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Double Bass Best double bass you ever played? (DB FORUM THREAD)

#21
I played briefly on the Karr-Koussevitsky bass, it's a pretty incredible bass. It just seems to do whatever you want it to. I also played on Todd Phillip's Framus a few weeks ago after a concert. It's just a German shop bass, but it so rich, punchy and beautifully room-filling that it was messing with my head during the show.
 
#22
statsc said:
I've played several Prescotts and was less than impressed with them. Am I missing something?
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Set up probably. I played Linc Milliman's Prescott at Dave Gage's (he was picking it up after it had been in for a repair) and it played easily, spoke immediately and sustained like a church bell. But I was talking to Dave Finck, who owns a Prescott and another New England bass (Dearborn maybe?). But he plays a Juzek on gigs becuase the Prescott, in his words, "...is just too difficult to play. It sounds great, though."
 
#23
Oh, and let's see, nothing too rarefied for me:
Charlie Haden's Vuillame
Steve LaSpina's French bass (that Phil Maneri now owns)
Ralph Hamperian's Hawkes Panormo
there was another Hawkes Panormo at Gage's a few years back, but it didn't sound that great
 
#24
I got to try a beautiful old Prescott once. I was too nervous to really play it. Probably the most valuable one I've touched. But, the nicest bass I ever played is the one I own now. Nicest sound, feel, and aesthetics...hands down. Most unique looking too.
 
#26
Mine.

I know everyone always says that, but I acquired mine a year ago and I fall in love with it everytime I play it. The lower strings growl like nothing else, the upper strings thump like the lower strings. It was sat in the art room at school for decades, and I'd been asking for it for years. Last year, I wrote a letter pretending to be the bass, and my teacher finally let me have it. I put a pic on this forum and this great guy in America sent me all I needed to fix it! I spent a month restoring it and finished last October.

It's a Romanian carved factory bass, '50s or earlier. My teacher and anyone who's played it have said how much they love it and I've had multiple offers to buy it. My teacher has two custom basses, and he's asked for first refusal, despite the fact he plays a five.

Bass looks like most gamba shaped basses (though it's pretty beat up) and the set up isn't great, but the sound conquers all! I'm never selling this one.
 
#28
fuzzy beard said:
Wich is? Pics?
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ImageUploadedByTalkBass1379102343.485909.jpg

ImageUploadedByTalkBass1379102361.368690.jpg

This one...
 
#29
I visited Robertson's in Albuquerque a couple of months ago. They had so many nice uprights I lost track. I played many of them, but one that I especially remember was a HUGE old English bass. Very dark in color, must have been a 7/8 size. Gigantic, warm enveloping sound that just filled the room.

Also, I played a few notes on Mingus' bass about 12 years ago in NYC. THAT was a great experience.
 
#31
typical story here: i've played my teachers old german bass a few times, and theres nothing like it. deep dark and warm.

the bass i own is pretty close, it really does sound excellent. sometimes i pick it up and play a few notes and think "wow. i OWN this bass???"

but i won't claim it's the best ive ever played. but considering i paid next to nothing for it, it might as well be!
 
#32
The best bass I've tried out till now is an Emanuel Wilfer Gamba. For this one I'd really sell my other 2 basses. It had a dark colour and was slightly flamed. The sound could be described as big and open (not dark), deep, warm and quite "woody". A really nice rich sound and very easy to play. I tried this bass, a 3/4, at the Music Messe in Frankfurt in 2012 and this year too. I'm not sure if it was exactly the same one.... but the sound was quite similar.

It was quite, like touch it, play a few notes, the smile spreads on your face and you know its the one :)

Well, for the moment thats my dream bass.... and I suppose its going to stay a dream for a while... because of the price.
 
#33
Jeremy Darrow said:
I played briefly on the Karr-Koussevitsky bass, it's a pretty incredible bass. It just seems to do whatever you want it to. I also played on Todd Phillip's Framus a few weeks ago after a concert. It's just a German shop bass, but it so rich, punchy and beautifully room-filling that it was messing with my head during the show.
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You know, I've heard that the Karr-koussevitzky bass is actually quite difficult to play (though beautiful sounding), so your comment is very interesting to me. I wonder if, after Gary donated it to the ISB, they had someone look at it and improve the playability?

eerbrev
 
#35
LouisF said:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karr-Koussevitzky

Invalid Link Removed

Invalid Link Removed

Louis
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Interesting links. Unfortunately all the links to performances are dead, but the second part of "tackling the amati bass" is enlightening in that the bass is obviously not "get up and go" in terms of playability, that you have to learn what its likes and dislikes are. However, that doesn't make it necessarily "hard" to play.
 
#36
eerbrev said:
Interesting links. Unfortunately all the links to performances are dead, but the second part of "tackling the amati bass" is enlightening in that the bass is obviously not "get up and go" in terms of playability, that you have to learn what its likes and dislikes are. However, that doesn't make it necessarily "hard" to play.
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I'm certainly not the player that Jason is, but I happened to have read this article sometime ago. That little nugget, that the bass likes weight, was stored in my brain, so when I played the bass I expected to have to apply some weight. It certainly did respond well to a heavy and slow(ish) bow. I'm a small guy, so its proportions felt very natural to me. I wouldn't say that the low register sounded "strange". Rather, it sounded like a small bass that speaks clearly but doesn't have a huge spread down there.
 
#37
Jeremy Darrow said:
I'm certainly not the player that Jason is, but I happened to have read this article sometime ago. That little nugget, that the bass likes weight, was stored in my brain, so when I played the bass I expected to have to apply some weight. It certainly did respond well to a heavy and slow(ish) bow. I'm a small guy, so its proportions felt very natural to me. I wouldn't say that the low register sounded "strange". Rather, it sounded like a small bass that speaks clearly but doesn't have a huge spread down there.
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That's really cool info, Jeremy. I'm fascinated by little tidbits like this. thanks for sharing your experience!
 
#38
Hmm...most expensive is probably Bill Vaughn's Dragonetti-owned Panormo.

Best bass? Probably my teacher's (Ira Gold) tiny old Italian. The most resonant bass I've played - it almost feels like it's playing itself.
 

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