NEWBIE: Have Bass, Need Bow

[bstogsdill]

HI;

I just got an old upright bass (full size?- over 6ft tall) fixer upper with out a bow.

Questions - Does anybody have an old bow that they are going to throw away or that is broke, or needs to be fixed? I would be glad to pay shipping if I could get something that could be put salvaged in working condition for a beginner.

I dont know anything about german vs french or bow sizes.

Has anybody ever made a tried making a bow with any kind of house hold items? My old fishing pole and 6lb monofiliment line? Any ideas?

Where can I get the cheapest bow at if I go buy one and what would I expect to pay for one? I am not a professional musician- I need only to have fun playing.

Thanks for any help

Brad

[mcnaire2004]

Originally Posted by bstogsdill

HI;

I just got an old upright bass (full size?- over 6ft tall) fixer upper with out a bow.

Questions - Does anybody have an old bow that they are going to throw away or that is broke, or needs to be fixed? I would be glad to pay shipping if I could get something that could be put salvaged in working condition for a beginner.

I dont know anything about german vs french or bow sizes.

Has anybody ever made a tried making a bow with any kind of house hold items? My old fishing pole and 6lb monofiliment line? Any ideas?

Where can I get the cheapest bow at if I go buy one and what would I expect to pay for one? I am not a professional musician- I need only to have fun playing.

Thanks for any help

Brad

http://shop1.mailordercentral.com/le...ts.asp?dept=17 Try buying a fiberglass bow from lemur. They are pretty cheap. It is what I use.

[ClassicalBass]

Yeah, you can get a fiberglass bow for around $60 on the page McNaire sent you. Since you're playing a full size bass, look into getting a 3/4 size bow (if not a full 4/4). Don't go with the 1/2. As far as French vs German, the difference is in the frog, the black piece you hold. A French grip is an overhand grip, whereas German is underhand. There are great bassists for each style, so don't worry too much about the one you choose. Also, get some rosin for your bow, or you won't be making much sound. I'd recommend Pops or Carlsons rosin. You should be able to find it at www.lemurmusic.com. Have fun.

[Rabiah-Kae]

A little added hint. My first instrument was a viola (so shoot me ). My friend who intoduced me to bass played with a German bow. I never could get the hang of a German bow, so i recommend, if you have any experience with a Viola, Violin, or 'cello, buy a cheap fibreglass French bow. I do not know of any advantages one holds that the other does not.

[ClassicalBass]

Originally Posted by Rabiah-Kae

A little added hint. My first instrument was a viola (so shoot me ). My friend who intoduced me to bass played with a German bow. I never could get the hang of a German bow, so i recommend, if you have any experience with a Viola, Violin, or 'cello, buy a cheap fibreglass French bow. I do not know of any advantages one holds that the other does not.

That's a good point. However, if you have no bow experience at all, you may be able to call Lemur (there must be contact information somewhere on their web page), and you may be able to order both a German and a French bow, experiment for a week or so, and then return the least comfortable one. I'm not sure about their policy on this, but it may be worth checking into.

[enyapj18]

Upton sells brazilwood bows for $99. From the reviews I've read from other Talk Bassers they seem really happy with them. If I where you I'd spend the extra money and not buy a fiberglass bow.

Just my $0.02

John

[Paul Warburton]

First off....you can't tell the size of a DB by measuring its height.
The general feeling of this board has been not only the Upton bows, but the Golihur Brazilwood bows for less than $150.
I can personally recommend these becase I have one.
Good luck, and might I suggest going to the Newbie links at the top of each area.
And please complete your Public Profile for most response.

[bstogsdill]

Greetings to you all- thank you for the help-

Paul- just how does one determine the size of a DB? I assumed that the "size" would correspond to the physical dimensions- one of them being the height? Does one rather measure the scale length?

Could somebody tell me how to verify its size? I was told that the manufacturer only made 3/4 size not 4/4 size, but would like to verify this.

As for bow size- I got long arms so I guess I should take adavantage of that and get a 4/4 bow size instead of a 3/4 size bow? (Just how does one determine bow size?)


Thanks, I will have to find my profile and fill it out. And find the newbie links.

[Paul Warburton]

This can be really confusing. A combination of all the measurments is best. To me, the string length is probably the most important.Measure bottom of the nut to the top of the bridge. Also known as the vibrating length. But still, i've seen some small basses with huge mensures. mensure is the hip word for string length. Very European doncha know.
Some of our wonderful luthiers will hopefully chime in and give you better info. They don't all use the word mensure though.
I just use it to make you younguns think I got my **** together. I may be the only jazz bassist that uses the word mensure.
Talk to me later...i'll teach you some very hip jazz musician words.

[Bob Gollihur]

Originally Posted by bstogsdill

Greetings to you all- thank you for the help-

Paul- just how does one determine the size of a DB? I assumed that the "size" would correspond to the physical dimensions- one of them being the height? Does one rather measure the scale length?

Could somebody tell me how to verify its size? I was told that the manufacturer only made 3/4 size not 4/4 size, but would like to verify this.

Check the FAQ section of my Double Bass Links Page at http://www.urbbob.com/basslink.html; you'll find a page that has bass measurements to compare to your instrument.