uprite bass

[wsaraceni]

what are some good brands for upright basses? any price range as in not buying, just looking. would like to see a couple different basses in all ranges and acoustic and electric

[The Golden Boy]

I had a 1930s plywood Kay on a long term loan from a friend. I can't do that upright thing too well...

[mep]

In addition to the old Kay's which are hard to find, check out the Englehardts. I have one that is pretty good. Also check this site out as there is a lot of good info and he sells reasonably.

http://www.urbbob.com/index.html

[PB+J]

Your best source of info--by far-- is the double bass side of talkbass. It's nt like electric bass, where there are a couple big brand names.

Double basses are expensive. A set of strings is more than $100 bucks. And they're hard to play. But I LOVE the upright bass.

The basic difference is between plywood basses and solid wood basses. Plywood is cheap, durable, feedback resistant, and can sound pretty good. Solid wood is expensive, more fragile, and sounds like a dream. A solid bass will set you back, generally, at least $3000.

You can get a hybrid bass, which has a solid wood top and plywood back and sides, for less-usually around 2-3000

Englehardt ply bassess are tough and durable, they're made in the USA, and they can be had for around $1000. I played one for years and it more than paid for itself, although the neck was too thin--upright bass is very different from electric. Whatever bass you get, you'll want to have it set up by a luthier

Upton bass (www.uptonbass.com) is also a good place to try--they have a bunch of models that get good reviews. Among the chinese basses, Shen basses have a great reputation--I have a shen solid wood bass. A lot of people like the Christopher brand.

Avoid the really cheap ebay specials--they just are not a good idea. You'll have to spend a bunch of dough to get them playable. If you can, buy the bass from a luthier, a guy who does set up and repair.

[The Golden Boy]

And they're hard to play.

My friend who owns the bass (who's a keyboard player- he's never played it- the bass belonged to his long deceased father- ) lent me the bass to do an acoustic show with our band. I figured "I've been playing since forever, I'm vaguely competent, I can get passable enough to do a show in 2 weeks..." Not even close. That two weeks I worked on that bass, it kicked my ass. My fingers, my wrists, my back- my respect for good upright bass players immeasurably went up.

[Dave Orban]

what are some good brands for upright basses? any price range as in not buying, just looking. would like to see a couple different basses in all ranges and acoustic and electricMy guy plays a Norton Customs bass:

http://www.nortoncustoms.com/

Of course, after looking at their site, I see they're no longer in business. D'oh!

[musicofanatic5]

In addition to the old Kay's which are hard to find, check out the Englehardts. I have one that is pretty good. Also check this site out as there is a lot of good info and he sells reasonably.

http://www.urbbob.com/index.html
Old Kays are hard to find? I see them everywhere; they must have made a bazillion of 'em. +1 on URB.
But, yeah, upright is too hard to play; I don't recommend anyone start trying (I don't need any more damn competition for gigs!).