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Double Bass Is This Cheap Bass A Crappy Bass?

E

-executor-

Dec 27, 2005
73
1
Lake Forest, Illinois (US)
#1
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#3
-executor- said:
I have been reading the newbie links and have read many bad things about cheaper DBs on ebay. I have a very low budget but I still want to get and learn how to play a DB. Is this cheaper one I found on ebay crappy?
Click to expand...

Yes. That's definitely a BSO (Bass Shaped Object). Steer clear unless you like pain and heartache.
 
#5
I'd really love to get the other bass that was recommended but I just don't have that kind of budget. Can someone show me a link to any DB that is the best one that can be bought for $400 and under? I know anything that low won't be very good but I am looking for the best one I can find for that low of a price range.
And just as a side note, this will be my first DB. (I have some BG experience)
 
#6
There is nothign we can show you worth buying under $400. You will not find a bass worth buying for less than $400, saving divine intercession or a very generous distributor. Any bass in that price range will:
A) be so crappy you will hate playing it and give up
B) Be in disrepair and need tons of investment
C) require at least $200-$300 in setup costs

At any rate, ANY bass you get for under $400 WILL DEFINATELY end up costing you AT LEAST $300 extra to make it playable and decent. You ar looking at spending bare minimum $800 for a crappy bass shaped object, when you could get a very useful adn decent sounding bass for around $1000. After purchase, se-up, adjustments, etc. I spent $1100 on my Engelhardt M-1, and this is the bare bottom for a decent bass, I can assure you. That did not even include a case, and I bought used.

BE PATIENT AND SAVE YOUR MONEY!!!!
 
#7
Save your money- and keep checking yard sales and classifieds. A fellow I know- a bassist, teacher and importer of basses- has found a number of very good instruments in such places. My nephew's 1/2 sized bass that he played on for a time was a carved Juzek found at a yard sale. My very first bass was a hybrid German bass I wish I'd kept that I found by putting an ad in a local bulletin board saying "I need a double bass, but I can only spend $500."
 
#8
Take heed to the advice in this thread.

If you could fill out your profile we could help find an upright bass specialist within driving distance of you. 99% of Ebay dealers do not service what they sell. Once the bass in out the door, you don't mean squat to them. Expect $200-$600 worth of setup work needed on these basses under $1000. Buying uprights is not like buying electrics. A poorly setup upright bass can damage your hands and forearms, not to mention they sound like poop.

g/l.
 
#11
Take the advice, go to Gollihur's site and find someone near you who will rent. Then you can get your feet under you while you decide what to do. Things I realized with this process:

1. I would need to spend at least $1500 for the bass I need.

2. Upright is WWWAAAYYY different that BG. Its like taking up a whole new instrument. You need a teacher.

3. You need a teacher.

4. You might need a bigger car.

5. You need a teacher.
 
#12
Go see Michelle at Classic Contra Bass in Wheeling. If I can operate Google maps correctly, that's about 20 minutes from your place. I have been her shop. (It's been a while) She has a wide variety of VERY playable basses. Sonksen Strings downtown is a nice visit also.


FWIW, there is a little method that I have seen prescribed here used to compare price points of DBs to electric bass guitars price points. It's very simple. Add a zero.

That is a DB the same place on the quality foodchain as a $500 EBG would be about $5,000.

It's rough, but seems to work decently.

So, with that, go out and find yourself a decent slab for $40.
 
#14
nicklloyd said:
$5,000 is a little steep and scary... you should be able to get something for under/around $1500.
Click to expand...


Maybe I was misleading. I was trying get across the idea of the 10X factor so as to get some sense of how cheap a $400 DB really is.

It seems to jive as you can also get a BG like an SX for @ $150 that can be set up to play halfway decent and be usable.
 

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