Buying a double bass

[chrisgriff]

I've been planning to buy a double bass for some time, and read a lot of really helpful stuff on these threads. I've had an EUB before and got on really well with it, but obviously realise there will be substantial differences.

So I'm ready to take the plunge, however as ever, the choice of instruments available is limited by my geography!
First off, I'm looking to around £2k, maybe less and maybe more for the right instrument. At the moment, there aren't many going second hand at this price point and so it's likely I'll be looking at a brand new instrument.
The options near to me are:
Westbury (around £2k) from Alan Gregory in Manchester
Stentors ( a few to pick from)

However, online or mail order options are:
Thomann (strunals...plenty to choose from)
Christopher DBs (fully carved ones maybe).
So does anyone have any experience of buying from alan Gregory? The westburys are an easier option because of proximity but there isn't much info around on how decent these are. Getting a thomann or a Christopher seems straight forward ish too although I'd like to try them first (it may result in a trip to Germany if necessary!).
So if any of you guys have any insight into any of these, It would be great to hear your views.
Thanks !
Chris

Edited January 19, 2015 by chrisgriff

[Marc S]

Hi Chris,

I was in your position just a couple of years back
I started with a cheap Stagg EUB, and that convinced me to buy a double bass
Although I didn't have anything like 2K to spend

For some reason, there really was almost no choice in Cardiff at the time
and I was restricted to either ordering from one of the sources you list
or buying second-hand. But all the S/H basses to come up for sale seemed to be the other side of the country!

Don't know much about Westbury, but Strunals seem to be well thought of

Another company who seem to be really well regarded are Gedo
I'm sure there will be another BC'er raving about these shortly....
I've heard not only are they fantastic basses, but the service & delivery from Gedo are excellent too

My first acoustic double bass was bought second-hand, from a fellow BC'er
and I'd recommend considering that option.
Most BC'ers seem very reasonable folk, and will let you try a bass out
and tell you what they know of its' history etc etc

Take a look at Gedo, but keep your eye out in the Second-hand section
Try as many as you can (not always easy, I know)

Most of all, welcome to the world of DB ( there's no turning back)
and good luck with your search

Marc

[Marc S]

Here's a link to Gedo's online shop

http://www.gedo-musik.de/shop/category.php?id_category=50&id_lang=1

[stingrayPete1977]

I'm only an hour from manchester if you want to try a Gedo, mine is half carved, adjustable bridge,real ebony board and tail and had thomastik spirocore weichs fitted by Gedo from new. Geoff from discover double bass and Jake Newman both members here have given it a thumbs up, I imagine I would need to spend nearer 3k to make a vast improvement and even then my skill level is far below the Gedo and probably always will even though I'm getting better on it.

Do you head south much, I'm not too far from junction 14 M6.

[stingrayPete1977]

[quote name='Marc S' timestamp='1421662007' post='2663611']


Another company who seem to be really well regarded are Gedo
I'm sure there will be another BC'er raving about these shortly....
I've heard not only are they fantastic basses, but the service & delivery from Gedo are excellent too

[/quote]

Lol, there are a few of us now.

Edited January 19, 2015 by stingrayPete1977

[SubsonicSimpleton]

If you have transport, you should probably make a trip to check out the double bass stock at Tim Toft Violins(stone, staffordshire), Turner Violins(Nottingham) and Bassbags.co.uk(Derby) - I have never bought anything from Alan Gregory, but what most non-specialist retailers regard as a setup usually constitutes taking the bass out of it's shipping crate, standing up the soundpost and bridge and fitting the strings, which isn't the same as the work that a decent luthier will do to get the instrument to optimum playability and tone.

Given your budget, you might also want to add Duke as a potential option, depending on your tone goals - handmade pro quality laminate which are very reasonably priced for what you get, and the [url="http://www.duke-bass.de/duke-special"]special[/url] doesn't have the (garish IMHO) highlighting of the two-tone & didi beck models that thomann stock.

If you don't have a clear idea on what you want from your new DB in terms of tone, ergonomics and the type of musical situations you want to use it in, it might be worth renting one for a few months.

[stingrayPete1977]

Tim tofts is not far from me, 15 mins away so 2 birds 1 stone and all that

[chrisgriff]

Thanks guys, really helpful suggestions. I really appreciate you taking the time to respond. I'll take a look at Gedo website, see what they've got, and Duke for that matter ( I hadn't considered these mainly because I thought they'd be more Rockabilly etc...not my thing! However the duke special sounds very interesting indeed.). Tim toft was actually on my radar too, I think i will ring ahead to check what stock they have.......and that I might be able to try your Gedo, Pete, on my way to tim toft is very kind of you and I may well take you up on that :-)

I have been looking on the used threads and eBay for ages and I mean ages, and although I have not been in a position to buy until now, nothing really came up that caught my eye. I will keep looking though...everyday!

I'd be particularly interested if anyone has owned a Christopher bass too, as Atelier Kontrabass over in Frankfurt has a full range in stock, and so a visit over there would offer a wide choice to try in one go.

Thanks again everyone, and for the kind welcome :-)
Chris

Edited January 19, 2015 by chrisgriff

[zero9]

May I ask what type of music or style you're likely to play, as this may help in recommending certain db's. Some are more suited to classical styles (arco) than others. Although any style can be played on any double bass, from ply to fully carved, some lend themselves better to certain styles.

[chrisgriff]

It would be mainly to play acoustically (and mainly at home ), and tend to play folk and jazz type stuff but I would be keen on the possibility of venturing into classical....basically I want the best of both worlds! lol but in brief, something that sustains well when played pizz style, hence why I've been initially looking at fully carved and solid top basses

Edited January 19, 2015 by chrisgriff

[stingrayPete1977]

That's no problem, drop me a pm if you are heading to Tofts and if I'm here then you are welcome to call in, from there you could be at my house, try it out, have a coffee and be back at Tofts or going past on your way back to Manchester in an hour.

I've never been in Tofts for the fear of a very expensive credit card accident!I presumed I'd need to take the Gedo to them for a proper setup, Jake and Geoff said it's fine as is so I'm happy for now

[Marc S]

I'd definitely take up the kind offers of BC'ers like singrayPete,
and have a play on as many basses as you can

Just like bass guitars, it's amazing at just how different they can feel, sound and play
Try a few before deciding.....

EDIT: Obviously not as easy for those available only online
I never did get to try a Gedo - but they look so lovely

Edited January 19, 2015 by Marc S

[keeponehandloose]

I havent bought from Alan Gregory but I can recommend them if you need work doing when you purchase a bass.
Have you tried David Vernons in Salford &
Ayres Violins , same road as Gregorys?

[chrisgriff]

You're right Marc S, there's no substitute for trying and need to get out there....every electric bass I've bought has been about sound and feel rather than price point or looks....and I need to remember that! A trip to staffs is on the cards!
And thanks keeponehandloose, it's good to have a recommendation I just need the guts to go in now!
I've sent David Vernons a message about what stock they have....there's only mention of cellos and violins on the website so not expecting much, but it's very close to me so worth a punt.

Thanks again everyone...what a lovely bunch you all are :-)

[stingrayPete1977]

The problem I had was even though I was happy to drive miles to try them I would not know a good one from a bad one, maybe a bit more now after two years or so from the Stagg, nearly two years since I got my Gedo. I don't know any other players locally that I could have taken with me. Then there are string heights, steel or guts, bows, pickups, eq units, arghh!

[bassfunk]

I recently had a bass set up by Sam Wells in Altrincham. If you give him a call he might know people around who are selling basses? He's a really friendly and very knowledgeable. Here's his website http://www.doublebassrepairs.co.uk

He did have an old German bass with hat pegs for sale, I was too scared to ask how much!

[chrisgriff]

[quote name='stingrayPete1977' timestamp='1421700648' post='2664165']
The problem I had was even though I was happy to drive miles to try them I would not know a good one from a bad one, maybe a bit more now after two years or so from the Stagg, nearly two years since I got my Gedo. I don't know any other players locally that I could have taken with me. Then there are string heights, steel or guts, bows, pickups, eq units, arghh!
[/quote]

I've done a lot of research (albeit desk-based!), and yet there's still so much to understand... And telling a good one from a bad is going to be interesting !

[chrisgriff]

[quote name='bassfunk' timestamp='1421701650' post='2664177']
I recently had a bass set up by Sam Wells in Altrincham. If you give him a call he might know people around who are selling basses? He's a really friendly and very knowledgeable. Here's his website http://www.doublebassrepairs.co.uk

He did have an old German bass with hat pegs for sale, I was too scared to ask how much!
[/quote]

In all my searches I've never come across Sam before so that's brilliant to know especially only a few short miles from me.....I'm likely to need him!

[alexpea]

I bought a plywood Gedo music bass as a back up bass and had it shipped over the UK. Very good value for money when compared to a similar priced ply bass I had bought in the UK.

A plywood bass is good for most styles but you might find it may not work so well in an orchestral setting.

[TheRev]

If you don't know enough about double basses to tell a decent one from one that is days away from being fire wood (and you don't have a knowledgeable mate you can bring with you), then it's probably best to avoid a used bass and just buy a new Gedo or a Thomann 2 bass. At least you know they'll stay in one piece.

Yes, buying used will potentially give you better value for money AND if you can try before you buy, you could find 'the bass' that's right for you - but if used basses are few and far between within reasonable travelling distance and you don't know how to look for delamination, split ribs, loose bass bars etc etc, then any potential savings will be more than offset by repair and set-up costs.

When I bought my first double bass, I didn't know what the 'right bass' for me would look, sound or feel like. I was lucky enough to find a bass within my price range locally that I could look at and check that it wasn't a total wreck. As the years have progressed, me and my bass have sort of moulded to each other - I've changed little things in the set up and I've got used to the various quirks on my bass and adapted my technique accordingly. If I hadn't found that bass when I did, I would have bought a Thomman 2 (Strunal) bass and had exactly the same journey of getting used to the bass and making setup changes as my playing improved and I worked out what i liked in terms of action, strings. pickups etc.

So, as you're just starting out on you bass journey and you don't know what you may or may not like or even what 'your sound' will be, why not spend about £1300 of your budget on a nice Gedo or Thomann bass and save the remainder for setups and the inevitable experiments with strings?

[stingrayPete1977]

After much searching that's exactly the conclusion I came to.

[geoffbassist]

[quote name='stingrayPete1977' timestamp='1421669866' post='2663720']
I'm only an hour from manchester if you want to try a Gedo, mine is half carved, adjustable bridge,real ebony board and tail and had thomastik spirocore weichs fitted by Gedo from new. Geoff from discover double bass and Jake Newman both members here have given it a thumbs up, I imagine I would need to spend nearer 3k to make a vast improvement and even then my skill level is far below the Gedo and probably always will even though I'm getting better on it.

Do you head south much, I'm not too far from junction 14 M6.
[/quote]

+1 I love Pete's bass and it's incredible value. I've also played a Westbury which I liked as well.

The key thing is the set up and Sam Wells has a first class reputation and he may even be able to give you a heads up on a good second hand instrument. I've also heard on the grapevine that Thomman are now offering a service where they set up the bass as requested and even fit a new set of strings if needed...which pretty much any new budget bass would. If they did a great job it would be well worth considering.

Best of luck finding your new beauty!

[aonindy]

"I've also heard on the grapevine that Thomman are now offering a service where they set up the bass as requested and even fit a new set of strings if needed...which pretty much any new budget bass would."

+1 .. Confirmed! ... They did it for me with specific string heights recommend by the esteemed Mr Gareth Hughes of this parish .. Very happy I went with Thomann!

[jrixn1]

+1 for Thomann. I once ordered a double bass, which I assumed would come with cheap strings, so I also ordered at the same time a set of my favourite (at the time) strings, Spirocores. Unsolicitedly, Thomann emailed back to inform me that the stock strings on that particular bass were already Spirocores, and just wanted to confirm if I did indeed want an additional set. I was impressed by this level of proactive customer service which saved me £100+.

[chrisgriff]

Thanks everybody, this is all helping focus my search....and now I've found a couple of local luthiers (Vernon Violins in Stretford, and Sam Wells) I think a Gedo or a Thomann are high on the list...although I trip to Tim Toft is still on the cards!