Double Bass Purchasing my first upright

[Kfeild]

Could you guys tell me if this would be worth my money to purchase? If not, could you tell me what brands I should be looking at? Thank you guys so much for your time!

 

[ThumpPlunkJunk]

1. Play it first.

2. Have your teacher or luthier take a look at it.

3. Play other basses.

4. Repeat step 2 with new basses.

5. Make a decision based upon your judgement of the instruments.

Engelhardt's a reputable brand, but you can't buy basses like you can guitars. Each one is different and you need to get to know the instrument the same way you'd need to get to know a person.

 

[Kfeild]

1. Play it first.

2. Have your teacher or luthier take a look at it.

3. Play other basses.

4. Repeat step 2 with new basses.

5. Make a decision based upon your judgement of the instruments.

Engelhardt's a reputable brand, but you can't buy basses like you can guitars. Each one is different and you need to get to know the instrument the same way you'd need to get to know a person.

Thanks for the tips man. Unfortunately, where I live(suburbs of philly), there does not seem to be many stores with DB's in them. I really would love to buy an upright(main reason being is I play jazz and electric bass in jazz seems to be unruly) but nobody seems to carry em.

Thanks again for taking time to reply!

 

[Dimmik]

Having made the mistake of buying a guitar off the internet, I can state forthrightly from personal experience--do NOT buy a musical instrument off the internet!!!!!

The price alone makes me suspicious. If it's under $2000, caveat emptor. I agree with the other poster--play it first and find an instructor and have him look at it. I'm certain a good instructor will tell you the same thing I did--do not buy a musical instrument off the internet.

As for where to find one in your area, if you get a decent instructor, they can help you. My instructor fixed me up with a great luthier who improved my bass 1001% but I still had to shell out coin for that bass. Another guy had one that he bought for $1500 and the luthier told him it was hopeless. He wouldn't even work on it.

 

[fdeck]

Worth looking here:

http://www.gollihurmusic.com/luthiers.cfm

You won't find a general retail music store with any decent selection of DB's, so you might be looking at a bit of a road trip. But it's well worth the effort.

 

[Eric Hochberg]

Unfortunately, where I live(suburbs of philly), there does not seem to be many stores with DB's in them.

You are very close to NYC and many bass shops that will set you up. Gage, Kolstein among them. Also Ken Smith in Perkasie, PA may have something for you. The Englehardt may be fine but I wouldn't by it from a mass retailer as it won't be set up. Opt for a Shen SB80 that you can purchase from any number of bass shops, well set up. Around $1500.

 

[Matt R.]

I just took delivery of my Shen SB80 last week. It's my first acoustic upright and it plays and sounds great. I'm very happy with it. Plus, I had to buy sight unseen because I'm a lefty and it was a special order. I highly recommend that bass to anyone.

 

[drurb]

You are very close to NYC and many bass shops that will set you up. Gage, Kolstein among them. Also Ken Smith in Perkasie, PA may have something for you. The Englehardt may be fine but I wouldn't by it from a mass retailer as it won't be set up. Opt for a Shen SB80 that you can purchase from any number of bass shops, well set up. Around $1500.

Yes, yes, yes! To the OP: the value of a good setup cannot be overestimated. Buy a bass from a real bass shop. Do you play the DB? It's not simply a matter of picking it up having been a BG player. They are two related, but different instruments. The approaches in terms of physical technique and style are very different. There are many threads here on that topic.