ubassman Posted August 4, 2013 Share Posted August 4, 2013 [quote name='ubassman' timestamp='1374311480' post='2147381'] Could be either The Excelsior which was a full plywood bass, or even a Golden Strad which had carved top ( rather than plywood) . It looks however like it be a bit more recent and might be a '400 series' made in the 1980s in Czechoslovakia - still a good quality student instrument !.[b] Look inside the left f hole - there should be a label.[/b] [/quote] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Apprenti L'Artisan Posted August 6, 2013 Share Posted August 6, 2013 For £300 that's a bargain! Important tips from someone who started DB about a year ago (though I currently gig so you can make a lot of progress in a year!): Get it set up. This is vital, if it's hard to play you'll hate it and it won't sound to good. If it's already set up, great! Get some good strings. I'd recommend d'addarios if you're on a budget. Helicore orchestral if you plan to do ANY bowing, zyex for that old school sound. Get a teacher. You'll learn quicker. Don't buy hundreds of books! I asked for loads of books last Christmas, and I wish I hadn't! Focus on one book, learn it, then expand your knowledge with a different book. Then go back to the first book and learn some more! I'd recommend rufus reid's book, and/or maybe ray brown's. Rabbath and simandl should, IMO, be studied later when you have a serious grip of what the double bass is. Good luck! I'm sure you'll love the world of DB, and if you're ever in the East Sussex area (England) look me up. I'm friends with a few pro bassists and they love meeting new bassists! Joe Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Burg Posted August 8, 2013 Author Share Posted August 8, 2013 Cheers Joe, thanks for the advice. I've been working through Bob Magnusson's The Art of Walking Bass but I'm not finding it that useful at the moment so think I'll start using something else. I do have quite a few books on pdf that I can choose from and I'm just trying to find one that works for me at the moment. I have the Ray Brown book so maybe I'll give that a try for starters. I have a lesson booked in for this Sunday and he's going to look at my setup with me to let me know if anything needs changing. I moved the bridge myself as someone mentioned it was too high up the body and after doing some research online it seemed it needed to be over the F holes more. I think a new set of strings will be good as the strings on it look like they're knackered. I'll see what my teacher says though. I've checked inside the bass and the only piece of identification is a sticker saying 'Made in Czechoslovakia'. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Apprenti L'Artisan Posted August 8, 2013 Share Posted August 8, 2013 Bridge should be centred between the notches of the f-holes. Make sure the back of the bridge is at 90 degrees to the top Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ubassman Posted August 8, 2013 Share Posted August 8, 2013 [quote name='Burg' timestamp='1375952591' post='2167731'] I've checked inside the bass and the only piece of identification is a sticker saying 'Made in Czechoslovakia'. [/quote] I think you have a 400 series instrument ! enjoy it ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Burg Posted August 10, 2013 Author Share Posted August 10, 2013 A 400 series eh? To Google! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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