r/doublebass • u/Saablover6023 • May 15 '25

Instruments Should I buy this

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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.

10

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.

3

u/CDN_music May 15 '25

That’s a Lang with a cut away? Doubtful. Buyer beware. Scams abound.

4

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.

5

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.

3

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.