I've just bought a double bass!

[Bob G]

Hi! Having played electric bass on and off (mostly on) for about 50 years I've just bought a double bass, dirt cheap, and if you saw it you'd understand why! It's a bit of a state to look at but seems pretty solid - it has a label inside which reads Excelsior, Boosey and Hawkes and I believe it was made in the 60's. Any opinions/info on this make?

 

Also, is it possible to identify the strings from the colour of the binding at the tailpiece end? I'm going to be playing, or trying to play, folk/blues/jazzy stuff, all pizzicato and these strings, while sounding ok are a bit dead, lacking that pizzicato twang and punch that I'd like to achieve - hopefully it's the strings and not the bass although no doubt if the DB bug bites I will possibly upgrade the instrument eventually. Any recommendations for strings to go for? A set seems to be very expensive, but will need changing a lot less than a bass guitar I suppose. Also, is there a market for used strings if I want to try more than one set without breaking the bank?

 

Cheers for any help. Bob

Edited August 28, 2021 by Bob G
typo

[Staggering on]

Sounds a lot like my story, and I am so glad I switched to DB, it's a whole new world of challenges and just plain fun.

There are several sites that have string ID info, one of them is in the Bass Resource section of the Gollihur Music website, it's in the FAQ section under Strings.

There are others on here who are much more knowledgeable about strings than I am and may be able to identify them if you give the colour of the silks on both ends of the strings and they can also recommend strings for the music you plan to play. There is definitely a market for used strings and they are often sold on Basschat. There is a huge variety of strings available and they make a major effect on the sound and playability, much more than on an electric bass so it pays to choose carefully. The Gollihur site has a lot of good advice about strings and they sell many types and give very thorough descriptions of the pros and cons and characteristics of the strings, not just repeating the manufacturer's blurb. 

It might be a good idea to have an experienced player and/or a luthier to look over your bass, these things are beasts to play compared to electric bass and a few adjustments can make a huge difference in the playability of your bass and make it a lot less difficult and frustrating to play.

Good luck, it's a bit of a steep learning curve but I have never had so much fun playing music, upright is the way to go.😄 

 

[Happy Jack]

Welcome to world of Real Bass. 

 

If you haven't already sorted this, I strongly recommend getting at least one 1-hour lesson from a pro/teacher. Some skills are definitely transferrable from EB to DB, but there are some really basic things which are radically different and you'll want to get those right from Day One. 

 

It's not just a question of improving your technique - you won't want to give yourself wrist / shoulder / back problems down the line from poor posture or playing with your limbs twisted!

 

Your string choice will (of course) be guided by a number of factors, the most important IMHO being what sort of music you want to play and what state your hands/fingers are in. I've personally always favoured gut-alike strings, i.e. strings that emulate the feel & sound of gut strings. Genuine guts are unbelievably expensive, give endless tuning issues, and don't even last particularly long. A decent set of (say) Innovation Silver Slaps will last for 10 years and there is no requirement to actually slap them. 😉

 

Have a look at this for a starter: 

 

Edited August 29, 2021 by Happy Jack

[pete.young]

Excellent Bob, welcome.

 

My recollection is that these would be good-quality student basses imported by Boosey and Hawkes probably from somewhere in eastern Europe, and sold mostly to school orchestras and aspiring bass students. This is a great bass to have as a starter bass and well beyond that.

 

Theres a thread here which you might find interesting, particularly the excellent posting by @PaulKing at the end of the thread which has a lot of detail on the brand.

 

[Bob G]

This is the silk winding on my strings - any ideas what they might be? 

[Bob G]

8 hours ago, Happy Jack said:

Welcome to world of Real Bass. 

 

If you haven't already sorted this, I strongly recommend getting at least one 1-hour lesson from a pro/teacher. Some skills are definitely transferrable from EB to DB, but there are some really basic things which are radically different and you'll want to get those right from Day One. 

 

It's not just a question of improving your technique - you won't want to give yourself wrist / shoulder / back problems down the line from poor posture or playing with your limbs twisted!

 

Your string choice will (of course) be guided by a number of factors, the most important IMHO being what sort of music you want to play and what state your hands/fingers are in. I've personally always favoured gut-alike strings, i.e. strings that emulate the feel & sound of gut strings. Genuine guts are unbelievably expensive, give endless tuning issues, and don't even last particularly long. A decent set of (say) Innovation Silver Slaps will last for 10 years and there is no requirement to actually slap them. 😉

 

Have a look at this for a starter: 

 

I intend to get at least one lesson, I want to make sure I get my posture right. My plucking technique isn't too bad - I've watched and imitated a couple of vids on YouTube, also I am very quickly getting to grips with the intonation and scale length so playing in tune is coming fairly easily. 

[Beer of the Bass]

1 hour ago, Bob G said:

This is the silk winding on my strings - any ideas what they might be? 

 

It's hard to gauge the exact shade from the photo, but possibly Thomastik Superflexible. Do they have barrel shaped aluminium ball ends with an O on one side and a Roman numeral on the other?

It that's them, they're not bad strings, quite high tension steels similar to Spirocores but a little less bright, though that set looks old.

[TheRev]

I have Superflexibles on one of my basses - the colour in the photos looks pretty close.

 

If you're looking for more twang/punch then I'd suggest a set of Thomastik Spirocore Weich.  They're not stupid expensive by double bass string standards and if you don't like them, they're very easy to sell on.  Another benefit is Spiro Weichs are (IMHO) about as close as you'll get to a 'standard string' in that most players know what they sound and feel like, so 'darker than Spiro weich' or 'lower tension than Spiro weich' are useful reference points that can be used to help you work towards your ideal string set.

 

Other popular choice are Pirastro Perpetual and Evah Pirazzi weich. Both great string sets that you can easily sell on as part of your journey down the bass string rabbit hole.

[NickA]

Congrats and welcome 🙂

 

Double bass strings don't really go dead the way electric bass strings can.  I was using the thomastic spirocores I bought with my bass, in 1988, up until quite recently ( admitted, I did buy a set of helicores in 2001 and used them for a decade or so ).  So expensive, yes, but annual cost low.  And my current set of spiros were 2nd hand from these pages and cost £70 ( I think).  Keep your eyes out, people are always swapping and changing strings.

 

The wrong strings will make the bass sound dead for pizz, and if anything will perk it up it's a set of spiros.  Go weich for starters to save your fingers; though personally I like the heft of the full strength sort. Evah Pirazzi strings are good, but really only better than spiros if you're going to use a bow sometimes.  

 

My first bass (at school) was a half size boosey and hawkes .. it had no low end at all and didn't pizz well.  Certainly an element of deadness there.  Let's face it you're not going to sound like Charlie Haden or Eddie Gomez on an East European laminated school bass, but it'll be fine for learning the basics ..  just don't expect too much of it.  And with the pickup and amp you'll need to play in a band, the difference is far less.

 

Have fun!

[guyl]

Welcome Bob! 

 

 

In my (limited) experience, even a "rubbish" bass can be greatly enhanced by a set of new strings and a decent set-up. As you've decided you're a pizz player, definitely worth investing in pizz-specific set. (As has been said, you can sell them on again if you change your mind.)

 

And a decent set-up may not cost as much as you suspect. Every time I did this, I've been amazed how much my bass has been improved by someone that understands the dark art of sound post positioning, fingerboard radius, bridge fitting etc...

 

Not only will both of the above make the instrument sound better, but it will be easier and more rewarding to play than "fighting" a knackered old instrument. Which is demoralising for everyone - especially as you're just starting out.

 

One other point - you may be thinking about pickups if you're keen to get gigging on it. For me, paying up for a really good quality pickup was worthwhile (another good 2nd hand market if you change your mind). My mediocre bass and technique were flattered by a decent pickup - my first bass in particular lacked decent low end, but amplified (with a bit of EQ tweaking) sorted that.

 

Good luck!   

[PaulKing]

Welcome, and congratulations on getting yourself a damn fine bass. B+H Excelsiors were imported by B&H from the Czech Luby factory in the 60s (same factory/company that now makes Strunal basses).

They are very well made student instruments, built to last. They have a really nice buttery tone, lacking a bit of mid range maybe, but very tolerant of a wide range of strings. Well that's my experience with mine. I have the exact same bass.

 

Strings strings strings pick ups pick ups pick ups... .its all been said!

 

I recommend Evah Pirazzi strings as fabulous all-rounders, good for rootsy pizz but also very good for jazz, with plenty of definition. You can also slap them if you're that way inclined.

But the go-to string for all beginners (and the majority of established players) is Thomastik Spriocore weich/light. Jazz standards.

Innovation Supersilver (or Silverslap if you want easier tension) are also damn good strings and so easy to play for a beginner. Can't go worng ... although as your ear tunes in you'll start to detect some odd plasticky sounds on the open srings especially. But noone else will notice.

 

Shadow 951 or Underwood piezo pick up will work for you - but they're both well north of £100 these days.

Or a K+ Bassmax, or one of the many decent budget copies you can get on ebay. I've not tried them but many people swear.

In the end they are all bascally the same little bit of kit.

Fitting them is the key. Take care and they sound great.    

 

Next, don't expect to just plug into your old bass guitar amp and hear a beautiful double bass sound come out. That's for the next lesson...  ;0)

 

Edited September 27, 2021 by PaulKing

[bassace]

1 hour ago, PaulKing said:

  

 

Next, don't expect to just plug into your old bass guitar amp and hear a beautiful double bass sound come out. That's for the next lesson...  ;0)

 

Hah! He’s right, you know. You could almost say that the last thing a double bass needs is a bass amp. A thundering big one anyway. The lower frequencies tend to look after themselves, they travel well into the audience even if you won’t hear them too clearly on stage. It’s a clear mid range that you’ll need and to this end I’d recommend looking for a 10” combo or a head and cab of the same size. OK, 12” if you must but certainly no larger.

 

Enjoy your bass!

[NickA]

11 hours ago, bassace said:

OK, 12” if you must but certainly no larger.

Indeed. My full rig is 12 X 5".  Brilliant with a double bass. Wouldnt recommend it for death metal though.