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Double Bass Carbon Fiber Double Bass?

hensonbass

hensonbass

Supporting Member
Feb 25, 2004
1,298
435
Atlanta, GA
www.thebash.com
#1
Has anyone out there heard or played a carbon fiber double bass such as the Quintus?

If I were to get one it would be for touring purposes and it would always use a pickup.

I have an Eminence that I think is really great but sometimes you might need the visual presence of a full sized upright for certain situations.
 
#3
Bob Robertson told us in a luthier master class that the Quintus carbon fibre basses were fine sounding instruments, and that the quality went progressively worse as the instruments got smaller (to the violin).

Never played one, but my teacher said they sounded great too at the ISB convention.
 
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#4
I played on a carbon fiber bass for a couple of hours last year. Don't know which brand ... it had a weird gray pattern to the finish.

It felt nice enough. Good fingerboard. However, I had a friend play it and I went around in front to listen to it.

It just didn't seem to have that much sound to it. Certainly the action and the strings both are factors.

However, it looked cool under the stage lights!
 
#7
hensonbass said:
Has anyone out there heard or played a carbon fiber double bass such as the Quintus?

If I were to get one it would be for touring purposes and it would always use a pickup.

I have an Eminence that I think is really great but sometimes you might need the visual presence of a full sized upright for certain situations.
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Have you priced them? You can get a Christopher or Shen plywood and a SBS flight trunk for less money than the Quintus 3/4. I was looking for a cheap bass to leave at my father-in-law's house for when I visit, so I e-mailed the company to see if one was close by to try out. Best recollection was that the price was $6K +.
 
#10
I've put played my shen outside lots of times, and it's been through a lot of other abuse. Airplanes, tour busses, daily car rides, university use, you name it. Newer carved basses are far more durable than most people give them credit for; I have never given my bass a second thought and it always pulls through. All I've had to do to it in five years is a few open seams and a wing crack. Not bad, imo... To really use a carbon fiber bass to it's full durability, you'd have to take it to hell and back. And, it'd sound bad doing it. :hmm:
 
#11
A few years ago hammond ashley's had one in their store. I dint play it, but I did ask about it. They told me that the guy that used to own it, or maybe someone else that owned one, would simply take the strings (and related accessorries, of course) off when they travelled, and just check the bass (airline) without a case. They said that there were never any problems.
 
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#12
Rimas said:
A few years ago hammond ashley's had one in their store. I dint play it, but I did ask about it. They told me that the guy that used to own it, or maybe someone else that owned one, would simply take the strings (and related accessorries, of course) off when they travelled, and just check the bass (airline) without a case. They said that there were never any problems.
Click to expand...

Even if my bass were made of titanium alloy, I don't think I'd trust an airline with it without a case!
 
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#13
I am curios about one of these myself, so thanks for the thread topic.
I haven’t seen one outside of YouTube and that guy seems to do all his playing on the upper register so it seems kind of “Cello’y” from that source.
However I have to believe if its electrified then why couldn’t one just eq to ones liking for tone?
and even though I don’t know that I would want to travel caseless with it, I wouldn’t think twice about letting guitar player climb all over it or throwing it around some myself while getting wild with it. That would be a blast.
Those headstocks look like an 80’s through back or maybe some form of fishing gear, but other than that I think their kind of lookers.
As for it being fishing gear you could float home on it after a river boat gig.

 
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#18
One cool thing about the Cosi is that they have a foldable model and a fitted CF case, making airline travel much easier. There is also a shop in Hamburg? Germany which does this with wood basses. I played some Cosis at the Frankfurt Music Fair a few months ago. I found the all carbon incredible under the bow, but less than ideal for jazz. Perhaps only a soundpost placement issue. They also have spruce top models, but I don't know if they fold, and I didn't like them very much anyway. You're looking at like 10k though. Not peanuts! I can see why a traditional luthier wouldn't be on board with the idea. What kind of glue holds the fingerboard on, for example? And, of course no more repair business fixing top cracks!
Robobass
 

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