Is there some kind of antidote for this disease? I am definitely infected!
Hello All!
I have been playing the double bass for ... let's see ... 2 weeks. In that time I have bought 2 upright basses
! Curse that Ebay! Good Lord, is THIS my mid-life crisis? I thought it was supposed to be a Porsche or something. Although I am new to the bass I am not new to music. I started in fourth grade with clarinet, switched to Bari sax in seventh and played all through high school in marching, concert and jazz bands. Throughout that time I fiddled around with many different instruments, including the electric bass. For the next 25 years or so I would pick up my Bari every now and then but that's about it. Over the past few years I have really been missing playing music rather than just listening to it.
I have a friend that I met a few years back who is a luthier. He concentrates now on building his own guitars, mandolins and ukeleles - and quite fine instruments they are! He also has a bluegrass band that practices every week but only performs about 3 times a year. A few months ago their bass player moved away. This is what got me thinking about the upright bass. I have always loved the sound of the acoustic over the electric and as a bari sax player I was more a part of the tuba/bass section that provides the depth and richness to the music, rather than the melody. He has invited me to play with them when I'm ready. He didn't have to ask twice.
Anyway, to make a long story long, I started looking into the double bass. There really isn't a good music store around here that carries them so I started perusing Ebay. I was amazed at the number of uprights for sale there. It didn't take long to figure out that most of them were probably junk - especially since the prices were so low. I came across one, however, that was priced low but seemed to be a descent bass. I had my luthier friend look at the listing also. The seller knew almost nothing about it - he got it in a lot at an auction. It was a Roth - USA made. The pictures looked good, no obvious damage but it was missing the bridge. My friend said that Roth was a descent bass, the tuners were nice and the condition looked good so I went for it. Got it for $300. I was ecstatic! It was near Washington D.C. and I was headed up that way to visit my brother anyway so I made a little side trip and didn't even have to pay shipping.
Yes, I can hear the snickering, thank you very much! When I got there I could tell immediately that something didn't look quite right. It is made of fiberglass. When I mentioned this to the seller he said "What's it supposed to be made out of?" He was actually very nice an knocked it down to $200. I couldn't say no. When I got it home I also found out that it is 1/2 size. Oh well, we put a bridge and a new set of strings on it and, believe it or not, it sounds pretty darn good!
The 1/2 size thing bothers me though. I'm a pretty large guy (6'4", 300+) and this thing looks more like a cello when I play it. You think I would learn my lesson but I still look on Ebay for that deal that no one else catches. Every day. Well, I found one about a week ago. Upton Bass is putting a lot of their trade-ins on Ebay to make room for their new line of basses. One of them was a Romanian laminated bass made by Becker. It appears to have ebony fittings. I got it for less than $500 including shipping. It came in yesterday and I am very pleased with it so far. So why am I still looking on Ebay?!! Somebody help me! I can't stop! I'm buying basses and I can't even play one yet!
I do have a few questions for anyone who has not given up reading this long winded post. This bass has a beveled fingerboard. What is the reason/advantage/disadvantage of a beveled fingerboard?
The endpin rod was broken off while it was fully extended. It is a 10mm rod. I have been hunting on the net and I have found the whole endpin assembly but not just the rod. Does anyone know where I can get a replacement rod?
Thanks
