why are double basses so fuckin expensive

[Greenfuz]

http://www.uptonbass.com/UB-Bohemian-Model-Double-Bass/

so this thing is pretty awesome, no nonsense or bullshit frills I like it
lefty option yes please
but 2 grand for a plywood bass? how shit is a ply double bass? isn't plywood shit?


also why are double basses never made out of mahogany? Doesn't that wood get a nice bassy sound?

[bronzetalon]

They can def be had for cheaper mine was 800 from a store but it was a old 70s bass. Plywood is perfectly fine for upright basses.

[Chankgeez]

Slappin' all those plys together ain't easy.

[blindrabbit]

My upright is plywood. Sounds just fine. Its just the nature of building and having a beast of an instrument like that. They cost.

[Chankgeez]

[The4455]

Yah, mine was $2000 as well. It's an Eastman Strings branded double bass. It's nice, it needs the action adjusted but besides for that it's a great instrument.

[one bad monkey]

http://www.uptonbass.com/UB-Bohemian-Model-Double-Bass/

so this thing is pretty awesome, no nonsense or bullshit frills I like it
lefty option yes please
but 2 grand for a plywood bass? how shit is a ply double bass? isn't plywood shit?

Probably because it takes a lot more time/labor/materials than just building an electric guitar or bass.

You can easily find upright basses for under $1,000 if you look, but in terms of overall playability and sound they are not going to sound great off the bat. You may THINK they will, but until you get things adjusted like having the fingerboard planed, the soundpost shaved, a different tailpiece wire you won't realize the tremendous difference that these things do make. I'd wager that there's also a difference between the mass produced Chinese plywood uprights that you can get and the handmade Upton one that you mentioned (that already has been adjusted as mentioned above).

As for the difference between plywood and carved, I don't think there's as much of a difference as there used to be. Granted, classical musicians wouldn't be caught dead playing a plywood one in the symphony *insert sarcastic tone here*, but they definitely have their place. I had a plywood Englehardt that, after a lot of work, sounded fantastic.

[Chankgeez]

MYO tea crate bass.

[Joe Gress]

Lol mine is a german factory bass built in 1910. I bought it for 3 grand 7 years ago, and currently it needs around 2 grand of work done to it to make it playable.

Uprights suck ass for money

[Greenfuz]

http://www.uptonbass.com/UB-Bohemian-Model-Double-Bass/

so this thing is pretty awesome, no nonsense or bullshit frills I like it
lefty option yes please
but 2 grand for a plywood bass? how shit is a ply double bass? isn't plywood shit?

Probably because it takes a lot more time/labor/materials than just building an electric guitar or bass.

You can easily find upright basses for under $1,000 if you look, but in terms of overall playability and sound they are not going to sound great off the bat. You may THINK they will, but until you get things adjusted like having the fingerboard planed, the soundpost shaved, a different tailpiece wire you won't realize the tremendous difference that these things do make. I'd wager that there's also a difference between the mass produced Chinese plywood uprights that you can get and the handmade Upton one that you mentioned (that already has been adjusted as mentioned above).

As for the difference between plywood and carved, I don't think there's as much of a difference as there used to be. Granted, classical musicians wouldn't be caught dead playing a plywood one in the symphony *insert sarcastic tone here*, but they definitely have their place. I had a plywood Englehardt that, after a lot of work, sounded fantastic.

there's tons of cheap kays and stuff for sale locally that are under $1000, but they're not left handed. and I've heard that double basses aren't constructed symmetrically? there's the soundpost on one side and somethin else on the other. So it'd probably sound horrible if I flipped one?

[Mudfuzz]

http://www.uptonbass.com/UB-Bohemian-Model-Double-Bass/

so this thing is pretty awesome, no nonsense or bullshit frills I like it
lefty option yes please
but 2 grand for a plywood bass? how shit is a ply double bass? isn't plywood shit?

My bass was $900 [16 years ago...] It sounds better then most cheap carved basses.. I have no idea what it is or where it was made. I've had $300+ work done to it AND I refinished, carved a new finger board and tailpiece for it though..

also why are double basses never made out of mahogany? Doesn't that wood get a nice bassy sound?

cracking and splitting I think.

[Mudfuzz]

http://www.uptonbass.com/UB-Bohemian-Model-Double-Bass/

so this thing is pretty awesome, no nonsense or bullshit frills I like it
lefty option yes please
but 2 grand for a plywood bass? how shit is a ply double bass? isn't plywood shit?

Probably because it takes a lot more time/labor/materials than just building an electric guitar or bass.

You can easily find upright basses for under $1,000 if you look, but in terms of overall playability and sound they are not going to sound great off the bat. You may THINK they will, but until you get things adjusted like having the fingerboard planed, the soundpost shaved, a different tailpiece wire you won't realize the tremendous difference that these things do make. I'd wager that there's also a difference between the mass produced Chinese plywood uprights that you can get and the handmade Upton one that you mentioned (that already has been adjusted as mentioned above).

As for the difference between plywood and carved, I don't think there's as much of a difference as there used to be. Granted, classical musicians wouldn't be caught dead playing a plywood one in the symphony *insert sarcastic tone here*, but they definitely have their place. I had a plywood Englehardt that, after a lot of work, sounded fantastic.

there's tons of cheap kays and stuff for sale locally that are under $1000, but they're not left handed. and I've heard that double basses aren't constructed symmetrically? there's the soundpost on one side and somethin else on the other. So it'd probably sound horrible if I flipped one?

there is a lot of discussion on Talkbass about this, TBDB is a bit cranky and stuff but they aren't that bad...

[Greenfuz]

I got scared away from talkbass a couple years ago when they talkbitched at me for playing with a pick

[Mudfuzz]

I got scared away from talkbass a couple years ago when they talkbitched at me for playing with a pick

well a bow is just a oversized pick anyway

[one bad monkey]

there's tons of cheap kays and stuff for sale locally that are under $1000, but they're not left handed. and I've heard that double basses aren't constructed symmetrically? there's the soundpost on one side and somethin else on the other. So it'd probably sound horrible if I flipped one?

You can always try just flipping the strings, but you are right. The soundpost and sound bar are on specific areas, so to get a better sound out of it left handed, you'd have to have a luthier open it up and flip those pieces. Most of the time with those mass produced ones, they cut the soundpost long enough so they could jam it into the area and it wouldn't move, when in fact it NEEDS some give (not a lot, or it'll fall out), so you'd want to have them check that and shave it down a bit to allow the bass to speak a little more.