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Double Bass Starting with a cheap double bass or....

Go for..

  • Nice handmade bass guitar?

    Votes: 64 77.1%

  • Cheap double bass and Ibanez Jazz Bass guitar?

    Votes: 19 22.9%
  • Total voters
    83
  • Poll closed .
R

Racsen

Dec 6, 2003
159
0
41
Turkey
www.myspace.com
#1
Recently I sold my cort A6 and i got 750$ and now I have and old Ibanez jazz bass.

I want to learn double bass but in this price I found a double bass made in china.

Now I'm thinking should I start to learn with a cheap double bass ?
Or should I go a luthier and get a bass guitar I want ? ( I know a luthier in my city and he is good . I can get a nice bass from him)

I know double bass is a different instrument and hard to learn and I've been playing bass about 3 years.I like playing and listening jazz.There is 2 way to go for me: A nice hand made bass guitar or Cheap double bass + Ibanez jazz bass


I thought you can help me to choose.By the way I'm sorry for my english . I dont know very well.
 
#2
Maybe the best thing to do would be
to rent a double bass...

Is that an option?

That way, you could try it for awhile
and make a decision.

The scale length is longer than your Jazz Bass
so it will take some adjustment.

Get something that will make you want to play
and create music everyday.

peace
 
#5
Look for an old Plywood Bass like a Kay or such. It might take some looking in your price range but I bet you will have a much more playable instrument than a cheap Chinese made bass. Pretty much everyone has learned on a plywood Double Bass first. I remember a music shop I used to take lessons at had an old plywood Bass for sale for $1,000 and that was after they had repaired the neck and I believe new strings on it.
 
#6
If you're thinking about getting a double bass, read through some posts in the DB section. Be aware of the cheap basses on eBay. They may seem like a good idea, but will cost you alot to get it set up and have the fingerboard planed, etc. As for Kay basses, they are nice plywoods however they are commanding alot of money right now for collectabilty value. I think renting is a great idea. Alot of places will put that money toward the purchase price if you decide to buy. Ask up front. When I started, I was lucky to find a local bass player who took a liking to me, and gave me a great deal on my ply.If you have a teacher, see if he can go along with you to give an expert opinion. Good luck.
 
#8
Hi Racsen,

My advice would be: if you want to play double bass, then get one somehow! As other people have said, renting may be a great option, especially as the resale value of a cheap Chinese double bass is not so good.

But I think that the real question you need to answer is, do you REALLY want to play Double Bass? After that, the answer to your question should be clear.

As far as Chinese basses go, I play a VERY cheap Chinese bass myself, and the main problem is the set-up. So, no matter what you do, make sure you get it set-up right. A luthier's or your DOUBLE BASS teacher's advice is invaluable in this regard.

By the way, welcome to TB, don't worry your English (which is fine by the way). It's great to see TB getting more international all the time. :)
 
#10
You should start with two decent instruments. As a student, you don't want to be fighting with a hard to play, awful sounding, difficult instrument, be it BG or DB. At the same time, a $2500 custom BG or a $7,000 DB isn't going to make you learn faster.

Luckily you can get a pretty good BG for under $200 these days, and a pretty good DB for under $1800.
 

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