Richard Jinman

Good point about GAS (classical gas?). I too used to trade bass guitars on a whim, but in the DB world you’re forced to commit. Once you’ve got a bow, a quiver and a stand (optional) you’re pretty much out of options in the accessory market. And the strings last 10 years and take 10 hours to attach so that’s not a GAS option. No, it’s only when you decide to amplify the damn thing and type ‘what’s the best pick up for double bass’ into Google that your troubles start.

… and that last point is worth it’s own thread. Like hi fi and wine the 5 per cent improvement in sound seems to require an 80 per cent increase in expenditure

Good tip…

Thanks for the detailed reoly

Yes, I agree… I think there’s usually an enormous gap between insurance valuations and realistic selling prices. Selling a secondhand DB isn’t easy in my experience. It’s a small market and people are unlikely to buy without trying the bass first… all adds up to sluggish sales. Unless it’s a red hot bargain of course.

I think this is a great idea, but I guess my point about pricing is really a question about resale value. If I drop £5k on a secondhand bass (not an inconsequential amount of money for me) it would be good to know I’ve paid a competitive price for it. If you buy a 70s precision you’re pretty confident it’s worth circa £2k - £3k for eg. But DBs (magical A strings notwithstanding) seem to be a free fire zone.

I’m starting to look to upgrade my DB and despite doing some research online I’m still intrigued/confused by the prices attached to used basses. I realise of course that anything is ‘worth’ what someone will pay for it and I also know I need to play a bass before buying. But with that set aside I find it odd to see (for example) two German basses both made circa 1880 priced at £3200 and £7500 respectively. In other cases the ad will say ‘maker unknown, but possibly….’ And the price will still be well over £5k. Perhaps some people are getting insurance valuations and using them as sale prices… but it feels like the Wild West compared to the electric bass market where price parameters are fairly consistent. Any thoughts?

Perfect… thanks very much

I have to go to Hamburg in a couple of weeks and was wondering if anyone knows if there’s a good DB shop in the city? Thanks

On a related matter, I've just bought an AI clarus focus 2r version iii (what a mouthful) as a backup to my newish AI clarus. Does anyone use one of these? It's got a range of effects which I'm unlikely to use (delay on a double bass?), but I'm intrigued by the 'hall' setting which the manual suggests is for small rooms/chamber music. At the moment I'm just bypassing the effects, but I'd be intrigued to know if any DB players use them and why?