first double bass

[ojplaysbass]

i've been toying with the idea of getting into double bass playing for a while and the offer of a string of shows has given me the push i needed to actually buy one

the down side is that my budget is minimal (£350ish) and i don't really have a clue what i'm looking at.

so i came across this

[url="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Jazz-Size-Double-Bass-Case/dp/B0012INK6K/ref=sr_1_207?s=musical-instruments&ie=UTF8&qid=1315834920&sr=1-207"]http://www.amazon.co.uk/Jazz-Size-Double-B...20&sr=1-207[/url]

and wondered if it's exactly what i'm looking for or if i'd be better off either looking for a cheap second hander or spending my money on an EUB in the same price range?

I don't need a top quality instrument - just one that i can live with for a couple of gigs per year

thanks
James

[Bilbo]

For that money, I'd suggest a second hand Stagg EUB. They have a good rep and a double bass for that price is going to need money spent on it that will double or even triple your budget easily (e.g. set up, pick up etc). A Stagg EUB can be picked up for £200 and its gig ready (doesn't sound like a double bass but you would certainly get away with it at one or two gigs a year).

[TheRev]

Wot Bilbo said.


£350 will only buy you headaches in the DB world. If you can scrape together £600 and keep an eye open for a well used second hand bass (i.e. one that has been set up, played and is still in one piece) you'll have a much better playing experience.

Going the EUB route, you'll get a better deal for your £350. The Stagg (as Bilbo suggested) is the most common, but if you can find a second hand Palatino (or Harley Benton, different names for the same bass) they can also be pretty decent with a little bit of DIY.

If you can find someone selling an Aria LITE one Or a NS WAV for that sort of cash, bite their arm off.

[ojplaysbass]

thanks for the good advice guys - i thought it was a bit too optimistic to get a decent DB for that money

time to hunt down an EUB

[bassgeek]

You can't go wrong with stagg edb...it's very cheap...the sound I got from the instrument last night with a quartet playing Frank Sinatra tunes was better than my 1890 Mittenwolk with an underwood pickup thro a polytone....(sold it for 5 grand)WHAAAH!....any way...we all make mistakes...but I've lived with, and gigged this instrument for a while now, and I have no hankerings for a steinberger or any other top of the range bass....this instrument is awesome...for just over 300 quid...and it has mp3 socket and headphone.....played a pallatino a while ago...not good...go with stagg....

[petercullenbassist]

[quote name='bassgeek' post='1371216' date='Sep 12 2011, 10:48 PM']played a pallatino a while ago...not good...go with stagg....[/quote]

Why was the stagg a better bass then? I much prefer the looks on the palatino, but is that all its got going for it, or can it made in to a gooood EUB?

Pete

[TheRev]

Go to the EUB forum on Talkbass - they have a sticky called 'the definitive Palatino modification thread'. There's a ton of big and small mods you can do to improve the sound and playability.

[petercullenbassist]

[quote name='TheRev' post='1375194' date='Sep 16 2011, 09:30 AM']Go to the EUB forum on Talkbass - they have a sticky called 'the definitive Palatino modification thread'. There's a ton of big and small mods you can do to improve the sound and playability.[/quote]

so whats the difference in the Palatino EUB and the Harley Benton EUB?

[TheRev]

One's called 'Harley Benton' and the other's called 'Palatino'

AFAIK, they're made in the same factory, to be sold as own brand. I suppose there could be some specification differences and QC variances to reflect different price points.

[petercullenbassist]

[quote name='TheRev' post='1375271' date='Sep 16 2011, 10:47 AM']One's called 'Harley Benton' and the other's called 'Palatino'

AFAIK, they're made in the same factory, to be sold as own brand. I suppose there could be some specification differences and QC variances to reflect different price points.[/quote]


So what is the differance in spec then?

[TheRev]

No idea mate. If you look at the description blurb on shop websites, the details are exactly the same for the Palatino and the Harley Benton. But given that the Harley Benton is around £300 and the Palatino is £600 in the UK, you might expect that the Harley Benton to be made from cheaper materials, or perhaps it goes through less stringent quality control, or maybe the Palatino is shipped over here from an American distributor, which would dramatically increase the retail price.

Harley Benton is the 'own brand' for the Thomann music shop - why not drop them an email and ask if their bass is exactly the same as the Palatino?

[bassgeek]

[quote name='petercullenbassist' timestamp='1316150033' post='1375095']
Why was the stagg a better bass then? I much prefer the looks on the palatino, but is that all its got going for it, or can it made in to a gooood EUB?

Pete
[/quote]
I have played both, and the Stagg sounded great thro my amp without too much tweaking...there was a slight issue with the strings tho, the D had few kinks in it, but at 25 quid a set...I eventually bought a new set of thomastiks, and that made a world of difference.The pickup on the Stagg, while not in the Steinberger league is remarkable..to buy a pickup and preamp for a double bass would cost you about 400 quid,the Stagg is much less than that. The pallatino sounded fine, till I plugged it in....some strings weren't being picked up, and those that were didn't sound good, no matter how I tweaked the amp...also the hip brace is badly designed, and had a tendency so slip past you, and send the bass into a spin...you are constantly re-positioning..it is also very heavy...These are entry level basses made to a budget as I'm sure you're aware, and I may own a good Stagg, and may have played (to compare) a duff Pallatino...the youtube vids sold the Stagg to me, and there are a lot of people demonstrating both instruments on there. This is just my opinion amongst many that you have seen, and others may disagree with me but...hope it helps...