Opinions Please

odess · #1 05-28-2009, 08:26 AM

I am about to travel a few hours to check out this Bass,
They (the Music Store) tell me it is a european bass, about 30-40 years old, In good shape (no serious blemishs or cracks)
they are asking $1000 Canadian and say they have dropped the price a few $100 recently.
Opinions and suggestions on what to look for and what Kind it is would be appreciated

Dbassmon · #2 05-28-2009, 08:41 AM

You have very little information aside from approximate age of the instrument. I guess from the price this is a laminated bass.
I would suggest that you bring the bass to a luthier for inspection and assessment of the condition of the instrument. As you may not be qualified to determine the condition of the instrument and the seller will not necessarily give you an unbiased opinion, this would be prudent. If this is coming from a music store as opposed to a bass shop, it is probable they don't have a clue as to what the bass is, how good it is, or the true condition. I takes some specialized knowledge to be able to evaluate a double bass.
If you have a bass teacher, I would get him/her involved with evaluation of the the bass as well.

drurb · #3 05-28-2009, 09:16 AM

Read Dbassmon's post three times and follow every word of his wise advice.

bassist14 · #4 05-28-2009, 10:54 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by drurb

Read Dbassmon's post three times and follow every word of his wise advice.

+1

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dbassmon

You have very little information aside from approximate age of the instrument.

judging from these pics this bass looks like new.

400$Bass · #5 05-28-2009, 10:56 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dbassmon

You have very little information aside from approximate age of the instrument. I guess from the price this is a laminated bass.
I would suggest that you bring the bass to a luthier for inspection and assessment of the condition of the instrument. As you may not be qualified to determine the condition of the instrument and the seller will not necessarily give you an unbiased opinion, this would be prudent. If this is coming from a music store as opposed to a bass shop, it is probable they don't have a clue as to what the bass is, how good it is, or the true condition. I takes some specialized knowledge to be able to evaluate a double bass.
If you have a bass teacher, I would get him/her involved with evaluation of the the bass as well.

Roger all of the above....such wisdom....

hdiddy · #6 05-28-2009, 12:24 PM

Nice glossy lacquer. The tuners look new and similar to my 2003 Christopher. I'll be damned if it's 30-40 y/o.

Martin Sheridan · #7 05-28-2009, 01:08 PM

I just took a glance, but the bass looks new and Chinese.

Don't just take it to a luthier, take it to a bass luthier; someone who works on basses all the time.

The bridge looks warped.

400$Bass · #8 05-28-2009, 02:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by hdiddy

Nice glossy lacquer. The tuners look new and similar to my 2003 Christopher. I'll be damned if it's 30-40 y/o.

Didy, but wouldn't you have to see the instrument in the "flesh", before you could make such a proclamation?

DrBassie · #9 05-28-2009, 02:55 PM

Hey, we're all going by the pics. Martin Sheridan also said it looked like a new chinese bass. It looks like a newer varnish to me...

odess · #10 05-28-2009, 04:28 PM

hey folks,

Thanks for the advice, and I will be taking it to a Luthier If I decide to proceed but....
I have never bought or shopped for a 3/4 DB before (Never available in my town)
Just to get out of the blocks here.... I was told by some to:
- check for existance and quality of the sound post,
- Strings shouldn't be more than approx 3/4" above the very end of the finger board
- check for old repairs and refinish
- check neck for bowing or bend.
what else should I look for? before I decide to proceed and ask these folks "hey, I need to take the bass for a while to get it checked out"
I appreciate all the help I can get.
Odess.

bassist14 · #11 05-28-2009, 04:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by odess

what else should I look for?

an experienced bassplayer who can take a look at the bass, thats better than some funny guys on the internet...

longfinger · #12 05-28-2009, 04:39 PM

If you publish the city and the store in question, maybe a local bassist can check it out for you and give you a basic 'heads up', before you drive for hours to see it personally?

?kosher behaviour?

hdiddy · #13 05-28-2009, 06:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 400$Bass

Didy, but wouldn't you have to see the instrument in the "flesh", before you could make such a proclamation?

Nope. Those tyrolean plate tuners look chinese made. How do I know? Cuz they look almost identical to the ones I have on my bass - I see them day in day out. The same plate tuners found on thousands of cheap chinese basses (and some better ones too). The plates are too clean. You expect to see some sort of tarnish on the brass after 30 years. The gears are too clean too.

It smells awful chinese to me too. $1000 for a german bass sounds awful fishy too - esp for one that is that clean and shows no wear and tear after 30 years.

salcott · #14 05-28-2009, 07:09 PM

"Strings shouldn't be more than approx 3/4" above the very end of the finger board"... Oy gevalt.

drurb · #15 05-28-2009, 09:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by salcott

"Strings shouldn't be more than approx 3/4" above the very end of the finger board"... Oy gevalt.

Yeah, 19mm might be a bit much.

400$Bass · #16 05-28-2009, 10:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by hdiddy

Nope. Those tyrolean plate tuners look chinese made. How do I know? Cuz they look almost identical to the ones I have on my bass - I see them day in day out. The same plate tuners found on thousands of cheap chinese basses (and some better ones too). The plates are too clean. You expect to see some sort of tarnish on the brass after 30 years. The gears are too clean too.

It smells awful chinese to me too. $1000 for a german bass sounds awful fishy too - esp for one that is that clean and shows no wear and tear after 30 years.

Very interesting...thanks for sharing.

**Chris Fitzgerald** · #17 05-29-2009, 06:23 AM

The slope of the shoulders and the glossiness remind me of a lot of Chinese basses I see online with vaguely Germanic-sounding names. Like This one. I'd be cautious.

Martin Sheridan · #18 05-29-2009, 07:20 AM

A thousand might not be too much to pay for this bass any way, but you still want to see your bass luthier. If the bridge is warped and you want a good bridge with adjusters you're looking at around $200. If the strings are original Chinese, you'll need new and better strings, another 200 or so. The nut probably needs to be lowered and the fingerboard planed, up to another 200. That could put you at around $1600 which you expect to pay for a similar bass with all that already done, and a cheap bag and bow.

Bass · #19 05-29-2009, 08:26 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bassist14

an experienced bassplayer who can take a look at the bass, thats better than some funny guys on the internet...

I dunno, it's pretty tough to beat funny guys on the internet.

hdiddy · #20 05-29-2009, 11:53 AM

Esp when the funny guys have been playing instruments for years or in some cases bass repairs and building new basses is their career. When it comes to judging basses, I don't take Martin's opinions lightly.