Half size double

[Piccobow]

I have read in some of the replies here that the half size double bass are only for middle aged school kids.
Well I am afraid to tell you nothing can be further from the truth. My cello teacher, who is a well rounded musician and well known in Atlanta plays a half bass.(She has been playing cello, bass, viola da gamba etc for 50 years). I am only 5 feet tall and a 3/4 would be quite a challenge for me to play!
A half bass instrument is no novel thing. You can have a bad 3/4 just like you would any sized instrument. Any questions!!

[AMJBASS]

I would tend to agree, although I don't play arco primarily. With a half sized bass I don't think you can get the bottom end of a 3/4 or 7/8, but there are some VERY good sounding smaller basses out there. I had a nice sounding Hungarian 1/2 that I sold a few years ago. I am currently experimenting again with a half size, the shorter string length being the biggest factor for me...

[PNeher]

Originally Posted by Monica Hess

I have read in some of the replies here that the half size double bass are only for middle aged school kids.
Well I am afraid to tell you nothing can be further from the truth. My cello teacher, who is a well rounded musician and well known in Atlanta plays a half bass.(She has been playing cello, bass, viola da gamba etc for 50 years). I am only 5 feet tall and a 3/4 would be quite a challenge for me to play!
A half bass instrument is no novel thing. You can have a bad 3/4 just like you would any sized instrument. Any questions!!

You are RIGHT! There ARE basses of all sizes that sound good (which is subjective) and sound those that sound bad (also subjective). When I was a kid I played a large cello tuned like a bass (sounded bad to me until I switched to a "real" 1/2 size bass). A former student of mine (a "normal" sized woman of 5'6") plays a 3/8ths size bass that sounds, to me, fantastic. She has never added a larger bass to her set of tools. After college, I too went from a very large (7/8ths 44 inch string length) bass to a smaller, for not only sound reasons but... the crux of all this: because it "fit" me better. I believe one's bass should fit one's physique. It is a major challenge to go the other way (try to fit your technique to a bass that is not the correct size and shape for you). But it may take many years to decide what sound you want and how the bass should feel to your body. So, bravo that you have found what works for you! I would hope all bassists get over the "big is best" attitude, because simply that does not hold true.
Best to you!
Patrick