That SWR WM series were pretty good amplifiers. The California Blonde was especially good for DB.
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Double Bass About to buy this DB, my first. Thoughts?
- Thread starter loukash
- Start date
When used with electric bass, the 12" comes at its limits when I use it as a standalone amp, even on a relatively small club stage if the drummer wants to hit hard. The preamp overdrives fast. It gets better with the HX Stomp, however, when I plug it into the SWR FX return and use just the power amp.
The small Schertler preamp box has obviously a much lower output than e.g. my passive J-bass, so that the DB signal remained clean even with the gain at 4 o'clock.
But overall it's a very flexible amp. With our acoustic blues duo/trio we've been using it as a de facto "micro-PA" since many years. My personal "killer feature" here being the FX Return Dry/Wet pot, plugging a Behringer MX802A into the FX return, and running vocals, guitar and bluesharp through it. Fully sufficient for small party and pub gigs. But not to get too off topic: This band is where I mainly plan to use the new DB, replacing the Eko ABG.
So I was at Senn's today. His offer to refit the neck was CHF 1200 which sounds reasonable and more within my budget. But he also said that he thinks the chances are pretty good that the neck will stay as is for many more years or even decades. Asked about the age and origin, his guess was it's a 80–100 years old Czech bass, well worth the current asking price.
^ Tested on Monday: Not a bad bass for that price at all, actually even slightly shorter than the one I have now, quite easy to play and very solidly built, used on tour by the owner for several years. But acoustically not overwhelming, with a few somewhat dead spots on the D string between the 5th and 7th "fret".
So despite the flaws that may need to be fixed or adjusted, the actual bass in my possession is still my favorite. Today I tested it for the first time at a band rehearsal with an afro-latin-jazz combo (today only in quartet with drums, guitar and flute, without piano, percussion and tenor). Got my first blister on the index finger…
But it felt and sounded good otherwise, using the Schertler Basik pickup directly into our small PA.
So…
I bought it.
After explaining the seller my findings – more or less the same what I've posted in this thread – I asked him what would be his lowest asking price, considering the setup and repair costs that are coming. His final price was very generous so I've happily agreed.
Thanks everyone for all the comments so far, it was all very helpful.
Eventually I'll post some updates about the setup and repairs.
I bought it.
After explaining the seller my findings – more or less the same what I've posted in this thread – I asked him what would be his lowest asking price, considering the setup and repair costs that are coming. His final price was very generous so I've happily agreed.
Thanks everyone for all the comments so far, it was all very helpful.
Eventually I'll post some updates about the setup and repairs.
Cool!
It was pretty obvious that you found yourself attracted to this bass - for whatever combination of reasons. The heel crack is eminently fixable - should you decide it needs it down the road. Just costs money!
You did a good job of eliciting luthiers' opinions and test driving alternatives, and yet this one continued to tug at you. I suspect that if you had passed on this one, you would later have been kicking yourself, not finding anything you liked as much or better.
It was pretty obvious that you found yourself attracted to this bass - for whatever combination of reasons. The heel crack is eminently fixable - should you decide it needs it down the road. Just costs money!
You did a good job of eliciting luthiers' opinions and test driving alternatives, and yet this one continued to tug at you. I suspect that if you had passed on this one, you would later have been kicking yourself, not finding anything you liked as much or better.
Congratulations on the new bass. My only bass advice from here is that if it needs to be repaired, get it done properly. No screws, no epoxy.
That attachment to to this bass? It's like adopting a stray dog, you have to care for it properly now. Unlike a pet, it will outlive you and someone else will attach themselves to it later. We don't own these things, we are just stewards of them.
That attachment to to this bass? It's like adopting a stray dog, you have to care for it properly now. Unlike a pet, it will outlive you and someone else will attach themselves to it later. We don't own these things, we are just stewards of them.
Hi everyone, right now I have this bass for use at home:
View attachment 7050482
It's not the first time to have "played" a DB, but my first time to actually having practiced on one.
String measure is 101 cm, action 6.5/8/8/9 mm.
No idea what kind of strings these are though.
I like its sound, I like its size, it feels quite comfortable considering my small hands and "baby fingers".
I intend to use it for blues, bossa and a bit of jazz (disclaimer: I don't consider myself a jazz musician). Oh, and my guitarist pushes me to learn some rockabilly slapping, hehe.
Having played a fretless AGB now for 25 years, so this bass now feels like a logical progress to me.
The owner would like to sell it, his asking price is CHF 2000 (USD ~2300) but it's negotiable. He bought it used about 20 years ago in Bavaria for €2300 (almost USD 4000 in today's $), being told it's probably a Czech bass. Eventually he invested about another CHF 2000 in two repairs, the last one 10 years ago. But he didn't actually play it since.
Now… there is a "problem part", and it looks like this:
View attachment 7050507
View attachment 7050508
Today I spoke to a luthier just around the corner who's doing violin repairs and who admitted that he doesn't know that much about basses. He thinks this split could become a problem in the future, nonetheless that the asking price for the bass is still OK in his opinion.
So, what do you think…?
Been there see before and after pics.
Attaching more detailed photos below.
No, the German hybrid I sold. The Baker has also had work in that area, though.
Attachments
I went for a 3rd opinion yesterday, at Felix Hefti Geigenbau Basel
Like Geigenbau Senn, Hefti thinks that there's no rush to repair the neck if it's been like this for years while kept in tune.
Surprisingly though, he said that if he were about to fix it, he would proceed by removing the fingerboard and drilling a hole from the top through the heel, then a bolt just to stabilize the main heel bit with the second bit while leaving the body untouched.
Consider me slightly confused…
What he definitely would want to fix is the oddly spaced nut (E and G are way too close to the fingerboard edge), plus make some fingerboard adjustments.
He also recommended to get Spirocore Light to replace the Helicore Medium – which were incidentally set up by him 10 years ago.
Considering that I want to keep the bass in D-G-C-F tuning, do you think it's a good idea to use Light? (Apart from being surely a welcome relief for my fingers…)
Like Geigenbau Senn, Hefti thinks that there's no rush to repair the neck if it's been like this for years while kept in tune.
Surprisingly though, he said that if he were about to fix it, he would proceed by removing the fingerboard and drilling a hole from the top through the heel, then a bolt just to stabilize the main heel bit with the second bit while leaving the body untouched.
Consider me slightly confused…
What he definitely would want to fix is the oddly spaced nut (E and G are way too close to the fingerboard edge), plus make some fingerboard adjustments.
He also recommended to get Spirocore Light to replace the Helicore Medium – which were incidentally set up by him 10 years ago.
Considering that I want to keep the bass in D-G-C-F tuning, do you think it's a good idea to use Light? (Apart from being surely a welcome relief for my fingers…)
Who ya gonna believe - experts you spoke with, who examined the instrument, and who even worked on it in the past? Or a bunch of anonymous yahoos on some messageboard?
I imagine this is the sorta thing where you are not going to get a single, definitive answer, and are going to have to make your own best decision based on incomplete and conflicting info. I often encounter something similar in my job, where 2 experts will disagree, and I'm told I should get a 3d pinion to resolve it. More often than not I end up with THREE disagreeing opinions!
At some point, you just have to decide to fish or cut bait. And then, you'll have to decide which expert to rely on for setup, maintenance, and repairs.
It seems like you really like THIS bass. And there is nothing wrong with it that can't be fixed down the road. All it will take is money.
I'd suggest that at this point, your efforts would be best spent on trying other basses. If you do not find anything you like nearly as much as this one for the same price ballpark (including future possible repairs), just pull the trigger. Do you want to own a bass? Or a never-ending hobby of deciding whether to buy any particular bass?
I imagine this is the sorta thing where you are not going to get a single, definitive answer, and are going to have to make your own best decision based on incomplete and conflicting info. I often encounter something similar in my job, where 2 experts will disagree, and I'm told I should get a 3d pinion to resolve it. More often than not I end up with THREE disagreeing opinions!
At some point, you just have to decide to fish or cut bait. And then, you'll have to decide which expert to rely on for setup, maintenance, and repairs.
It seems like you really like THIS bass. And there is nothing wrong with it that can't be fixed down the road. All it will take is money.
I'd suggest that at this point, your efforts would be best spent on trying other basses. If you do not find anything you like nearly as much as this one for the same price ballpark (including future possible repairs), just pull the trigger. Do you want to own a bass? Or a never-ending hobby of deciding whether to buy any particular bass?
That's exactly what I already did, see a few posts above. The bass is now mine, funded by my wife. I play for her. She likes the tone.
Thinking of it, one of the most important impulses that helped me to make my decision was a post I read somewhere here on the forums where someone (I don't remember who and in which context) wrote something like "I wish I didn't spend the last 10 years looking for the perfect bass because those were the 10 years I didn't play one". Or something in that sense, I don't remember the exact wording.a bunch of anonymous yahoos on some messageboard?
In other words, by chance I happened to stumble upon a guy with a DB without actually actively looking for a DB until then. Then in the past few weeks, none of the other 10-12 basses I tried would have been a better deal, be it for play comfort, sound, build quality, or necessary investments in repairs. I'm 57, thus my upcoming "career" as an upright bass player won't be all too long, I guess.
"Anonymous yahoos on some messageboard" are alright. I've been on Teh Interwebz long enough to always have a big grain of salt handy.
Quite so, hehe.
Today I talked to Pedrazzini again. For the start, I'll let him fix the nut and the fingerboard, as that was what he has proposed from the beginning. It will be more expensive than the other two offers for the same job, but I like his attitude.
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Cool. I remember that now. I guess I didn't think hard enough before posting, and was thinking you still had it on trial.
One thing that is cool about these sorts of threads is to see all the different ways different people go about similar things. Frees me up to realize that what I decide to do doesn't have to be what anyone else would necessarily do. Nor is it necessarily what I would do myself some time in the future when I have more info/experience.
Eager to hear how this bass works out for you in the many years to come.
An update on the pickup front:
Got me a Gewa DB-1 (a.k.a. KNA) for mere CHF 70
It. Just. Works.
That is… since the bridge eye slot is over 6 mm wide, not even the 6 shim discs were enough to hold it safely in place. So I made me a custom fill from a random piece of wood to hold the sensor tightly.
And yes, it sounds better on the G-string side as recommended by the manufacturer, not on the other side as one would expect.
Also interestingly, the best sounding amp so far turned out to be one of my old Yamaha PS212N active 12" PA boxes. The only extra it needs is an active EQ as a preamp. I've tested with the Tech 21 QStrip, with the HX Stomp (just the parametric EQ block and gentle Noise Gate), as well as with my antique Boss GE-10. Any of them is usable, it just needs a cut around 40 Hz, a boost around 65, a cut around 150, and then a strong cut from 4 kHz upwards. A very natural and loud sound without feedback.
Got me a Gewa DB-1 (a.k.a. KNA) for mere CHF 70
It. Just. Works.
That is… since the bridge eye slot is over 6 mm wide, not even the 6 shim discs were enough to hold it safely in place. So I made me a custom fill from a random piece of wood to hold the sensor tightly.
And yes, it sounds better on the G-string side as recommended by the manufacturer, not on the other side as one would expect.
Also interestingly, the best sounding amp so far turned out to be one of my old Yamaha PS212N active 12" PA boxes. The only extra it needs is an active EQ as a preamp. I've tested with the Tech 21 QStrip, with the HX Stomp (just the parametric EQ block and gentle Noise Gate), as well as with my antique Boss GE-10. Any of them is usable, it just needs a cut around 40 Hz, a boost around 65, a cut around 150, and then a strong cut from 4 kHz upwards. A very natural and loud sound without feedback.
An update on the setup front:
The bass was now at Pedrazzini's for a week. He had a thorough second look at it and recommended – and executed – the following:
Pedrazzini's thought was that if it eventually breaks, it will likely be just as much work to fix as if he would attempt to break it apart and fix now.
Summed up, he did a great job. It wasn't cheap – about the same amount I paid for the bass in its previous state, but that was worth it. The fingerboard now plays smoothly like butter. The acoustic sound is now slightly different because we've replaced the decade old D'Addario Helicore with Spirocore Orchestra Weich, tuned in my usual D Standard. But it still sounds warm with even more sustain. I like it. And just earlier today I had my first amplified rehearsal using the aforementioned DB-1 pickup, and it sounded just great, going only through the "antique" Boss GE-10 EQ directly into the old active 12" Yamaha PA box.
I'll shoot some photos of the fixes tomorrow for comparison with my initial photos on page 1.
The bass was now at Pedrazzini's for a week. He had a thorough second look at it and recommended – and executed – the following:
- fingerboard straightening and rounding the Romberg bevel quite a bit
- nut completely rebuilt because the strings were simply way too apart
- saddle refit and glued properly (it actually fell off after he removed the old strings!)
- glued various problem parts
- endblock fix
- machine head fixes
- a few other small details
Pedrazzini's thought was that if it eventually breaks, it will likely be just as much work to fix as if he would attempt to break it apart and fix now.Summed up, he did a great job. It wasn't cheap – about the same amount I paid for the bass in its previous state, but that was worth it. The fingerboard now plays smoothly like butter. The acoustic sound is now slightly different because we've replaced the decade old D'Addario Helicore with Spirocore Orchestra Weich, tuned in my usual D Standard. But it still sounds warm with even more sustain. I like it. And just earlier today I had my first amplified rehearsal using the aforementioned DB-1 pickup, and it sounded just great, going only through the "antique" Boss GE-10 EQ directly into the old active 12" Yamaha PA box.
I'll shoot some photos of the fixes tomorrow for comparison with my initial photos on page 1.
Thanks for the warning, but those small "incidents" were part of my learning process how to handle the bass. Backpacking works fine otherwise, as our rehearsal room is only 300 m from my home. And meanwhile I am aware of all the traffic signs on the sidewalk on my way there…
Yeah, I'm already working on refitting an old shopping bag trolley for this purpose.
