new to upright

[Peterscott8]

Hello, I've been playing upright bass for about a year and am finally in the market to buy a bass of my own. I have been playing A primavera P50 which was kindly borrowed from a friend. I have been enjoying playing this bass but also not had much experience with others.

My budget is £1000, which doesn't necessarily have to include setup and string cost. After many hours reading reviews and discussions on various bass forums a few names kept coming up: Thomann, and Archer Basses.
I've read really good reviews on both, and am leaning toward the archer bass after reading this really positive review http://basschat.co.uk/topic/77602-archer-professional-double-bass/
but wanted to know if anyone could offer any new advice as everything i've read has been fairly old.

I am also keeping my eye out for good second hand basses within the price range but these are few and get snatched up very quickly.

Thanks

[artisan]

I bought my bass from Thomann,their blue burst "Europe" bass with ebony fingerboard.
this bass is actually a Strunal 50/4 & i can recommend it very highly indeed,built like a tank & sounds very good indeed.
what sort of music are you playing ?
if you are going to be playing loud (like me ) you will most likley need a laminate bass rather than a solid wood one for feedback reasons.
as for the Archer,i played one in Gear4Music & was not impressed at all,nasty thing it was but it may have just been a bad one.

[Peterscott8]

thanks artisan, current playing bluegrass and jazz. I say jazz, I mean I stumble round what I know, once I have my own bass Im going to have lessons.

But mostly playing pitzacato, and I like to play loud when possible

[zero9]

For your budget, I'd suggest looking at a good laminate or hybrid (solid top, laminate back 'n' sides). I managed to pick up a second hand Gedo hybrid for a lot less than your budget, which I'm really happy with, although I use it mainly for rockabilly / rock'n'roll stuff. If you're transporting the bass a lot, a laminate or hybrid bass will stand up to the rigours of the road better. As Artisan said, if you're going to amplify the bass it makes very little difference what it's made of, and, to an extent, the laminates are less prone to feedback.

[stingrayPete1977]

Gedo are the best company I have ever dealt with, brilliant service

[Peterscott8]

thanks everyone, had a look through the gedo basses, a lot look very similar to the thomann.

got my eyes on something like this. http://www.gedo-musik.de/shop/product.php?id_product=809

can anyone tell me if i had a setup leaning more toward jazz playing would it make it more difficult to play rockabilly? As it is definitely a style I would like to learn at some point.

[Peterscott8]

or would i be better off just going complete laminated for cheaper?

http://www.gedo-musik.de/shop/product.php?id_product=416

[Clarky]

Obviously for rockabilly you don't want the action ultra-low or you can't slap properly. But there's a happy medium and the trick here is probably to make sure that whatever bass you order has an adjustable bridge so you can set the playing style that suits you best. Plenty of jazzers also slap. Check this utterly wonderful vid by the late Milt Hinton

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=iFTqVHEJZ0A

[Peterscott8]

oh what a treat clarky! Thanks, yeah Im going to see about an adjustable bridge, and perhaps some new strings as it comes with gut-a-like which Ive not heard of, but read lots about the importance of strings

[zero9]

It can be a long and expensive journey to find the best setup for you. I have my action very low compared to most, but have no issues with playing slap, and it's great for pizz. Strings are a minefield with anything from rubber bands to heavy steel wire. Try other peoples basses with different setups to see what suits you best. Uprights are getting more popular and appear quite frequently at bass bashes.

[alistair Sutcliffe]

+1 for Gedo. Got mine about 7 or 8 months ago. Superb value for money and a great company to deal with.

[thisnameistaken]

[quote name='zero9' timestamp='1374493855' post='2149273']As Artisan said, if you're going to amplify the bass it makes very little difference what it's made of
[/quote]

Depends how you amplify it.

[bassace]

[quote name='zero9' timestamp='1374493855' post='2149273']
As Artisan said, if you're going to amplify the bass it makes very little difference what it's made of, and, to an extent, the laminates are less prone to feedback.
[/quote]

Well actually it does. There are a lot of good laminate basses around and I started way back with a Czech ply and had a lot of enjoyment with it - and lots of gigs. I played with quite a few 'names' and they seemed happy. So certainly not to put a laminate or particularly a hybrid down. Most basses of whatever construction manage to put out a strong tone on the D, A and E when amped. But where they often fall down is when you go up the G string the volume falls off compared to the rest of the bass. That is why you often see a different string fitted in order to compensate. So my advice is make sure that you've got a strong sound on the G and this may not be easily found on a lami.

[artisan]

Very good G on my Strunal

[bassace]

[size=3]And I'm sure on other laminated basses. But I'd still hold by my caveat, owning a ply, having owned plys and carved basses. [/size]

[size=3]It is too simplistic to say, as Artisan did, that [i][color=#282828][font=helvetica, arial, sans-serif]if you're going to amplify the bass it makes very little difference what it's made of.[/font][/color][/i][/size]

[Clarky]

[quote name='bassace' timestamp='1374591266' post='2150601']
[size=3]It is too simplistic to say, as Artisan did, that [i][color=#282828][font=helvetica, arial, sans-serif]if you're going to amplify the bass it makes very little difference what it's made of.[/font][/color][/i][/size]
[/quote]
But Roger, I can make [u]any [/u] double bass sound rubbish, amplified or not

[bassace]

Well, we all have our off days, Clarky. I thought my ply bass was a great instrument, but that was before I had anything to compare it too. Then I started getting more basses and the compare and contrast thing kicked in. I won't say for a moment ply bad/carved good because there are some carved stinkers out there that can be easily beaten by a good ply. Best not to generalise, though, and each bass should be taken on its merits.

[fatback]

You've a fair chance of picking up a good second hand on here if you're patient and willing to travel. That could save you enough cash to experiment a bit with pickups and strings, and a luthier setup.

+1 for the adjustable bridge. Also means you could try a Full Circle type pickup if you wanted.

[Peterscott8]

thanks guys this has all been really helpful.

fatback - i've been looking at some one here for a while but had nightmares with transport, that said I'm still keeping my fingers crossed but just becoming a little impatient. My ultimate budget is 1000 for just the bass, if i can get something i feel is good enough I am willing to pay a bit more for strings setup and pickups (I am aware they are just as important if not more on the cheaper basses hence why a good 2nd hand might be worth it)

Im pretty set on a Gedo bass as ya'll are giving me good vibes on their service and quality. Can I ask has anyone had any experience with their half carved or full laminate. As the laminate are a bit cheaper and from what Im understanding a cheap full laminate can sometimes be better than a cheap carved.
I know I should play the instrument first but unfortunately it might not be an option, so any info would be great.

here's the one i rekon i'll get: http://www.gedo-musik.de/shop/product.php?id_product=809

[bassace]

I definitely like the idea of a half-carved, or hybrid. Any particular reason why matte black? You may have problems if you ever want to sell/upgrade. Gedo have some very nice 'brown' basses on their list. Best of luck in your search.

Edited July 24, 2013 by bassace

[artisan]

[quote name='bassace' timestamp='1374591266' post='2150601']

[size=3]It is too simplistic to say, as Artisan did, that [i][color=#282828][font=helvetica, arial, sans-serif]if you're going to amplify the bass it makes very little difference what it's made of.[/font][/color][/i][/size]
[/quote]

'ang on a minute that's not what i said at all,i said if you are going to be playing loud then a laminate will be less prone to feedback !

[bassace]

[quote name='artisan' timestamp='1374668361' post='2151525']
'ang on a minute that's not what i said at all,i said if you are going to be playing loud then a laminate will be less prone to feedback !
[/quote]

Sorry Artisan, you were misquoted by others and I picked up on these in error. I'll be more careful in future. Hope you continue to enjoy your bass.

[Peterscott8]

does anyone know why they are less prone to feedback

[Clarky]

I have always assumed its because laminated wood is less resonant than carved wood. Feedback is all about turning the body of the bass into a giant vibrating microphone and the less it vibrates the less the feedback

[alistair Sutcliffe]

Certainly my cheap as chips laminate with a bassmax and clicky has had no feedback issues at all so far. I've never had to stuff towels under the strings or block f holes or anything. Having said that, it's not exactly got a classic tone. Horses for courses i guess.