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Double Bass Hello everyone! Newbie here who needs help

jpatt2

jpatt2

Jul 27, 2009
74
1
Rochester, NY
#1
Hello, I'm new to these forums, but have lurked for quite some time. I am getting ready to start college, and will be studiying upright bass under Karl Olsen, principle bassist in the Louisville Orchestra. I am an electric player moving over to upright, and the school asks that I purchase my own upright. How much should I expect to spend? Also, I play a five string, as does my professor. Would it be a good idea to start on a five string? I've narrowed my choices down to Upton, Shen, and Christopher...Any personal experiences with these brands? Thank you so much for your help, and I am so sorry if you have heard these questions a billion times...I have called a variety of shops, and they all seem kind of biased to their own stuff.
 
#2
If you intend to be using a 5 string double bass, eg orchestral use or otherwise, then dont waste money on a 4 string and get yourself a nice 5 string straight up.

I know money is always a pain, but if youre playing bass for the long haul, then getting a fine quality bass that is to your specification right away saves a lot of messing around with buying gear.
 
#7
Well the low B would be more common, especially for orchestras that need the low range for particular pieces.

Ive moved exclusively to high C's on all my electric and acoustic instruments though and I love it. By the nature of the thin string Im using on the high C and others, the bass has a more cello-istic type sound. I use a high C all the time compared to a low B which I rarely ever used. The high C is great for a soloist bass.

So you have to think about what direction youd like to go in playing wise.
 
#9
JtheJazzMan said:
Well the low B would be more common, especially for orchestras that need the low range for particular pieces.

Ive moved exclusively to high C's on all my electric and acoustic instruments though and I love it. By the nature of the thin string Im using on the high C and others, the bass has a more cello-istic type sound. I use a high C all the time compared to a low B which I rarely ever used. The high C is great for a soloist bass.

So you have to think about what direction youd like to go in playing wise.
Click to expand...

Hmm, that's a good point; I imagine I'll be playing primarily orchestra and jazz pieces for the school. What styles do you play?
 
#10
At $3k you are best advised to go looking for a used instrument... unlike electric instruments, the maker is far less important than the character of the particular instrument. Two basses from the same factory can be completely different, so the only answer is to borrow a good player and go try some basses. In fact the only places where brands make any sense in the double bass world are carbon fibre bows and rosin; although strings are very consistent, the way any bass will respond to a particular string is highly unpredictable.

The second point is, five strings are expensive. But then, they are very seldom the horrendously made super-cheap bass-shaped-objects.

So, $3k budget... that means you're looking at under $2k instrument, $500 to $700 bow, and the rest on setup. If you are going to do any orchestra work, do not skimp on the bow or setup; better by far to have a not so good bass set up perfectly and a good bow.
 
#11
jpatt2 said:
Hmm, that's a good point; I imagine I'll be playing primarily orchestra and jazz pieces for the school. What styles do you play?
Click to expand...

Jazz, some classical solo work but no orchestral work, and "world music" ala renaud garcia type stuff.

A big part of the flexibility of the bass is down to the string choice.

I use thomastik spirocores, which are a good steel string for pizzicato or arco........though asking whether spiros are a good arco string - now thats a can of worms around here! :hiding:

I guess they are a "love or hate" string, they get a thumbs up from me even when doing all arco. Just be prepared for lots of practice....
 
#12
Andrew McGregor said:
So, $3k budget... that means you're looking at under $2k instrument, $500 to $700 bow, and the rest on setup. If you are going to do any orchestra work, do not skimp on the bow or setup; better by far to have a not so good bass set up perfectly and a good bow.
Click to expand...

Good to know...A music store near where I'll be attending college offered me a Christopher Academy 100 for $1200 with a free bag and $80 bow; any personal experiences? I definitely will probably pass on the bow and get a better one, but do any of you have personal experiences with Christophers?

Thank you for the imput on strings, JtheJazzMan; I've notice strings are quite expensive for an upright, so it would definitely be a good idea to try some out. I'll be sure to try out the Tomastik Spirocores. As for the practice piece, when it comes to bass, I have trouble NOT practicing :p.
 
#16
jpatt2 said:
Hey, I'm located in Rochester, NY as well Andrew; could you maybe refer me to a place around here that has a good selection of uprights? I'll be in Campbellsville, KY for college, so if anyone knows of a place down there that has a good selection, I really would appreciate some information about them.
Click to expand...

Well, I'm originally from CT and bought my bass privately in NYC, so I'm not really sure of where to buy basses in Rochester, it's only my location because I go to Eastman. I'll inquire for you though and let you know.
 
#17
Andrew McGregor said:
At $3k you are best advised to go looking for a used instrument... unlike electric instruments, the maker is far less important than the character of the particular instrument. Two basses from the same factory can be completely different, so the only answer is to borrow a good player and go try some basses. In fact the only places where brands make any sense in the double bass world are carbon fibre bows and rosin; although strings are very consistent, the way any bass will respond to a particular string is highly unpredictable.

The second point is, five strings are expensive. But then, they are very seldom the horrendously made super-cheap bass-shaped-objects.

So, $3k budget... that means you're looking at under $2k instrument, $500 to $700 bow, and the rest on setup. If you are going to do any orchestra work, do not skimp on the bow or setup; better by far to have a not so good bass set up perfectly and a good bow.
Click to expand...

What he said. I think that these points can't be emphasized enough.
 

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