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I am interested in learning as much as I can about upright basses in order to purchase (or possibly rent) a bass for my daughter. I'm unsure what to look for or what's good and what's not.

How is this related to the tuba?
Lots of tuba players double on bass.
I happen to be an occasional tuba player.

My daughter is a percussionist who also plays upright bass in her high school's jazz band.
The owner of the upright bass she played in HS jazz band has graduated.
I'm interested in buying (or possibly renting if I have to) a bass. I'd prefer buying.
She will be a sophomore and is 5 feet tall. She'll turn 15 shortly. Doubtful that she'll ever be taller than 5"4'.
They amplified the bass in her jazz band. I don't know how exactly how.
I'm pretty sure the bass she played was a 3/4 sized bass (normal sized) with the endpin in about as far as it could go.

--Christian

Stuff I'm reading or have read.

https://gollihurmusic.com/upright-bass- ... SoQuIf9ebr

https://www.talkbass.com/wiki/beginners ... uble-bass/

https://gollihurmusic.com/double-bass-sizing-faq/

And yes, I am in the process of "asking her teacher".

Is she only going to play in the school jazz band, or is she going to learn to use the bow?

bloke wrote: Mon Jun 01, 2026 6:48 pm Is she only going to play in the school jazz band, or is she going to learn to use the bow?

She'll need a bow too. She played bass in the junior high orchestra.

OK.

So no solid body ",stick" bass.

Do you plan to amplify it for when she's playing in the bazz band?

bloke wrote: Mon Jun 01, 2026 7:21 pm OK.

So no solid body ",stick" bass.

Do you plan to amplify it for when she's playing in the bazz band?

yes. I expect so.

cjk wrote: Mon Jun 01, 2026 7:46 pm

bloke wrote: Mon Jun 01, 2026 7:21 pm OK.

So no solid body ",stick" bass.

Do you plan to amplify it for when she's playing in the bazz band?

yes. I expect so.

Even the best typical acoustic bass pickups are subject to feedback and tend to pick up too much percussive noise.
I'm not saying to not buy one of the piezoelectric pickups, , but I would also buy a magnetic pickup made in Germany Schaller.
They have a built-in volume knob and attach with four small screws to the bottom of the fingerboard.
They put out a strong signal and don't feed back.
It's okay to use a mixer to blend a piezo with a schaler, but it's really nice to have the schaler, because it's just never going to cause problems.

OK.
It looks like they don't make them anymore which is sad, and this similar product made by someone else in Europe looks to be $100 more.

https://www.musikhaus-zoelch.de/Zupfins ... oRBTzLsFR9

As far as basses themselves, you might find something really special for sale that you can afford made in Europe, but the Chinese have been making acceptable quality basses a lot longer than they've making acceptable quality tubas. Don't ignore a good Illinois made vintage Kay plywood bass. I think the orchestral crowd made look down their noses at these, but the Jazz crowd oohs and aahs over really good Kay basses. They put out a lot of sound in a pizzicato.

As a high school bass player (a few decades removed) i feel i should have some insight, but alas i don't. My parents bought a bass for me taking the recommendation of my teacher, and the one comment i recall was it cost as much as a typical used first car (which i hadn't got a license yet, so i wasn't in line for) but came with a lot less risk. It wasn't until this past year i kinda backed into a second tuba, volunteering to deal with a repair person, and then accepting a (york) tuba trade before the repair was complete.

I think the shows i play what mike it ask me to clip something to the bridge? Or put one on a stand pointed at it, and are satisfied with mixing that? I also thought my bass was 7/8ths, but i think someone measured bridge to nut and said it was 3/4rds... Shows how much attention i was paying (which would have been better if the remaining attention went tot he actual music, but i'm not so sure it did)

Sorry i have no accrued font of wisdom...

I deal with the instrument and its players daily. And their repairs. I avoid playing it as much as possible, with violin. (Give me a cello or even a viola, my arms are really long, but my fingers are short.)

Some thoughts:

1. Borrow a bass. She is on the 1/2 size to 3/4 size break. She may "grow" into a 3/4 size, but don't buy an instrument yet if you don't have to.

2. The Chinese basses are ok. That's probably what she will have at school.

3. French or German bow. I like German, but this is definitely a French area. Bows have geographical areas by the local teachers. I don't really understand it.

4. The bass is even more fragile than the violin. The instrument has LESS structural integrity because of its thickness of wood vs. its size. Teenagers are gooney. Doors are destructive. You have to load a school bus from the emergency exit in the back and lift the bass over the back half row and put it in the next to last row of seats to get it in and out. See thought number 1.

5. THOU SHALT NEVER LET A NON-BASSIST MOVE YOUR BASS. I DON'T CARE HOW STRONG YOUR BOYFRIEND IS (I'll arm-wrestle him. )!

REASON: You don't put someone who has driven a compact SUV a tractor trailer to drive. That is what moving the bass is like.

With good practice (somewhat rare with bassists), she will be beloved by her music department. Get her private lessons.


Playing a contrabass tuba is like driving a truck. Playing an F tuba is like driving a race car. Playing the contrabass is like steering a supertanker!

Just my $0.02

Here's a weird comment:

Even though they're ridiculously large, basses tend to get stolen out of cars... simply because they are seen.

Yes, it's the same issues as tubas. I could hid a multi-million dollar violin easily, but not a bass or tuba.