Bloopdad1

Ahh.... Setups... (rabbit hole alert!) So for what it's worth, most luthiers draw a line between the F hole notches and have the bridge feet centered on the line. This is the bass setup datum point. Then the fun starts.. . For a tighter brighter sound the sound post is moved slightly closer to the the bridge foot. For a bassy sound it's moved away (towards the tail piece) For a more warmer sound it's moved towards the treble F hole (away from the bass bar). And for a more mid focused projection sound towards the bass bar. A sound post will be trimmed and it's height adjusted for each move. Plus it may only need moving a couple of mm each way. But the bridge always stays on its datum point. (unless you have an unusual bass with non standard dimensions). You can get adjustable posts these days which can be useful (but are quite expensive). This is obviously not "gospel" each bass and setup can be very different but the above is a good rough starting point for soundpost positions. Plus it's different for pizz players to orchestral. Ultimately a decent setup is the difference between a good Luthier and a superb Luthier! Then you switch to very low tension strings and you have to start again!

There's only 2 bags I'd ever recommend... 1. Soundwear 2. TuffBag The Soundwear is the Rolls Royce and has carried my main orchestra bass around for the past 25yrs and still looks brand new! The Tuff Bag was imported from the USA. I was looking for a famous Mooradian case (it's a bit lighter than the Soundwear) but they went out of business. The Tuff Bag people bought the pattern, materials and even employed a few of the staff. They added better straps and made them even better! Highly recommended. Ultimately it's about how much you value your instrument. Would you buy a Soundwear for a £750 school bass? But if you have a £120,000 old English or Italian bass then the cost of a Soundwear or Tuff Bag is negligible. Horses for courses I suppose. (tip, avoid the ones with the wheels built into the back of the case [Tom and Will etc] - they often break. Focus on light weight, padding and zip quality). That's my two peneth.

£2500!!!!! Blimey! There'll need to be £2000 worth of £50 notes stuffed between the wood plys to get me to buy that! 😂 🤣 (And another £500 stuffed in both the neck cracks! 😂)

Unfortunately the price of strings has rocketed over the last 10yrs. Its around £1000 for a 4 string set of Eudoxas and a little bit less for Olives (and many of us play 5 string basses raising the cost to £1350 - if we were to pay top whack). There was a time when you couldn't get a chair in a section if you didn't have Eudoxas on your bass... But back then the Pirastro rep would pop in the bass room and just fill up the basket with a few sets to be used free of charge. Not these days. Many bassists just stick a set of Evahs on and wait for them to get really old and thuddy (I have Evahs on the top 4 and an original Flat Chrome B). Instead of going to Bass Bags, try asking your Luthier to order for you, they often have an account with Pirastro and will have a little discount. Also keep an eye out on Amazon of all places... Sometimes a set of Eudoxas pop up at almost half price! Also consider Tempera Hybrids - they're very close to gut and come in around £450. Might suit you better if you're primary a pizz player as they're quite soft. Also look at the Passione strings if you're mainly arco (thuddy pizz though) Evah slaps wouldn't be used.

Don't whatever you do, allow the end silks in the peg box rub up against the side.... That can end in a very expensive mistake - especially if it's a B string!

No. Not heard of that one. (Although the NS CR4/5T had a brass pip at the back of the back where a D is if I remember?) Plus you shouldn't use side markings either. If you're looking at the neck when you play they you're too side on and will potentially risk injury as your frame is twisted. Your body should be 3/4 behind the bass (when standing - even more behind it when sitting) and head ideally needs to be alongside the neck facing forward, absolutely not facing the neck. Don't look at the neck - use your ears, (as string players we often hammer a note before we bow / pluck it just to sound it quietly to double check). Like millions of violinist, violists cellist and bassists you need to consider getting away from markers and just learn the neck. (Tip to check intonation in loud situations is to gently rest the left side of your head on the neck to listen to your intonation). But - that's "standard" technique, use whatever suits you best.

What everyone has already said - not rare, it's a bog standard plywood modern instrument that rolled out of a factory with thousands like it. But - if you like it and it makes a decent noise then it's perfect for you. Is it an orchestral instrument - no. Can you use it in an orchestra -yes of course. Is it valuable - no. Just play it and enjoy the freedom of not worrying about knocking or scratching it.

Hiya I'm in S Wales. Plenty of decent luthiers around here plus one of the very best in the UK - Martin Jones, he's based in Caerphilly (does all our instruments in the BBC Orchestras and WNO) He could easily give you an accurate appraisal. Or send me some pics, I'll give you a decent stab at a value. Remember, the bridge, fingerboard, strings, tailpiece, endpin and even neck are not that important in a classical bass.... Its all about the front - (wood quality, condition, grain structure, blockless etc..) As an alternative to Martin in Caerphilly there's always the superb Luthier Martin Penning in Frome. Happy to advise and help out. I'm not looking to buy - I've got 3 classical basses already! But I do have a couple of friends who are looking, plus my colleagues in the bass section know others that might be looking for an old bass. (I'd strongly advise against Cardiff Violins - not for basses anyway). I'm guessing your folks are in the Swansea, Neath, Llanelli area? Cheers B

A proper Luthier would never ever ever ever sand down the feet of the bridge, they only use very sharp Knives and profile blades to cut the shape. This allows for a perfect contact and frequency transfer into the top (which is why they take a day and charge us around £400 to do it!). If the bass isn't that valuable then a cheap imperfect absolutely last resort would be to sand it, but it's really not the done thing... Lowering the crown of the bridge is more acceptable and simple. Just keep the spacing correct and make sure the strings aren't embedded in the bridge - you're looking for half of the string diameter in the bridge and the other half exposed (you can use round needle files to get the perfect profile). Average string height at the end of the fingerboard is around 9mm under the G to 13mm under the E (or something like that - can't be arsed to find a measuring stick to go check!) If you are still struggling in thumb position then you either need more practice(!!) or your fingerboard relief needs attention. (Or if you want to really get technical... Difficulty in thumb position can often be down to an incorrectly set sound post. If it's even slightly too long the pressure on the top will detract from playability and cause the strings to be VERY "tight" to press down. Also if your bass bar is not correct that will have the same affect. And easy way to test this is to firmly pull the D string towards the G and with the other hand firmly pull the A string towards the E... If you can't see the top flexing a little there's a good chance that your post is too tight. This is what we call having a "tight bass". My Cole bass is partially susceptible to temperature changes so when I take that bass out I always carry another shortened soundpost so if it gets tight I can quickly pop it in and open up the sound again. - DON'T TRY THIS UNLESS YOU'RE USED TO FITTING POSTS! Told you it was technical..) 😂

Yep, the "thumb pad" at the tip of the thumb. Apart from one of my fellow section members (he insists on using a Rabbath pivot!) we all use the same "grab-a-pint" hand shape.. (unless we're playing that stupid bit in Beethoven 6th...then it's every man for himself!!! 🤣)

How to get the perfect left hand position.... 1, sit at a table with a standard pint glass in front of you. 2, In a relaxed way pick up the pint with your left hand. 3, look at your hand position around the glass. 4, that's the perfect technique... Simple Relaxed hand, fingers mobile, thumb basically opposite the second finger, slight curve in the thumb joints. On the bass it'll obviously just be the ball of your thumb and finger pads in contact with the neck / strings. (I bet you're all doing the pint thing now 🤣) You're welcome.