First Double Bass: plywood or solid top?

You probably want to move this over to other side of TB....it's all bass guitars over here, thete's a separate section for uprights.

 

As someone who plays both bass guitar and double bass, I would recommend you start with a plywood DB. It may be less responsive than a decent solid bass, but since you will be using a peizo pickup and amplifying it the difference will be slim to none. Of my two basses, one of which is a 1/4 size plywood, the other being a regular 3/4 solid top, the small plywood one sounds better amplified. It's also far more rugged, and actually heavier than the 3/4.

Later if you are looking at doing orchestral gigs, you might want to look at a better bass. But for slogging around to gigs where you will be using the pickup I say go plywood.

 

If it's going to be dragged all over town I'd say the ply will provide a little more peace of mind. But at that price, just buy two carved basses in case one breaks

 

Although the purists don't like plywood basses, for gigging, dragging around, using a pickup, I'd say plywood. A solid wood bass is going to crack, it's just a question of when.

 

I've been "dragging around" fully carved basses to all my gigs in the often harsh Chicago weather for 45 years with little damage. A few open seams and rib cracks over the years. Yes, I humidify in the winter and change sound posts, but that's about it. Go play some basses of both types and make your decision based on the one you like best.

 

+1,000,000

 

If you want to play LOUD, I'd recommend plywood and a Krivo magnetic pickup. I've never owned a carved bass, but I assume it would be more prone to acoustic feedback, since it is livelier by itself.

With the right strings and a decent amp, I come fairly close to sounding like an unamplified upright

 

I would advise against both a ply bass and ANY magnetic pick up. Take the plunge, get a bass that won't hold you back. You can get nice, durable, carved or hybrid bass that will last you for years and better to play.

 

Why this, in Europe no less?

Since you're in Phoenix, go see Steve at www.stringemporium.com. He has quality basses of all levels and good prices.

 

OP states he’s currently in Germany.

 

I guess all the bluegrass and jazz players over the years were held back by playing Kay basses.

 

The right answer to this is that there is far more possibility as well as more expectations in both genres, especially jazz.

 

The advantage of a ply bass is its durability, which is not a small matter in some situations. My Kay has been out to the desert southwest twice now, straight back through ultra-humid New Orleans and Memphis, just tossed in the back of a van, no worries other than keeping it in tune. Is it a sacrifice of tone compared to a carved? Yes. Is it worth it to have a bass and not be stressed about it being in the right conditions? For me, absolutely, no question. If I had several carved basses and a repair budget, that's what I'd bring, but I don't and for me traveling has enough stresses without having to worry about my instrument.

FWIW I play my carved bass and ply bass back-to-back every day. They both sound amazing to me and I greatly enjoy both. I don't notice that it takes any more physical effort to play the Kay, I do notice that the arco sound isn't nearly as loud or complex as the carved bass and I have to be more diligent with the bow, but I still very much enjoy the way it sounds. Having only had a carved bass a few months, I can't see that playing only ply basses previously held me back in any way, rather the opposite. I think years spent learning to get a decent arco sound from Spiros on a ply bass has put me way ahead of where I'd be otherwise. Now the carved bass with flex deluxe seems easy, might not notice if it were all I'd known. Mileage varies, or something

I think you'll be happy with any bass of decent build quality, proper setup and proper fundamental technique much more important than the bass itself. $.02

 

This is my experience. I have had exactly ONE major repair in 25 years. It is time for some repairs again, but that is two and half decades of heavy free jazz playing in all types of venues and weather.
If you are doing more than thumping in the low end, a plywood bass will not be satisfactory. It is an unnecessary compromise in the 21st Century.

 

I thought "thumping in the low end" is kinda what we bassists did...;-)

 

what is your plan for getting a bass back from Germany to Phoenix?

 

+++ to all of this! Buying a $500 bass off of EBay sounds to me like absolutely the worst way to buy a bass, since likely you won’t have a chance to play it beforehand and eBay sellers don’t usually have the reputation for quality that established businesses like Upton or Gollihur have. What you’ll likely get is a bass worth $500, which in the upright bass world usually means a piece of junk. Especially if you are new to upright bass, find some for sale that you can try beforehand and choose something within your budget that speaks to you, whether it’s carved or plywood. By and large, most agree that carved basses sound better than plywood, and that amplification also amplifies the differences.