Double Bass Posting for a friend

[GretschWretch]

whose twenty year-old son is interested in taking up DB.

What about a T. G. Pfretzschner model 8900 upright acoustic bass for $1100 obo?
Label says handmade German.

I can't even pronounce the name of this bass, never mind having an opinion on it to offer.

 

[SAlcott]

Fretchner.

 

[g-dude]

I think it's all about what shape it's in.

$1100 is an attractive price to pick up an instrument, but whether it plays/sounds well, or is just a bass shaped object, is the real question.

Also, this is sort of interesting: T. G. Pfretzschner upright bass

 

[Neon Scribe]

That's close to the floor price for a usable instrument. Someone who knows something about double basses should examine it before you buy it. When I bought my first double bass a few years ago they were asking $1100 and I paid $1000. It had a very ugly repair but it seemed to be playable. I was able to bring it to a local luthier before buying and have her examine it for $20. She said it was OK to play and I felt lucky to have it. I brought it back to her after I bought it and for $100 she did some simple set-up and made the repair less ugly. I played it for about five years and sold it for more than I paid, so I felt pretty lucky. The key was getting it checked by a luthier, but an experienced player could do about as well to determine if it is basically sound.

 

[Don Hergert]

I take it that this Pfretzschner is a wooden double bass, not an aluminum one??? Pfretzschner did make aluminum double basses in the late 1920s, early 1930s, competing with Alcoa.

If it's aluminum, aluminum double basses are fairly rare and can be lots of fun and they can sound very good, but they almost never sound exactly like a wooden double bass. As such, they aren't everyone's cup of tea and probably would not be an ideal first double bass -- unless of course, like someone I know , the player is extremely familiar with the instrument and is really enamored with it...

 

[LouisF]

There's Pfretzschner and then there's Pfretzschner

Erich Pfretzschner Upright Bass, 3/4 892L w/Stand and Padded Carry Case | Reverb

SOLD: C.F. Pfretzschner Double Bass

You're friends bass is in the first category, and pretty much in-line price-wise (if it's in good condition).

 

[KUNGfuSHERIFF]

Without seeing pictures, it’s not possible to offer a valid opinion.

 

[GretschWretch]

Without seeing pictures, it’s not possible to offer a valid opinion.

This is true. I'll see what I can do.

 

[GretschWretch]

Pics.

Drat! I've tried three times to copy/paste the link, and it's just not happening. So try this
$1,100
Upright Base 3/4
Kennesaw, GA

 

[Glass Eyed Ogre]

Rent!
It's a cheaper alternative to trying to find a cheap double bass used, only to find you have to sink tons of money in to make in playable. Some places have great deals, mine rental includes free strings and set-ups, which can also cost a lot.
I always recommend rentals to folks just starting out. It's worked out really well for me!

 

[Keyser Soze]

I know a great luthier in Roswell, GA, about half an hour away from where this bass is being sold. I'd see if you could take the bass to his shop to be checked out, get an estimate for any needed work. Eduard Svetlovsky Atlanta String Repair

 

[HateyMcAmp]

That bass looks structurally ok from the pictures but it may require some setup work, in addition to putting on new strings (the ones pictured look pretty “mystery meat”) and bridge adjusters. I would think that would put the final cost of the bass in somewhere between $1300 if all it needs is strings and $2000 if it needs fingerboard work/he wants adjusters/strings.

 

[KUNGfuSHERIFF]

Hora hybrid. They could do worse for a grand.

 

[Keyser Soze]

Hora hybrid. They could do worse for a grand.

Are you saying this bass is a Hora? Romanian? That doesn't square with the label pictured inside the bass.

 

[KUNGfuSHERIFF]

Labels lie all the time.