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Double Bass First bass help needed

brushbrushbrush

brushbrushbrush

Sep 3, 2014
28
0
30
#1
I am considering buying a double bass but am not sure which one and as I'm sure all of you know, the internet is swamped with sub standard basses which quite frankly are crap. I have trawled my local music stores and online and manages to narrow my search down to two basses. Number 1. The stentor student 2 3/4 size double bass which is the only bass that is sold at my local music shop.
My second option is the upton bass ub standard laminated bass which is slightly more expensive and to my knowledge does not include a case or bow unlike the stentor. I played the stentor today and it sounded nice, a bit quiet but that may have just been me being too careful and which can be easily fixed with a pickup. I also know that you're not meant to buy a bass unless you can give it a test but seeing upton's reputation I'm not sure I would have that much to worry about. I also live in the uk which means that shipping from upton would probably be a nightmare and extortionate. Any help would be greatly appreciated along with suggestions of other basses and upgrades I could perform to improve the bass.
Many Thanks
brush
 
#2
A bass should project nicely without a pickup. When you start bringing in drums or playing in large rooms is when you start needing a pickup.

I wouldn't consider limiting yourself to one bass because it's all that's sold in your local shop. I'd do some traveling around, and I would certainly think that the U.K. would have plenty of options within a 2-3 hour drive of wherever you live. Tops.
 
#3
Lee Moses said:
A bass should project nicely without a pickup. When you start bringing in drums or playing in large rooms is when you start needing a pickup.

I wouldn't consider limiting yourself to one bass because it's all that's sold in your local shop. I'd do some traveling around, and I would certainly think that the U.K. would have plenty of options within a 2-3 hour drive of wherever you live. Tops.
Click to expand...

I live in belfast Northern Ireland which is the capital and a cultural dead spot, only two music shops in the city and one more in Lisburn about half an hours drive and only one, matchetts, stocks double bass. Also the bass I tried was quite nice but I felt a bit self conscious with the guy standing staring at me haha so may not have played it properly, I can't show the link as the site won't let me yet but just google mattchets dot com and it'll be under products, band and orchestral and violins, violas and basses. Thanks for the advice :)
 
#4
I looked the music store website and went to the Stentor site as well. It is unfortunate that you don't have more choices where you live, but both the store and the company look reputable to me. I strongly suspect that the basses are made in China or Eastern Europe and imported under the Stentor name and it looks like the standard UK student choice for stringed instruments. Could you find a few people who have had Stentor violins, cellos, basses to gauge some sentiment on how they held up over time?

How do you feel about the music shop? Are they part of the community? Do you feel they will stand behind the purchase and be a resource for you once you own?

If so and you don't find a bunch of negative sentiment about the brand then I think it's a safe bet. Volume is as much in the hands as the instrument. Not that there isn't a difference between instruments, but you want stable, reliable, credible, not spectacular.

I don't see anything here that would make me warn you off of it, but see if you can get a local read on the brand and decide how you feel about the shop. And, let us know!
 
#5
I am told Stentors are either Chinese or relabeled Strunals (Czech) depending on which model bass you're looking at.

From my experience, plywood Strunals are good basses if set up properly and if the lousy tuning machines and endpin are replaced.
 
#7
Matchetts is my go to music shop and the best in Northern Ireland. I have bought both my guitars, electric bass, banjo and ukulele from them and they have always been there to help if I have had a problem. Also one of the main reasons that I posted the thread was to see if anyone else owned a stentor and see whether it is actually any good.
 
#8
I think you're probably okay, then. The only real possible concern I would have is that sometimes mass produced "student" instruments are made with wood that hasn't been cured enough. So, as it dries out, it loses it's structural integrity. Ask them what they know about them and ask who in the shop works on stringed instruments and see if you can talk with them about what they've seen happen with these basses over the course of a few years of ownership.

The other thing to ask about is the fingerboard material. It needs to be HARD wood. Ebony is traditional and should be what is on there, but know that if it's something else, it won't hold up. If the bass is otherwise okay and the shop will keep it dressed for you, just plan for an ebony replacement down the road. If it's ebony and you get a good story about the manufacture and their experience selling and servicing these in your area, I think you're okay.
 
#9
I was in the shop earlier today and tried it out, the fingerboard is indeed ebony as I asked one of the guys although he did say it was laminated instead of carved but on the store website it says carved so I am more inclined to trust the website given the fact he didn't seem to know a lot about basses and didn't even know the difference between German and French bows haha. I will go in sometime next week and see how it will hold up overtime although in belfast I'm not sure it drying out is much of a problem as we only really have two seasons, winter and June haha. Thanks for your advice about the bass and making up my mind about it.
 
#10
You should be able to tell if it's laminated or solid wood by looking at the edges of the top and maybe the edges in the f-holes. If it's solid, the grain should go all the way through, just like you would expect a piece of wood to. If it's laminated, you'll see the layers. If the edges are painted so that you can't see if there is grain or not, it's probably laminated. Amazingly beautiful grain patterns on the top or back of inexpensive instruments are often a sign of plywood as well.

Nothing wrong with a plywood bass and they can tend to have far fewer problems. The wood will fluctuate less with weather and they are almost impossible to crack. They can sound quite nice and can be more feedback resistant when amplifying. A beautiful carved wood bass will usually, but not always sound more wholesome, pretty, complex, etc. But, there's nothing wrong with a good laminated bass, especially in your circumstances.

Your climate aside (ours is pretty consistent too), wood will continue to cure and if it does so dramatically once it's glued together and under pressure, problems occur. If you play in a pub with a fireplace and it wasn't properly cured, it will cure 15 years in 2 sets and might be easier to get home in a compact car than it was to get there. :)

Again, I think you're going about this right. Learn a little more, talk to the shop, go with your gut. We could tell you to hold out, look around, find a teacher, get a good local player to go with you and all of those things would be good advice. I believe you, though if you say your geographical options are truly limited and I think you're approach is reasonable based on your circumstances. That said, as many of those things are possible would only help you.
 
#14
Bridge is a discussion for and with the shop. They'll need to fit it to the top. Is there a problem with the bridge that comes with it?

Innovation strings are made in the UK and may be a good option for you. What do you plan on playing on this thing?

I would suggest spending time in the pickups forum (and strings forum for that matter). Both are a deep well. No simple answers.
 
#16
I'll let our European brothers and sisters comment on the price and how it sits in the local range.

The bass should come to you with a good setup, which would inlcude the bridge feet were carefully fitted to the top. That's part of understanding the shop's role and support in this, if it's not there, then I feel differently about the purchase. If it is, don't think at all about things like replacing the bridge. This is a very different world from guitar instruments.

Conversely, find out what strings come with it. If they are of good quality, I would leave them be until you started developing preferences and specific needs. If they are unknown Chinese strings, then probably it's the best upgrade you could make. New strings will cost you as much as a cheap guitar.

Pickups, - look in that forum, ask the shop what they carry, watch our classifieds to see if someone in the UK is selling one of theirs, wait until you need one...Pickups all suck, but are necessary at some point.
 
#17
TroyK has some serious stuff up there but I`d like to add that it would be best if the bass comes with the setup made by a luthier. Setup costs a lot because it involves a lot of slow precision handcraft work. It`s also that stuff what makes basses playable, bad setup will ruin it all, playability and sound, and no string will save that.

The best kind of bridge is IMO an adjustable one, with adjusters on the feet. You can set the string height yourself, depending on the kind of sound and playability your after. You can also adjust the bridge if seasonal changes affect the bass and if you switch to different kind of strings.

Good strings for a beginner are IMO the kinds that work well both plucked and bowed and are easy to play. Light, weich etc strings. Thomastik Infelds Spirocore Lights ( Weich ) aren`t the easiest to bow, but do ok after some weeks of playing. All that comes with wonderful pizzicato sound and easy playability + they last for years. Price is somewhere around 150 euros ( = 120-ish pounds? ).

Best of luck, it`s a wonderful instrument!!!
 
#18
Thanks for the advice man, it really helps. As for the setup, all I know is that when I take the bass home it'll be set up with bridge and sound post up as it us in the shop. I don't think they'll do anything to it and I'll practically just rock up and take it haha.
 
#19
Ask about it man, they really should know! That`s what makes the difference between generic music store and string instrument shop. If the bass is not set up properly you`ll propably end up paying hundreds of pounds to a specialized luthier. It really is important, bass is pretty complex mf to play even when decently set up. No set-up or bad set-up means impossible to play, it hurts after only some minutes and will cause serious injury if you continue.
 
#20
Agree on all counts. Their website makes them appear to be a stringed instrument shop. So, talk to them about it. They should have a very clear answer about who set up the bass and where. I'm guessing that there's a guy in the back, since they seem to do violins, violas, cellos and basses, it's unlikely that they are just unpacking them and putting them on the floor. If you don't like their answer, step back, look for some other options before you decide.
 

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