Double Bass DB buying advice needed

[evanrunyon]

Thanks, everybody.

With your advice and some wise counsel from Louis, I went for a CL deal on a Lemur Laguna (fully carved). I talked to Jason Brown, who is the luthier that did all the tweaks and maintenance and he gave me the thumbs up on it. It sounds and feels great to me, and came with a cheap German bow and a David Gage pickup.

Woohoo!

I think we call that “crushing it.”

 

[Ed S]

I see no visual proof of the purchase...

Sounds like a wise choice. No reason to think you'll ever outgrow it.

And props to Louis. Ain't this place GREAT?!

 

[smeet]

Whoops, forgot the most important part (if I had today’s paper I’d include that for ransom-worthy proof):

 

[TroyK]

That's going to be a great bass for you.

Well done and congrats.

 

[Don Kasper]

Carpe DB!

From Google:
What is the meaning of carpe diem? Carpe diem is a Latin phrase that can be translated literally as “pluck the day,” though It is more widely translated as “seize the day.”

 

[turf3]

Oooh, purty!

Now go get those lessons going!

 

[Ed S]

That is one purty bass! Beautiful wood.

(DISCLAIMER: this is not a criticism, merely question/observation)

Looking at the back, the grain on the 2 halves looks different from each other. The left side (in the pic) looks pretty straight, while the right side looks more irregular/figured. I'm used to the halbs of most back pates appearing more consistent - if not book matched. I'm just wondering if it looks that way IRL, or if it is something that appears from the photo. AGAIN: none of this is intended to detract from my observation that that is a beautiful bass.

Play the heck out of it!

 

[TroyK]

@Ed S there is probably something to that, but I think there is a lighting issue as well, look at left/right on the lower bouts vs the upper.

 

[Ed S]

Yeah - spending WAY too much time looking at that pic, it looked as tho the left plate was more figured on the lower bout, and the right more figured on the upper.

I figure the ONLY interpretation is that Smeet owes us some more pics!

 

[TroyK]

I like the shape a lot. The slightly narrower upper bouts would work well for me, I think.

 

[smeet]

The figuring is different on the two halves of the back. In the room with the bass, the darker color of the right half is what I notice. They do look like they were cut from the same tree, but yeah there is a difference. I'll pretend it's because that gives the low strings more resonance.

I like the shape too. It feels a bit smaller and looks more graceful to me.

I just started up EB lessons again, so I probably won't start DB lessons right away until my EB teacher has deconstructed/reconstructed my technique.

 

[Ed S]

Cool. Thx. Personally, I often feel that striving for perfect symmetry is often overrated.

 

[fdeck]

Welcome to the addiction.

 

[Jason Sypher]

Hey all, I know this is probably well over-trodden ground, but I need some advice. Please don’t kill me.

I know there are resources, and I’ve been looking at some of them. I’m looking for my best course forward. I’ve played EB for several decades, and I just got my first good fretless (a Pedulla Pentabuzz) and am really enjoying it. I have owned a DB once before, it was an $800 Craigslist special. It played kind of and sounded meh, and I played a few gigs with it and eventually sold it, as job and kids made practice difficult. So I have an idea of a crappy bass is like. I’m recently retired and want to really study bass, and start playing DB. That said, I doubt that DB will ever be my primary instrument. I plan to play jazz and other pizz-based styles, maybe some stage musicals down the line. I plan to practice with a bow for intonation, but the most I would ever want to do in that direction would be to maybe join a community orchestra. Maybe.

Questions:

• I currently live in Los Angeles, and plan to move to the Portland/Seattle area in February. Should I look for an instrument in the (larger/better?) LA market and transport the bass to the PNW, or wait until we are living there? I know the humidity change might be a problem.
• I think I’m looking for a nice plywood or a decent hybrid 3/4 DB.
• My price point depends on the inflection points in the diminishing returns curve. I would say $6000 is probably the most I would spend. But, what should I expect to hear/feel/get for 6k, 5k, 4K, 3k, 2k? Should I get the most I can now, or a cheaper instrument and then step up later?
• My EB purchases have mostly been in the TB classifieds. But that’s an easier equation to solve, and I have some knowledge there. I like and have trust in the TB community, but I don’t want to be stupid. Are the classifieds a bad idea for a noob like myself? Craigslist? Local DB dealer?

Thank you!

Don’t forget to keep an eye out for Eastman basses. They have surpassed me from time to time. Make sure you don’t go too big, get a comfortable instrument that is too heavy to carry. You’re retired so you’re not 23 years old. Basses are demanding to play, demanding to live with. If anything, go small. 3/4 size maximum. There are still Juzeks in that price range and some of the older ones are really special. Be cautioous of shiny and beautiful with beautiful wood. Newbies get overwhelmed by beautiful looking basses and don’t realize a lot of the beautifying in that price range is deceptive. Go for playable sound. Looks are not that important. Don’t get anything with a neck issue, period. Try before you buy, take the bass home and live with it a few days. This is common practice for bass sellers.