Double Bass Advice!

[JoeOverend]

Hi Everyone!

Right, i need some advice about double basses. I've been playing electric bass for 6/7 years and want to learn double bass, but i need some advice before i make the leap.

Firstly, can anyone recommend any good starter double basses, any specific size, strings, bows, that kind of thing and also where to buy them, any good shops or safe online sites.

Second, any exercises or books that people could recommend that will be good to make the transition easier.

Any advice from anyone would be muchly appreciated!

Thanks!

[Silvia Bluejay]

Hi Joe, and welcome to the site!

I will leave the task of replying to the more specific among your questions to the experts here. What I would recommend, as a fellow DB/EUB learner, is that you take a few lessons with a real DB teacher rather than rely exclusively on books or DVDs. Having someone correcting your tecnique and helping you to avoid acquiring bad habits is invaluable.

And another thing - is it necessary to learn to use a bow? I pluck my upright (there's a special technique that's different from playing the bass guitar) and I've never considered getting a bow. I suppose it'll depend on the type of music you want to play.

Oh, yet another thing - be prepared: if you learn to play it correctly, so that it doesn't hurt you, you will fall head over heels in love with your double bass.

Edited February 23, 2012 by bluejay

[Thurbs]

I echo what BlueJay has said. Because the DB is so much of a physical instrument, it is best to get face to face tuition to make sure you understand finger positions, wrist angles, elbo height... and all that is before you pick up a bow or pizz.

As for the bow argument, even if you only want to play jazz/blues/rock exclusively, I would recommend you still get stuck in with the bow. It really helps with intonation as it is much easier to sustain notes, allowing you to hear errors more clearly.... and talking about intonation... welcome to a new life long quest for perfection!

As an aside, once you have been using the DB for any length of time, a BG just feels so easly to play and strangly has really brought my playing on leaps and bounds. No idea why though, maybe it just feels so much easier in comparison?

[thisnameistaken]

[quote name='Thurbs' timestamp='1329982393' post='1550651']
As for the bow argument, even if you only want to play jazz/blues/rock exclusively, I would recommend you still get stuck in with the bow. It really helps with intonation as it is much easier to sustain notes, allowing you to hear errors more clearly.... and talking about intonation... welcome to a new life long quest for perfection![/quote]

You might also find you like the sound of the bow and want to work on it purely for your own enjoyment.

[Silvia Bluejay]

[quote name='Thurbs' timestamp='1329982393' post='1550651']
As an aside, once you have been using the DB for any length of time, a BG just feels so easly to play and strangely has really brought my playing on leaps and bounds. No idea why though, maybe it just feels so much easier in comparison?
[/quote]

If you play DB at the beginning of your session, and then switch to BG, it sure as hell feels a lot SMALLER! Less distance for your fingers to travel in order to play the notes, which results in your playing being faster. With the help of muscle memory, that probably tends to become a permanent feeling.

[artisan]

just do it you know you want to
i started on a cheap Stagg EUB about 7 weeks ago & enjoyed playing that more than my bass guitar which i've being playing for the last 33 years.
it convinced my to buy a propper double bass which arrived last friday & i absolutely love it to bits,pretty much lost interest in BG since i discovered DB.
don't know what budget you have but i bought this [url="http://www.thomann.de/gb/thomann_kontrabass_1_e_blueburst.htm"]http://www.thomann.de/gb/thomann_kontrabass_1_e_blueburst.htm[/url] it is a damn fine starter bass which after a very good setup + strings i am extremely pleased with.
go on do it

[Silvia Bluejay]

Haha, I agree! Just go for it and buy the best you can afford. I deliberately went for the cheapest option only because I was going to experiment with making it left-handed myself, and I thought I better limit the risk in case of abject failure

I simply haven't got the space for a DB at home, so I'm waiting until I have enough money for this baby:

[url="http://www.thomann.de/gb/ns_design_nxt_5_bass_lh_bs.htm"]http://www.thomann.d..._bass_lh_bs.htm[/url]

Edited February 23, 2012 by bluejay

[artisan]

[quote name='bluejay' timestamp='1330000225' post='1551064']
Haha, I agree! Just go for it and buy the best you can afford. I deliberately went for the cheapest option only because I was going to experiment with making it left-handed myself, and I thought I better limit the risk in case of abject failure

I simply haven't got the space for a DB at home, so I'm waiting until I have enough money for this baby:

[url="http://www.thomann.de/gb/ns_design_nxt_5_bass_lh_bs.htm"]http://www.thomann.d..._bass_lh_bs.htm[/url]
[/quote]

I don't have enough room for my DB either but i bought it anyway,who needs furnature

[Silvia Bluejay]

LOL!

[fatback]

You've made the right decision, no doubt about it.

On the practicalities, you'll find lots of info on here about what kinds of bass to get, but in general people mostly agree that:

1. 3/4 is the standard size. All-ply basses are fine, especially if not too new and mostly to be played amplified. A ply bass with a solid top is a little better. Again, an older one is likely to be a bit better than a new one, all else being equal.

2. Do NOT get an 'ebonised' fingerboard. It must be 'ebony'. 'Ebonised' is a painted softwood. Other kinds of board can be ok, but are less usual.

3. Second-hand basses can be great value, and if you buy off an experienced player on here you won't go far wrong.

4. Whether you buy new or old, you'll need to put maybe £200 aside for a luthier setup and (especially with new basses) maybe better strings.

5. If you're going to gig it, you'll need some kind of piezzo pickup. Lots of opinions and advice on here. Bassmax (around £70) is popular atm. Depending on your amp, you may need a preamp (£70-200).

6. You'll need a soft case. Getting one thrown in with the purchase will save you over £100.

Can't think of anything else, except to say that you will very quickly fall in love with whatever bass you do get.

On the learning front, +1 to getting a teacher for even a single lesson before you even touch your bass. I got a lesson before I even bought one, and I'm glad I did.

I disagree with many here, in that I would recommend NOT starting with the bow. It's too much to master along with everything else in one go. You'll learn fastest and with least frustration by taking it one element at a time. I decided to postpone the bow for a year, and since I have started it i've been able to get along ok. At the beginning, it was a massive burden on top of everything else and was delaying my ability to get gigging (hugely important to get there as fast as you can). It's more important to get reading than bowing, i think.

On the principle of breaking down the problems, I spent over a month working only on the right hand and open strings. Rufus Reid's book, the evolving bassist starts that way. You get your calouses and get reading while you're at it. Ed Friedland's jazz bass DVD is excellent to go along with this, as he shows right hand techniques really well.

As for the left hand, I'm not going to say much. If you've been playing electric with a one-finger-per-fret technique, you'll probably find the dreaded Simandl double bass method horrible. There are alternatives, but maybe that's for another day.

As i said, you've made the right decision. You'll have many days of despair and frustration (and pain), but it'll repay you a million times. And as said above, you'll find your bass guitar playing advancing by leaps and bounds without you even having to touch the thing.

Edited February 23, 2012 by fatback

[TheRev]

[quote name='fatback' timestamp='1330003984' post='1551198']

2. Do NOT get an 'ebonised' fingerboard. It must be 'ebony'. 'Ebonised' is a painted softwood. Other kinds of board can be ok, but are less usual.

[/quote]

On some of the cheap Chinese made basses I would tend to agree, as an ebonised board could turn out to be plywood.
However, older european ply basses often have black painted, beech or maple fingerboards and, although not as hard as ebony, are still perfectly playable and don't sound any different to basses with ebony boards.

My 50s ply bass has a beech fingerboard which I've just had stripped and re-shot. Sounds good, feels great, looks cool.....

[artisan]

don't dicount plywood basses,my Strunal is all plywood & sounds very good indeed both acoustic + amped .
BC'er MrBassman,a very experienced & talented DB'er, commented that it sounded better than some basses costing several times more.

some very good info in this tread though.

Edited February 23, 2012 by artisan

[retroroach]

[font=verdana,geneva,sans-serif][size=3]Hey Joe.[/size][/font]

[font=verdana,geneva,sans-serif][size=3]Good luck in your quest! Not to put you off but be aware the Double Bass is a completely different instrument than the bass guitar.[/size][/font]

[font=verdana,geneva,sans-serif][size=3]Follow most of the advice given here and you wont go far wrong.[/size][/font]

[font=verdana,geneva,sans-serif][size=3]Once again good luck.[/size][/font]