Dr Phibes

I have used them. Found the E to be quite floppy, but it still gave a decent enough tone and sustain when compared to wackers or plain guts - but not as good as silverslaps. Also found the slap to be quite plasticy and unpleasant sounding to my ears. They have the obvious advantage of working with a mag pickup, so if this were key I'd go for it; if not then I'd personally stick with the slaps.

And some more...

Here's a pic of the Prima. If you keep an eye on ebay you do get some nice blonde 60's and 70's basses coming up every now and again for very reasonable prices.

[quote name='kingforaday' post='1031582' date='Nov 21 2010, 05:32 PM']i've been looking for about a year at various double basses and the only real decision i've made is i now know i definitely want a blonde! these are the ones i've found; [url="http://www.westmount-music.co.uk/product/STRUNAL_50|4_%27Blond%27_Double_Bass_3|4_SDB50-4"]Strunal[/url] [url="http://www.djmmusic.com/itemdesc.asp?ic=BF052-3-4"]Primavera[/url] [url="http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Double-Bass-3-4-size-NATURAL-blonde-new-/380290502503?pt=UK_Musical_Instruments_Sting_Instruments&hash=item588b148f67"]gedo musik[/url] [url="http://www.thomann.de/gb/thomann_kontrabass_1_e_blond_3_4.htm?sid=caa2461ef7b9ab01c4ebbbd808d101f5"]Thomann[/url] anybody who has any experience with these please let me know your opinions, the good and bad points etc. i've been looking for a while and i don't think i'm really getting anywhere, the only one i've been able to try was the gedo musik one. A friend of mine bought one and it sounds and feels pretty good to me but its the only double bass i've ever played so what do i know!?[/quote] I've owned a Gedo bass with a carved top and it wasn't bad. Bit quiet acoustically and it started to develop a small crack around one of the f holes. I think the fully laminate basses are a definate step below. Out of the ones you listed I'd probably give it a miss unless you're set on a cutaway. The Thomman is the same bass as the Strunal. People say very good things about these basses. Built like tanks, good projection and tone. I plumped for the Prima as you know, but I picked mine up second hand. The basses are very pretty in the flesh, so to speak, lovely flamed maple veneers on the sides and back. Love mine, love the violin corners. The safe bet is the Strunal, but the Prima wins out on style!

[quote name='kingforaday' post='1030238' date='Nov 20 2010, 11:01 AM']thats what i'd heard about the lower strings but i haven't found them that bad at all, they are really thick though which took some getting used to. tone wise i get kinda of a dead thumpy sound but for what we're playing i think it works! shoulda said earlier, check out the link in my signature to 'the seven year itch' the full band songs on there are played on a stagg edb with weedwackers i see you have the blonde prima bass Dr Phibes, how is it?[/quote] I like it a lot. I've owned a few basses including a B&H and it compares favourably. It's had a few tweaks, including replacing the adjustable bridge (it rattled) with a solid one and swapping out the metal tailpiece for a wooden one, but I've no complaints. To be brutally honest I bought it because I'm a sucker for blonde basses with violin corners rather than for the acoustic tone but I've been pleasantly surprised.

Usually with wackers you'll find that the D and G are pretty good, the A is just about passable and the E is like playing wet spaghetti (with about the same tonal qualities too). See how you get on, but I'll wager you'll swap out the E for a Roto, Silverslap or Presto in fairly short order!

I'm a fan of Silverslaps / Goldenslaps. I use the E and A with a gut D and G and find them to be a good tension match without bumping over.

You might want tocheck this guy out too - [url="http://www.bass-ace.co.uk/bass_lesssons.html"]http://www.bass-ace.co.uk/bass_lesssons.html[/url]

I use an Underwood through a Fishman Pro EQ II. Maybe it's not got the depth of features for bass as the pro plat, but seems pretty adept at combating feedback.

As far as I'm aware Boosey & Hawkes never made any blonde basses. It looks like the one that guy's selling has been stripped back to the wood, either chemically or sanded. Either way it 'may' cause problems. If you look at the scroll it almost looks like it's been roughly painted to match. That's not to say it's a bad bass, it could be a cracker, but I'd want a look at that one before I bought it. Rich

[quote name='ryanzepp' post='387339' date='Jan 21 2009, 11:44 AM']Cheers Rich, Much Appreciated mate. I have seen one on ebay now what do you reckon? [url="http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&Item=120366880732&Category=16222&_trksid=p3907.m29&_trkparms=algo%3DLVI%26its%3DI%26otn%3D1"]http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vie...s%3DI%26otn%3D1[/url] cheers mate[/quote] Looks like a decent quality ply to me, a few scuffs and dinks but it'll be built like a tank. Check what the reserve is with the seller - I reckon you might be able to pick this up for £350 ish on a good day without the pickup, £400+ with.

[quote name='timloudon' post='386885' date='Jan 20 2009, 10:45 PM']I'm not really complaining, just thought I'd grab your attention. What's going on here? [image taken from the PPL website][/quote] It allows you to extend the length of the E string in order to be able to play lower notes. Sometimes useful for orchestral players.

[quote name='ryanzepp' post='385931' date='Jan 20 2009, 12:27 PM']Hello all, I'm pretty new to this website and seesn as I am searching for a double bass I assumed this would be the website to ask for people's help. I have a budget of £600 and can't really afford much more. I am unemployed and want to use my money and time efficently. I am located in Liverpool, England and would like to know if anyone knows of any good little shops based in the UK where I could find one. I have searched the net high and low and just keep comin across (what i think looks cheap) Chinese one's. Any help or tips would be greatly appreciated. Thanks alot, Ryan.[/quote] Hi Ryan. Most new basses in your budget would indeed be CCBs. Keep an eye out on ebay for a decent European ply bass. This should fall well within budget. Of course, you could really do with playing the thing before you buy, but it should hold its value on resale if it's not for you. Try- [url="http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Four-string-double-bass_W0QQitemZ250360420532QQcmdZViewItemQQptZUK_Musical_Instruments_Sting_Instruments?hash=item250360420532&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14&_trkparms=66%3A2%7C65%3A10%7C39%3A1%7C240%3A1318"]this[/url] Or keep your eyes open for anthing from Czechoslovakia or labelled as Boosey and Hawkes. As a rough guide most European plys will have much broader shoulders than their Far Eastern counterparts. If in doubt, post a link and I'm sure someone will give you a pointer. Cheers, Rich