the left-hand gets fatigued when you try to maintain the proper "claw" on the neck.

Originally Posted by KUNGfuSHERIFF

Not to mention that for a lot of us, Engels/Kays are THE SOUND for some genres.

This is, perhaps, the exception. That is, when an experienced player makes the choice based on a niche. Indeed, for some genres, a Kay or Engel is just the ticket, sort of in the way that a rusted out '55 Buick is far more desirable in a demolition derby than is the Maserati GranTurismo I mentioned above. That's not really meant to be insulting. It's the lack of refinement of the sound of Kays/Engels that can make them perfect for creating the "thump" that fits so well into some genres.

[will33]

Originally Posted by drurb

+1!

Also, see this with regard to Engelhardts.

This link explained some about neck thickness, but I still don't really have anything to compare in person as to what is thick and what is thin.

[drurb]

Originally Posted by will33

This link explained some about neck thickness, but I still don't really have anything to compare in person as to what is thick and what is thin.

You're right. That's why it's so important to have someone experienced help you along in your choice. Many new players, especially those coming over from BG, will tell you that a skinny neck just feels more comfortable. After all, it's easier to get your hand around it. Then reality sets in, often after it's too late. Part of the way I, for example, evaluate a neck is to assess how it feels with my left hand forming the proper "claw" in the lower positions. If you don't yet know much about left-hand technique then it'll be difficult to make a good judgment. If you can identify who will be your teacher, it would be well worth paying him/her for a "lesson" that consists of him/her accompanying you on a bass-buying/renting outing.

[chopsy]

Originally Posted by KUNGfuSHERIFF

Not to mention that for a lot of us, Engels/Kays are THE SOUND for some genres.

this... this X eleventy hundred. the bass you posted has me positively drooling but as drurb has pointed out it's not for everyone.

regardless of how inexperienced you are with an upright, once you get one in your hands and spend a month or so figuring out what you want and don't want out of an upright you will be able to shop with so much more purpose and if you take it to a luthier to be checked out you will be able to have a much more informed conversation about it and what you are looking for.

renting sounds like a great idea.