A question via email for your consideration please!

[Hamster]

[quote]

Hello I wonder if you can help, please.

My 11 year old daughter is learning to play the double bass at school. We've bought a 3/4 sized bass for her to practice at home. It's an MB6071 3/4 Chinese-made instrument, made by 'Gear4Music', second hand and well-worn, but the best we could afford.

She says it needs restringing, as it doesn't sound the same as the one at school and the strings are bumpy and worn. She also needs some rosin.

Please could you recommend some strings and rosin that would be appropriate for her bass?

Thanks ever so much.

Kind regards,

Tiffany=
[/quote]

I'll reply with the 'best' answer!

Ta

[ubassman]

First thought is that a 3/4 sized instrument for an 11 year old I suspect may be quite a physical challenge in terms of size ...unless the 11 year old has big hands for those big stretches in half and first position and is as tall as an adult ! ( sorry to say that it may be better to rethink the size to a 1/2 or even 1/4 size which will be a lot more user friendly for an 11 year old and not so heavy for a child to support ( there are companies that rent out good quality instruments for very affordable rates and you can upgrade as the 'young one' grows skyward to become a teenager etc ...is the bass at school a 3/4 too - the expression 'one size fits all' springs to mind ? ).

Choice of strings - you would want something with not too high a tension. That depends as much on the set up of the bridge as it does upon the gauge of the string and distance from the nut to the bridge (the 'string length' ). A typical 3/4 will have a string length of 106 cm but many student basses are much shorter at 99 - 103 cm for ease of playability. You would need to advise what the string length is ( if its 99cm I would suggest a medium or even high tension range of strings , if its 106cm I would consider weighs (light tension). It would be perhaps misleading to give views on strings without knowing the actual string length of the instrument.

As for Rosin , well thats a personal choice and a much debated point ! Kolsteins, Nymans and Pops all seem to be very popular choices. But a good rosin won't make a massive instrument seem smaller or give a good grip if the string tension is too low and floppy ! Great to hear of a youngster getting into DB

[EssentialTension]

If she's got a bass teacher, which presumably she has at her school, then the teacher could (and should) be checking out the bass in the hands of the student and then give hands-on advice.

[jakenewmanbass]

I would be more than happy to be put in direct contact with the lady Colin, I would not mind having a phone conversation as there are 'in the moment' things that need to be considered, eg, don't take all the strings off at once whilst changing them...
If she wants to do that feel free to give her my number (I think you have it)
Jake

Edited February 11, 2013 by jakenewmanbass

[Hamster]

Cheers all - and cheers Jake, I've sent the enquirer your mobile number.

[BobVbass]

I've a set of Thomastik Weichs she's welcome to have if that will help and funds are short - used but still with plenty of life in them...happy to post them or drop them off somewhere