BizarreGardeningAccident Posted June 17, 2014 Share Posted June 17, 2014 Hello All, long time lurker, first time poster here! I have done quite a bit or searching around the forum and on Google to no avail, perhaps you kind fellows can fill me in! I am about to take up upright bass after about 8 years on electric, my knowledge and experience of upright gear is near-zero... it's all a little daunting! I am trying to get hold of a good quality bass, mainly for pizz / jazz. I am planning on buying a starter bass in the next few months and it looks like a choice between a few Shen basses that are available locally (SB80/SB100 - full laminate, and SB150 - carved top). I am finding it very difficult to find a typical price for these basses, is there a reliable source for retail prices for double basses in the UK? Also, is a carved top really necessary to a complete beginner like me? Any thoughts on these basses are welcome, if you have any experience with them I'd love to hear from you! Cheers Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ZMech Posted June 17, 2014 Share Posted June 17, 2014 (edited) As a rough rule of thumb, take what you think would be reasonable for a bass guitar and multiply it by a factor of three. Cheap and cheerful model - £400-£1000 Half decent - £1,000-3,000 Getting serious - £3,000-£8,000 Silly Money - £8,000+ Does that help you at all? (Someone please suggest better price brackets for this if you disagree, I've only ever bought one bass) Edited June 17, 2014 by ZMech Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BizarreGardeningAccident Posted June 17, 2014 Author Share Posted June 17, 2014 Hello ZMech, thanks for the response. This is the kind of info I need, it's good to be able to relate things to bass guitar. As well as a range of unfamiliar brands, it's been difficult to judge ball park figures like this. Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ZMech Posted June 17, 2014 Share Posted June 17, 2014 No problem, I find relating new things to old knowledge to always be useful. I bought a cheap second hand chinese job for £400 for my first bass (think equivalent to buying a basic squire) and it's dong ok. My teacher was nice enough to come along to test the bass out and reassured me it needed a setup but was otherwise ok, so if you have a kind friend/teacher then I'd recommend doing the same. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sarah thomas Posted June 17, 2014 Share Posted June 17, 2014 A carved top isn't necessary. In fact, a decent laminate that can take a few inevitable knocks isn't a bad idea. I'd look at the for sale section here and wait for a East European model to come along. It depends on your budget, really. You are unlikely to get ripped off if you buy here though. How much have you got to spend? £800 should see you with a decent starter bass that will last you a few years, or perhaps forever, depending on what you want to play. Second hand basses hold their value too, so if you decide it's not for you after all, then you won't really lose out. Chinese uprights get a bad press generally, although ZMech may well have got lucky. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fatgoogle Posted June 17, 2014 Share Posted June 17, 2014 The Shens are awful if you ask me. Don't project well and the necks come of really quickly if give them a mildly hard knock (by accident). I'd look out for (as Sarah said) an eastern european bass. Mainly Romanian or Czech if you can find one. Also get your teacher or a friendly player to come and have a look with you or see if you can take the bass on trial until you can find someone. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tinyd Posted June 18, 2014 Share Posted June 18, 2014 [quote name='fatgoogle' timestamp='1403035187' post='2479138'] The Shens are awful if you ask me. Don't project well and the necks come of really quickly if give them a mildly hard knock (by accident). [/quote] Looks like you've had a bad experience alright, but in the interests of balance the Shens are generally regarded as good instruments (I have one). But I think the key point is that, unlike guitars, DBs are much more individual in terms of setup, quality and sound and so you should always try and play one before buying. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fatback Posted June 18, 2014 Share Posted June 18, 2014 [quote name='sarah thomas' timestamp='1403031330' post='2479093'] A carved top isn't necessary. In fact, a decent laminate that can take a few inevitable knocks isn't a bad idea. I'd look at the for sale section here and wait for a East European model to come along. It depends on your budget, really. You are unlikely to get ripped off if you buy here though. How much have you got to spend? £800 should see you with a decent starter bass that will last you a few years, or perhaps forever, depending on what you want to play. Second hand basses hold their value too, so if you decide it's not for you after all, then you won't really lose out. Chinese uprights get a bad press generally, although ZMech may well have got lucky. [/quote] This. And don't forget to factor in a couple of hundred for a preamp and pickup. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marc S Posted June 18, 2014 Share Posted June 18, 2014 (edited) [quote name='sarah thomas' timestamp='1403031330' post='2479093'] A carved top isn't necessary. In fact, a decent laminate that can take a few inevitable knocks isn't a bad idea. I'd look at the for sale section here and wait for a East European model to come along. It depends on your budget, really. You are unlikely to get ripped off if you buy here though. How much have you got to spend? £800 should see you with a decent starter bass that will last you a few years, or perhaps forever, depending on what you want to play. Second hand basses hold their value too, so if you decide it's not for you after all, then you won't really lose out. Chinese uprights get a bad press generally, although ZMech may well have got lucky. [/quote] I'd definitely agree with Sarah on this I started with an Eastern European laminate and it is a cracking bass When I come to sell it - I know I'll get what I paid, in full Don't know much about Shen's - but fatback seems to know what he's talking about, and is a regular poster on here.... If you've never played before, I know the difficulty you have in not really knowing how DBs compare to one another, and whats good and not so good Take your time, and speak to other Db'ers on here Try a few, when you can Good luck with your search Keep looking on the S/H section of this forum Every Basschatter I've met and bought stuff from have been great people to deal with EDIT: You needn't spend a fortune on pickups either again, you get what you pay for, but a decent S/H pickup can also be picked up not all types require use of a pre-amp Edited June 18, 2014 by Marc S Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheRev Posted June 18, 2014 Share Posted June 18, 2014 (edited) There's an East German Musima bass in the for sale forum at the moment - these are very solid, well made ply basses that work very well for jazz/blues/folk etc. a few quid on a setup to set the soundpost/bridge or whatever and you will have a very playable and decent sounding bass for less than 1K. i have a late 60's Musima and I feckin' love it. I'd buy another if I didn't already have 3 double basses. IMHO of course.... Edited June 18, 2014 by TheRev Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bassace Posted June 18, 2014 Share Posted June 18, 2014 Yes, I'd go along with that. I had a Meinel, which comes from the Musima factory I believe. It served me very well for a number of years. I was attracted to the ad to which the Rev refers and would definitely recommend it to anyone looking for a first - or even second - bass. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thisnameistaken Posted June 18, 2014 Share Posted June 18, 2014 (edited) [quote name='TheRev' timestamp='1403102905' post='2479801'] There's an East German Musima bass in the for sale forum at the moment - these are very solid, well made ply basses that work very well for jazz/blues/folk etc. a few quid on a setup to set the soundpost/bridge or whatever and you will have a very playable and decent sounding bass for less than 1K. i have a late 60's Musima and I feckin' love it. I'd buy another if I didn't already have 3 double basses. IMHO of course.... [/quote] My first bass was a Musima factory 3/4, those things are proper! Actually when I later bought a carved bass I kept the Musima bass for a couple of years and used it for busking and other more roughhouse gigs. Played great, didn't have much character to the sound but it was LOUD acoustically, and I mean LOUD! It depends what sort of stuff you want to play. I've ended up using DB for duos with singer/songwriter guitarists which requires a bit more of a sophisticated sound than a laminate can give me, and in my live hip-hop band where I need quite a rich jazzy sound. But if you're interested in folk/blues/rockabilly stuff then I agree a Musima bass will do you proud. Edit: You will be lucky to find one that hasn't had the neck broken off it at some point. Don't worry about it. They've all been broken, they still work. Edited June 18, 2014 by thisnameistaken Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheRev Posted June 19, 2014 Share Posted June 19, 2014 (edited) [quote name='thisnameistaken' timestamp='1403127954' post='2480150'] Edit: You will be lucky to find one that hasn't had the neck broken off it at some point. Don't worry about it. They've all been broken, they still work. [/quote] Yarp. The neck on my Musima was broken sometime in the 80s according to the bloke I bought it from. It's been glued back together and it's been solid as you like ever since. You can see where it's been pegged through the heel into the block in the photo. I'd also agree about these bases being pretty loud - I have a couple of nice videos from an acoustic gig in a cider shed where the bass is much more audible than I thought was actually possible. Edited June 19, 2014 by TheRev Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zero9 Posted June 27, 2014 Share Posted June 27, 2014 Not sure whereabouts you're based, but why not come along to the Double Bass Bash in October. You'll have a great opportunity to try different uprights and speak to various owners. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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