Savings and Buying a new Bass

Charles Shores · #1 11-02-2005, 06:47 PM

Hey,

I'm here at NCSA and my teacher (Lynn Peters with the Winston-Salem symphony) wants to know if I'll be buying a bass soon. She is advising me to put as much money as I can into the thing because it will gain value over time. Is this true with higher end basses such as Pollmans?

I'd really like to get my hands on the Alexandria they have, but it would take most of my savings. My savings account is for college, and technically this is a college expense, but my mom and girlfriend are worried that I'd be making a bad decision. The way I see it, if I ever need the money again, the bass will have gained value, so I'll make a profit off of it!

I'm leaning towards an expensive bass so that I can just get it now and not have to worry about buying one when I graduate for whatever symphony I join. If it doesnt work out, ill probably get one in the $5000 range.

Any thoughts?

Thanks!

PS, I love music school!

Johnny L · #2 11-02-2005, 07:15 PM

It took me a year to save up enough money for my first upright, ply Strunal...and then another 3 years to save up enough money for a carved bass and a great bow.

I scraped and begged for the cash and gas to afford any kind of lessons, which my teacher gracefully endured for way longer than I would ever have for a student with my constant on/off and irratic scheduling.

I just can't believe some of the people who post here throwing down 20+g's for a first bass...it's freakin' jaw dropping...

But hey you got the money man go for it don't let my jealousy get you down. I honestly wish you the best!

JazznFunk · #3 11-02-2005, 07:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Charles Shores

Hey,

I'm here at NCSA and my teacher (Lynn Peters with the Winston-Salem symphony) wants to know if I'll be buying a bass soon. She is advising me to put as much money as I can into the thing because it will gain value over time. Is this true with higher end basses such as Pollmans?

I'd really like to get my hands on the Alexandria they have, but it would take most of my savings. My savings account is for college, and technically this is a college expense, but my mom and girlfriend are worried that I'd be making a bad decision. The way I see it, if I ever need the money again, the bass will have gained value, so I'll make a profit off of it!

I'm leaning towards an expensive bass so that I can just get it now and not have to worry about buying one when I graduate for whatever symphony I join. If it doesnt work out, ill probably get one in the $5000 range.

Any thoughts?

Thanks!

PS, I love music school!

Charles,
It's generally true that the bass will appreciate in value, but don't go into it thinking you have to spend "X" amount to get a great sounding bass. I'm not in the orchestral world of things really, but I do know that I tried out a bunch of basses pizz and arco that would have cost much more than I ended up spending and didn't like them as much. Since you're close, if you can make a trip to Greensboro, visit Bob Beerman at the Bass Violin Shop. He has a GREAT selection of new and refurbished basses at great prices, and is a great guy to boot... plus, he has one of the best luthiers in the region working there too. I highly recommend Bob and his shop. I always am amazed at the sound I can pull out of the instrument after those guys get done with it, even though it sounded great before!

arnoldschnitzer · #4 11-03-2005, 07:16 AM

Charles--the unfortunate reality is that even the most talented and prepared classical musician has only a tiny chance of finding a living-wage gig upon graduating. If you do land one, you can get a great bass. College is tough on instruments. I'd advise getting something with a good sound that is playable and well-set-up, but does not break the bank. If your finances were different, sure, go for the bass of your dreams; but the wise choice now would be to get yourself something which will not hold you back, nor break the bank. And forget about appreciation--only the English and Italian instruments seem to be appreciating nowadays.

godoze · #5 11-03-2005, 08:06 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by arnoldschnitzer

Charles--the unfortunate reality is that even the most talented and prepared classical musician has only a tiny chance of finding a living-wage gig upon graduating. If you do land one, you can get a great bass. College is tough on instruments. I'd advise getting something with a good sound that is playable and well-set-up, but does not break the bank. If your finances were different, sure, go for the bass of your dreams; but the wise choice now would be to get yourself something which will not hold you back, nor break the bank. And forget about appreciation--only the English and Italian instruments seem to be appreciating nowadays.

I think this is the best piece of advice i have ever read on TB!

bassame · #6 11-03-2005, 08:17 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DZ

I think this is the best piece of advice i have ever read on TB!

+1

Charles Shores · #7 11-03-2005, 05:24 PM

Thanks guys, I've heard that she has a habit of trying to get you to buy stuff.

I'm going to visit Bob's as soon as I can get a ride.

It is kind of scary thinking that theres only a small chance of getting a job when I graduate. Sometimes I wonder why I'm here. That kind of makes me feel like I'm wasting my college time and going into debt with the loans for no reason other than fun.

AMJBASS · #8 11-09-2005, 04:33 PM

I think if you want it bad enough you can get it(classical job). As for basses I totally agree with the above. Get a good quality carved instrument, but don't break the bank until you have a more solid outlook on your future. The Pollmanns can be great instruments, but they aren't going to appreciate for a LONG time. If anything you will lose in resale. Look for an older Tyrolean/Czech/German carved instrument that is in good condition and plays well.

lucas vigor · #9 11-09-2005, 04:55 PM

The average person probably can not tell with a blindfold on the difference between a 2000 dollar and 20,000 dollar bass. I think a lot has to do with set-up, strings, etc. For the kind of music I play (for example) my King double bass sounds fine (about 2300 dollars). And I have played plenty of jazz gigs with my 1900 dollar strunal. If I was playing classical, I would just invest in high quality arco strings for my strunal, and a good bow for about 500 bucks.

If you land a job in an orchestra, then invest in the massively expensive bass..If you are doing the next Chick Corea acoustic band 2 album, (providing you beat Pattitucci out of the job) then invest in the 20K bass...other then that, anything with a carved top, pro set-up,good strings and a good bow should work!

As far as going to music school, at the very least (supposing you can't find anything else) you can work as a high school music teacher.

Just my two cents.