I'm starting my quest for a new jazz bass. I'm going to take my time and play everything, old and new, that I can in the Pacific Northwest. What I'm looking for is a few comparisons of new basses at certain price points. First off, from what I've read here it looks like New Standards are in a league of there own so I don't need those opinions. Here are the ones that I'm most interested in:

Upton Hawkes hybrid vs Shen SB150/180 hybrid

Wan Bernadel vs Shen Willow 7/8 vs Upton Hawkes carved

Thanks.

I have not played a Hawks, but I have dealt with Upton a bit. I own an SB180 and have dealt with the Shen folks a few times as well.

That said, I am very confident that both are making every effort to offer the highest quality bass that they can for the price point that they are trying to market in.

Tonally, I'd wager that if you played five of each, the top five overall would include both varieties.

The only differences I observe is that the Hawks is a 42" string length and the Shen 41.5. Probably not significant. Also, looking at the photos, the shoulders of the Hawks appear a bit more square than the Shen. That may be my eyes playing tricks on me.

I think the satin finish of the hawks looks better. Don't know about the figure on the laminates of the Hawks, but the Shen wood is very sweet. (My avatar is my bass)

John, I've heard alot of great things about all those bases you mentioned. As far as the Wan, you might want to check out Steve LaSpina's website. He plays a Wan on a few of his CDs. Here is what he has to say:

my last CD called Playroom on the steeplechase label was done with my Wan, as well as five other Cd's I recorded since buying my Wan. In fact I bought a second Wan last year (June 2006) which I used on my lastest recording for Steeplechase. I have had no problem getting the sound I want out of my basses. Both are Wan Bernadel's one made in 2003 and the newest one made in 2005. If you go to my web site you can hear tracks recorded with the 2003 bass (the track you hear when viewing my home page was done with the Wan). The Wan Bernadel works for me and is a great bass... For approx $5000.00 you have to look long and hard to fine a bass that compares. I want everyone to know the main bass I play is a Wan Beradel are there better basses out there I sure there are. Again try talk to Steve about a trial period most bass shops give you that option. My web site is stevelaspina.com.

I've read all of the good stuff about these basses which is why they are on my list. I guess I'm looking to eliminate a few to make choosing easier. Don't know if that's possible

I'm starting my quest for a new jazz bass. I'm going to take my time and play everything, old and new, that I can in the Pacific Northwest. What I'm looking for is a few comparisons of new basses at certain price points. First off, from what I've read here it looks like New Standards are in a league of there own so I don't need those opinions. Here are the ones that I'm most interested in:

Upton Hawkes hybrid vs Shen SB150/180 hybrid

Wan Bernadel vs Shen Willow 7/8 vs Upton Hawkes carved

Thanks.

WELL.....I'll hand varnish it to you liking (within reason) and shipping is free on the UB basses..... ;) And not made in china....if you care about that aspect...?

I just got out my measuring tape to make sure of these. The Shen Hybrid models SB 150 and SB 180 have string lengths of 41 1/2 inches. The Shen 7/8 flatback model has a string length of 42 1/8 inches. The Shen flatback 7/8 (SB 200W in willow or SB 200M in maple) is significantly larger than the other basses mentioned.

Steve Swan

..with my Upton Hawkes laminate and the way Gary and the guys at Upton have helped me out. My 2 cents.

Best,
Matt Rybicki

I've played only a few of the basses mentioned here, but I must say I have been surprised at the difference in quality between Shens of the same model. One hybrid I played was sort of OK, the kind of thing that's a pretty good deal for the price but not amazing, and another knocked my socks off and sent me scurrying (too late, alas) for the check-book. One plywood left me utterly indifferent, and another made me kick myself for spending almost three times the price on a plywood New Standard Cleveland. (Well, the Cleveland is a better bass, after all, with a more mature sound and a deeper bottom end and a huge output of volume, but still, the price differential is steep.) The difference in the models I experienced was the luthier who set the bass up and sold it, and that shouldn't be discounted.