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Double Bass Does this bass look okay for the money?

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F

FreakyFruit

Aug 11, 2011
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#1
I haven't owned an upright, and I know you all have the eye for what is good or pure garbage. I do not have this eye for uprights honed yet. I am thinking of jumping on this as basses are hard to find in the area.

Thank you!:D

[Invalid or Expired Link Removed]
There's the link ^
 
#5
Woah! A double bass, soft case and French bow all for $325...Its either the deal of the century or a really cheap BSO.

Undoubtedly, its a plywood bass. The sticker or stamp on the inside should give some clues as to the builder. Unfortunately, the seller is either unwilling or unable to provided this info.

You should have a knowledgeable person come along with you should you decide to look at it.

The "few nicks and scratches" are not an issue, this happens to basses when they're moved around and played alot so i wouldnt worry about this part..

edit: Ill bet he"ll even throw in that cup of rosin, too!
 
#6
Whatever it is, it's not playable. In the last picture you can see the bridge feet are missing, and the strings are tightened down to hold the bridge in place, leaving the strings laying on the fingerboard. A replacement bridge will run you around $300.
 
#7
Maybe it has been stated and i missed it- or do some basses come now with bridges with no feet.

I have two concerns about you purchasing this bass
1- new set-up or just a new bridge will no longer make it a good deal

2-somehow, you need to make sure that the bassbar is not loose, or there is some other major issue like a warped neck

unless you can take the bass to a bass luthier before deciding to buy it or not, i would stay away from it

"as is" --- you need to find out what is

Good luck-you are wise to ask some questions about this as you are doing. Just noticed that the sheriff had detected the feet missing while i was typing.
 
#8
KUNGfuSHERIFF said:
Whatever it is, it's not playable. In the last picture you can see the bridge feet are missing, and the strings are tightened down to hold the bridge in place, leaving the strings laying on the fingerboard. A replacement bridge will run you around $300.
Click to expand...

$300 for a bridge? You can get one put on a lot cheaper than that. Or... buy a blank and put it on yourself. Or... get an old bridge and graft it's feet on the shoe-less one. Either way it's a bother but it's not brain surgery if you have any wood-working skills. Of course it all depends on the bass itself.
 
#9
Gene Fryer said:
Maybe it has been stated and i missed it- or do some basses come now with bridges with no feet.

I have two concerns about you purchasing this bass
1- new set-up or just a new bridge will no longer make it a good deal

2-somehow, you need to make sure that the bassbar is not loose, or there is some other major issue like a warped neck

unless you can take the bass to a bass luthier before deciding to buy it or not, i would stay away from it

"as is" --- you need to find out what is

Good luck-you are wise to ask some questions about this as you are doing. Just noticed that the sheriff had detected the feet missing while i was typing.
Click to expand...


What is a bassbar? How can I tell if the neck is warped?
 
#10
Stop. Do not pass go. Do not collect $200. Read the newbie wiki and gain some understanding of the instrument before you spend anything. Trust me. That bass is for sale on CL at $325 for a reason -- it's a dog.

Gerry, I said $300 because that's what my guy charges. He's worth it. I've reworked a few bridges and added adjusters to others, so I'm painfully familiar with the difference between an amateur job and a pro job. Maybe I'm too cautious, but I'm guessing that fitting a bridge might be more than a guy who doesn't know what a bass bar is should be taking on.
 
#11
This has been said many times, many ways in many threads particularly this one http://www.talkbass.com/forum/f1/ba...-please-read-before-posting-new-topics-43093/. Buy a bass from a reputable upright bass shop, get an upright bass teacher or experienced player and have them audition the bass. If you don't know about uprights you need to have the bass evaluated by a luthier otherwise you could be out a lot more money just in a set up
 
#12
KUNGfuSHERIFF said:
Stop. Do not pass go. Do not collect $200. Read the newbie wiki and gain some understanding of the instrument before you spend anything. Trust me. That bass is for sale on CL at $325 for a reason -- it's a dog.

Gerry, I said $300 because that's what my guy charges. He's worth it. I've reworked a few bridges and added adjusters to others, so I'm painfully familiar with the difference between an amateur job and a pro job. Maybe I'm too cautious, but I'm guessing that fitting a bridge might be more than a guy who doesn't know what a bass bar is should be taking on.
Click to expand...

I'm with the Sheriff on this one!

My guy charges a LOT more than three hundred and he is worth it too! :)

Joe
 
#13
;)
KUNGfuSHERIFF said:
Stop. Do not pass go. Do not collect $200. Read the newbie wiki and gain some understanding of the instrument before you spend anything. Trust me. That bass is for sale on CL at $325 for a reason -- it's a dog.

Gerry, I said $300 because that's what my guy charges. He's worth it. I've reworked a few bridges and added adjusters to others, so I'm painfully familiar with the difference between an amateur job and a pro job. Maybe I'm too cautious, but I'm guessing that fitting a bridge might be more than a guy who doesn't know what a bass bar is should be taking on.
Click to expand...

I didn't mean to contradict your advice. I agree that a great set-up is worth the bread. I figured he wanted to do it on the cheap until he finds out if it's worth the extra bread. I notice that the sound post is still standing so the chances are that whoever tightened the strings was careful-unless it's glued ;) The question is: where are the feet? I can't think of any reason for some one to cut them off. I wonder if it originally had adjusters and they were lost with the feet--or sold off to some one? If the ad is legit and not BS, it looks like a pretty good deal for a starter bass. But it does seem too good to be true:D
 
#16
;)
KUNGfuSHERIFF said:
Stop. Do not pass go. Do not collect $200. Read the newbie wiki and gain some understanding of the instrument before you spend anything. Trust me. That bass is for sale on CL at $325 for a reason -- it's a dog.

Gerry, I said $300 because that's what my guy charges. He's worth it. I've reworked a few bridges and added adjusters to others, so I'm painfully familiar with the difference between an amateur job and a pro job. Maybe I'm too cautious, but I'm guessing that fitting a bridge might be more than a guy who doesn't know what a bass bar is should be taking on.
Click to expand...

I didn't mean to contradict your advice. I agree that a great set-up is worth the bread. I figured he wanted to do it on the cheap until he finds out if it's worth the extra bread. I notice that the sound post is still standing so the chances are that whoever tightened the strings was careful-unless it's glued ;) The question is: where are the feet? I can't think of any reason for some one to cut them off. I wonder if it originally had adjusters and they were lost with the feet--or sold off to some one? If the ad is legit and not BS, it looks like a pretty good deal for a starter bass. But it does seem too good to be true:D
 
#17
i would do a talkbass search on "bassbars" and you will see pictures

warped neck- out of alignment, twisted,(it looks like in one of the pictures that the neck sorta turns)

most importantly- take it to a shop and let the luthier look it over

have you asked about the bridge feet?
 
#18
I wonder if the feet were removed in a sort of misguided attempt to lower the action? If so, likely another clue that the thing needs a set up. Freakyfruit - widen your search to include Sacramento and Bay Area CL. I just got good deal on a very nice bass from a guy in the Bay Area (I'm in Sacramento). A good instrument is worth a few hours drive!
 
#20
I disagree with anyone who thinks this Chinese bass is a good deal. Chances are you are going to have to have the fingerboard re-planed, a new bridge, a new nut and set of strings.

It's unlikely the money you sink into this bass to make it a nice instrument will be reclaimed if (when) you sell it.

You should only buy something in this price range if you can have it vetted by a shop (or experienced player). Actually, this goes for any price range.

As a rule of thumb, look to spend a minimum of $1,500 for a quality starter bass.
 
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