Double Bass my beater bass

[chopsy]

so... I know some of you will be sad to hear I didn't go with a Shen. I've gotten some great help and advice already in this thread on what to avoid and still do have my sights set on a better bass but my Dean acoustic bass was giving me electronics issues which I didn't want to spend $$ to fix and then I basically had an old upright bass my friend was hoarding given to me. (not literally, but a low enough price I feel like I stole it)

It's an "Antonius VB-003" 3/4 size, which from a quick google I understand is basically the dreaded Palatino. I'll be frank... it's a mess, but you guys probably already knew that. Until I can afford to have it set up I am shimming the bridge but even with the action pretty high I have a few buzz spots that just plain won't go away. It needs the soundpost cut down according to the shop where we had it looked at before I committed to purchasing. Obviously needs strings, these are 15yrs old. I've ordered some Blast Cult Low-Lifes. It will need a whole new bridge for sure.

I'm still very happy to finally be a double bass owner
but also would like to confirm what everyone will tell you repeatedly on here... you get what you pay for. and I sure didn't pay much!

trying to look on the bright side and say "well I was bound to do some dumb things with my first DB so at least I will be making mistakes on a cheap-o chinese model"

 

[TroyK]

No pictures, no bass. The rule applies in all price ranges.

 

[KUNGfuSHERIFF]

As I mentioned in your earlier thread, one of my carved basses came from Gunther's shop, where it was patched up after a decade or four in an attic. After a year, no problems. I wish you luck with it.

 

[Thumpie]

I had one of these once. After spending a lot of money on set-up (more than the upfront price of the instrument), it turned out to be a decent bass for pizzicato. It actually had a pretty good pizz sound. A master bass luthier told me he thinks these cheaper Chinese basses can sound good because they're so thin and under-built (hence their reputation for self-destructing). I personally never had any structural problems with mine, but when I wanted to get rid of it, I had to sell it at a loss considering how much money had been sunk into the set-up.

The thing about these basses is that their re-sale value is very, very low. But if you got it for a song, it might be worth fixing up. It could work for you if you don't plan on doing too much arco. One weird thing about this bass is how ridiculously wide the fingerboard is. You'll probably want to get a new nut because the spacing will be way off.

 

[Thumpie]

Oh, and, of course I forgot to add: you'll need the fingerboard redressed. That'll be one of the biggest expenses.

 

[chopsy]

No pictures, no bass. The rule applies in all price ranges.

me with a bit of a "new bass and i'm tickled it fit in my car" face on

the "it will work for now" setup: Sennheiser MD421 wrapped in Auralex + a bunch of cardboard shims

As I mentioned in your earlier thread, one of my carved basses came from Gunther's shop, where it was patched up after a decade or four in an attic. After a year, no problems. I wish you luck with it.

thanks! His appraisal of the instrument definitely gave me confidence that while no tone-monster, it will certainly be playable once he has had a crack at it.

Oh, and, of course I forgot to add: you'll need the fingerboard redressed. That'll be one of the biggest expenses.

Yes, he offered me a quote on what the bass needs including nut and fingerboard work and while his expertise will cost me about what I already paid for the bass, gigbag and cheapo bow, I'm confident he can do the job and glad I have someone capable less than an hour away.

 

[TroyK]

Welcome, play it like you mean it and keep us updated.

 

[Thumpie]

Good luck!