Hello Talkbass!
I'm a recent convert over to the dark side of double bass, but I've been loving every minute of it. I've barely touched my bass guitar in the time I've had my double bass, and I'm even trying to push my usual (electric) group to play an acoustic song or two so I can work the DB into our shows.
Anyway...
I recently found a great deal on a Christopher 7/8 plywood bass, which I've been having a blast with. But now that I'm getting more into it and am learning more about double basses, I'm wondering if it's the right bass for me. If nothing else, I'd love to be able to go down to a 3/4 scale (if, for nothing else, ease of transport).
I'm mainly into folk/bluegrass, so the first thing to come to mind is a Kay bass. Unfortunately, they seem a bit out of my price range (though potentially something I could save up for). The next place I started looking, however, was at Engelhardt basses (particularly the ES9 Swingmaster), and I'm wondering if that's what I'm looking for. I've heard somewhat mixed reviews on the Engelhardts (mainly that they need a decent amount of work/upgrades from the factory, and that you can get a better bass (Shen?) for what an Engelhardt will cost). That said, with the Kay history, and the fact that Engelhardts are made around the corner from where I grew up, part of me just wants to go down that path.
I do have two concerns specific to the construction of the Engelhardt ES9, though:
1) I've read a lot about how the Engelhardts have a very narrow neck. Not that this is a structural problem, but that they can be hard to play. I'm a big guy with big hands, and so I wonder if this might be a dealbreaker for me. I know I found a 5-string bass guitar easier to play (just seemed to fit my hand better) than a 4-string.
2) On my Christopher bass, the fingerboard beneath the E string does not follow the same curvature as the rest of the fingerboard, and is planed flat at a bit of an angle. I understand this is to allow for a bit more robust attack on the E-string, which, considering I'm mainly playing pizzicato for folk/bluegrass, is a somewhat nice feature. I read Invalid Link Removed that one of the changes Englehardt made on the Kay bass is that "because of customer demand the flat was removed from the fingerboard, giving the fingerboard a rounded appearance." Is this talking about the same thing I am above? If so, does the ES9 have the flat fingerboard under the E-string? The pictures I've seen make it look like the ES9 does have the flat, but the pictures aren't close-up enough to make a definitive statement.
Anyway, looking for some feedback on what might be the right bass for me. Maybe I should just save up for the Kay?
I'm a recent convert over to the dark side of double bass, but I've been loving every minute of it. I've barely touched my bass guitar in the time I've had my double bass, and I'm even trying to push my usual (electric) group to play an acoustic song or two so I can work the DB into our shows.
Anyway...
I recently found a great deal on a Christopher 7/8 plywood bass, which I've been having a blast with. But now that I'm getting more into it and am learning more about double basses, I'm wondering if it's the right bass for me. If nothing else, I'd love to be able to go down to a 3/4 scale (if, for nothing else, ease of transport).
I'm mainly into folk/bluegrass, so the first thing to come to mind is a Kay bass. Unfortunately, they seem a bit out of my price range (though potentially something I could save up for). The next place I started looking, however, was at Engelhardt basses (particularly the ES9 Swingmaster), and I'm wondering if that's what I'm looking for. I've heard somewhat mixed reviews on the Engelhardts (mainly that they need a decent amount of work/upgrades from the factory, and that you can get a better bass (Shen?) for what an Engelhardt will cost). That said, with the Kay history, and the fact that Engelhardts are made around the corner from where I grew up, part of me just wants to go down that path.
I do have two concerns specific to the construction of the Engelhardt ES9, though:
1) I've read a lot about how the Engelhardts have a very narrow neck. Not that this is a structural problem, but that they can be hard to play. I'm a big guy with big hands, and so I wonder if this might be a dealbreaker for me. I know I found a 5-string bass guitar easier to play (just seemed to fit my hand better) than a 4-string.
2) On my Christopher bass, the fingerboard beneath the E string does not follow the same curvature as the rest of the fingerboard, and is planed flat at a bit of an angle. I understand this is to allow for a bit more robust attack on the E-string, which, considering I'm mainly playing pizzicato for folk/bluegrass, is a somewhat nice feature. I read Invalid Link Removed that one of the changes Englehardt made on the Kay bass is that "because of customer demand the flat was removed from the fingerboard, giving the fingerboard a rounded appearance." Is this talking about the same thing I am above? If so, does the ES9 have the flat fingerboard under the E-string? The pictures I've seen make it look like the ES9 does have the flat, but the pictures aren't close-up enough to make a definitive statement.
Anyway, looking for some feedback on what might be the right bass for me. Maybe I should just save up for the Kay?
