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Double Bass Who actually has an "UNPLAYABLE" Bass?

skychief

skychief

Apr 27, 2011
1,203
401
South Bay
www.therollmodels.com
#1
This might seem a bit naiive, but I can't fathom owning a bass that was "unplayable".. My 1st UB was purchased sans bridge & strings, so I guess that qualified it as "unplayable". But within a few days I slapped a bridge and some strings on it and was playing it.

Admittedly, I had no clue how to set it up properly, so within a couple weeks it was at the luthier's shop for a proper set-up.

Id like to hear some stories from you guys that own a bass that you feel is "unplayable", what makes it unplayable, and why it remains in that state.
 
#2
Do you want to hear from people who own only one bass and that bass is unplayable or from people who own multiple basses where only one is unplayable? If the former, I think it would be a pretty small population. After all, how many bass players would own only an unplayable bass?
 
#4
One of my double basses (a 1965 Goetz plywood) was damaged during the Northridge earthquake. At the time, repair estimates were ~$4,000, and I was preoccupied spending tens of thousands to make my house habitable; I couldn't bring myself to throw it away, so it's been sitting in a back corner, waiting to be repaired or disposed of, since 1994. :crying:
 
#5
drurb said:
Do you want to hear from people who own only one bass and that bass is unplayable or from people who own multiple basses where only one is unplayable? If the former, I think it would be a pretty small population. After all, how many bass players would own only an unplayable bass?
Click to expand...

I concede theres maybe a handful of bassists on the planet that have only one bass - and its unplayable.

So, lets forget that qualifier...

And Jazzdogg's story just rips your heart out. I cant imagine what a bass would look like with $4000 worth of damage to it.
 
#6
Many if not most of the school basses that come my way are unplayable by my standards; by that I mean, difficult to play to the extent that it is unpleasant and/or discouraging to use, and caused by ...

crap/damaged strings
fingerboard bumps and buzzes
high string height at bridge
high nut slots
excessive/inadequate scoop
endpin fail
dirt and goo
wrong geometry
internal buzzes

the list goes on ...

They only remain in that state because the owners don't know the difference, and the poor students don't know the difference, and even if the school finds out there's a problem, who's going to pay for the fix? "hey we only just bought this bass -it's brand new it should be fine"
 
#7
Matthew Tucker said:
Many if not most of the school basses that come my way are unplayable by my standards; by that I mean, difficult to play to the extent that it is unpleasant and/or discouraging to use, and caused by ...

crap/damaged strings
fingerboard bumps and buzzes
high string height at bridge
high nut slots
excessive/inadequate scoop
endpin fail
dirt and goo
wrong geometry
internal buzzes

the list goes on ...

They only remain in that state because the owners don't know the difference, and the poor students don't know the difference, and even if the school finds out there's a problem, who's going to pay for the fix? "hey we only just bought this bass -it's brand new it should be fine"
Click to expand...

That's a pity, Matt; when schools lack the wherewithal to assure the assets they purchase are functioning properly, and will be of value to the students they serve, it's symptomatic of a much larger problem.
 
#8
I have a Michael Kelly Acoustic Bass Guitar I've NEVER been happy with! I've done LOTS of things to it...until I was stupid enough to defrett it, ruining it more and now it just sits there in it's stand looking beautiful and all, but I know it will never get played.
 
#9
Matthew Tucker said:
crap/damaged strings
fingerboard bumps and buzzes
high string height at bridge
high nut slots
excessive/inadequate scoop
endpin fail
dirt and goo
wrong geometry
internal buzzes

the list goes on ...
Click to expand...

These are certainly bad (and likely common) attributes for a student's instrument. The finer local luthiers sometimes "donate" their services to local schools for setting up the students' bass to make it playable. It makes good business sense if you think about it - when the student eventually gets their own instrument, they're most likely to do business with the guy who worked on the school's bass.
 
#10
I own two basses right now, and they are so different from one another in terms of their geometry and setup that one of them is now effectively unplayable for me. I also don't need two basses, but there's a chance that one of my kids might take an interest. If that ever transpires, I'll get it set up so that a kid can learn on it.
 
#11
Jazzdogg said:
That's a pity, Matt; when schools lack the wherewithal to assure the assets they purchase are functioning properly, and will be of value to the students they serve, it's symptomatic of a much larger problem.
Click to expand...

Yes it is a pity. Anyone can buy the cheaper imported basses off shop catalogues at the RRP, but that price rarely includes "setup" - which when you add to the price of a cheap price, can almost double the cost of the bass.

So no wonder they're reluctant to pay the extra.

Must concede though that many of the public school music programs are run by teachers doing extra duty, or parent volunteers, and quite often their meagre budgets don't run to a great deal of double basses, which are probably their biggest single expense. They likely assume, reasonably, that the instruments they buy are ready to play. And unless they play the instrument themselves, they don't know what they don't know.

Same goes for all instruments I think. I've seen primary school cellos with strings 5mm above the fingerboard at the NUT!

So whenever I get an instrument in for repairs, I usually add the nut/bridge/spacing adjustments for free. And clean the bass, and whatever else i can do for them that doesn't take too much of my time ... every bass goes back playable and probably better than when first bought.
 
#12
Matthew Tucker said:
Yes it is a pity. Anyone can buy the cheaper imported basses off shop catalogues at the RRP, but that price rarely includes "setup" - which when you add to the price of a cheap price, can almost double the cost of the bass.

So no wonder they're reluctant to pay the extra.

Must concede though that many of the public school music programs are run by teachers doing extra duty, or parent volunteers, and quite often their meagre budgets don't run to a great deal of double basses, which are probably their biggest single expense. They likely assume, reasonably, that the instruments they buy are ready to play. And unless they play the instrument themselves, they don't know what they don't know.

Same goes for all instruments I think. I've seen primary school cellos with strings 5mm above the fingerboard at the NUT!

So whenever I get an instrument in for repairs, I usually add the nut/bridge/spacing adjustments for free. And clean the bass, and whatever else i can do for them that doesn't take too much of my time ... every bass goes back playable and probably better than when first bought.
Click to expand...

Good for you! Around here, we'd call you a real mensch! :)
 
#13
skychief said:
I concede theres maybe a handful of bassists on the planet that have only one bass - and its unplayable.

So, lets forget that qualifier...

And Jazzdogg's story just rips your heart out. I cant imagine what a bass would look like with $4000 worth of damage to it.
Click to expand...

Really, I wasn't sure what you were asking originally. You never know around here! :) Anyway, thanks for the clarification and the edit to your post. Indeed, it hurts to even read stories like Jazzdog's.

Jazzdogg said:
Good for you! Around here, we'd call you a real mensch! :)
Click to expand...
Around these parts as well! That'll sure earn you a spot in DB heaven, Matt. It's really unfortunate that beginners, who are the least able to overcome the shortcomings of a poorly set up/designed instrument are, most often, those into whose hands such instruments fall.
 
#16
robobass said:
"Playable" is in the eye of the beholder. There are likely TB members out there whose working axe I would label unplayable, and also some (with overlap) who would say the same of my instruments.
Click to expand...

Indeed. I realized the term unplayable is highly subjective. Im sure you would call my bass unplayable. Has way excessive scoop on it, but Im too chicken to plane the fingerboard. So, it gets played as is. Everyone who bellies up to the thing complains about the scoop.
 
#18
One of the instruments at my high school somehow has a bridge that is too large- it can't be adjusted, and the action is something like 2.5" at the end of the fingerboard- you can easily fit your hand underneath the strings without touching either fingerboard or strings
 
#19
skychief said:
I concede theres maybe a handful of bassists on the planet that have only one bass - and its unplayable.

So, lets forget that qualifier...

And Jazzdogg's story just rips your heart out. I cant imagine what a bass would look like with $4000 worth of damage to it.
Click to expand...

I only have one bass, and its unplayable.... or maybe im not good enough to make it sound good :P
 
#20
I used to own an Ibanez Musician neck-thru bass that had a verrry crooked neck and had 3 techs try to fix it. They reckoned that the truss rod was broken and the only way to fix it would be to pry the fretboard off and replace the rod.

I ended up selling it but if the neck would have been (cheaply) fixable, I'd probably still have it.
 

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