Double Bass DB/Any info appreciated on this…

[C Stone]

Hey all have been thinking of trying DB, this one popped up for sale locally
and seller has no info about it other than “it is in great shape and works”.

I assume it’s a mass produced budget brand at the their asking price and wanted to know if any of you have an incline as to wether I should grab it or pass, not very good pics but I screen grabbed a couple. Can’t tell the scale, seller doesn’t know anything about it.

It also has what looks like a maybe bevel on the fingerboard? Thank in advance.

 

[fu22ba55]

I assume it’s a mass produced budget brand at the their asking price

No adjusters on the bridge is an interesting indicator, but I'm not sure of what.

Not sure if there's a bevel, or if that's just a trick of the light in the pic. Bevel is no biggie either way.

Pic of any label visible inside the F-hole would help.

What's the asking price?

 

[C Stone]

No adjusters on the bridge is an interesting indicator, but I'm not sure of what.

Not sure if there's a bevel, or if that's just a trick of the light in the pic. Bevel is no biggie either way.

Pic of any label visible inside the F-hole would help.

What's the asking price?

Thanks for the response, it is very inexpensive ($200US) seller is not helpful, no pic is gonna happen on the inside the F-hole…she doesn’t even have a tape measure to tell me string length so that’s where I’m at.

 

[AGCurry]

Is there no label to be seen through the bass-side "f" hole?

The glossy finish is a sign that it was never an expensive instrument. Its bridge is not adjustable, which for me is a negative. The E-string bevel is no big deal, although it's unusual on a newer bass. The fact that the seller can't or won't tell you anything about it means that a serious bassist doesn't own it and/or that he puts making a sale above honesty.

We DBassists are rightfully leery of what we call BSOs (bass-shaped objects) or CCBs (cheap Chinese basses), which are characterized by green wood and bad glue. They generally look okay when newish but have a tendency to break sooner or later. BUT: Many worthwhile basses are made in China, so country of origin is not in itself a factor.

The best advice I (and others) can give you: Ask a luthier, or at least an experienced bassist, to look it over. And read the sticky thread(s) about buying a bass.

 

[Don Hergert]

Those look like Spirocore Mittel (medium tension), so if the action is decent the instrument is successfully handling a significant amount of tension, which is a good indicator that the neck is probably pretty solid. One picture of each side of the neck toward the end of the fingerboard from a few feet away would tell you how the action is.

 

[AGCurry]

$200 USD is extremely low... it's hard to find a decent set of new strings for that. But the cost of repairs can quickly turn a bargain into a leaky canoe.

 

[AGCurry]

Those look like Spirocore Mittel (medium tension)

I don't see Spirocores (either mittel or weich), unless the photo's colors are way wacked.

 

[Greg Clinkingbeard]

I don't see Spirocores (either mittel or weich), unless the photo's colors are way wacked.

Those aren’t Spirocores. It looks like a Pallatino, Cremona or some other Chinese bass but most of these are not recommended at normal prices. At $200 it might be ok but don’t expect much. Might be a long term pizz bass or might be firewood.

 

[Don Hergert]

Hmmm, look like Spiro red silks in the afterlengths here on this computer... But Greg would know, no questions about it.

Worth mentioning, the afterlength silks are extending into the bridge, which might indicate this is a shorter scale double bass.

 

[TroyK]

Yeah, I don't see Spirocores either. I think everyone's assessment is as accurate as you're going to get. $200 is as cheap as you're going to find.

It's possible that this could be a stable instrument that you could outgrow and sell for $500 or $1,000, but it's also possible that it's going to come apart on you.

 

[C Stone]

Is there no label to be seen through the bass-side "f" hole?

The glossy finish is a sign that it was never an expensive instrument. Its bridge is not adjustable, which for me is a negative. The E-string bevel is no big deal, although it's unusual on a newer bass. The fact that the seller can't or won't tell you anything about it means that a serious bassist doesn't own it and/or that he puts making a sale above honesty.

We DBassists are rightfully leery of what we call BSOs (bass-shaped objects) or CCBs (cheap Chinese basses), which are characterized by green wood and bad glue. They generally look okay when newish but have a tendency to break sooner or later. BUT: Many worthwhile basses are made in China, so country of origin is not in itself a factor.

The best advice I (and others) can give you: Ask a luthier, or at least an experienced bassist, to look it over. And read the sticky thread(s) about buying a bass.

Than you, I did read the sticky, having someone experienced look at it is not an option I just figured if it is holding fast at that price can’t really loose my shirt so to speak, text only back n forth and get the vibe that the bass is just in the way “it’s here if you want to pick it up”.

 

[TroyK]

If you can shoulder the risk, $200 is not a big buy-in for DB.

 

[C Stone]

Hmmm, look like Spiro red silks in the afterlengths here on this computer... But Greg would know, no questions about it.

Worth mentioning, the afterlength silks are extending into the bridge, which might indicate this is a shorter scale double bass.

Shorter scale than 3/4 is it 1/2 scale? I am an EB player (for decades) but I figured I’d look it over make sure there were no separations neck joint body ect. Is it not a great idea to try a shorter than 3/4 scale at this price? I do appreciate do ALL the responses so far.

 

[TroyK]

There are a few advocates, mostly EBG players, but the overwhelming advice from DB players is that you should play a 3/4.

Check the seams for separation. Check the neck heal for cracks, breaks or leaning. Tap around on it and look for rattles.

Bridge to nut should be 41-42".

 

[Anne Millington]

Three thoughts: 1) don't worry about the solid bridge; I actually prefer that, but not a big deal either way, 2) what else can you buy for $200 that might be a lot of fun, and 3) you can always make a liquor cabinet out of it.

 

[Don Hergert]

Shorter scale than 3/4 is it 1/2 scale?

Most adults work best with a 3/4 double bass, or 4/4 if you're really tall, but there are also 1/2, 1/4 and even 1/8 size double basses. People also talk about 5/8 double basses, but I suspect that just indicates a slightly smaller than "standard" 3/4 double bass.

As you get smaller than a 3/4 double bass, strings and accessories get harder to find and more expensive.

The silks in the afterlength reaching the bridge on this DB could mean it's smaller than 3/4... But, I was thinking in terms of the pretty consistently made Spirocores. If these are knock-offs of Spiros or of any other kind of strings, which it sounds like is probably the case, the silks in the afterlength may be longer than what would be considered "standard".

Here's a fairly decent webpage for actual [Invalid or Expired Link Removed].

 

[C Stone]

Most adults work best with a 3/4 double bass, or 4/4 if you're really tall, but there are also 1/2, 1/4 and even 1/8 size double basses. People also talk about 5/8 double basses, but I suspect that just indicates a slightly smaller than "standard" 3/4 double bass.

As you get smaller than a 3/4 double bass, strings and accessories get harder to find and more expensive.

The silks in the afterlength reaching the bridge on this DB could mean it's smaller than 3/4... But, I was thinking in terms of the pretty consistently made Spirocores. If these are knock-offs of Spiros or of any other kind of strings, which it sounds like is probably the case, the silks in the afterlength may be longer than what would be considered "standard".

Here's a fairly decent webpage for actual [Invalid or Expired Link Removed].

Thanks for the good info. 3/4 is what I would look for if I were more serious… Whether this is 3/4 or a bit smaller seems the right price (if it is otherwise useable) to get my feet wet on the DB. I will follow up if I actually get this bass in hand. Thank you all for responding and taking the time to help, I appreciate it.

 

[statsc]

I think this is really a matter of managing expectations. It’s very likely that this is what most of us would consider a BOS or CCB and not worth fooling with. If your expectation is scoring a great deal on decent bass that will serve you well as you negotiate the beginning levels of upright bass playing, this is not the one. On the other hand, if your expectation/goal is to get an upright bass into your hands to see if you take to it, AND your financial situation is such that losing $200 is not a big deal, I’d say go for it!

 

[C Stone]

Thanks, yes I did assume is was a mass produced cheap Chinese bass, at that price I figured I could easily flip it to get my 2 bills back that is if it didn’t bust apart the minute I really laid into it, lol.
It was the latter to see if I even take to it, a couple of bills to find out is no prob.

 

[turf3]

Well, the whole thing is whether it's a mass produced cheap Chinese bass of functional quality, or a mass produced cheap Chinese bass of bad quality. There's absolutely no way to tell from what you've been able to find out so far.