solid or semi solid?

[stranded horse]

I am currently looking to buy a nice upright bass to start with, but my guess is that I won't have anything near that sum I am able to spend right now within the next couple milleniae, even though I'm just talking here about $2000. I'm not planing to upgrade within reasonable time unless something extraordinary happens. That means that I'm looking for an instrument that will last me a long time.

That's why I definitely want to go for a used instrument.

But now to my question: I've been told recently that semi solid upright basses are indeed not worse for playing jazz than one made fully solid, and for some tastes even suit the pursued sound more.
Is that true?
Or should I compulsively look for a fully solid instrument if I want something that will last me a long long time?

Any other tips for searching "my" bass?

Help is very much appreciated!
regards,
s.h.

[Paul Warburton]

For starters, you should read the Newbie stuff under the Basses Forum heading to brush up on DB terminology, OK? You're probably talking hybrid, laminated and carved here.
Do A TB search, since your question has been asked hundreds of times here.

Edit: Most Jazz players I know use fully carved basses.

[Steve Swan]

Stranded,

Welcome to the forum. If you can stay within the $1600-2000 range, you could get a nice used hybrid or high quality laminated doublebass. You will want to get something that has been set up by a competent bass luthier. If you don't have a local retail bass shop nearby, find one within a couple hours of drving time. They will help guide you through purchases that you are considering and may even have some candidates ther ready to go for you. Craigslist, newspaper ads, and bulletin boards in the music department at local colleges cn be excellent ways of finding a decent bass for you. Good luck and let us know how it turns out.

[drurb]

Originally Posted by stranded horse

...That means that I'm looking for an instrument that will last me a long time.

That's why I definitely want to go for a used instrument.

A non sequitur.

[jweiss]

The problem with the semi-solid basses is that they tend toward the full liquid state when it warms up.














Just yanking your chain. I think you might be thinking of hybrid (semi-solid) and fully carved (solid)?

[DaveAceofBass]

Look for an old King Mortone (H.N. White company) or Kay plywood (laminated) bass.

[stranded horse]

I forgot to say that I live in Euroland.
I can get a fully carved Czech or Romanian instrument here for less than €2000.
IF I can't find a nice used one I'm considering one of those:

http://www.thomann.de/gb/gliga_kontrabass_4_3_4.htm
http://www.thomann.de/gb/thomann_kontrabass_44_02.htm
http://www.thomann.de/gb/gliga_kontrabass_3_3_4.htm

They are all made by Strunal, in Czech Republic, so I can get them even at least 10% cheaper, because I can buy them directly at the factory, because I only live 200 km from there.

Would you still rather recommend a laminated one?

[Paul Warburton]

Originally Posted by jweiss

I think you might be thinking of hybrid (semi-solid) and fully carved (solid)?

I'm thinking you should read the other posts in the thread. Like #2.

[james condino]

If you live that close to the Strunal factory, you should be able to get one a LOT cheaper- more like half the regular price if you are ok with a "cosmetic second". Stuff gets damaged and beat up in a factory production setting all of the time. Tone and playability are what you are after.

I've got both carved and plywood basses. For unamplified gigs, I love the fully carved voice and response, but for a loud amplified gig with a big house PA system, I'll generally grab the old plywood beast...

j.

[stranded horse]

Originally Posted by james condino

If you live that close to the Strunal factory, you should be able to get one a LOT cheaper- more like half the regular price if you are ok with a "cosmetic second". Stuff gets damaged and beat up in a factory production setting all of the time. Tone and playability are what you are after.

I've got both carved and plywood basses. For unamplified gigs, I love the fully carved voice and response, but for a loud amplified gig with a big house PA system, I'll generally grab the old plywood beast...

j.

Ok, that's a really good idea. My first intention of going there was, that I could pick the "cosmetically" nicer intstrument though, because I'm sure they keep the nicest looking for showcasing and selling them at the factory, and sell the ones with a less nice looking wood grain via shipping. But you're right maybe I can save a lot money that way, or even get an upgrade model for the same price.

But I still want to look for a nice used one a little bit longer, and if I can't find one, I will probably buy a fully carved one at Strunal.
Or would anyone recommend me not to buy a fully carved Czech made double bass for less then €2000?

[MIKMAN]

Dear friend, just my $0.02 from Greece. If you like a good fully carved DB in a reasonable price get a ticket and go to Prague, the Czech Republic. You can visit a couple of excellent dealers, who can show you more than a dozen double basses. Then you can rent a car and visit Luby, the Strunal's headquarters. You can try all their product range and also some other instruments produced by their luthiers in their private workshops. Then you can make your decision and buy whatever you like.
I have done it many times in the past and i found some real gems.
PM for details, addresses etc.
Mike

[Bass]

Originally Posted by jweiss

The problem with the semi-solid basses is that they tend toward the full liquid state when it warms up...

Ha! Yeah - here in Canada semi-solids work OK, but only for half the year. I just play it outside so the bass remains solid. Trouble is its really tough to play with frozen fingers. Here's a picture of me playing a semi-solid bass in a frozen state:

[Paul Warburton]

[Feral Feline]

Originally Posted by Bass

Ha! Yeah - here in Canada semi-solids work OK, but only for half the year. I just play it outside so the bass remains solid. Trouble is its really tough to play with frozen fingers. Here's a picture of me playing a semi-solid bass in a frozen state:

You mean "...playing a semi-solid bass in a frozen PROVINCE "!

The thing I hate about semi-solid basses is when spring sproings and you have to retire the bass before it melts -- finding a freezer big enough is a total PITA! Freezers big enough for a semi-solid are usually too big for the garage, let alone the basement... and expensive! Meat locker storage fees are bloody expensive, too, but what's worse is that by the time the bass airs out and doesn't smell like stale freezer-burned ribs anymore, it's time to put the semi-solid back into hybernation with the rump-roast and porkchops again.

[Nagrom]

No, you just keep in the ice house over the winter, you just have to go cut ice in the winter and haul it back but always remember to stand outside the square when you finish the cut or it takes a lot longer plus you get all wet.

[Feral Feline]

Yukon: "What'd the Inuit bass player do when his semi-solid cracked?"

Nunavut: "Igloo it back together"

Tundraaaaaa!

[stranded horse]

It's REALLY nice to make fun of someone who's not writing in their first language. And besides wood is refered to as solid if it's not laminated. What is your problem with that? Do you need your own elitist double bassist language?
You are really ignorant and arrogant.

[Feral Feline]

Whoah nelly... don't be a dark horse and loose your sense of humour. People have posted some helpful information for you here. I was too late to offer any suggestions/help that others haven't already posted or I would've gladly tried to help. Nobody was being spiteful, attacking you personally or making fun of ESL (English as a Second Language).

Sorry if our joking around put a bur under your saddle, perhaps the humour could be reined in a little, but don't listen to the neigh-sayers who think the DB language is elitist.

If I were to say I'm having problems with my "fretboard", people on this side of the board would be champing at the bit, telling me to hoof it over to the TB Geetar side. I'm a newb to doublebass myself and have had to learn the local parlance as well. The mane thing is that common nomenclature helps everyone and forestalls misunderstandings, problems get solved and it creates a stable environment -- A whinny-whinny situation, if you will.

Solid body and semi-solid body electric guitars are what comes to mind, mine at least, when the terms solid and semi-solid are used. Acoustic guitars are not anything like the aforementioned guitars. So you say "poe tay toe" and I say "puh tat oh", let's call the whole thing off.

Welcome to the Dark Side, prancing Stranded Horse.

BTW, speaking for myself, I might be ignorant at times, but I'm not arrogant.

[Paul Warburton]

+1.

We do alot of kidding around here, Horse. It usually starts, though, after questions have been answered to the best of everybodys abilities. Then we kind of kick back and play around. Nobody is making fun of you.
Here's what I would do here....Our boy Feral isn't what you would call perfect in his post up above. I'd tear that sucker apart and make fun right back. I won't do that, because I've done it before to many newbies here at TB.
Like he says, we try to have fun with each other.
Welcome aboard.

EDIT: For starters......Feral seems not to know the difference between the words "mane" and main" but actually, he's playing a game on your TB user name which has the word "horse" in it. I think that's pretty damn clever. (for a bass player...... ).

[marvin spangles]

Originally Posted by Feral Feline

Whoah nelly... don't be a dark horse and loose your sense of humour. People have posted some helpful information for you here. I was too late to offer any suggestions/help that others haven't already posted or I would've gladly tried to help. Nobody was being spiteful, attacking you personally or making fun of ESL (English as a Second Language).

Sorry if our joking around put a bur under your saddle, perhaps the humour could be reined in a little, but don't listen to the neigh-sayers who think the DB language is elitist.

If I were to say I'm having problems with my "fretboard", people on this side of the board would be champing at the bit, telling me to hoof it over to the TB Geetar side. I'm a newb to doublebass myself and have had to learn the local parlance as well. The mane thing is that common nomenclature helps everyone and forestalls misunderstandings, problems get solved and it creates a stable environment -- A whinny-whinny situation, if you will.

Solid body and semi-solid body electric guitars are what comes to mind, mine at least, when the terms solid and semi-solid are used. Acoustic guitars are not anything like the aforementioned guitars. So you say "poe tay toe" and I say "puh tat oh", let's call the whole thing off.

Welcome to the Dark Side, prancing Stranded Horse.

BTW, speaking for myself, I might be ignorant at times, but I'm not arrogant.

Punniliciously unbridled piece of equine humour.