You're probably better off waiting and saving money until you find something in your budget that doesn't need expensive repairs.
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Double Bass About to buy this DB, my first. Thoughts?
- Thread starter loukash
- Start date
I would agree. It can be frustrating looking for a bass, especially a first bass. I remember a couple that I was tempted on and only one that I partially regret, but it needed a fingerboard and it wasn't priced to accommodate that repair and someone bought it at their asking price. It was worth it for me to wait.
The thing is, with a fingerboard replacement, the bass is whole again. A screw holding the neck heel together would always be a concern to me.
The thing is, with a fingerboard replacement, the bass is whole again. A screw holding the neck heel together would always be a concern to me.
Being in Europe you have access to tons of great basses for reasonable prices. I'd agree with the others that it may make more sense to wait and find something that is ready to go.
Putting a screw through the neck isn't unheard of but I'd be bummed about needing to do that on a bass I was buying.
Putting a screw through the neck isn't unheard of but I'd be bummed about needing to do that on a bass I was buying.
Glad you got a good pro's opinion.
I'm no luthier, so I'll make one statement and shut up: The idea of putting in a screw kinda surprises me.
But, like I said, I'm no luthier.
Did he give you an idea of what the bass is worth in its current state? I.e. how much you should try to talk the seller down to cover the needed repairs?
I'm no luthier, so I'll make one statement and shut up: The idea of putting in a screw kinda surprises me.
But, like I said, I'm no luthier.
Did he give you an idea of what the bass is worth in its current state? I.e. how much you should try to talk the seller down to cover the needed repairs?
Yes, I'm already looking.
The other side is, however, that this bass appears to have the right size that I'm looking for. Even Pedrazzini has acknowledged that today, especially since a bass this small (5/8 he said) sounds that good in his opinion (and in mine as well).
Also, as noted, no one involved is in a hurry to sell, buy or repair.
5/8th basses are not all that uncommon and tend to be better quality than sizes smaller than that, because they are options as professional instruments.
The screw suggestion as a permanent fix surprises me too. Clearly this is a respected luthier and clearly I am not, but that goes against conventional luthier advice from my experience.
The screw suggestion as a permanent fix surprises me too. Clearly this is a respected luthier and clearly I am not, but that goes against conventional luthier advice from my experience.
It wasn't his idea: I asked him what he thinks about it. He said he wouldn't usually do it unless "first aid", but that it's still a "budget" option in terms of costs when appropriate. In fact, he showed me his old beaten up bass lying around with exactly that kind of fix in the neck heel.
If I understood it correctly, he said something about CHF 2000 being a fair price if there were no crack. But also that he personally wouldn't bother trying to sell such a bass in the first place. And I can understand that: Pedrazzini's playing in a different league.
In other words, this bass is not a "diamond in the rough". But he said that it has surprising qualities for what it is.
Anyway, thanks a lot, folks, for sharing your thoughts so far. I very much appreciate that, and feel free to add more!
But now I'm off to our rehearsal room, as I finally want to test how the bass sounds when amplified with my Schertler Basik pickup and plugged into my H&K Quantum QC415…
But now I'm off to our rehearsal room, as I finally want to test how the bass sounds when amplified with my Schertler Basik pickup and plugged into my H&K Quantum QC415…
My wonderful German/Czech bass had this crack in the heel when I bought it ten years ago. My luthier
approved it saying it was stable and wouldn't be a problem. And it hasn't!
See a bass luthier to feel confident in your decision.
approved it saying it was stable and wouldn't be a problem. And it hasn't!
See a bass luthier to feel confident in your decision.
But all you need to do is jam a wood screw thru that heel, no?
OP - sounds like you are being sensible about this. To my eye, your crack looks wider than Eric's. If you are in no hurry to buy, I'd either be up front w/ the seller and inquire about a significant price reduction to reflect the cost of a proper repair, or just continue your search. Given your location, I bet once you start putting out feelers, you'll learn of at least a few other potential 5/8 purchases.
OP - sounds like you are being sensible about this. To my eye, your crack looks wider than Eric's. If you are in no hurry to buy, I'd either be up front w/ the seller and inquire about a significant price reduction to reflect the cost of a proper repair, or just continue your search. Given your location, I bet once you start putting out feelers, you'll learn of at least a few other potential 5/8 purchases.
Interesting, that looks very similar, indeed.
The aforementioned Pedrazzini Lardon - Kontrabass- und Geigenbau in Basel whom I showed the bass earlier today is apparently an internationally acknowledged bass authority.
There are a few more in and around Basel, e.g. Geigenbau Senn, so I may want to ask for a "second opinion" nonetheless.
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As for my aforementioned Schertler pickup and Quantum 15" combo test, it turned out that it is the wrong amp for the job. (Not surprisingly. It's not a great amp for many other jobs either, but a couple of years ago I needed a loud combo for a few reggae gigs quickly, and that one was to have for mere CHF 300, so here it is now.)
But after finding the ideal position where to place the Schertler Basik, the bass sounded pretty good when simply plugged into our small PA with passive EV speakers.
I also have an SWR Workingman's 12 in my backyard mini-studio which will likely be more appropriate. To be tested tomorrow.
But after finding the ideal position where to place the Schertler Basik, the bass sounded pretty good when simply plugged into our small PA with passive EV speakers.
I also have an SWR Workingman's 12 in my backyard mini-studio which will likely be more appropriate. To be tested tomorrow.
"Sensible" being an interesting keyword here.
I'm already noticing that I'm developing a kind of "emotional bias" toward this bass.
I know this feeling, it's been a similar case with an Epiphone Emperor hollow body jazz guitar (1983 or 1984) which I bought over 20 years ago. I don't play it very often these days, and it's definitely not the best guitar of its kind, but it's very satisfying to have it, and to use it when I'm in the right mood. Back then, I even sold my trusty 1992 PRS to have enough cash for this Epiphone.
So here's the feeling that this bass "wants" to be played, and for me it feels good to play it.
If you like it, you like it, and if it’s comfortable to play, sounds nice and is affordable that’s ballgame.
I’d call it Romanian or maybe Hungarian. Decent working person’s instrument.
The heel issue is too straight and even to be a crack. Look at the adjacent grain. It doesn’t line up. It was made out of two pieces of wood glued together to save on production costs, but the glue failed. I call that a stacked heel.
You have two good options. Have a luthier pull both segments of the neck, rejoin them properly and reset the neck as normal. You could also have it converted to a removable neck, with the front section including the neck itself removable by undoing a bolt, which would make it easier to transport.
Expect either option to cost you the local equivalent of $500 US or so.
I’d call it Romanian or maybe Hungarian. Decent working person’s instrument.
The heel issue is too straight and even to be a crack. Look at the adjacent grain. It doesn’t line up. It was made out of two pieces of wood glued together to save on production costs, but the glue failed. I call that a stacked heel.
You have two good options. Have a luthier pull both segments of the neck, rejoin them properly and reset the neck as normal. You could also have it converted to a removable neck, with the front section including the neck itself removable by undoing a bolt, which would make it easier to transport.
Expect either option to cost you the local equivalent of $500 US or so.
A removable neck , solid top, 5/8th size instrument could be quite attractive to players going on tour. Fixing by converting to RN, would be a repair, as well as a value add IMO.
For the OP, If you like it, and your luthier is ready to fix it, and you can negotiate price to make the process somewhat reasonable, it might be good to do that.
Interesting! And for me as someone without a driving license a very attractive idea. Probably even more pricey though, at least at Pedrazzini's. But I'll ask him.
Yes, of course. I thought it was obvious from the images I posted, but thanks for mentioning it.
Not in Switzerland. Not by far.
I mean, when doing commercial work as a self-employed graphic designer, I'm charging about the same rate per hour as Pedrazzini does. (Not that I'm having any such jobs at the moment, unfortunately…) So to remove the neck and refit it, his offer was around CHF 3000. Plus a few hundred more for the other small issues to fix. Whereas with my screw idea, he figured he could do everything for under 1500. Of course, the screw would be hidden under a wooden cap and the existing gap would be filled and glued with a thin piece of wood.
I just came home from testing another bass for sale, a 1985 Johannes Rubner 3/4, asking price around CHF 2500, incl. an old Fishman dual piezo. Not bad overall, the size is also fine, but the sound didn't feel as "warm". Also, it will definitely need a repair (the back on one side of the lower bout is completely loose at the edge at least 30 cm long) and a new bridge (it's not straight anymore).
Next up is an early 1990s Hungarian hybrid 3/4 I'm going to check out on Monday, also around CHF 2000 with a Fishman piezo.
Quoting you that fee for that simple of a repair makes me think he was telling you he didn’t want your business.
Definitely not. Why else would he spend an hour with me for free, explaining everything he could find out about the bass, what should be done and what can be done? That free – and highly educational – chat alone was worth about CHF 120 of his time.
You can't compare US and Swiss prices by the exchange rate. The cost of living is a factor.
Workingman tested and approved:
Already with the linear EQ setting it sounds full and transparent.
This is in fact the first time the Schertler Basik shows its full quality. I could never get satisfying results with my acoustic guitar or with the fretless Eko ABG. The pickup position matters, of course, as well as the amount of the green putty used.