Upright Bass

Ok, of all the strange hobbies to pick up my wife has decided she wants to learn stand up bass. These things are expensive but we did find one online with a tuner and stand for $380. I'm afraid it is one of those "Be careful, you get you you pay for" kind of things.

Anyone know anything about upright bass?

I know that Tom Cat played a bad-ass version of "Is You Is, Or Is You Ain't My Baby" on one in a classic Tom & Jerry cartoon.



... but aside from that, nope.

Most of the upright bass players I know personally spent thousands of dollars on their instruments, but they are all professionals who record and play live all the time. I'd talk to the music store, read online reviews, etc. But for that low of a price I'd be skeptical.

My friend in Dallas has an upright bass that is over 250 years old, that's evidently where the real quality lies.

Fat Freddy wrote:

I know that Tom Cat played a bad-ass version of "Is You Is, or Is You Ain't My Baby" on one in a classic Tom & Jerry cartoon.

aside from that, nope.

Yeah, I got nuthin' either other than that I like the sound of one and that seems like a really odd instrument for a woman to want to play.

When I saw Charles Brown (blues/jazz legend) in concert he had this tiny little petite woman playing the upright, the bass dwarfed her but she played the hell out of that thing!

I have hundreds of recordings featuring upright bass, one of my favorite instruments.

I find it odd too that she wants to play an upright. But I guess for a beginner $380 might be OK if she gets the hang of it. The local shops say they cant get one under $800.

mikeinfla wrote:

I find it odd too that she wants to play an upright. But I guess for a beginner $380 might be OK if she gets the hang of it. The local shops say they cant get one under $800.

It's not a hard instrument to play physically, I've messed around on them and it's not overtly difficult. Of course already knowing how to play guitar and electric bass helped that.

It's a fantastic instrument, you can get sounds out of them that you can't replicate on an electric bass (although a fretless electric comes closer). I would definitely recommend learning both pizzicato and arco styles as that opens up the possibilities of the instrument.

I asked a friend on facebook how much he paid for his student bass, he said $699.

Thanks everyone, Ill let you know how it goes and what we decide on. I did see a used upright on ebay for 325 with free shipping. Brand was "Tennessee" and it is very cool looking but from the photo it is actually hard to teill if is an actual full size upright

Just ordered it, wish us luck. Total with shipping was $530. Even if it IS a cheap one it will give her a chance to learn it. I really wish she would've picked electric bass instead that way I could've picked up one of those cheap First Act basses with amp for about 100 bucks. I'll keep you updated on how it goes. I know she's happy and if mama aint happy, nobody's happy.

Those uber-cheap "starter" instruments like First Act, etc should be avoided at all costs. The shoddy craftsmanship makes them harder to play, the electronics are terrible and the intonation questionable. Usually around the $300 range is a good one for starter instruments.

I love playing upright bass!

Played for jazz band in high school and college........don't have room for one at the house now, so I make do with my fretless electric bass.

Even at such a low price point, you should have it checked out by a luthier who can make any needed adjustments to get you a playable instrument. The bridge or soundpost can easily shift during shipping, which can cause the top of the bass to collapse under the pressure of the strings.......not good.

bassman wrote:

Even at such a low price point, you should have it checked out by a luthier who can make any needed adjustments to get you a playable instrument. The bridge or soundpost can easily shift during shipping, which can cause the top of the bass to collapse under the pressure of the strings.......not good.

Excellent suggestion!

They do have a 30 day money back gaurantee, maybe it will get here in good condition.

Her bass came in the mail today. Well, not mail but by delivery. Looks nice, although I know nothing about them. She is gonna be taking some lessons, I'll let you know how it goes and try to post some pics soon.

Mike

Fat Freddy wrote:

I know that Tom Cat played a bad-ass version of "Is You Is, Or Is You Ain't My Baby" on one in a classic Tom & Jerry cartoon.



... but aside from that, nope.

I was singing that song the other day and my girlfriend looked at me like I was insane. She had no idea what I was doing. And I have no idea what she was doing in the 80s. Haha.

Quote :

I was singing that song the other day and my girlfriend looked at me like I was insane.

I drop references to classic cartoons all the time and my wife never "gets" any of them. I'm like "Damn, woman, what did you do with your Saturday mornings when you were a kid?"

Fat Freddy wrote:

Quote :

I was singing that song the other day and my girlfriend looked at me like I was insane.

I drop references to classic cartoons all the time and my wife never "gets" any of them. I'm like "Damn, woman, what did you do with your Saturday mornings when you were a kid?"

Same here. Haha.

Had a music store check it out last night and string it for her, they said it looks and sounds great.

mikeinfla wrote:

Had a music store check it out last night and string it for her, they said it looks and sounds great.

Good news! I hope she has fun learning to play it.

Let us know if she learns to play that song from the Tom & Jerry cartoon posted above.

Nice!

Now get those fingers walkin'!

"Take a walk on the wildside..........."


That song has upright bass in it............ just sayin'.

Man, apparently the guys in Reverend Horton Heat have gotten old and fat. Back in the early 90s, the bass player would "surf" on his upright during "I Can't Surf." I checked YouTube and he doesn't do it anymore. Must be too fat now. Haha.

Fat Freddy wrote:

Let us know if she learns to play that song from the Tom & Jerry cartoon posted above.

HAHA! Sure thing! Right now she's still in the "what do I do with this thing" phase. She has a couple of contacts for lessons and she'll call around next week.

mikeinfla wrote:

Fat Freddy wrote:

Let us know if she learns to play that song from the Tom & Jerry cartoon posted above.

HAHA! Sure thing! Right now she's still in the "what do I do with this thing" phase. She has a couple of contacts for lessons and she'll call around next week.

Dig out all those Stray Cat records and start bangin' along...