^^^ This! Asking prices for Concert and Professor models have really shot up in recent years so my opinion/advice would be to do careful research and make sure you are getting a fair price.
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Double Bass HAWKES DOUBLEBASS
- Thread starter byrdman1960
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^^^ This! Asking prices for Concert and Professor models have really shot up in recent years so my opinion/advice would be to do careful research and make sure you are getting a fair price.
The Hawkes line is very un-even. Some are great basses, with huge sounds, easy response, pleasant even tone, and surprisingly easy to play. When you hear one of the good Hawkes at an audition being played by the competition, for example, it just makes you want to pack up and leave the warm-up room and go home, do laundry, and question your choices in life. And then some Hawkes are just awful. Beware with Hawkes, price is not indicative of quality. At one time, the Hawkes was not well-regarded. That has changed, but there is a reason they were not well-regarded, at one time. There was too much trash mixed in with the treasure. An old Hawkes, like any old bass, requires a lot of down-time for repair and maintenance. Read about them. They have a very very interesting history. If you get one of the good ones, treasure it, because there is nothing like it.
i've played some "big" basses (not huge) that were really, really uncomfortable to get around.
i've played some huge basses that were rather comfortable.
i think the hawkes would be the same outlike as the panormo - i had a shen model of this shape. it was big. the largest bodied bass i've ever played, honestly.
I had absolutely no trouble getting around that one.
the comfort on a big bass is the sum of its parts, and that combined with your technique and physical attributes will get you the "comfort" of one bass or another. it's half you, half the bass.
I know a great NYC bass player who had a hawkes briefly and sold it because it was "impossible to play above F" on the g string. his words, not mine.
i've played some huge basses that were rather comfortable.
i think the hawkes would be the same outlike as the panormo - i had a shen model of this shape. it was big. the largest bodied bass i've ever played, honestly.
I had absolutely no trouble getting around that one.
the comfort on a big bass is the sum of its parts, and that combined with your technique and physical attributes will get you the "comfort" of one bass or another. it's half you, half the bass.
I know a great NYC bass player who had a hawkes briefly and sold it because it was "impossible to play above F" on the g string. his words, not mine.
I had a chance to try out a Hawkes at Sonksen Strings yesterday -- for fun. It was just killer. The body was big and heavy, but it really kicked *ss. Incredible sound and clarity. I was just blown away.
I haven't seen anyone mention overstand yet. If you love the sound of a large shouldered bass but find thumb position difficult, a neck reset out to a more modern 40-50mm overstand could help. There will also be a decrease in tension over the top but if needed, could be compensated for with the actual neck angle and therefor bridge height. Might be a legitimate option of money is no concern and the bass has a "once in a lifetime" sound and response. Just a thought.
Even smaller basses benefit from this operation. My luthier often raises the fingerboard a bit. So there is the old neck, but different angel. It thickens the neck a bit.
