no. not right away. maybe later unless you get really serious about orchestral playing and that is your main focus you can if you want. but if your new and trying out DB i wouldn't spend that money. Many people get away without the extension
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Double Bass Getting my first Double Bass
- Thread starter PRUNEFACE
- Start date
no. not right away. maybe later unless you get really serious about orchestral playing and that is your main focus you can if you want. but if your new and trying out DB i wouldn't spend that money. Many people get away without the extension
okay, yeah, I don't see a ton of basses for sale with those already built on, and I doubt I'll be playing in a regional/metro orchestra any time soon
Matthew Tucker
Commercial User
- Aug 21, 2002
- 2,686
- 387
- Disclosures
- Owner: Bresque Basses, Sydney Basses and Cellos
Prunefaec, there are a whole lot of things about double basses that you only learn after playing them for several years. Things like responsiveness, complexity of sound vs fundamental tone, balance, fingerboard setup, thicker/thinner neck, string choice etc. Most people say they want a bass with a "rich, deep, loud" tone. Sounds reasonable. But this can be pretty meaningless. A bass can sound pretty loud and rich pizz, but scratchy and bright arco. Or it can sound beautiful arco, but like a tub of butter played pizz. Or anywhere in between. So looking for a "rich, deep, loud" bass is about as useful as asking to buy a "beautiful, colourful" picture. Without the context of your experience and many other basses to compare with, you really won't know what the possibilities are. I have quite a few people who come to me saying they have a great sounding bass ... but in my opinion it's nothing special. And for a while i thought *I* had a killer bass, until I learnt its limitations from a player far better than I.
So the advice to play as many as you can before buying, even ones way out of your price range, is REALLY GOOD advice. But even then, until you can pull a really good tone out of a double bass (you are a beginner, right?) you really won't know what it is capable of. Which is why the advice to take an experienced player or teacher along is good, pretty essential too. Everyone who comes to my house likes to try a bass. They usually hold it funny and pluck tentatively with fingertips, or grab a bow (if they are fiddlers) and try to make it sing ... usually it'll go plunk plunk or wheeezze, and the player looks at me in a funny way. Then when i show them the difference when played confidently, its a whole new experience. They can feel the bass vibrating around them. I wouldn't fancy their chances of buying a bass though, without a better player to help out.
You are on the right track asking about basses that will hold up in your climate. That's important, too.
For my money, a well built plywood bass with a really good setup to make it easy and fun to play would be a better deal than a more expensive bass with a carved top but which may cause you grief and repair bills. But how will you know if the bass has had a great setup? Your friendly bass-playing mate or teacher should be able to tell you that.
If you don't have any contacts, I'm sure there are some TB members in NO who'd be prepared to spend an hour or two in a shop with you and a parent, to show you the basses in the shop. Probably better than just letting the sales person do the demos.
And even if you decide not to get a bass from a shop in the end, it won't be time wasted. you'll have a few benchmarks. Then you'll know how your mailorder bass shapes up ...
So the advice to play as many as you can before buying, even ones way out of your price range, is REALLY GOOD advice. But even then, until you can pull a really good tone out of a double bass (you are a beginner, right?) you really won't know what it is capable of. Which is why the advice to take an experienced player or teacher along is good, pretty essential too. Everyone who comes to my house likes to try a bass. They usually hold it funny and pluck tentatively with fingertips, or grab a bow (if they are fiddlers) and try to make it sing ... usually it'll go plunk plunk or wheeezze, and the player looks at me in a funny way. Then when i show them the difference when played confidently, its a whole new experience. They can feel the bass vibrating around them. I wouldn't fancy their chances of buying a bass though, without a better player to help out.
You are on the right track asking about basses that will hold up in your climate. That's important, too.
For my money, a well built plywood bass with a really good setup to make it easy and fun to play would be a better deal than a more expensive bass with a carved top but which may cause you grief and repair bills. But how will you know if the bass has had a great setup? Your friendly bass-playing mate or teacher should be able to tell you that.
If you don't have any contacts, I'm sure there are some TB members in NO who'd be prepared to spend an hour or two in a shop with you and a parent, to show you the basses in the shop. Probably better than just letting the sales person do the demos.
And even if you decide not to get a bass from a shop in the end, it won't be time wasted. you'll have a few benchmarks. Then you'll know how your mailorder bass shapes up ...
It's just not a good question and I understand why you don't get that and want to compare the experience to buying a Spector or Fender. But the truth is that it's not like that and we mostly all know that and are trying to answer you honestly and helpfully. So, take it or leave it, you've gotten good advice here.
I also appreciate yours and your parents concern for providing personal information on the internet. It's generally valid and I wouldn't encourage you to relax that concern in general. But this is an actual community of actual people in a small field. Professional jazz, orchestra and bluegrass players, luthiers, teachers. We all eventually know each other and no one who I've ever met in real life from TBDB has personally disappointed me. I'm 41 and I've learned that if a great teacher, touring bassist or local cat in some town I'm visiting offers to spend 10 minutes with me, playing, showing me something, telling me stories I TAKE IT. Irreplaceable experience.
I live in the opposite corner of US to you, so I'm no help, but if someone in your area offers to help you or meet you at a shop and look at basses together. Talk to your parents, have your parents check them out and take them up on it if you can. There is no substitute for that if you're serious about a life in music.
If you mail order a doublebass, unpack it and screw around with it for a few months, all of the sudden you'll realize we're telling you the truth. Good luck, let us know how it works out.
I'll figure something out. Oh, carbon fiber bows, they worth the money, or should something of that price be pernambuco? In your opinion and experience, would it be worth saving up for the real deal.
This is a matter of whether you spend the money to upgrade the aesthetics on a ply bass or get a bass with carved top that may be plainer looking. For me, the choice would be clear. Get the bass with the carved top! That is, unless there is a specific reason that a ply is preferred. That doesn't seem to be the case at all for you (even considering the climate).
I'll cut PRUNEFACE some slack and say that by "better buy," he meant the wiser choice to make given a set amount of dollars. As I said above, in my opinion, unless there is a specific reason to have a ply (as there sometimes is), then I'd choose the bass with the carved top. Yes, yes, some cheapo hybrids could be less desirable than some plys but the specific question was about the Upton ply vs. hybrid. Their hybrid is, in my opinion, much better sounding than their ply. No surprise there.
Matthew Tucker
Commercial User
- Aug 21, 2002
- 2,686
- 387
- Disclosures
- Owner: Bresque Basses, Sydney Basses and Cellos
Ha ha haaaaaa! That is hilarious.
Oh I get it, PRUNEFACE is prohibited by his parents from releasing personal information, to prevent harm by an unsavoury character from the big bad internet.
Oh I get it, PRUNEFACE is prohibited by his parents from releasing personal information, to prevent harm by an unsavoury character from the big bad internet.
Good suggestion, I think I'll do the same. Let's see, where did I put my parents credit card?
Unlike with basses, or wood bows, carbon bows ARE like BGs... there is no sample variation worth mentioning, so you can meaningfully talk about brands. And yes, most of them are worth the money.
There are four brands I can think of, Carbow, Upton, David Gage and Coda. Gage and Coda come out of the same factory and process, but have different specifications... understandably they're fairly similar. My own bow is a Gage, I liked the Coda bows too, and some of those are slightly cheaper. For the price, I was very impressed with the one Upton carbon I've had a go with (but don't ever get a fiberglass Upton bow, stick to the carbon). I've never played a Carbow.
Recommendation to a beginner: get the carbon Upton, it's a very good bow for the money, and you can safely mail order it and know what you're getting.
As for the basses, you have a problem: it is impossible to mail order a bass unless someone you trust who works for the supplier has tried out the bass in the warehouse and thinks it's OK. But the commercial folks on here aren't allowed to volunteer to do that, 'cause they'll get banned from this site and may even get fired for that, and you're not allowed to meet up with folks on the internet. Well, you just have to explain to your folks that this issue is worth an exception, otherwise you'll very likely waste a few thousand of their money... that should get their attention. Then get them to have a chat to whoever is nearby... it'll then be their call if they trust these people.
Does upton actually make "every bass custom"? Or is that kind of an exageration? I would think that, inless they have a huge team, basses wouldn't ever come back by 6 weeks (like their website says they do.)
Ah, there is much you don't know! When you order a bass from Upton, the build process starts with a bunch of wood with your name on it. All the specs you asked for (finish, modifications to the design, set-up parameters, options) are listed. No, you can't have them make major changes to their design (well, maybe for loads of $$$). They will do a considerable amount of tweaking though (string length, neck set, D-neck, Eb neck, etc.). Yes, they have a pretty large team of folks. Geez, if you want to know how they do things, just call them! It's best to go right to the source with your questions. No one here knows their operation like they do.
Twon't be getting a bass until I am in good health; I have a severe cough that has gone on for several months and cannot talk or remain standing upright for more than a minute or two.
I can't call just yet, otherwise that would have been the first thing I did (after reading your private message.)
I can't call just yet, otherwise that would have been the first thing I did (after reading your private message.)
Sorry to hear of your poor health. Yes, indeed, I suggested in a PM that you call Upton for answers.
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