Double Bass How many double basses do you own ?

[sean_on_bass]

Just my Upton Laminate, but have another Upton hybrid on order. I think after that I may surf the used market for a little bit for some cool finds. I like the idea of having different basses with different setups/strings. Would love an arco bass, gut/synthetic bass, and steel pizz bass

 

[Ed S]

Ed - could you post a closeup of the scroll on the bass closer to the settle? What kind of tuners are those?

I've got 1, with another on order.

My current bass is an Englehart gamba, about 10 yrs old. Strung w/ Innovation Rockabillys, and set up beautifully by my wife for the bluegrass/oldtime I play most.

Upton is currently building a 7/8 Bohemian hybrid for me. Was expected to be ready early June, but now - who knows? That will be strung w/ Evahs, and I'll put guts on my Engle.

My current intention is to use my Engle as my beater, hauling it to jams and such, but once I have the new one, we'll see how well I'm able to resist playing it all the time.

On edit - funny, Seanto and I both have Uptons under construction, and even post a minute apart!

 

[sean_on_bass]

I've heard that bass a lot over the past few years. Great sound!

- Steve

I'd say that bass is pretty famous at this point!

 

[JayLaughlin]

I have three.

An Engelhardt Blonde. It is my first bass and my dedicated arco bass. I use it for my community orchestra and noodling around with Tango bass lines.

A Gollihur "Ed" rockabilly bass. This one was my first slapper. I gave it the Bill Black treatment by adding white trim.

A Pfretzschner aluminum round back. This is now my primary slap bass. I wasn't looking for one specifically. But when it showed up on Craigslist for a decent price, I couldn't pass it up.

There's a fourth in the apartment, my daughter's Shen. lol.

 

[Ed Fuqua]

Ed - could you post a closeup of the scroll on the bass closer to the settle? What kind of tuners are those?

With pleasure The machines are made in Jed Kriegel's shop, his partner does the metal work.

 

[Ed Fuqua]

The other machines aren't bad either, they're some Jacques Gagnon's that Jeff Bollbach tweaked for better performance....

 

[Jefenator]

Just the one Kay for 23 years and I'm guessing 2500 gigs. I could definitely justify owning a second, since that's what the clients seem to want more than half of the time. I would like to have one set up for gut and one set up for steel.
I've got a bunch of electric basses, even though I get less work on them. (Ironic but not entirely surprising, given the logistics...)

 

[Ed S]

DAMN, but that is beautiful!

I know there is no arguing taste, and my opinion should matter little to anyone else, but often when I see carved scrolls I feel the dimensions are slightly off, or that it is not something I'd want to see all the time. But yours, being stylized, is a thing of beauty.

And w/ the tuners, sometimes something different just looks - well - different. But those are different, and uniquely cool.

That has to give you pleasure and make you want to play it.

I like my current bass A LOT, but I'm looking forward to getting my new on and having it standing in my living room at the ready!

 

[leonard]

One plywood bass. I've been trying to avoid GAS with double bass.

 

[mooseonbass]

My main bass is a carved German roundback from somewhere before 1930, I have a Shen SB88 that I take to jam sessions and things like that (the first time I had a guy sweat all over my good bass, I stopped bringing it), and a Yamaha SVB-100 EUB.
Please don't tell the bass police; if they heard me play they would take them away from me.

 

[LaFaro01]

With pleasure The machines are made in Jed Kriegel's shop, his partner does the metal work.
View attachment 3787707 View attachment 3787709

really beautiful... but not the only beautiful scroll

 

[Ed S]

Some amazing wood there. I'm getting tuners similar to those on my new Upton. Ordered a highly flamed neck as well. Figured, I really wanted to like having it in my hands, and sure didn't want to regret having tried to economize....

 

[Carl Hillman]

And You ?

I just have the one...1930's German roundback shop bass (Hermann Beyer), currently with Bel Cantos on top and Spirocores on the bottom.

I used to have a Engelhardt C-1, but I traded it to KC Strings to help defray the cost of a new neck for the other one.

I'd like to get another ply at some point, maybe try it with guts.

Also, I'd like a nice, dedicated legit bass. Right now my setup and strings are a compromise between arco and jazz...and not particularly satisfying for either!

 

[Jason Hollar]

I’ve got two currently. An Upton Hawkes 2007 Hybrid and a Kolstein 2006 Busetto travel bass.

 

[CaseyVancouver]

I have two basses.

The first is a fully carved oil varnish 5/8ths Chinese that I bought from luthier Sydney Orpwood after he restored it in 1974. It’s shape is a bit like a French Quenoil solo bass. The scale is under 40” and neck about Db.

It has a big warm sound. Strung with Spiro’s I use it for jazz gigs, and has seen 1,000’s of dates over the last 45 years. Picture is from a jazz gig.

My other bass is also fully carved, oil varnish and 7/8ths. It is modelled after the 1750 Busan bass Edward Tait played while with the Toronto Symphony. Built by Peter Chandler in 2001. The string length is 42”. I tune it in 5ths (low C,G,D,A) for classical, the neck is at F. The bass is made of highly flamed Vancouver Island wood from Reid Hudson. I also have a Hudson bow.

This bass sounds deep and orchestral. It’s low C with bow compares favourably to a low C on a Italian 110 year old with extension C, side by side. Picture is from a symphony performance.

 

[statsc]

I’ve got two: mid-1800’s Tyrolean, looks like hell, plays and sounds like a dream, 42 1/4 in. scale, Spiro mittels; and a 2017 Upton Standard ply with a removable neck, with Spiro weichs. The Tyrolean is for jazz gigs (most of my gigs); the Upton is for practice, an occasional blues or bluegrass gig, occasional loans and rentals, and back-up.

 

[bigshiny]

CaseyVancouver,
Am I seeing an Ampeg B15 in your pic?

 

[CaseyVancouver]

CaseyVancouver,
Am I seeing an Ampeg B15 in your pic?

Yes.

I bought the tube fliptop about 1978. I still use it (that pic is from just a while ago) but I have 5 bass amps.

My gig car for 13 years (‘74-‘87) was a 1966 Corvette coupe. I would put my upright in with the seats forward, that Ampeg on the passenger seat back, a fender bass in a gig bag (if electric also requested) and a Manhasset music stand on top of everything. Set back the driver seat and ...blast away.

The poor upright has a 4” round wear mark from the amp, plus many gig battle wounds. Often 30 gigs a month in those days.

 

[jmlee]

Just one right now: Cleveland New Standard plywood that I quite love. However...Wil de Sola has a La Scala hybrid version in the works for me. Been drinking the Kool Aid from @Chris Fitzgerald I guess.

 

[Jim Dombrowski]

Just one also. A Christopher hybrid with Spirocore Weichs, a Full Circle and an Ischell contact mike. Good sounding bass, but after 12 years on it I am ready for an upgrade. However, there is no budget for a bass these days.