Best Double Bass
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There are different types and sizes of double bass available in the market. Hence, choosing the best double bass for yourself might be a little difficult. A double bass is not an item you can just send someone to get for you. You need to consider several factors because the best double bass for your friend may not be suitable for you.
It is very important to seek the help of a teacher or a double bass expert in purchasing your double bass. He or she will give you a professional guide in choosing yours. But if no expert is available, you need to follow a few tips right below.
Consider your height and body frame. There are several sizes of double bass but every size is not for everybody. The double bass can be either too big for you or too small for you. This is why you must find out the particular sizes that are suitable for you. These are the sizes you can comfortably play. You may not know the most comfortable size of double bass for you if you do not try as many sizes as possible.
Related: Double Bass Case, Double Bass Strings
What are the Best Double Bass to Buy?
Another factor that you should consider is your personal needs and budget. What kind of music are you buying the instrument for? If you are a community orchestra player, you will definitely expect a totally different sound from that of either a bluegrass player or a jazz enthusiast. This means that every kind of double bass do not give the same sound even if they are played by the same person. It is advisable to play some of them to get the one that gives you the exact sound you need before making your selection.
You need to consider the price range too. This is necessary because when it comes to double bass, the most expensive one is not always the very best. Besides, people usually have a particular budget for it. So, you need to consider the price too. Sometimes you may not be able to get the exact one you need if its price is higher than your budget. You will end up getting the closest to what you want.
11 Best Double Bass Reviews / Best Upright Bass & Best Double Bass Brands
The features of some great brands and models of double bass have been outlined right below.
1) Cecilio 1/2 CDB-100 Upright Double Bass
This model of double bass is an upright one and it has an adjustable bridge. It comes in size ½. Just like virtually all models of Cecilio double bass, it has Rosewood fingerboard. Its tuning machine head is made of plate brass. For ease of maintenance and aesthetics, its tailpiece is made of ebony.
So that it can be played by users of different heights and body frames, it comes with thumb wheel that can be adjusted to suit different heights. As the standard for all models of Cecilio double bass, its endpin plug is made of hardwood and it is accompanied with a 10mm endpin.
2) Cecilio CDB-W Size 3/4 White Upright Double Bass
This stringed instrument is size ¾. It is an upright double bass with an adjustable bridge. It comes in white color for now and it has Rosewood fingerboard. Its tuning machine head is made of brass and it is simply amazing. Like the others, its tailpiece has been beautifully ebonized for style and beauty. Its endpin plug is made of hardwood and it comes with a 10mm endpin. Parts of its accessories are casing and bow with genuine horsehair.
Although the strings come with it, they are not installed. You either install them on your own or call someone who can. Secondly, it is not compulsory to use the strings that came with it. If you are not satisfied with them, you can buy other strings.
So much tension is usually placed on items during shipping so, this instrument will be damaged during shipping if set up. It does not come already set up. You are the one that will need to set it up on your own. If you are really good with stringed instruments, it should not take up to 20 minutes for a complete setup.
The strings can be repositioned for a southpaw if the instrument is being passed from a right-handed person to a southpaw. Overall, it has a fantastic performance and the sound quality is encouraging. It is a good value for money.
3) GRACE 4/4 Size Student Natural Upright Double Bass
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This upright double bass comes in size 4/4 and it is operated upright like most double basses. Its accompanying accessories are a well-padded bag for safety, bridge and 2 sets of Strings. It has a Spruce top. For aesthetics, it has Maple back, sides and neck with arched back construction.
It comes with a French style wood stick bow so the user has two options of either playing with a bow or playing with his fingers. The bow is the one with genuine horsehair. It also has its own dedicated music stand and Metro-tuner.
It weighs a whole 59 pounds and its package dimension is 84 x 32 x 17.5 inches. It is a big musical instrument that can’t be moved around easily. Its performance is great and the sound quality is fantastic. It is one of the best double basses available in the market. It is also very rugged and durable. It comes with a hardwood fingerboard and fittings with alloy tailpiece.
4) Cecilio CDB-BK Size 3/4 Black Upright Double Bass
This size ¾ double bass comes in black color for now. It offers Rosewood fingerboard and tuning machine head that is made of brass. Another attractive feature of this instrument is its ebonized tailpiece. It also comes with Hardwood endpin plug with 10 mm endpin. It has an adjustable bridge with thumbwheel height adjusters.
It has one case strap that is meant for holding the instrument while in use. Its arched back makes it easier to play. However, it is more than 2 meters in height so it might not be suitable for everybody. The size of the player/user is very important. It comes with a Brazilian bow with ebony frog and genuine Mongolian horsehair. Overall, it offers great performance and its volume is wonderful.
5) Rata Beginner Upright String Double Bass 4/4 Full Size
This is another upright double bass with a full size 4/4. It is specifically made for beginners so it is suitable for teen adults, students, and Orchestra training schools. It has a spruce top accompanied by Maple sides, neck and back. For great performance, it has an arched back construction. It has a scale length of 43.3 from nut to bridge.
Its fingerboard and fittings have been ebonized for easy maintenance and aesthetics. For the same reason, it also has an alloy tailpiece. Its machine head is Tyrolean-styled. Like the other model above, its accessories include a well-padded soft carrying bag, just in case it accidentally drops, the impact will not be much. It also has a French style, rosewood frog wood stick bow with genuine horsehair. This model is known for durability and a fantastic sound quality. Its sound can go very far.
6) Palatino VB-004-3/4 Crack Resistant Bass
This double bass is ¾ in size and for durability, it has a crack resistant Spruce top. It comes with an arched Maple back. To enable different kinds of people to play the instrument, it has an adjustable rock Maple bridge. Its gear is 24:1 and it also comes with Tyrolean tuners. It comes with two accessories – a bow and a carrying bag. A particular version comes with a French bow and another one comes with a German bow.
It is good for beginners and anybody with the height of 5 feet and 11 inches or above. Such people will be able to play this double bass easily. This is where its adjustable bridge comes in handy. Even though its performance is good at least for its price, it is not the best. Its sound does not go very far. So, it may not be the best but it is very good to learn with. It is quite light and can be moved around easily.
It is very good for indoor practice where you won’t want to constitute a nuisance in your neighborhood because its sound does not have much volume. When the user wants to go professional, the double bass will need to be replaced with a more sophisticated one.
7) Cecilio CDB-200 Size 3/4 Flamed Upright Double Bass
This upright size ¾ double bass is another common Cecilio model. It comes with an adjustable bridge. Cecilio seems to be the biggest manufacturer of the double bass as it has more models than other manufacturers. It has a beautiful natural finish with a flamed back accompanied with an inlaid purfling.
Like all other Cecilio models, it has Rosewood fingerboard and an ebonized tailpiece and a beautiful mother of pearl inlay. The best double basses usually have a tuning machine head that is made of brass and this one is not an exception. It also has a hardwood endpin plug accompanied with 10mm endpin.
One of its accessories is a Brazilwood bow with ebony frog and original Mongolian horsehair. Other accessories are a well-padded nylon soft case that has a couple of accessories pockets where a few small components can be kept. Its adjustable bridge comes with a high-quality rosin cake. What distinguishes this double bass from others is a 1-year-warranty for manufacturer’s defects.
The performance and sound quality of this double bass may not be the best but they are way above average. It is easy to maintain, it is rugged and durable like all other Cecilio models of double bass.
8) Cremona SB-2 Premier Novice Upright Bass
This size ¾ bass is one of its kind. It looks slightly different from the others. The seller of this particular instrument offers to set it up for any buyer. It is one of the top-selling double basses in California. It comes with correct string height and string spacing. All these features are very important as they are the major factors in the sound quality of the instrument. There is neck relief to ensure appropriate finger positions and proper intonation.
It has a wonderful spruce top with maple sides and back. This is for durability and ruggedness. While most double basses have Rosewood fingerboard, this one has superior ebony fingerboard for aesthetics and ease of play. It comes with a nylon bag but unfortunately, it does not come with a bow. It also offers a lightweight construction for superior tone and improved sound quality.
It comes partially assembled so the user will have to finish the assembly. If you are not an expert, it is better you get the help of someone who is an expert. It offers great performance and an encouraging sound quality. It thumps really well for bluegrass. It comes in only two kinds of finish – shaded amber and matte. It is one of the oldest and highest selling double basses.
9) Merano MB100 4/4 Size Student String Bass
This size 4/4 double bass comes with a carrying case, a bow, 2 sets of orchestra strings and a dedicated music stand that is black in color. It is about the best of live bands and orchestras. It is an upright musical instrument. It is very big and it sure requires a set-up by a competent luthier.
The sound quality is nice and loud. Well, that should be expected considering its size. Stringing might be a little difficult but when it is done, the user will enjoy it. It is not very easy to move around because of its size. It weighs as much as 40 pounds and its full dimension is 76 x 17 x 31 inches. It is very good for learners.
It comes with a selected spruce top and arched back construction. Its fingerboard and fittings have been ebonized for style and beauty. Another feature that boosts its beauty and style are its maple neck, sides and back. Like most other double basses, it has alloy tailpiece and a French-styled wood stick bow with original horsehair. One of its important accessories is its rosin.
It has a big downside. It is rather unfortunate that this wonderful musical equipment is not eligible for international shipping for now probably because of its size. It can’t be shipped to any location outside the United States. This shipping policy may change soon.
10) GRACE 3/4 Size Blue Upright Double Bass
This size ¾ upright double bass comes with its own well-padded carrying bag or case, rosin and 2 sets of strings. It offers arched back construction and selected spruce top. For beauty and style, it also has maple back, sides and neck. It comes with hardwood fingerboard and other fittings and alloy tailpiece.
For users who don’t fancy playing with their fingers, it comes with a French-styled bow with genuine horsehair. It is also very heavy as it weighs 41.5 pounds and its full dimension is 82.2 x 28 x 18.3 inches. Even though it is a great product and it has been on the market since 2013, it didn’t sell so much like other double basses. It seems not to be so popular.
11) Engelhardt ES9 Swingmaster Double Bass
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This size ¾ double bass is a great product but it is not so popular. It weighs exactly 47 pounds and it has a full dimension of 78.5 x 30 x 16 inches. It is about the biggest and heaviest double bass. It is believed to be too big as it has not been selling like other smaller double basses.
It comes in the natural blonde finish. It has a curly maple body and its neck material is also made of maple. For beauty and style, its fingerboard has been ebonized. It is very durable and it offers great sound quality especially for jazz and bluegrass. Its volume is great too.
Finding the Best Double Bass / Upright Bass
Generally, the performance and sound quality of any double bass or other string instruments largely depend on the quality and type of strings installed in them. Besides, the same set of strings will never sound alike when installing in the different bass. This is why the sound quality is not such a big factor when choosing your double bass. However, strings are not returnable after installation. So care needs to be taken before installation. The user has to be very sure of the strings before installation.
Some common types of strings have been installed:
Bass Orchestra tuning strings: These strings are meant to be tuned G-D-A-E. They are manufactured in a wide variety of tuning, gauges, and extensions. The heavier the strings the more their tension and heavier strings are more likely to produce higher volume.
Bass Solo tuning strings: They should be tuned A-E-B-F. These strings are a full step higher than orchestra strings and tuning. Bass Solo strings are the thinnest gauge strings. Sometimes these tuning strings are tuned down to G-D-A-E when low tension is required. This rarely happens because low mass on thinner strings leads to very low volume.
Bass Strings for Acro: These strings have more damping and this darkens the tone and reduces or eliminates any scratchy or funny unwanted sound that may come up at the beginning of a note. This may be the reason virtually all modern strings are usually covered with a very smooth outer wrap.
Bass Strings for Jazz Pizzicato: To be able to give longer and brighter tone and to also give clearer pitch center on the low notes, these strings have less damping in the formula.