Advice on Stentor basses

Muz · #1 06-15-2007, 02:01 PM

Alright folks,
This is my first ever post so greetings!

I've been an electric bassist for the past 10 years now and feel now is the time to move up in the world!!!

I've been looking at basses for a while and seem attracted to the Stentor range. Being a jazz/blues player, i am under the impression that a solid wood model would be better suited than a laminate model....

Can anyone advise me on the quality of the Stentor range? I am torn between a Stentor Conservatoire and a Stentor Elysia.....does anybody have any experiences with these?

I would be very thankful if someone can give me some advice as i'm ready to part with my cash fairly soon!!!!

Much appreciated,

Muz

Tejano Bass · #2 06-15-2007, 04:12 PM

Muz - If you browse around this site a bit, I think that you'll find that many jazz/blues/bluegrass (pizz) bass players (at all levels) actually prefer the laminate/plywood over the hybrid/solid carved for many different reasons . . . suggest you take the time to browse & read before you drop the cash - just a suggestion . . .

jobo4 · #3 06-15-2007, 04:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tejano Bass

Muz - If you browse around this site a bit, I think that you'll find that many jazz/blues/bluegrass (pizz) bass players (at all levels) actually prefer the laminate/plywood over the hybrid/solid carved for many different reasons . . . suggest you take the time to browse & read before you drop the cash - just a suggestion . . .

+1

I'm a newbie too, and I'm finding that there are really good plys out there, plus if you are amplifying your tone, the difference may be lesser still.

Enjoy your hunt! I am.

BassBus · #4 06-16-2007, 10:12 AM

I've been playing a Stentor Arcadia for a couple of years now and I'm very happy with it. I tried a number of intruments in the Violin Shop in Glasgow who have the best selection of DB stock in Scotland if not the UK. The basses I tried ranged in price from £500 to £4000. Un fortunately the one I liked best was the £4000 job. It just felt right in my hands and sounded great but sorry to say it was way out my price range. My next favourite was the Stentor, a 'snip' at £1500.

The others are right about laminates. It all really depends on your taste, and wallet, so if you can get to a store with good stock try out as many as you can and find out what suits you best. Then you have strings to worry about, but that's another story.

Muz · #5 06-16-2007, 04:36 PM

To be honest...i was a bit eager and asked before fully reading the site. 4 hours later and i still haven't got a clue. There's not a single shop in Liverpool which has a db in stock!! There's no chance i can play on one without paying!
I'm searching for a warm tone with really long sustain which is what is swaying me toward solid wood but i do use a Marshall 400w valve amp with 8 x 10 speaker so would a pick-up on a ply do the job???

BassBus · #6 06-16-2007, 06:27 PM

Hi Muz. I just read a post today that said there was a good store for DBs in Nottingham which is a bit closer to Liverpool than Glasgow, can't remember which thread it was in though. you could try Yellow Pages. Hope that's of some help.

One thought about amplifying a DB through the rig you have is feedback. Could be a problem with a rig that big.

Silversorcerer · #7 06-18-2007, 02:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Muz

To be honest...i was a bit eager and asked before fully reading the site. 4 hours later and i still haven't got a clue. There's not a single shop in Liverpool which has a db in stock!! There's no chance i can play on one without paying!
I'm searching for a warm tone with really long sustain which is what is swaying me toward solid wood but i do use a Marshall 400w valve amp with 8 x 10 speaker so would a pick-up on a ply do the job???

How old / young is your Marshall? I have a 1972 valve JMP 50. I think those are great for that Hendrix / Who / Sabbath overdriven distortion, but a good clean solid state will give you more natural sound for a DB. It's personal preference, but I favor the solid state for DB. Also, the more resonant the DB acoustically, the quicker you will get feed back. It's a complex matter of matching the amp, pickup and DB.

I saw Danny Thompson live about a year ago and his rig was working well with a 200 year old carved Gand French DB. If possible, you might want to see if you can find out what he was using for a pick-up and amp. Having some graphic or preferably parametric EQ control is what you need to fight feedback. If your Marshall is a later model with a clean channel, it will probably do OK, but that's a big rig to amplify a DB with. One of the favorites in America is the Acoustic Image amp. It comes combo or head in a few different configs and is very flexible and even has phantom powered XLR channels. Don't know if you can get that in UK, but those are highly rated here for DB amping and have a sweepable notch to help with the feedback issue. There's a series II AI over on Ken Smith's forum listed in the classifieds.

BassBus · #8 06-18-2007, 04:23 PM

Bass Guitar Magazine, May/June 2007 had an interview with Danny Thompson. His bass is strung with Thomastik Spirocore Solo strings. Highlander guitar pickup and Shadow "Underwood" pickup.into a Raven Labs PMB1 Red Box blender. These days he seems to send that straight to the desk. If that is of any use.

I go through an Acoustic Image Contra combo. Great results and the rest of the band love it too. They are available in UK from http://www.overwater.co.uk/ . Their basses are very tasty too!

Muz · #9 06-18-2007, 05:57 PM

Jeez....you guys really are helpful arent ya?!!

It's a fairly new Marshall amp, must be 7 years old....my drummer's girlfriend is a cellist and she's had a blast through my amp with no feedback and she has just told me that she uses a Shadow pickup. I can appreciate a DB may be different but i'm goin with Danny Thompson!!!

Cheers

Silversorcerer · #10 06-18-2007, 07:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Muz

Jeez....you guys really are helpful arent ya?!!

It's a fairly new Marshall amp, must be 7 years old....my drummer's girlfriend is a cellist and she's had a blast through my amp with no feedback and she has just told me that she uses a Shadow pickup. I can appreciate a DB may be different but i'm goin with Danny Thompson!!!

Cheers

We try! I'm pretty sure Ken Smith is also using a Shadow for his amped DB gigs. Paul Warburton uses the Underwood. Your Marshall should work fine if it works for cello. Later Marshalls usually let you choose how much distortion you want. The 1972 models do not.

Bruce Lindfield · #11 06-19-2007, 03:32 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jobo4

I'm a newbie too, and I'm finding that there are really good plys out there, .

Not in England there aren't!

We've had this discussion many times before and there is a huge difference between the US and UK markets for Double Basses!

So - the US has a lot of plys around - but in 3-4 years if looking everwhere in the UK - I've never seen one - even advertised - let alone getting to play it!

As mentioned elsewhere - for a long discussion on Stentor basses - look in the thread titled "Inexpensive Basse in the UK"
Inexpensive Basses in U.K?