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Double Bass Buy a cheapo and play vs. wait/save without playing?

Your opinion for a new rockabilly bassist.

  • Buy a cheapo (not necessarily a CCB) and play.

    Votes: 51 70.8%

  • Wait/save for a better DB without being able to play.

    Votes: 21 29.2%
  • Total voters
    72
#21
Hi.

Here's a thread I posted a while ago, asking about the origins of my somewhat mysterious bass: http://www.talkbass.com/forum/showthread.php?t=334189



On the spot the feet sit right now I got the best tone and balance. It's a bit off I know, but it doesn't bother me one bit.

I bought the bass from an insurance company several years ago, mainly because it was cheap and secondly because an ABG is no match volumewise to an acoustic guitar ;). It'd be nice to be able to do acoustic jams with bass as well as with guitar and with an ABG it's just not possible.


The bridge looks crooked because it is. There's a piezo strip in the waist, cut about two thirds of the thickness, and to gain some pressure, there's a bit of an angle between the top and the bottom portion of the bridge. Another "sin" that doesn't show too well in the pic is the 3mm shims and epoxy between the feet and the top.

I'm a die hard DIYer and it tends to show in everything I do :D.


Regards
Sam
 
#24
The man handed me the less-than-$200 bass they were considering and commented that a good bass player can make even a cheap bass sound good. I found myself contradicting him. Yes, a good bassist could possibly make an inferior instrument sound acceptable, but a good bassist wouldn't be playing such a bass. Though I do hold the belief that getting going with what you can afford is common sense, purchasing the best instrument you can find(even if you have to save up) will have a great advantage.
 
#25
All these non-DB comments could be rather misleading to some; DB is a VERY different instrument. I'll be the first to say my rockabilly experience is nonexistent, but I would think that the theatrical element (surfing, spinning, etc) necessitates a bass that can take the heat. A CCB ain't gonna. Saving some $$$ for a decent plywood that can take punishment yet not sound like **** seems to make more sense to me. But like I said, I don't know anything about rockabilly playing so you may want to completely disregard me.
 
#26
in my honest opinion which wont matter much being my first post wish they kept count here but i would save i bought a cheap bass paid to much i was rushing into purchasing bass just overly eager and ended up with a hunk of junk that took a small wack into the wall and now have a small crack on the neck of my bass...but i am truly unsatisfied with my bass so i would recommend just save and buy a legit bass and maybe by that time you can get a whole combo pick ups and all.
 
#27
Hi.

Welcome to TalkBass slick6696.

Your opinion matters as much to me as anyone elses does, so no worries :).
Judging by the views/votes/replies, You at least felt like voting and commenting, and that in my book counts quite a bit.

Not that I don't value all the views this thread has, perhaps someone has gotten at least something out of it.

Regards
Sam
 
#29
There's no economy in buying an instrument that falls apart and then is not worth repairing. Entry level laminated basses from Shen, Sun, Thompson, etc. are moderate in price, especially if you can find a used one. And if you stick with a reputable maker, you'll probably get your money back when you decide it's time to upgrade. JMO.
 
#30
I'm not naming any names or specific locations, but there is a local player who is one of the most in-demand bassists for rockabilly and R&B bands and to be honest, his is the worst bass I've ever seen or played.
 
#32
Play of course!! i think if you want to play rockabilly or psycho or in between, the important thing is the strings, the pick ups and amp. A nice cheap plywood bass is great, you'll bang it around, scracht it, break it, file it and glue it back together with nasty woodglue. Don't worry. Later, once you can appreciate the sound quality difference, then its worth buying a better instrument. Cheers:bassist:
 
#33
I'm post and pre employed right now. I bought a Cecilio CDB-100 on ebay. I filed the nut, found another bridge for it, put new strings on and I Love it. In my opinion, if you're willing to do a little work on it, it sure beats not playing by bunches. This one even fell over once and all it did was scar the finish on the outside of the upper bout, which hopefully is a sign that the neck is attached well etc. Obviously if I could have played a bass before buying it, I'd have rather done that, but as stated earlier, I really love this instrument.
 
#34
I was always looking for an upright but I never had the money when there were basses around, or never found an affordable bass when I had the money. Finally I heard of one available when I had some disposable cash...it looked pretty rough and wasn't set up too well, but they only wanted $300, and I had that so I grabbed it. I fixed it up myself so it was playable and learned a lot in the first years I had it. Later I took it out to a reputable luthier to get it set up right...cost another $450 for that! But it turned out well - I had unknowingly bought an old 50s Kay Swingmaster. Sounds great now too. So my take is, buy something you can afford now, preferably used, and play...and if you get lucky with your instrument, great! If not you'll have a spare for when your next, better bass is in the shop.
 

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