If I recall correctly, there is no import duty on stringed instruments that are played with a bow.
Looking forward to your report. And clips. Nudge, nudge.
Looking forward to your report. And clips. Nudge, nudge.
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Double Bass Contrabassetto from the ground up
- Thread starter flatback
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has anyone answered the question as to what the string length is on these things?
Just got the Contrabassetto from Andrea and spent a few hours getting to know it...It is early the bass hasn't settled yet AND I just put on 3 different sets of strings in 3 hours, BUT god damn for what this bass is (bigger then a cello and smaller then a half size bass but with a full size fretboard) this is one baddass beast. Loud. Rich Deep. OK so there is a little of that plucking a cello or small bass sound, but most of that goes away with the bridge adjusted perfectly (something to get used to...I usually have a luthier set my bridge) but there is a moment when the bridge releases its tension and the bass just opened up. Andrea sent as a gift to me a Stat B fitted to the bridge (a Cello Stat B if I am not mistaken) and it totally rocks. This is not an Eminence or a Czec ese or a plywood bass of any sort. In fact this small wonder has more acoustic sound then my troublesome thick topped 3/4 Pollman ever did. Put a bow to it and it is an amazing thing to behold. Super light small elegant well balanced.
I threw some Animas on there totally sick fat anima sound. Now I have Spiro Reds on it and I think it is happy. I have some Zyex coming tomorrow (I have not tried them yet) but I could not be happier with this instrument. I believe it will open up with some acclimation and a lot of bowing, but Im going to stat gigging on it right away. Bravo Andrea.
I threw some Animas on there totally sick fat anima sound. Now I have Spiro Reds on it and I think it is happy. I have some Zyex coming tomorrow (I have not tried them yet) but I could not be happier with this instrument. I believe it will open up with some acclimation and a lot of bowing, but Im going to stat gigging on it right away. Bravo Andrea.
And bravo Piro for taking a chance on a little bass from faR away without playing one first. I look forward to hearing how it works out for you!!!
One really great feature of this bass is the fact that you can alter the action easily and simply. There is one alan bolt on the neck with a paper thin shim either in the front of the neck or back. Really paper thin. No heavy machinery in there to make it imbalanced or heavy. The bridge has no adjusters so Andrea cut it optimally, this means that if you have the action on the board or very high the bass resonates the same, lower action does not change the tension relationship. Totally brilliant.
I know this is going to seem super dorky but I was up late last night with it and another thing is, it can be played like a guitar sitting on your lap. I can see this as a really great thing for sitting around working on stuff in a relaxed way with out standing in front of the instrument.
Did I mention that it came with a custom softcase? and a separate softcase for the neck?
Long Carbon Fiber endpin works great. High quality elegant tuners. The board goes up into cat screech territory.
Even with just several hours in I can see that like any bass I will need to learn how to play it for maximum benefit...The way I play in thumb position on my other bass will need to be adjusted to get it to sing here, and there are some notes that haven't fully opened up. I think strings are going to make a big diff. Although it really seems to like the Spiros.
I know this is going to seem super dorky but I was up late last night with it and another thing is, it can be played like a guitar sitting on your lap. I can see this as a really great thing for sitting around working on stuff in a relaxed way with out standing in front of the instrument.
Did I mention that it came with a custom softcase? and a separate softcase for the neck?
Long Carbon Fiber endpin works great. High quality elegant tuners. The board goes up into cat screech territory.
Even with just several hours in I can see that like any bass I will need to learn how to play it for maximum benefit...The way I play in thumb position on my other bass will need to be adjusted to get it to sing here, and there are some notes that haven't fully opened up. I think strings are going to make a big diff. Although it really seems to like the Spiros.
...I know honeymoon but, man I just put a Zyex string set on this bass and it came alive. The slightly dead or hollow notes disappeared, the fundamental came right out, sounds even, most of that small bass sound evaporates.
Heres another thing, because of the ergonomics of this bass you can play it for hours and hours. you can sit in a chair and play it like a cello effortlessly. It is a totally different instrument from what I have been playing. Every note all the way up and down the instrument is easily available. My other bass is a 170 year old Tyrolean and man I realize now that I really had to do a lot of exhaustive physical compensation to make it work. I am totally in love with this little bass, it is exactly what I thought it could be: A real bass carved expertly with a full size neck and optimized sound. I was hoping for a kind of high level chamber bass that had a sound that could be mic'd and amplified and sound great and be easy to schlep, I got that and also a souped up sports car of a bass.
Andrea is a baddass
Heres another thing, because of the ergonomics of this bass you can play it for hours and hours. you can sit in a chair and play it like a cello effortlessly. It is a totally different instrument from what I have been playing. Every note all the way up and down the instrument is easily available. My other bass is a 170 year old Tyrolean and man I realize now that I really had to do a lot of exhaustive physical compensation to make it work. I am totally in love with this little bass, it is exactly what I thought it could be: A real bass carved expertly with a full size neck and optimized sound. I was hoping for a kind of high level chamber bass that had a sound that could be mic'd and amplified and sound great and be easy to schlep, I got that and also a souped up sports car of a bass.
Andrea is a baddass
Im just going to keep going on about this bass because it is so crazy good.
Did a gig over the weekend, and used the Remic and either an Underwood or the Stat B. This bass is punchy, deep, fast, an unbelievable easy schelp, and just a joy to play. It fits my body so that I can play in a kind of effortless way that I have always wanted to play. It is acoustically loud. It works great with a mic.The sustain is for days, and it hasn't even had time to really acclimate yet. I got a couple of "dude what IS that dinky thing" from some cats who came to the gig. I just smiled, man because I don't care what anyone thinks this Bass Rocks....Actually it is a jazz machine, so much technical ease...The D string is like a second G string in that melodies can be played all the way up it, without it loosing either punch or that nice vocal quality. Likewise the other strings...I find myself playing all the way across the strings in a way that I haven't really been doing (this might be because my old bass has some issues and is not set up for modern playing ...short overstand, high shoulders, and some internal issues too.) and so I just play the good notes on it. But also the Contrabassetto is so ergonomically easy to play that reaching all the notes comfortably and easily makes the music naturally flow to more remote parts of the instrument. Also because there is less mass, I end up getting more volume before feedback from the mic and seemingly less bleed off the front (I could be imagining a little of that though)
Having a fingerboard that goes a full three octaves opens up whole new areas of thumb position too. On my old bass even though I had most of those notes I couldn't reach them (the bass was in the way) and so I rarely went up past the D. I know a lot of cats have modern basses that have an easy reach, But I never have (I have always owned older basses) and so it is like a whole new way of getting around.
I really dig the solid bridge and changing the action by changing the neck. (although the way Andrea set it up is perfect for me) but I tried it out ...The solid bridge really keeps the integrity of the sound and tension...so important to get it sitting perfectly flat on the table, you can really hear the difference if there is any tilt or if the tension is not released (if the strings are pulling it forward even though the bridge is straight)
Did a gig over the weekend, and used the Remic and either an Underwood or the Stat B. This bass is punchy, deep, fast, an unbelievable easy schelp, and just a joy to play. It fits my body so that I can play in a kind of effortless way that I have always wanted to play. It is acoustically loud. It works great with a mic.The sustain is for days, and it hasn't even had time to really acclimate yet. I got a couple of "dude what IS that dinky thing" from some cats who came to the gig. I just smiled, man because I don't care what anyone thinks this Bass Rocks....Actually it is a jazz machine, so much technical ease...The D string is like a second G string in that melodies can be played all the way up it, without it loosing either punch or that nice vocal quality. Likewise the other strings...I find myself playing all the way across the strings in a way that I haven't really been doing (this might be because my old bass has some issues and is not set up for modern playing ...short overstand, high shoulders, and some internal issues too.) and so I just play the good notes on it. But also the Contrabassetto is so ergonomically easy to play that reaching all the notes comfortably and easily makes the music naturally flow to more remote parts of the instrument. Also because there is less mass, I end up getting more volume before feedback from the mic and seemingly less bleed off the front (I could be imagining a little of that though)
Having a fingerboard that goes a full three octaves opens up whole new areas of thumb position too. On my old bass even though I had most of those notes I couldn't reach them (the bass was in the way) and so I rarely went up past the D. I know a lot of cats have modern basses that have an easy reach, But I never have (I have always owned older basses) and so it is like a whole new way of getting around.
I really dig the solid bridge and changing the action by changing the neck. (although the way Andrea set it up is perfect for me) but I tried it out ...The solid bridge really keeps the integrity of the sound and tension...so important to get it sitting perfectly flat on the table, you can really hear the difference if there is any tilt or if the tension is not released (if the strings are pulling it forward even though the bridge is straight)
Piro, that's great news! Let me know if you are ever coming through my neck of the woods - I would love check this beast out.
will this bass ever be in NY?
would really appreciate an opportunity to play it.
i 100% agree it's a world of difference between a chopped-up looking travel bass from other makers, and what this appears to be. you've made the distinction many times in this thread, but i 100% agree that theres a difference; a real handmade instrument that looks like a bass, just as tight and small as is reasonable to make. bravo!
also zyex strings from my experience are really good on small basses, not as good on big-bodied basses- so, good choice. i'd immagine spirocores to be a little weak on this one.. have you tried evah pirazzi?
i'd be really curious to hear the acoustic arco sound of that bass. i believe you havent said the price (because they're all custom commisions and such, which does make sence) but is it possible to list exactly what you've got here and exactly what it costs?
if not i understand-
enjoy your bass- and do let me know if you're comming to NY!
would really appreciate an opportunity to play it.
i 100% agree it's a world of difference between a chopped-up looking travel bass from other makers, and what this appears to be. you've made the distinction many times in this thread, but i 100% agree that theres a difference; a real handmade instrument that looks like a bass, just as tight and small as is reasonable to make. bravo!
also zyex strings from my experience are really good on small basses, not as good on big-bodied basses- so, good choice. i'd immagine spirocores to be a little weak on this one.. have you tried evah pirazzi?
i'd be really curious to hear the acoustic arco sound of that bass. i believe you havent said the price (because they're all custom commisions and such, which does make sence) but is it possible to list exactly what you've got here and exactly what it costs?
if not i understand-
enjoy your bass- and do let me know if you're comming to NY!
Hey I'll let you know when I come to NYC. I am in the Bay Area and will show it here to anyone interested. As for price of the bass I don't really know. Andrea made a deal with me because we both thought that there should be one up here, an example that wasn't half a world away and I made the plunge not even knowing how I was going to get it here or if it would sound good or even really more then seeing pictures and Youtube video. He made me a great deal and in the end with all the figuring out of how to ship it and and softcase he had made for it and everything I feel a little guilty that he charged me as little as he did. BUT the Brazilian currency is so far down right now that a thousand dollars of US money goes a long way. So now is the time to get the maximum benefit from that differential. A few years ago the Brazilian currency was way stronger. Andrea does buy his wood in italy or nearby there and I can say coming from Brazil I see not the slightest damage from the equatorial climate difference. It is adjusting but in a natural way.
Looking at his shop pictures and other instruments I couldn't imagine it would be WORSE then the other travel basses I had played but didnt really want to lay down money for. With the idea of a fully carved MODERN ergonomic bass that would be small and easy to get around, I thought I know it will amplify well...or I can get it to at least have a decent sound...
When I got this bass, I put the bridge on slightly wrong and the wrong strings, and it was a little cloudy and uneven and a bit little bassy. But when I got it dialed in (there are little dots to line up the bridge correctly and it really cannot be tilted) it came alive sustain on every note D string sings all the way up even etc. It is way brighter then my old bass and honestly I am really digging that: clear immediate center of pitch, fast fast tracking, harmonics that sing out. Amplified (last night I cut the corks on my Stat B vintage and put that on there) it retains all that but also has huge tight bottom end.Etc. Anyway It is a well made bass that is properly set up but small.
Looking at his shop pictures and other instruments I couldn't imagine it would be WORSE then the other travel basses I had played but didnt really want to lay down money for. With the idea of a fully carved MODERN ergonomic bass that would be small and easy to get around, I thought I know it will amplify well...or I can get it to at least have a decent sound...
When I got this bass, I put the bridge on slightly wrong and the wrong strings, and it was a little cloudy and uneven and a bit little bassy. But when I got it dialed in (there are little dots to line up the bridge correctly and it really cannot be tilted) it came alive sustain on every note D string sings all the way up even etc. It is way brighter then my old bass and honestly I am really digging that: clear immediate center of pitch, fast fast tracking, harmonics that sing out. Amplified (last night I cut the corks on my Stat B vintage and put that on there) it retains all that but also has huge tight bottom end.Etc. Anyway It is a well made bass that is properly set up but small.
Piro - just listened to the sound clips again and it sounds incredibly real. A couple of questions: One of the main reasons why many bassists would want to buy one of these is for international travel. Is there not a flightcase available? If not, will you pursue a workaround? I went a different directions and am having one of these built (in the final stages right now):
As a backup for international travel, but your sound clips make me wonder about your bass as well. Thanks!
As a backup for international travel, but your sound clips make me wonder about your bass as well. Thanks!
Hey Chris,
I think you meant flightcase? THe truth is I am working on having a Fiberglass flight case made for this instrument...Not really because I do that much international travel but because having it shipped in a giant crate cost a lot (although Andrea said it ships by volume not weight) Anyway I think that a flight case should be made just to ship them from Brazil to the USA. I am also going to have a Mooridian softcase made. THe softcase that came with it is a fine case but I REALLY love this bass and I want a full 3/4 foam case for it...with a bow pocket that takes a bow case...
Your Rob Alan (if that is what it is looks beautiful and I love those basses)
SO a flightcase is in the future...shouldn't be that hard to have manufactured.
Honestly I dont think I am going back to another bass. I love this instrument. The thumb position is totally sick...there is a whole range of singing notes on all the strings.
It is not much bigger then a cello and I am looking at Cello hard cases (since there are millions of them)
I think you meant flightcase? THe truth is I am working on having a Fiberglass flight case made for this instrument...Not really because I do that much international travel but because having it shipped in a giant crate cost a lot (although Andrea said it ships by volume not weight) Anyway I think that a flight case should be made just to ship them from Brazil to the USA. I am also going to have a Mooridian softcase made. THe softcase that came with it is a fine case but I REALLY love this bass and I want a full 3/4 foam case for it...with a bow pocket that takes a bow case...
Your Rob Alan (if that is what it is looks beautiful and I love those basses)
SO a flightcase is in the future...shouldn't be that hard to have manufactured.
Honestly I dont think I am going back to another bass. I love this instrument. The thumb position is totally sick...there is a whole range of singing notes on all the strings.
It is not much bigger then a cello and I am looking at Cello hard cases (since there are millions of them)
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