who is the SX of the DB world?

[davec]

I was thrilled when my son told me he wanted to play bass at school, I've wanted to try DB and played cello as a kid. At first I thought a Sam Ash special might be in order, but then thought that there maybe something more affordable or better out there.....
thanks

[shadygrove]

Hi davec,

Check out the "newbie" sticky at the top of this forum for a ton of threads on different DB's and tips for buying one.

We don't have Sam Ash up here in the NW and I'm also not familiar with SX, but IMHO stay away from the "dreaded CCB" (cheap chinese bass) and get something that will be playable, won't fall apart and will retain resale value if he decides it's not his thing after all.

[toman]

Yeah, check out all the previous discussion.

One of my favorites is the Eberle/Musima laminated bass; its indestructible and with a good setup could take a person through college. Sure is ugly though... You can get one under a grand and add a pro setup job and some upgraded parts, you have a pretty good instrument.

[Bruce Lindfield]

One the things that was frustrating, when I went from BG to DB was that it just doesn't work in the same way - that while I could look at and try out dozens of well-known-brands of bass guitar, weigh up the pros and cons and look at a wide price range - with DB, brand names meant nothing and the price range was very erratic - huge leap from "student bass" to anything slightly better etc. etc.

Also that - the way a bass was set up could be more important than any "name" and that there was no way you could do that for yourself - a lot to learn...?

[davec]

thanks guys

[toman]

Originally Posted by Bruce Lindfield

Also that - the way a bass was set up could be more important than any "name" and that there was no way you could do that for yourself - a lot to learn...?

+1 on that; setup is waaaaaay important.

[Bruce Lindfield]

I only learned about any of this stuff by reading threads on this site - otherwise I would have been completely lost and would probably never have taken up DB...?

[ctcruiser]

Originally Posted by davec

I was thrilled when my son told me he wanted to play bass at school, I've wanted to try DB and played cello as a kid. At first I thought a Sam Ash special might be in order, but then thought that there maybe something more affordable or better out there.....
thanks

When I first interested in buying a DB, I went to the local Sam Ash. The sales person there told me not to buy their double basses as they were junk. And, they don't have anyone to set it up for you.

Read the threads and look to find local luthiers that sell and set up basses. Check the Gollihur directory for listings of local luthiers.

http://www.gollihurmusic.com/luthiers.cfm

"Affordable" is a tricky word in the DB world, as I found out. You may think you are getting a bargain, but you will need to spend money on having the bass set up to make it playable (if it can be playable at all).

The best thing to do is to find a local shop where you can try out the basses and bring it back for tweaking after your purchase.

Good luck!

[Don Higdon]

Originally Posted by davec

I was thrilled when my son told me he wanted to play bass at school, I've wanted to try DB and played cello as a kid. At first I thought a Sam Ash special might be in order,

NO.
This is not the way to go about it. Upton and Bob Gollihur are trustworthy sources for entry level basses. I believe a phone call to both would help alot. The typical salesman from a music store chain knows nothing, absolutely nothing, about DB.