When I was in high school back in the late 1960s, a gut G-string broke on the bass I was playing, and it was replaced by a Durro brand (I don't know if this company even exists anymore) gut G-string; however, the new string was very thick and required a lot of pressure to play. I mentioned this to others, but was met with skepticism, with one fellow saying "you're weak". I was able to find a replacement, and because I realized the Durro string was just about the same thickness as a gut D-string, I just saved it and eventually used it for this purpose, and it worked fine. Most of the strings we had were Sweetone brand (one of the E. & O. Mari brands), and the A-strings could be either gut or silver wound on gut while the E was always silver on gut. I was fascinated by the variety of strings, and liked to experiment with different brands, even modifying some to suit my purpose (and even still have that old Durro envelope along with other brands).
Bear in mind this guy comes from a strictly academic, classical music POV. His advice is for orchestral students. He's also recommending the type shops most working bassists cannot afford, and maybe don't need. And comments about $1000 fingerboards are for $3000 -10,000 carved basses classical types aspire to buy for college. This is a guy that turns his nose up at even the best laminate basses, which is what most bassists playing Blues, Bluegrass, Rockabilly, or Country actually play. Working players need cheap & sturdy they can drag in & out of nightclubs. Carved basses are louder & sound wonderful, but too fragile for the real world. A used laminate( aka plywood) bass should cost you anywhere from $500-1200 in good playing condition. Cheaper than that I'd be wary of & ask lotsa questions.
This is a very informative video. I guess my Kay C-1 that I bought for somewhat less than $200 in 1966 would be considered "lower end". However, it has served me fine in both the orchestras and society bands in which i have played.
You can get an okay used one starting at $200. A basic bow will be another $200. Of course, some luck is needed, but check local ebay/craigslist/etc, and you might get something neat - it will be good enough to give you an idea if you'll want to invest more time and money into it. Of course, if you'd want to play in an classical orchestra, you'd need a few thousand $, but that's a problem for another year.
Building my own electric upright, right now, and knowing the fingerboard clearance measurements is extremely helpful! I had a hard time finding measurements for the dip elsewhere.
The "staple" is called a sound post or post. Without a good setup, things can be pretty miserable. There are many kinds of strings , bows, etc. Go talk to a bass player in his living room , find things out to get started.
How about checking on the sound of the bass? How is the resonance of each of the strings throughout its musical spectrum? The correct placement of the staple between top and back? Cracks in any wood parts? Has the neck been repaired before? Honestly, the issues you’re addressing here are easy and percentagewise very small compared to the total package of buying a bass. Very important too is to take into consideration what use you want to make of your bass. A jazz bass will require quite different characteristics, especially on the height between strings and fingerboard compared to one that you want to use for classical music.
Of course you are right...but these videos were created to assist beginning or young bassists and their parents. I'd hope somebody who was more advanced already would know this info already, and would then be asking your questions. There must be other UA-cam videos that address the questions you raise...or maybe there is an opening for you to create one?
I actually agree with another commenter. This guy is from academia. The way He said "Rockabilly" just said it all. The $1,000 usd for a fingerboard? We have fine Luthiers in the PDX area that are very moderately priced. I have a fine student grade Engelhardt upright. It works fine for Orchestra, Pops, Symphony and Bluegrass.
Hey! I like and appreciate all bassists. Like in all things “amateur” is often good enough. My fishing gear is amateur, so is my skiing gear, and so is my bike. But, I haven’t met a bassist (or skier, or fisherman, or cyclist) from any genre who didn’t appreciate the knowledge about how to improve their equipment to make it easier to develop chops or sound. That’s really who these videos are for. I’m just offering advice for the next step. Your perspective is valuable, though! No need to spend any money if you don’t need to and your equipment is giving you all you need it to!
Thank you for your helpful tutorial , I'm stuck with an electric double bass and I'm trying to make the best of the situation...double basses in my country cost the price of a small car ( no jokes , for one US dollar you'll get about 15 South African Rands our economy is the laughing stick of the civilized world.) Also finding someone lije yourself who's knolagable in the set up and maintenance of double basses is ever rarer ??
My friend Zanelle Britz, who plays I the Cape Town Philharmonic is very knowledgeable and would love to help, I’m sure. You could probably contact her on FaceBook! Thanks for writing!
Try it out with a good teacher, and if you like it, then you can borrow a decent instrument first. Expect a bit of pain and work, but it may make your life richer and fuller if you enjoy it. As long as your body and mind is able, it's at least worth trying.
After 65 years with my bass I'm still learning. I've discovered that adults can focus their attention better than children, we use all of our life experience to motivate ourselves.
years ago I bought a bass. no internet. no advice. tried setting up myself. failed. local tech tried setting up.failed. hated the sound. hated the action. sold bass. lost cash. regrets.
Bit late to the discussion but... how important is it that your beginner bass is massive? Cause from what I understood, beginner basses might be better if not bought fully massive but more like laminated maple because they're not made by hand but pressed into forms and laminated wood takes on that form better than massive basses? Also... what would be the best price range to look for a decent instrument? I switched instruments from flute to bass (its a long story), so basically I compare the two (which, as I'm finding out, is useless), and decent beginner flutes start around 700, but with basses you need to start at 1000 from what I'm gathering so far - this not including bow. You probably need to spend 1500 at the very least, hmm? In Europe, anyway. Also... what kind of strings would be all right for a beginner?
I know this is two years old...but there are 1/10 and 1/8 size basses readily available. These are basses a 6 year old can play very comfortably. I bought a used 1/10 sized bass for $800 a few years ago.
Very good presentation, lots of useful information. But 'measuring stick'!? What's wrong with a ruler, as they are so prevalent in homes and workshops across the globe, and graduated in easily read mm! :)) Very picky I know, but ....measuring stick is such an archaic expression :)) Again, a very informative video, well done!
Thank you...I know a whole lot more than I did 20 minutes ago. This is a valuable lesson.
This was a most appreciated video.. I'm a novice electric bass player but I appreciate videos like this
When I was in high school back in the late 1960s, a gut G-string broke on the bass I was playing, and it was replaced by a Durro brand (I don't know if this company even exists anymore) gut G-string; however, the new string was very thick and required a lot of pressure to play. I mentioned this to others, but was met with skepticism, with one fellow saying "you're weak". I was able to find a replacement, and because I realized the Durro string was just about the same thickness as a gut D-string, I just saved it and eventually used it for this purpose, and it worked fine. Most of the strings we had were Sweetone brand (one of the E. & O. Mari brands), and the A-strings could be either gut or silver wound on gut while the E was always silver on gut. I was fascinated by the variety of strings, and liked to experiment with different brands, even modifying some to suit my purpose (and even still have that old Durro envelope along with other brands).
Bear in mind this guy comes from a strictly academic, classical music POV. His advice is for orchestral students. He's also recommending the type shops most working bassists cannot afford, and maybe don't need.
And comments about $1000 fingerboards are for $3000 -10,000 carved basses classical types aspire to buy for college.
This is a guy that turns his nose up at even the best laminate basses, which is what most bassists playing Blues, Bluegrass, Rockabilly, or Country actually play. Working players need cheap & sturdy they can drag in & out of nightclubs. Carved basses are louder & sound wonderful, but too fragile for the real world.
A used laminate( aka plywood) bass should cost you anywhere from $500-1200 in good playing condition. Cheaper than that I'd be wary of & ask lotsa questions.
This is a very informative video. I guess my Kay C-1 that I bought for somewhat less than $200 in 1966 would be considered "lower end". However, it has served me fine in both the orchestras and society bands in which i have played.
This guy has the mannerisms of a Dr. Seuss character
I play electric bass and have always wanted an upright. But all this science and expense puts me off purchasing one.
You can get an okay used one starting at $200. A basic bow will be another $200. Of course, some luck is needed, but check local ebay/craigslist/etc, and you might get something neat - it will be good enough to give you an idea if you'll want to invest more time and money into it. Of course, if you'd want to play in an classical orchestra, you'd need a few thousand $, but that's a problem for another year.
Building my own electric upright, right now, and knowing the fingerboard clearance measurements is extremely helpful! I had a hard time finding measurements for the dip elsewhere.
Awesome and very helpful. Looking to buy my first bass soon.
An ancient relic of another time
The "staple" is called a sound post or post. Without a good setup, things can be pretty miserable.
There are many kinds of strings , bows, etc.
Go talk to a bass player in his living room , find things out to get started.
How about checking on the sound of the bass? How is the resonance of each of the strings throughout its musical spectrum? The correct placement of the staple between top and back? Cracks in any wood parts? Has the neck been repaired before? Honestly, the issues you’re addressing here are easy and percentagewise very small compared to the total package of buying a bass. Very important too is to take into consideration what use you want to make of your bass. A jazz bass will require quite different characteristics, especially on the height between strings and fingerboard compared to one that you want to use for classical music.
Of course you are right...but these videos were created to assist beginning or young bassists and their parents. I'd hope somebody who was more advanced already would know this info already, and would then be asking your questions. There must be other UA-cam videos that address the questions you raise...or maybe there is an opening for you to create one?
I actually agree with another commenter.
This guy is from academia.
The way He said "Rockabilly" just said it all.
The $1,000 usd for a fingerboard? We have fine Luthiers in the PDX area that are very moderately priced.
I have a fine student grade Engelhardt upright.
It works fine for Orchestra, Pops, Symphony and Bluegrass.
Hey! I like and appreciate all bassists. Like in all things “amateur” is often good enough. My fishing gear is amateur, so is my skiing gear, and so is my bike. But, I haven’t met a bassist (or skier, or fisherman, or cyclist) from any genre who didn’t appreciate the knowledge about how to improve their equipment to make it easier to develop chops or sound. That’s really who these videos are for. I’m just offering advice for the next step. Your perspective is valuable, though! No need to spend any money if you don’t need to and your equipment is giving you all you need it to!
Thank you for these tips!
This looks like it was filmed in 1996
PlagueParty lol
It was...
Thank you for your helpful tutorial , I'm stuck with an electric double bass and I'm trying to make the best of the situation...double basses in my country cost the price of a small car ( no jokes , for one US dollar you'll get about 15 South African Rands our economy is the laughing stick of the civilized world.) Also finding someone lije yourself who's knolagable in the set up and maintenance of double basses is ever rarer ??
My friend Zanelle Britz, who plays I the Cape Town Philharmonic is very knowledgeable and would love to help, I’m sure. You could probably contact her on FaceBook! Thanks for writing!
Really clear and helpful, thank you
Thank you Paul
Amazingly useful info! Thanks.
Is is worth learning as an adult?
Yes! Always! 😀
Any instrument is, really.
+gina ramirez Why?
Try it out with a good teacher, and if you like it, then you can borrow a decent instrument first. Expect a bit of pain and work, but it may make your life richer and fuller if you enjoy it. As long as your body and mind is able, it's at least worth trying.
After 65 years with my bass I'm still learning. I've discovered that adults can focus their attention better than children, we use all of our life experience to motivate ourselves.
Great advice thanks
I have a weird felling his Will ferrel stunt double
years ago I bought a bass. no internet. no advice. tried setting up myself. failed. local tech tried setting up.failed. hated the sound. hated the action. sold bass. lost cash. regrets.
THANKYOU!!!!
Great video thank you!
Bit late to the discussion but... how important is it that your beginner bass is massive? Cause from what I understood, beginner basses might be better if not bought fully massive but more like laminated maple because they're not made by hand but pressed into forms and laminated wood takes on that form better than massive basses? Also... what would be the best price range to look for a decent instrument? I switched instruments from flute to bass (its a long story), so basically I compare the two (which, as I'm finding out, is useless), and decent beginner flutes start around 700, but with basses you need to start at 1000 from what I'm gathering so far - this not including bow. You probably need to spend 1500 at the very least, hmm? In Europe, anyway. Also... what kind of strings would be all right for a beginner?
I know this is two years old...but there are 1/10 and 1/8 size basses readily available. These are basses a 6 year old can play very comfortably. I bought a used 1/10 sized bass for $800 a few years ago.
Thank you!
Great vid but didn’t go into the tuners
Very good presentation, lots of useful information. But 'measuring stick'!? What's wrong with a ruler, as they are so prevalent in homes and workshops across the globe, and graduated in easily read mm! :)) Very picky I know, but ....measuring stick is such an archaic expression :)) Again, a very informative video, well done!
steve brule bass
Well done! Very useful information and to the point. Thank you.