PerryJ

Anyone!?

[quote name='Colledge' post='878285' date='Jun 26 2010, 05:23 PM']i've known a few people to have small cuts on their fingers before a gig (non instrument related) and use superglue to seal them up so it doesnt effect your playing. works well, sounds dodgy... but cyanoacrylate (superglue) was developed to seal wounds in vietnam originally.[/quote] Exactly! I used to be a machine operator and sliced my fingertips on a regular ba(s)sis. A tube of Loctite saved me many times over and the real beauty of it is that it grows out of the wound like a scab and prevents infection. Apply with a pin though, otherwise you'll be even less able to play...

I took the dive and through good fortune (and friends), got myself a brand new (in your parlance) CCB! I know, most of you are horrified however, I got it for a silly price leaving me with more than enough money to have it set up properly that there was really no choice but to go for it. The sound post is floating around inside and there are no strings or tail wire, so I need a luthier sympathetic to my jazz/folk/rock 'n' roll leanings. I'm in North London and all I can find are people who mention their prowess and history in orchestral set ups and restorations of ancient basses for some world renowned orchestral player or other but, that's not really what I'm looking for. I want someone with experience who will actually be happy to set up my cheap and nasty box in the way I want it done, if such a person exists. So, if anyone could help, I will heap endless sycophantic praise upon you and buy you a cheap pint should you ever cross my path!

Okay, I'm even annoying myself now but, I'm loathe to start another thread! Ebony finger board from China via Germany (Thomann) or 'ebonised' fingerboard from China via York (G4M)!?

[quote name='fatback' post='870349' date='Jun 17 2010, 11:00 PM']What about humidity and carved basses? And the business of suitability for outdoor playing / busking? I'd probably prefer to trade off quality a bit in exchange for less worry and hassle. Maybe I should agonise less and just go and buy the thing [/quote] I've been concerned about the same thing, particularly the hybrid. Apparently solid top basses sound better but, if the carved top hasn't been properly seasoned, they distort and split from the laminate/plywood that isn't affected by heat/humidity. Seeing as I live in a concrete box with windows at the front which needs a dehumidifier running 24 hours a day to prevent the entire flat becoming a self heating sauna in summer, I've decided to go with a full laminate bass. Mind you, I'm only regurgitating what I've learned from this place, so don't take my word for it!

[quote name='51m0n' post='870671' date='Jun 18 2010, 12:16 PM']Simple question, can anyone recommend a DB luthier in or around Brighton for setting up a DB?[/quote] I'll second that but, alter location to North London!

Thanks to everyone for all the good advice. I'm still undecided as to exactly what I'll do but, if I do buy new, it's between the cheapest Thomann and Gear4Music instruments. I really don't have the cash for anything better and they'll leave me with enough money to have them set up properly. The Thomann has the edge at the moment though, as it has an ebony fingerboard whereas the G4M has an "ebonised" fingerboard, which is worrying me... I think I'll sleep on it for a bit, especially as the Thomann is out of stock until the 30th June!

[quote name='PerryJ' post='866123' date='Jun 13 2010, 04:31 PM']Quick question... can anyone tell me why this laminated bass [url="http://www.thomann.de/gb/thomann_kontrabass_111.htm"]http://www.thomann.de/gb/thomann_kontrabass_111.htm[/url] is so much cheaper than the plywood ones? Other than the finish, I can't see much difference and I've been led to believe that laminated plywood is the superior material. One worrying thing about the Thomann site is their disclaimer concerning errors in site content. Does it mean they can get away with advertising an ebony fingerboard and delivering a softwood one!? I know they can't get away with that in England but, I'm not really up on my German advertising laws...[/quote] Not to be a pain but, this is really bugging me...

[quote name='OutToPlayJazz' post='866138' date='Jun 13 2010, 04:41 PM']Just thinking on that one... Obviously, you're not going to get a well set up new bass for a £500 budget, but you can get pretty close with the "Deluxe" 3/4 model. let's see... G4M Deluxe 3/4 Bass........... £420 Tail wire ............................. £ 12 Bridge/setup ....................... £ 60 These basses come with both a semi-hard (stupidly large) and soft cases, so you could ebay the coffin for a few pounds, say £50 & put that towards some good strings. You're not a million miles away. [/quote] Plus strings, sound post and delivery... This whole thing is far more difficult than I'd imagined!

Quick question... can anyone tell me why this laminated bass [url="http://www.thomann.de/gb/thomann_kontrabass_111.htm"]http://www.thomann.de/gb/thomann_kontrabass_111.htm[/url] is so much cheaper than the plywood ones? Other than the finish, I can't see much difference and I've been led to believe that laminated plywood is the superior material. One worrying thing about the Thomann site is their disclaimer concerning errors in site content. Does it mean they can get away with advertising an ebony fingerboard and delivering a softwood one!? I know they can't get away with that in England but, I'm not really up on my German advertising laws...

[quote name='OutToPlayJazz' post='866053' date='Jun 13 2010, 03:40 PM']Well I don't sell them, I'm only helping them out with the quality control, but in my own personal experience, yes they're a lot of bass for the money. Just be prepared for getting some setup work done & changing a few bits (as you would with any budget range DB.) I put a Werner tail wire on mine & had it re-bridged, re-strung it with some nice Thomastik Dominants & I've re-sanded the neck and beeswaxed it. The Archers are a fully carved Canadian maple bass, so the core instrument is very good. The £500 one you're looking at is also a good core laminate bass with a solid top. Again, factor in getting a decent tail wire, strings and a setup from a luthier and you're getting a lot of bass for the money. The current batch of Archer basses have a massive shove to the sound as well - I was in a few weeks back re-setting the sound posts on the latest batch.[/quote] Sorry, when [i]they[/i] sell out. I do appreciate the advice however, the main problem with the Archer is the price. Once set up properly and with the improvements you suggest, the cost ends up being about double my £500 budget.

[quote name='OutToPlayJazz' post='866034' date='Jun 13 2010, 03:24 PM']We're working with the Chinese manufacturers (I met the factory owner a few weeks ago) to improve the state in which the instruments come over, so after a raft of proposals, I'm hoping the next couple of batches will be arriving with some of my suggested improvements.[/quote] So, I should buy a gear4music bass, but not until you've sold out of the current stock!?

[quote name='Beer of the Bass' post='865973' date='Jun 13 2010, 02:31 PM']I've read that the "Made in Europe" Thomann basses are made by Strunal. I've seen one or two Strunal basses in the flesh - they're good for the money and would be preferable to the Antoni. They start at £625 though...[/quote] An extra £125 is possible, whereas an extra £1000 is not!

[quote name='keeponehandloose' post='865938' date='Jun 13 2010, 01:59 PM']Ebay item 180519317796. This looks good.[/quote] I've been watching that one on e-bay. My trouble is location, I'm in North London and the bass is in Bradford.

[quote name='Beer of the Bass' post='865928' date='Jun 13 2010, 01:45 PM']I played an Antoni for a few months several years ago, when skint and otherwise double bassless. Unless they've got much better since then, I'd avoid them if at all possible. Mine was a bright orange plywood box, with a crap painted softwood fingerboard which was really uneven and bumpy. For £500 I'd look out for an older German or Eastern European laminated bass (maybe even hybrid or solid if you're lucky). They come up fairly often and would be much more servicable and could be re-sold for what you paid if you upgrade.[/quote] Thanks, I think I'll avoid that one then. Odd that the uneven and bumpy softwood fingerboard wasn't in their specifications... I'm leaning towards the Thomann at the moment, but keeping my eye out for second hand bargains.

[quote name='janmaat' post='865866' date='Jun 13 2010, 12:26 PM']Welcome to the world of DB. With my limited experience i would say the 100% plywood is good if you plan to use it for busking, as solid tops are much more sensitive to climate changes. Thoman.de seems to sell good beginenrs instrument (recommended here on the forum). And why not seek a second hand instrument here on the forum, as the Antoni is really crap (that finger board is soft wood painted black!) to be honest (i am just restoring one...) I am sure you find something better and you'd want a good sound, not just look + shape of a double bass. Just research a bit more and converse with the DB'ers here.[/quote] I was a bit suspicious of the "Ebonised fingerboard and nut"! The Thomann site has a few interesting options though, so many thanks for that. As for second hand, the main problem I have with that is a lack of transport and patience. I've been looking for the last month and had little joy but, it's definitely worth thinking about.

[quote name='TheRev' post='865862' date='Jun 13 2010, 12:23 PM']Annoying, isn't it? You really want to try DB but you don't want or can't afford to spend £1000+ on something that you might not get on with and all everyone an say to you is 'don't pay less than £1500 as anything costing less than that will be s#*t'. As long as you're not expecting great tone, then your £500 will easily get you started. Someone on here has a Gear4music bass that they bought for about £400 and they love it. Tone wise, there probably isn't a lot of difference between basses at this price- you'll get a lot more tone improvement from a decent set of strings and a few lessons to sort out your technique that you will from the solid top over the laminate I reckon that you're right about the cheap laminate being a better buy than the solid top. Most of the CCB horror stories are about solid top basses that haven't been seasoned properly and split as soon as you introduce a bit of temperature variation. Bear in mind that your new bass won't be playable out of the box. The soundpost and bridge will be down and you'll need to have this set up professionally, so make sure you allow for this in your budget.[/quote] Thanks for the reply, you're right on with the money thing. As for tone, I'm not expecting anything special. I view it in the same way as when I bought my first bass guitar, a Hondo Fame (me neither) P-Bass copy, with a warped neck and no electronics which cost me less than the new set of strings I adorned it with. It sounded awful and was painful to play, partly because you could've parked a bus between the strings and the fretboard. However, it served it's purpose and was duly replaced with a Musicman Stingray which was a revelation in both playability and sound. I figure I'll do double bass the same way, as it's practically learning a new instrument altogether anyway. As for setup, I've been quoted £30 for the sound post and £65 for the bridge. Sounds reasonable to me but, I honestly don't have a clue!

Hi, this is my first post, so apologies if this has been covered before. I did take the time to search the forum but didn't find the answers I'm looking for. Bassically (sorry, had to be done once), I've been playing bass guitar for about ten years and have decided to have a crack at playing double bass. I've read some pretty scathing reviews of the gear4music instruments and all the advice on saving for a proper one, but the fact is that £500 is all I can reasonably afford (and all the wife will let me spend, for that matter...) Both of these instruments look pretty similar and come with a similar package at about the same price. However, the gear4music one has a solid top, which I'm led to believe would be preferable to the fully laminate Antoni bass. Although this may be true, I'm guessing a better quality laminated bass is going to be a better investment than a poor quality bass made from supposedly better materials. So, in short, I don't know what I'm doing and would appreciate any advice, especially from anyone who has played either of these instruments. Thanks in advance.