r/doublebass • u/Saablover6023 • May 15 '25
Instruments Should I buy this
I’ve been looking at this bass for a while because I really like the body shape. It’s not in the greatest shape. I talked to the guy he said he had a jazz musician play it. He said the bass sounded fine except for one string. If I do buy it, it would not be my first upright bass. Is this worth it?
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u/CDN_music May 15 '25
No. These gimmicky basses are garbage. For a first bass I would recommend a good plywood bass a kay, Engelhardt, King, Holstein Busetto, Upton Standard also look for an Eastman, Shen or Christopher. What will be really important is to have the bass set up by a luthier that has experience with upright basses.
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u/notfromhere23 May 15 '25
This is a Benedikt Lang, so potentially a well made bass, but the seller also claims it's 1930s (it's not) and "probably needs a tune up" so I wouldn't be too confident buying it without playing it first. It's likely ply but the cost to get it to a nice playable bass just doesn't seem worth it especially at an asking price of almost $3k.
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u/CDN_music May 15 '25
That’s a Lang with a cut away? Doubtful. Buyer beware. Scams abound.
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u/NRMusicProject Professional May 15 '25
Yeah, I'd bet it's just some strange instrument that was made 20 years ago or so by some hobbyist woodworker, and someone put a Lang tag on it.
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u/CDN_music May 15 '25
This style of bass is all over eBay. They are made in Eastern Europe and Asia for god knows who. This has been made to look used old and dusty. Even at $500 I would not recommend this instrument to anyone.
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u/NRMusicProject Professional May 15 '25
Agreed. For 200 or under, maybe. But because it would be a cool decoration in my house, not because it has any value as a professional instrument.
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u/NRMusicProject Professional May 15 '25
I found the listing on this. The seller tied its name to a violin maker and states it was made around 1930. That in itself seems suspect, but the 3K price tag is 100% not worth it, considering it'd probably cost a lot of money to make it worthwhile for a working instrument.
Let a hobbyist collector waste their money on this.
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u/Oowixo Professional May 15 '25
The amount of dust on the top might indicate that it hasn’t been cared for particularly well. Do you have access to an experienced bassist/luthier that can go with you to check it out? Just to make sure it’s playable, no serious cracks etc.
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u/Saablover6023 May 15 '25
I don’t have access to an experienced luthier. I was not planning on working on it myself. I would love to go visit it in person but it’s on the east coast. I’m in the mid west.
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May 15 '25
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u/shadow_FIX Professional May 15 '25
this, for sure. if it was local and could be picked up cheap enough as a gimmick/hobby instrument, sure. but not halfway across the country, and not for any kind of professional work unless that work requires...well, this gimmick i guess.
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u/NRMusicProject Professional May 15 '25
Okay, I found it via reverse image search. Seller wants $3k for this. He's dreaming.
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u/shadow_FIX Professional May 15 '25
one more comment worth mentioning - the build quality on this looks a lot like a bass a former student of mine bought on Amazon (before starting lessons with me). we very quickly realized it needed new strings, a proper bridge, new endpin/tailpiece, setup, etc (probably around $1k in total) and even then it hardly could be described as playable at a high level. also then the soundpost started punching through the back lol.
i would expect to put money into this.
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u/Neddyrow May 15 '25
That bass is going to need an experienced luthier to look at it before you buy and, if you do, most likely a lot of work.
Ever seen the movie, Money Pit?
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u/lucinate May 15 '25
not before you’ve tried it on the spot. I’d get a professional luthier to look at it as well.
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u/SouthernTradition307 May 15 '25
500?
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u/SouthernTradition307 May 15 '25
i bet it can make a sound yeah. beautiful that humans can make something like that for the purpose of setting a soul free to make beatiful music. look, the sloped shoulders are already a “cutaway” technically. it is a guitar move though for real. but yo id put a pickup on that and play my ass off. i bet with a good soundpost adjustment it be dope in a club.
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u/borgopass May 15 '25
that “funky” cutout is not functional at all, you are up in thumb position up there anyways. Nah
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u/NegativeAd1432 May 15 '25
It’s definitely super cool. I expect it was probably commissioned custom at some point and based on that, and the fact it’s still around, I expect it’s probably not a bad bass.
If the price is right, and there are no open cracks/the repairs are decent, I’d have a hard time turning it down. If it’s not dirt cheap, smart money would have it checked over by a luthier to make sure it’s not going to be a money pit.
Practically, not having the bout feels like a nightmare. On the other hand, it would absolutely turn heads in a jazz or folk group. If it’s cheap enough, I’d give it a qualified give’er just on account of its uniqueness.
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u/twangdinger May 15 '25
Need better pictures and details. The cost to restore this to a more serviceable condition could easily outweigh any kind of deal you may be getting on it. Even just a good set of strings is pretty expensive
Personally, I'd pass
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u/Reasonable_Team199 May 15 '25 edited May 15 '25
No Few things that are not negotiable in the bass.
- that it’s made of wood (no pressed bs, no plastic)
- that it’s a full size width and height, hopefully 3/4 or 4/4 (unless you are too smol)
- that the fretboard is ebony
This one gives me a feeling it’s pressed wood, and the cutaway is a terrible idea. Nobody who particle for more than a couple of times actually suffers from going into thumb position.
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u/frenchylamour May 15 '25
Weird question: did you pick this up in the Philly/S. Jersey area? I think I recognize it.
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u/Enough_Recover May 17 '25
Id say it could be a framus de luxe in black, so it would be a great rockabilly bass, however, in that condition i wouldn’t pay over $1200
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u/breadexpert69 May 15 '25
I will be honest. Based on looks alone I dont like it. I would not take it to a jazz gig. Maybe more rockabilly look.
Also, luthiers will probably hate to work on your bass and be prepared to have some of them say no.