Purchasing a Double Bass

[Mudpuppy630511]

I'm looking for a good quality 4/4 5 String bass that meets these specs so I can get back into playing in a semi-professional symphony orchestra.
Overall - 81"
Body - 48"
Lower Bouts - 30"
Upper Bouts - 22"
Rib - 10"

I stand 77".

[Jsn]

Originally Posted by Mudpuppy630511

I'm looking for a good quality 4/4 5 String bass that meets these specs so I can get back into playing in a semi-professional symphony orchestra.
Overall - 81"
Body - 48"
Lower Bouts - 30"
Upper Bouts - 22"
Rib - 10"

I stand 77".

Okay. Shouldn't this be in the Wanted section?

[tappingtrance]

I have a nice 7/8 that plays like butter with a 44" string length. 1935 fully carved wonderful instrument. PM if interested.

[Mudpuppy630511]

Originally Posted by Jsn

Okay. Shouldn't this be in the Wanted section?

sorry. not aware of where that section is

[GerardSamija]

Originally Posted by Mudpuppy630511

sorry. not aware of where that section is

http://www.talkbass.com/forum/f13/
and for the index of all relevant forums:
http://www.talkbass.com/forum/f44/

[Thumpie]

Originally Posted by Mudpuppy630511

I'm looking for a good quality 4/4 5 String bass that meets these specs so I can get back into playing in a semi-professional symphony orchestra.
Overall - 81"
Body - 48"
Lower Bouts - 30"
Upper Bouts - 22"
Rib - 10"

I stand 77".

So you're very specific about these very large dimensions, but you don't care about the scale length?

Weird.

[GerardSamija]

I'm mostly amazed to see someone actually looking for a 4/4-sized bass. In 20 years of specializing in doublebass repairs and setup work I've yet to meet a full-sized bass. Seen a lot of basses, and some impressively grand 7/8th-sized instruments which usually give their players some grief in terms of tendonitis and back pain. But full-size? Not even close. At 6'5" tall this fellow is right in there at about the same height as some of the bigger 7/8ths players I know, though they range anywhere from 5'7" to 6'6" tall. The smaller guys just use a more diagonal stance, off to the side of the instrument, or they sit on a stool and play more like 'cellists. A 7/8ths bass with a 44" to 45" scale should be more than big enough for this player.

[Thumpie]

When I look at specs, the first thing I zero in on is scale length. Then I consider the other numbers, and then I decide if I want to go play the thing. Actually playing an instrument is more important that any list of specs.

I get that he's looking for a large bass, but it just seem strange that he's hung up on these numbers.

Hey, but to each his own...

[GerardSamija]

It's easy to get hung up on numbers when devoting a lot of time to reading and not a lot of time to actually trying basses. You can have two basses of exactly the same dimensions including scale, even with the same neck angle, overstand, and bridge height, yet they can feel radically different to the player because the feedback is different. That's owing to a whole lot of other, less obvious variables, such as plate tuning, wood density and modulus of elasticity, bridge density and tuning, string type (unless they're identical), even the nature of the fingerboard ebony and the way it's dressed. Better to get one's hands on a bunch of basses and try them for significant periods to form a hand and ear model of what's wanted, as approaching it from the numbers side is bound to get you to the wrong destination.

[drurb]

Originally Posted by GerardSamija

It's easy to get hung up on numbers when devoting a lot of time to reading and not a lot of time to actually trying basses.

+1! Targeting specific dimensions as the primary criteria for purchase is, well, folly.

[Mudpuppy630511]

Originally Posted by GerardSamija

It's easy to get hung up on numbers when devoting a lot of time to reading and not a lot of time to actually trying basses. You can have two basses of exactly the same dimensions including scale, even with the same neck angle, overstand, and bridge height, yet they can feel radically different to the player because the feedback is different. That's owing to a whole lot of other, less obvious variables, such as plate tuning, wood density and modulus of elasticity, bridge density and tuning, string type (unless they're identical), even the nature of the fingerboard ebony and the way it's dressed. Better to get one's hands on a bunch of basses and try them for significant periods to form a hand and ear model of what's wanted, as approaching it from the numbers side is bound to get you to the wrong destination.

thanks for the tip. I currently live in Tulsa, and there are very few shops here that cater to bassists. My wife and I are moving to the Virginia Beach/Newport News/Norfolk/Hampton Roads vicinity mid-summer.

[Mudpuppy630511]

How does one determine the scale length?

[longfinger]

Originally Posted by Mudpuppy630511

How does one determine the scale length?

vibrating string length, measured from nut to bridge.

[GerardSamija]

The longer the scale, the broader one's hand must stretch between the notes. This may not be much of an issue above the octave, but in first position (where most bassists spend most of their time, playing whatever genre) it can mean the difference between comfortable and proficient performance and awkward performance, with potentially injurious strain in that hand and arm. I know a number of taller bassists who are rather enjoying using smaller instruments after years of struggling with larger basses.

[Thumpie]

Originally Posted by Mudpuppy630511

I'm looking for a good quality 4/4 5 String bass that meets these specs so I can get back into playing in a semi-professional symphony orchestra.
Overall - 81"
Body - 48"
Lower Bouts - 30"
Upper Bouts - 22"
Rib - 10"

I stand 77".

Do you have previous experience with the double bass? If not, you might want to consider a long learning curve. I don't think it's even reasonable to think you'll be performing in any capacity in less than a year of hard work...