Bass_Junkie Posted September 14, 2007 Share Posted September 14, 2007 Heres, the story, my grandad is quite ill so my parents went down to see him, and they went to see my great uncle and his wife on the way down. he plays bass and asked if i had a bass, my mum just said 'yeah he has two bass guitars' and my uncle replied, 'no, i mean a BASS bass, an upright bass because i dont really play mine anymore but id like to keep it in the family' i of course accepted as i'm happy to keep a double bass in the family, i do not know what age the bass is or what make it is but it is my great uncles so i'm assuming its quite old, i really cant wait to get it and try it out. i'll post a reply when i know more details about it. just wondering if theres any tips you could give me for looking after this bass and when i should change things like the strings and bow, i know about rosin on the bow (used to play violin) but thats all i know really. Thought i'd share it with you. And thanks for any info. Bass_Junkie. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Jecklin Posted September 15, 2007 Share Posted September 15, 2007 Great!! Man I hope it's a real beaut' First: get a teacher. This is so so so important. don't worry about strings for now. so long as there are 4 on there you'll be fine to start. However if they are wrecked or missing i'd recommend strings I've had some success with: Thomastik Superflexibles (around£100) good general purpose string. Thomastik Spirocores (around£130) the definitive modern string. Bright and sustaining. Some dopn't get on with these under the bow. I had no worries, but at the time found them too bright for the music I played. Innovation Honey's (around£75) made in england, synthetic core. I'm LOVING these strings at the moment. The E is a bit weak pizz, but they bow great. I've used other strings, but these are my top for mixed use playing. second: especially relevant with the impending change in season-- assuming it is an old carved bass (oooh lets hope so) turn the radiator off in the room you'll keep it in. If this isn't possible keep a pint glass of water near the bass at all times and maybe a glass of water on the radiator. This is wort doing with any bass, but less critical with ply basses. Central heating dries the air (winter is generally less humid in uk anyway), which in turn will take the moisture out from your bass. This can spell disaster, even on basses where the wood is aged, as it can crack. you can buy tube things you fill with water and keep in your bass, but I'd trust the opinion of a teacher in your locale as to whether they think they are worth it. Have fun!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paul, the Posted September 15, 2007 Share Posted September 15, 2007 Nice one bass junkie. Keeping it in the family, that's what I like to see - It's a step further to my ultimate goal of everyone handing down an instrument so that everyone plays one. A must. Perhaps you'll pass it down one day. I am slightly jealous, of course. But that will dissipate as long as you do the instrument some serious justice Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bass_Junkie Posted September 15, 2007 Author Share Posted September 15, 2007 yep, i'm getting my old teacher back to advise me on this one, as soon as i get the thing! as soon as i get it i'll post up some pictures and any details i get about it. i'm definatly going to get a humidifier for it (right term?) but i'll check with my teacher as to when i'll need to have it in there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Happy Jack Posted September 17, 2007 Share Posted September 17, 2007 I'm no double-bass player but be very careful if you change the strings. I've been told that, if you remove all four at once, you'll not only allow the bridge to move (easily fixed) but also the sound-post INSIDE. If you now play an electric bass with a floating bridge (like my Hofners) then you're hardly going to remove all the strings at once anyway, so I'm teaching you to suck eggs - sorry! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
velvetkevorkian Posted September 22, 2007 Share Posted September 22, 2007 That is correct, the bridge and sound post are held solely by the pressure of the strings, so don't slacken all the strings off together. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bass_Junkie Posted September 22, 2007 Author Share Posted September 22, 2007 [quote name='velvetkevorkian' post='63940' date='Sep 22 2007, 10:01 AM']That is correct, the bridge and sound post are held solely by the pressure of the strings, so don't slacken all the strings off together.[/quote] so just one at a time? got it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Jecklin Posted September 28, 2007 Share Posted September 28, 2007 (edited) A ) How is your grandpa doing? B ) Any news on the bass? Edited September 28, 2007 by Jecklin Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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