What kind of Bass company do you like?

The.Bassist. · #1 07-23-2007, 06:18 AM

I have been playing for 3 years and I acually wnat to buy a Bass. I was wondering, what Bass companies do you prefer? What companies should I stay away from? I have a store nearby that sells and rents out Basses and they have a Palatino in there. Is that compay good? Thanks

nastyn8c · #2 07-23-2007, 06:22 AM

That all depends on how much money you want to spend. About what price range are you thinking?

asahobby · #3 07-23-2007, 06:41 AM

Fender.. what else can you say?

If you want to kill rap.... let Pat Boone do it

nastyn8c · #4 07-23-2007, 07:00 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by asahobby

Fender.. what else can you say?

Just because it's the most common doesn't mean it's anywhere near the best. Sure, some of the MIM and most MIA Fenders are gems, but you'll find that to be true with most brands.

Besides, I think the OP is looking for help finding some good brands he hasn't heard of.

The.Bassist. · #5 07-23-2007, 07:11 AM

I didn't know fender made Double Basses. I can't really afford anything over 3 thousand. Also ,what does MIM and MIA and OP stand for?

Sam Sherry · #6 07-23-2007, 07:26 AM

ok, TheDot.

a) Fender doesn't make double basses. Those last few were just electric players who wandered over here by mistake.

b) At the top of each of the Double Bass topics you will find "Newby FAQ" which took our gracious moderator, Chris FitzGerald, many hours to assemble. Read 'em. They'll help answer your questions and more. Benefit from the experience of others!

c) If you do you'll see, over and over, that "brand" is a bass-guitar notion which for the sake of argument doesn't much apply in the double-bass world. There's more to it than that so read on.

d) . . . and you'll see that "Palatino" is Italian for "bass-manure" . . . .

Good luck. Have fun.

Silversorcerer · #7 07-23-2007, 08:33 AM

Some double basses from Europe come with a certification of hand made manufacture letter signed by the shop Master. It's a nice touch, but most carved double basses are hand made to a large degree. To me, the most important thing is the experience of the maker or the shop and the history of quality in the company. I guess my favorites would be the small family owned shops that are all over Europe. Makers trained in Germany or trained in the tradition of the German Guild seems to be a commonality among the well made double basses I've seen. That generally includes most European instruments and even some of the better Chinese makers. One thing I like to see is the instrument being sold with the original shop name and not being "re-branded". This shows that the shop has some pride in the name and is at least interested in building a reputation based on acknowledged examples of their work. Also the reseller is not trying to obscure the origin. You know what you are buying and who built it and where. If you know those things you can have some idea of the true economic value of your investment. You can figure to some degree the costs of skilled labor, good materials, transportation, etc. Of course at the end of the day it has to be put together well enough to stay together and also sound good.

wilsonn · #8 07-23-2007, 08:45 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by The.Bassist.

I have been playing for 3 years and I acually wnat to buy a Bass. I was wondering, what Bass companies do you prefer? What companies should I stay away from? I have a store nearby that sells and rents out Basses and they have a Palatino in there. Is that compay good? Thanks

You're probably not going to get a complete answer to your question in this thread, because the whole point of this board is the answer to your question. You might want to browse and read as much of the old posts as you can, or use the search function to search for articles within the 'double bass' parent forum using keywords like "newbie", "choosing", etc. Then, after you've identified a few bass makes/models you can use those in the search query to find more info.

Also, one music store, that only sells and rents Palatino, is probably not a great reference for you. Try to figure out which is the closest store, referenced in this forum, that's a reputable dealer. Visiting and talking to them, playing a few basses, will be loads of fun and more informative than almost anything you can read here.

Neal

drurb · #9 07-23-2007, 08:47 AM

You should be aware that some basses that are purported to be from a specific shop in Europe are actually may be made in any of a number of related shops. Some of these basses have even been "signed" by the supposed maker. In some cases, that maker may not even exist. There are fine bass dealers in the US who sell basses that are manufactured as "shells" in Europe and that are finished here in the US (e.g., AES [New Standard], Upton, etc.). What is important is that you buy a bass from a reputable luthier.

nastyn8c · #10 07-23-2007, 12:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sam Sherry

a) Fender doesn't make double bassists. Those last few were just electric players who wandered over here by mistake.

Oops. I just saw it on the home page and figured I'd try to help. Didn't look and the forum though

xlows · #11 07-23-2007, 12:21 PM

You know, even though I am an electric player, I can't give any better advice than to go try a bunch and see what fits you best. It applies to EVERY instrument (I'm a saxophonist as well as a bassist, and that most certainly holds true). Sometimes the cheapie basses sound or feel far better than higher end ones, it's all a matter of finding your soul mate in a bass.

drurb · #12 07-23-2007, 01:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by xlows

You know, even though I am an electric player, I can't give any better advice than to go try a bunch and see what fits you best. It applies to EVERY instrument (I'm a saxophonist as well as a bassist, and that most certainly holds true). Sometimes the cheapie basses sound or feel far better than higher end ones, it's all a matter of finding your soul mate in a bass.

I agree with the overall sentiment but, personally, I have never found a "cheapie" DB to sound or feel "far better" than any high end DB. If what feels and sounds best to a particular player is a cheapie bass, I would encourage that player to ask for someone more experienced to accompany him/her in his/her shopping travels. Just my $0.02

anon_6j591b0 · #13 07-23-2007, 01:37 PM

Hey Dot Bassist fill out your profile!
Part of what you may be buying is the service you will get from what ever shop you get a bass from. They're like cars in that someone who knows what to look for can safely buy a used one anywhere but someone less experienced might do better to find a trustworthy shop who will help educate, sell you a good instrument at a fair price and take care of you after you buy. There are great (and some not so great) shops everywhere and if we know your approximate vicinity someone close to you might have some valuable information on who to go to or who to avoid.

Tyler_W · #14 07-23-2007, 09:22 PM

I personally love my Eberle Carved (East European-- made in 1980somthing) that I got from Ideal Music, in NY (Review will come shortly)!