simonrwarner

9 hours ago, Beer of the Bass said:

The Gumtree bass looks like potentially a nice deal, though it's very unlikely to be Italian - I'd suggest German or Czech. But it looks to be coming from a player and has decent strings already, so would probably get you going without needing much. If you can find a bass playing friend to come and look at it with you, it would certainly be worth checking out.

Thanks so much for your replies and encouragement everyone. The owner of the EUB has confirmed it is not an ideal starter because the pickup is so sensitive and so your fretting has to be precise, which mine won't! The owner of the 1940s so called Italian one (a Berini?) is a musician himself and said it was his starter bass and so I might have to go and look at that. He has recommended the strings be changed though as they are old and also brand that's known to be tough on the fingers. I'll let you know what I decide!

Hi there,

I'm thinking of getting a double bass again at the age of 60 - for practice at home mostly at the moment. I learned the upright a little bit as a kid and had an electric bass for a while as a young man and had a few lessons (with Andy Crowdy!) before I gave up through laziness. I'd like to play jazz and a maybe a bit of folk. I've been looking on Gumtree and am wondering about an EUB such as this:

https://www.gumtree.com/p/double-bass/the-warwick-rockbass-triumph-lite-4-string-electric-double-bass-black/1412413340

Or there's this 3/4 1940s Italian job:

https://www.gumtree.com/p/double-bass/1940s-italian-3-4-double-bass/1409357419

Or this cheaper Gear4 Music 3/4 one:

https://www.gumtree.com/p/double-bass/3-4-double-bass-with-french-bow-stand-soft-case-and-scores/1411894555

I'm a complete newbie and not that musical so would appreciate any advice anyone has.

Many thanks, Simon.