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Double Bass Opinions on "Dream Bass" option

B

BKB5Kay

May 17, 2025
27
19
#1
I've played bass for 35 years (electric fretted and fretless and upright mostly bluegrass, folk, Irish).
Been getting into Jazz, music Theory, Archo etc a lot in the last year and found it really helps with my guitar and fiddle playing - and Im loving it.
I have a 40's Kay that plays great and has served me well for 35 years. It's in super shape, thin neck, new Carelli M370 strings really opened it up. Does good for Pizz and archo.
Its laminated - so archo is not sonorous and thumb position gets really plunky.

I'm at the age (over 50) and wanting to get a "Dream Bass" for life. What I want really is "Edger Meyers Bass" to be honest.
Smaller, sloped shoulders, fully carved European, antiqued really well or actually old to include antiqued Ebony Hat tuners (yeah looks), thinner neck, Abalone fretboard makers, and a C extension.
****Found a local 2007 Rudolf Fieldler Bass (Czech maker that I read gets really high marks). It fits a lot of the bill - beautiful patina, light, small, sloped shoulders, SINGS with a bow, does well Pizz but will do much better with Carelli M370 or Spiracore Weichs I'm sure. Fully carved - stunning scroll work.
I've played it a lot so I know it no shipping!!!
Shop is well known with exception Luthiery skills and often sells high 5 figure basses as well as high end violins etc.
They will:
Install an Ebony KC Strings C Extension, Plane about 2 - 3 mm of fingerboard, install abalone dots, give the bridge adjusters a tad more room for lower string height, and even put in the Antiqued Ebony hat Rubner Tuners from Upton Bass to customize it to my tastes - throw in a gig bag. 15K plus tax all in.

Upton can/will do similar on older Juzek and for that price a new Karr model can be made (minus C extension).
Gary Upton is a super guy and his shop does TOP work.

This shop has a used Uption early model - sounds great weighs lot - its cheaper that Kiebler. (Both bases close to mint and ready to go as is).
I don't know Rudolf Fiedler or his reputation with players - modern Czech bases. I see some really pretty Romanian basses coming out that are sub 6K range. a Decent Juzek seems to be had in the 6 - 8 range - 1940s to 1960s.

Opinons: If you had 15K to get a bass - options above - go new custom? Shop around for older (usually big Gamba not sloped shoulders), take a chance on buying something never played in person? Everyting is trade off.

Would love to hear other players thoughts. Double basses are not common around my parts so playing a ton is not an option without flying somewhere.
Kind regards and all suggestions taken seriously!!!
B -
 
#2
You know what you like and what you want in tone and features, that's great. I wouldn't know that much with such confidence, but there are two features in a wooden double bass that I wouldn't live without now:

1) A removable neck.
2) An access panel.

Reasons for both are pretty obvious...

My current double bass has an access panel and it has easily solved a number of issues for me. And I really wish my double bass had a removable neck, but that will probably never happen.

I wish you the best as you make your decisions.
 
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#3
I don't know man, sounds like if you found a bass that fits the bill and you like the shop, etc etc, it's a no brainer. It's hard to say without seeing it, but heck - it's not for us to love…

How did you meet your wife? Did you custom order her new out of a catalog or did you settle on the best option available at the time?

I'm playing on a 2023 carved bass and love everything about it …. my only lament is that it's still such a baby and has a decade+ of playing before it really opens up.

I love Upton's removable neck system and hear good things about them in general, but if I were to get a new bass at your budget I'd talk seriously to James Condino or similarly high-vibing independent builder about something custom with maybe some exotic wood.

Remember, your perception of "the magic" is 99% of the magic. Mastering your own contentment and satisfaction with whatever you end up with is the real trick, imho.
 
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#5
Don Hergert said:
You know what you like and what you want in tone and features, that's great. I wouldn't know that much with such confidence, but there are two features in a wooden double bass that I wouldn't live without now:

1) A removable neck.
2) An access panel.

Reasons for both are pretty obvious...

My current double bass has an access panel and it has easily solved a number of issues for me. And I really wish my double bass had a removable neck, but that will probably never happen.

I wish you the best as you make your decisions.
Click to expand...
Thanks Don. Removable neck is hugely popular now. I have an suv and only play locally no problems with travel. I'm curious with a removable neck...do you remove strings, remove bridge, sound post, then set it all back up after travel? I did not know if there were maybe some gadgets to help like a small electric string winder and a clip or something to hold up the sound post. I've never needed an access panel...if post fell i moved bass around on it's back until I could stick the post and stand it up. But I could see a panel as a great thing.
 
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#6
JBarz said:
I don't know man, sounds like if you found a bass that fits the bill and you like the shop, etc etc, it's a no brainer. It's hard to say without seeing it, but heck - it's not for us to love…

How did you meet your wife? Did you custom order her new out of a catalog or did you settle on the best option available at the time?

I'm playing on a 2023 carved bass and love everything about it …. my only lament is that it's still such a baby and has a decade+ of playing before it really opens up.

I love Upton's removable neck system and hear good things about them in general, but if I were to get a new bass at your budget I'd talk seriously to James Condino or similarly high-vibing independent builder about something custom with maybe some exotic wood.

Remember, your perception of "the magic" is 99% of the magic. Mastering your own contentment and satisfaction with whatever you end up with is the real trick, imho.
Click to expand...
This is 100% solid right on advice!!! I will check with Condino as well. Being 56 years old...I grew up trying and playing every instrument I bought. That was no internet days and no custom order days unless you were very wealthy and lived close by to builder. Gary Upton and team build great basses...I have played a 2008 early days from them. They will build with whatever wood or finery desired. Newer basses are great to me...I like punch and growl. Pre 1900 are just too big for me at 5'6". But I'm sure there are a few that I would love....but around my city...you don't get much hands on Choice. I'm not to far from North Carolina Violin Shoppe either....top notch Luther's and stock of usually 25 to 50 basses on hand.
Thanks so much!!!
 
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#7
billiard said:
I'd look for an older 1/2 or 5/8 size Juzek that needs some work and customize it from there. Probably would come out to be about 5 grand less than the budget.
Click to expand...
That's my next call. A builder who will do just that. Has several mid 20th century Juzeks and will customize to taste. Seems a solid starter and custom additions repairs plus shipping and taxes will come to about my budget. I will just have never played until the crate arives....hopefully undamaged. Great advice! Shipping scary these days.....I've lately had a lot of broken items....but a high end freight carrier should be better.
 
#8
Sounds like you are not in a rush:
  1. Set a budget
  2. Do some research to identify shops within a reasonable driving distance.
  3. Do so some road trips to play basses until one picks you.
Probably the best shop I have been in for bass is Robertson & Sons Violin Shop - Home

I don't believe they keep their online inventory list updated. I visited while on tour (long ago) and played several very pricey basses with lots of character. I preferred carved Shens priced around $6K. IMHO, they played easy and had a certain mix of qualities I like.
 
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#12
One more thought. If you are not playing music that regularly demands the use of an extension, I would recommend you consider skipping it. As someone who has one, I am thrilled every time I get to use it. However, it is also big, slightly heavy, requires special strings, and honestly, playing notes up there isn't easy and it requires practice.

Since I play in an orchestra and I'm usually one of the few people in the section that have one, I can't go without it. But if I were to have 2 basses or was playing solo rep, or jazz, or really anything else, I would take the extension off or not have one. My dream is to own a solo bass without one.

Anyway, consider whether the extension is a necessity or not, and if the answer is no, put your money into a better bass, a better bow, a removable neck, some lessons, anything else.

PS, one more thing from your list - if you want dots, do what the luthier who built my bass suggested: get a pencil or a silver sharpie, and write the dots on your current bass where you think you'll want them. Play it for like 2 weeks that way and figure out if you want dots, and if so, where. You can take silver sharpie off with isopropanol (rubbing alcohol). I followed his advice and in the end, I didn't have him put dots on my bass. I still use pencil markings from time to time, but pretty rarely. It turned out in practice that the dots were more of a hindrance than a help, and any fixed dot won't be in tune all the time as the wood of your bass changes with humidity and temperature.
 
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#13
Yep a big consideration. It's playing out with some creative songwriters. D and C are their love on low passages. I can of course tune down E string but its a pain and I love the easy of gates...even when playing. Recording....well....unfortunately Protools makes it almost unnecessary to play at all. But I'm lucky in that engineer wants live...if a note is flubbed....2 mouse clicks fixes it. Studion time is expensive so fixing a few mistakes is great. I quite using rube amps for guitar years ago....just use the pre programmed...quick and sounds great. But yeah....if it came to it....skip extension....I agree.
 
#14
I find that using a gated extension to get that low D results in a very different response from the bass than dropping a regular E string a whole step down. With the gated extension, I get the D note, with no love, but with the same tension on the top. Dropping the E stringd a whole step down to a D note often results in a much more responsive, rumbling note. Three years ago I added an extension to one of my basses and the differences that I described were so noticeable that I removed the extension. I removed an extension from a late 1800s Hawkes a few years ago and all of us were amazed at how much more fun & responsive the bass was. Your mileage will likely be different from mine, but I can say with confidence that it is wonderful no longer thinking I need that five pound pile of hardware on top of every bass I own....
 
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