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Double Bass ok forget king & adler, opinions please (1st bass)

V

v8nightmare

May 20, 2006
15
0
wichita kansas
#1
well, i decided not to get a slap king. As cool as they look, they're basically made to be amplified & have horrible acoustic tone, and while i do plan on amplifying a lot, i still want good acoustic tone. Also, considering the price, i could get a much better sounding bass for less money

I'm setting the budget at 1500 but if it goes a little higher - no big deal. As mentioned before i want something with a good strong acoustic tone, lots of projection, i'd prefer it to have a little bit of a boomy tone yanno, really illustrate that lower frequency that uprights can get & bass guitars can't, and really balanced overall. Also has to be able to take a lot of abuse, aaand i plan on using low tension steels (like spirocore solos) & an underwood, so take that into consideration. I want something all ply, too, no hybrids or fully carved ones

i plan on playing swing, rockabilly, some psycho later on, and lee rocker style blues rock, so basically lots & lots of piz & slap, i don't see myself ever using a bow, or atleast not in the near future

so what do you think? Shen 80? Engelhardt supreme? Strunal 50/4? Engelhardt es-9? Upton Hawkes? Something else?

i really don't wanna spring the extra for the upton, but if it's definately worth it, like some people say, then i'll throw down the extra for one.

thanks, and keep in mind i'm in it for value here, ideally i'd like to get the strunal because i know they're good and the price is cheap but you guys know way more than me, so i'll trust your opinions
 
#3
v8nightmare said:
...
so what do you think? Shen 80? Engelhardt supreme? Strunal 50/4? Engelhardt es-9? Upton Hawkes? Something else?
Click to expand...



My vote among the ones you listed: Upton Hawkes
 
#4
Why? Do they stand up to "surfing" better than the others?

Seriously...V8 has stated twice that he/she intends to beat the crap out of this bass, so is the Hawkes really the best bet? I'd be looking at yard sales and magnetic pickups, and taking wood shop classes in order to learn how to modifiy the bass so that it can withstand rodeo technique. I have absolutely nothing against this approach, but I wouldn't subject a bass at the quality level of the Upton to it.
 
#5
ah see, i got warned about this bigotry, i knew i shoulda left some stuff out

and hawkes have a warranty

I do realize i'm dropping a lot of money on this & i have no intention to break it, but an exciting live performance is reason enough for some people to go see a band, and i don't want something that i'll have to baby & be ultra careful with. Stuff happens, we all know this, and i refuse to spend that kinda money on somethin that's gonna crack or break easily.

people have been standing on their basses & spinning them & slapping for decades. No snob is gonna change that.
 
#7
But lo and behold, they told you the same thing over there :)

Your posts suggest that you'd rather not drop the extra dough on the Upton, and that you'd rather not have a bass you have to be super careful with. It seems logical that one would tend to be more careful with the more expensive bass, so why the hoo-hah (sp?) when someone advises you against it? I don't think there's any 'bigotry' or snobbery in the above posts, which answer your questions quite nicely IMO. When you look at some of the amazing instruments played by tb'ers, it's actually pretty commendable that everybody gets along as well as they do, without the folks with Bohmanns and Morellis (for example,) casting aspersions on those who choose to stand on their basses.

I don't know whether the 5 year warranty on the Hawkes would cover damage caused by standing on the bass either, seems unlikely to me.

I actually think Marcus' idea of looking around for old basses was a sound one. You can find some pretty substancially built German or Czech laminated basses from the 60's and 70's which would probably inspire confidence if you wanna ride your instument, not only that but you won't have to be responsible for the first scuffs and scratches on a shiney new bass. I'm not in any way suggesting that this kind of bass is just 'good enough' for your requirements, if you check my profile you'll see that I play one myself, and probably most jazz players have had simillar instruments in their time. Heck, Ron Carter used to play one all the time (right guys?) Especially if you're going to be playing at high stage volumes with your Underwood, they might be right up your street.

Anyway, good luck in finding an instrument that works for you.

Tomasito (who would never stand on his bass, but appreciates that it looks cool when other people choose to!)
 
#8
I've seen people use Engelhardts like this so I suggest you use one since they can take the rough stuff. I currently use one and it sounds ok. Plus, mine's been knocked around a little in its time.

As far as the bigotry, I haven't read anything in this thread that smacks of that. They're giving you good advice. Why throw down a lot of money on a more fragile instrument?
 
#10
v8nightmare said:
ah see, i got warned about this bigotry, i knew i shoulda left some stuff out



people have been standing on their basses & spinning them & slapping for decades. No snob is gonna change that.
Click to expand...

Did anybody say anything at all derogatory about yer spinning and slapping? TomatoJuiceNightmare, you got some honest advice from an experienced guy. And now, thanks to your illiteracy and that very large chip on your shoulder, you're having a schoolboy snit fit with this "snobbery" BS. Way to go! You're obviously quite skilled at winning friends and influencing people. Best of luck to you, Spin Meister.
 
#11
Thanks for jumping in for me, guys, but it's not necessary. If the original poster rereads my reply, it should become clear that I bear no malice whatsoever towards rockabilly bassists and any of their contemporary offspring. As I said before in these forums, I've played it myself and enjoyed the hell out of it.

V8, I'm not sure why I'm repeating myself, but I'll do it....once...YOU NEED TO TALK TO BRENT NORTON.


Invalid Link Removed
 
#12
yeah sorry i read it wrong.

Someone told me that if i posted on here i should make no mention of rockabilly or slap playing or i'd get flamed big time, so i kinda had my guard up, so, sorry

anyhoo, i thought about getting a norton but the only ones i can afford are the stock basses (shen sb80/90 or christopher 100/200)

so why do i need to talk to him specifically? I can't afford a custom bass & you can get shen's & christopher's from lots of places
 
#13
Marcus Johnson said:
Why? Do they stand up to "surfing" better than the others?

Seriously...V8 has stated twice that he/she intends to beat the crap out of this bass, so is the Hawkes really the best bet? I'd be looking at yard sales and magnetic pickups, and taking wood shop classes in order to learn how to modifiy the bass so that it can withstand rodeo technique. I have absolutely nothing against this approach, but I wouldn't subject a bass at the quality level of the Upton to it.
Click to expand...


I shudder to think about any bass being abused. That said, a laminate Upton Hawkes is certainly not more delicate than the others and given the build-quality could probably withstand a bit more abuse than many. That's why-- but standing on it? That wasn't in the original post.
 
#14
v8nightmare said:
so why do i need to talk to him specifically? I can't afford a custom bass & you can get shen's & christopher's from lots of places
Click to expand...

No worries...you need to talk to Brent because he really knows the slap bass/rockabilly thing inside and out, he knows ply basses really well, and he regularly sets up basses for acrobatic play. Also, if you should decide to get a bass from him, you know it will be set up great, which is not a given when you buy a double bass, and usually adds to the purchase price of the instrument. If you factor that in, you might actually find that Brent offers some of the better deals out there. The Shens and the Christophers might be fine for you.

And no, I don't work for him....;)
 
#15
DRURB said:
I shudder to think about any bass being abused. That said, a laminate Upton Hawkes is certainly not more delicate than the others and given the build-quality could probably withstand a bit more abuse than many. That's why. :)
Click to expand...

Probably true. I had a blonde Engelhardt EM-1 that I ended up selling to a girl a few years ago.....that would have been just the ticket.
 
#16
v8nightmare said:
so why do i need to talk to him specifically?
Click to expand...
Some possible reasons:
Because he probably knows more than most about what you are looking for? Because it doesn't cost anything to talk to him? Because he might be able to supply exactly what you are looking for in your price range? Because you asked for advice?
Hope you find your perfect bass.
Dwight
 
#18
v8nightmare said:
ok, i talked to him

got me sold on a christopher 200 series gamba, explained everything really really thoroughly to me, and gave me a couple reasons why the christopher would suit my needs better than the hawkes

so, thread closed, i guess
Click to expand...

Well, before you close it, please share the knowledge. Why would a Christopher fit your needs better than the Hawkes?
 
#19
well the gamba shape has some extra durability, other things about the construction make them more durable, brent has some strings that he worked with a company on that sound like they fit my needs EXACTLY, apparently they're low tension steels that work equally well for piz and slap, and i know it'll sound amazing because that's the bass he bases his custom basses off of, and i've personally talked to a couple pro psychobilly bassists who rock the customs & have nothing bad to say about em

and just other things, i've talked to the upton guy too & brent seems to know more about what suits my needs as far as setup & stuff like that
 

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