Gear4music basses.

[kjb]

Are these any good ? I'm thinking about the solid top ones.
Without having to spend a lot on having them set up, are they a reasonable bass ?

[TheRev]

I haven't got any experience with their solid top bass but I am currently looking after one of their cheapo laminate basses for a friend while she moves house.

Overall, it's not bad at all for the money (£379). The sound is as you expect from a cheap laminate - not a huge ammount of character and short on sustain, but it does actually sound like a double bass. It comes with medium tension strings and an action that I can only describe as 'brave', so I reckon a set of low tension strings (eg Silver slaps or super silvers) and a trip to a luthier to lower the bridge would be an essential move - especially for a beginner.

The one thing that worries me about these basses is the quality of the components. When my friend dropped off her bass, it was a tone below concert pitch. Tuning back up to concert pitch was a terrifying experience as the bass creaks and squeaks with every turn of the machine head. It really sounds like the whole thing is on the verge of folding up under the tension to the point where I'm almost afraid to touch it in case it implodes....
On the whole, the cheaper bass is fine if you want to try your hand at double bass without spending a lot of money, but I'd be very wary of taking one to a gig.

There are a couple of people on here who have bought the 'Archer' basses from Gear4music - apparently they're rather good.

[thisnameistaken]

[quote name='TheRev' timestamp='1335361109' post='1629821']The one thing that worries me about these basses is the quality of the components. When my friend dropped off her bass, it was a tone below concert pitch. Tuning back up to concert pitch was a terrifying experience as the bass creaks and squeaks with every turn of the machine head. It really sounds like the whole thing is on the verge of folding up under the tension to the point where I'm almost afraid to touch it in case it implodes....[/quote]

The first 'Archer' model I tried (the carved £850 one) on their showroom floor was tuned a tone or three flat, so I began to tune it up using my phone and the bridge literally started bending like a banana towards the ceiling. I tuned it down again and walked away!

[Owen]

[sub]I have 3 students who have Gear4music basses. They are fine and dandy for the money. You will need new strings. Lowering the bridge is a 20 minute job with a set of needle files. Probably the fingerboard could do with true-ing, however, as I said, they are fine and dandy. They come with a big HSC. My first pupil sold hers on ebay for £140 so the bass cost about £220. Is a bass you would like to play the music of dead composers on with a symphony orchestra backing you? No. Will it be a cheap and cheerful entry into DB world? Yes.[/sub]