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10-11-2009, 06:15 AM
| | | | An Aussie in New York?
I'm a double bassist based in Melbourne, Australia, and have recently been on the lookout for a 3/4 bass somewhere between AU$12,000 and AU$18,000 (say, US$11,000-16,000). The main frustration is that there are so few instruments around here, and the instrument dealers tend to have monopolies in any given Australian city, resulting in inflated prices.
A colleague who recently had a great experience at David Gage's shop in NY suggested to me that I should take advantage of the very favourable exchange rate at the moment, and just get a cheap ticket to NY and go bass shopping there for a week! It sounds extravagant, but I can't imagine a worthier cause...
What do you think - is New York my best destination, assuming flights to Europe are out of the question? Anybody aware of relative prices of instruments in US/Aus/elsewhere? Apart from David Gage, any other recommendations?
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10-11-2009, 07:51 AM
| | Registered User | | Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Syracuse N.Y. | | http://www.stringemporium.com/index.htm
This guy routinely flies customers to his store and it is closer to the Pacific Ocean. |
10-11-2009, 08:52 AM
|  | Registered User
Vice President: Upton Bass String Instrument Co. | | Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: Warwick, RI & Stonington, CT | | Quote:
Originally Posted by ctregan  This guy routinely flies customers to his store and it is closer to the Pacific Ocean. | Really? I'm a bit skeptical of that...
Andrew, you have a very high concentration of bass shops here in the North East. Fly in to NYC, see Gage, Kolstein, Merchant and Bollbach (I'm sure there are a few others that can be recommended as well). Then head north and after head west to Arnold Schnitzer. From Arnolds your just a hop skip jump back to NYC and you can fly home.
Take a week...enjoy it, play every bass you can afford (and some you can't  ) and write about your adventures here!
Last edited by Eric Rene Roy : 10-14-2009 at 11:46 AM.
Reason: CUP
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10-11-2009, 09:33 AM
| | Registered User | | Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: Chicago | | | Paul Biase and Bill Merchant are also worth checking out in NY. I would also call first to get an idea of a shop's inventory in your price range. You'll probably find that your budget won't get you as much in NYC (in the shops anyway, depending on what you're looking for), that was my experience. Of course there are people selling privately where you might get a better deal.
If you can make it to Boston, Nahrmann, Rutman's and now Upton are worth checking out. I made a couple of these trips a few years ago and had a blast. Good luck!
Last edited by Eric Hochberg : 10-11-2009 at 09:36 AM.
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10-12-2009, 01:05 AM
| | Registered User | | Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: Perth, WA, Australia | | There's a couple of stores in California too. There was a thread on this a while back: http://www.losangelesbassworks.com/
was one that appealed to me at the time; I thought of doing the same thing, and LA just seems closer. LA bass works seem to be quite 'high end' orientated too.
pearcey |
10-12-2009, 10:25 AM
| | Registered User | | Join Date: Dec 1999 Location: NYC | | Not to unduly harsh, I'm sure Lisa is a great person. But if the photo and listing are all that she has in the shop, that's barely a single floor of Gage's. There are literally hundreds of basses to play. Jeff generally doesn't have many basses for sale, but he may know who's selling. But check with him, I haven't been out in a while.
Between Gage, Kolstein, Biase, Merchant, Geoff (BassGarden) and Arnold you are going to have a HUGE volume of basses to play in a wide range of price.
Plus you get to sample what has got to be the best range of jazz and classical music in the world
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10-12-2009, 10:38 AM
| | Registered User | | Join Date: Apr 2003 Location: Los Angeles, CA | | | To stand up for the left coast here: Lisa has two floors of basses (and does great repair work for many of the LA Phil players), so there is quality and quantity there. We also have Stein on Vine, World of Strings in Long Beach, Lemur and Hammond Ashley's San Diego shop. Definitely worth a visit - and I'm sure our weather will be better!
Louis |
10-12-2009, 07:02 PM
| | Registered User | | Join Date: Jan 2001 Location: Brooklyn, NY | | | In that price range I think you're looking at no name (but good) German basses, and Arvi (theres a great one at Gage) or a Gagnon (Ray Brown's was at Gage the last time I checked). Good luck. There's a bass in the NE for you if you do the legwork. |
10-13-2009, 03:12 AM
| | | THanks for the tips, guys!
It's just possible I'm partly looking for an excuse to go to NY.
Weirdly enough, it seems flights to LA are about the same as to NY anyway, and I'm not scared of a bit of cold weather.
Might have to postpone til January or so. Hope the exchange rate holds... |
10-13-2009, 04:47 AM
| | Registered User | | Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: Perth, WA, Australia | | | Let us know how you get on! |
10-13-2009, 04:50 AM
|  | Unprofessional TalkBass Contributor | | Join Date: Dec 1999 Location: Brighton, England, UK, Europe | | Quote:
Originally Posted by Ed Fuqua Plus you get to sample what has got to be the best range of jazz and classical music in the world | I think there are some orchestras in Berlin,Vienna, London etc. that might want to take you up on that last point.... 
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10-13-2009, 04:55 AM
| | Unprofessional TalkBass Contributor | | Join Date: Dec 1999 Location: Brighton, England, UK, Europe | | Quote:
Originally Posted by Andrew Tanner THanks for the tips, guys!
It's just possible I'm partly looking for an excuse to go to NY.
Weirdly enough, it seems flights to LA are about the same as to NY anyway, and I'm not scared of a bit of cold weather.
Might have to postpone til January or so. Hope the exchange rate holds... |
It will be interesting to hear about this if you pull it off - I can remember a time when the dollar/pound exchange rate was so favourable that my Sister flew to New York and bought all her Xmas presents - still paying less, including the flight cost!
My thoughts are - there is no way that you will get to take a bass on the plane back - so it will be a case of factoring the cost of having the bass shipped back...?
Will you have to pay customs duty and other taxes as well (in UK we would have to add VAT) and if so, with the shipping as well - does it still look like a good deal?
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10-13-2009, 07:00 AM
| | | Quote:
Originally Posted by Bruce Lindfield It will be interesting to hear about this if you pull it off - I can remember a time when the dollar/pound exchange rate was so favourable that my Sister flew to New York and bought all her Xmas presents - still paying less, including the flight cost!
My thoughts are - there is no way that you will get to take a bass on the plane back - so it will be a case of factoring the cost of having the bass shipped back...?
Will you have to pay customs duty and other taxes as well (in UK we would have to add VAT) and if so, with the shipping as well - does it still look like a good deal? | It's really impossible to say - like I said, the main thing is the dearth of quality instruments in Australia, and the lack of competition. I'm assuming the sheer range of instruments and dealers in a town like New York will outweigh the costs. I would be kind of committing to buying an instrument there, though! I'd have to buy a flight case, too, and either pay excess luggage or freight, plus goods and sales tax when I arrive... If it doesn't work out, I hope I will at least have had a good trip. |
10-13-2009, 07:42 AM
| | | | czech bass
Hi Andrew.
I have a 3/4 Czech that you might like. I am in Hoboken, NJ right outside of NYC , Easy by train. tomshad@gmail.com |
10-13-2009, 08:04 AM
| | Registered User | | Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: Chicago | | | If you make the trip, why don't you put a "bass wanted" ad up here with some of your requirements and preferences? Might find something nice at the right price, too. |
10-13-2009, 09:08 AM
| | Registered User | | Join Date: Apr 2003 Location: Los Angeles, CA | | Just a question, Andrew. Have you tried Benedict Puglisi's basses? They look good enough - and he seems to travel in the right circles (Lucchi bows etc). I don't know him or his basses. Just asking.
Louis http://www.benedictgpuglisi.com/ |
10-13-2009, 10:30 AM
| | Registered User | | Join Date: Dec 1999 Location: NYC | | Quote:
Originally Posted by Bruce Lindfield I think there are some orchestras in Berlin,Vienna, London etc. that might want to take you up on that last point.... | Read for context, ROGER. I still contend that the best RANGE of live performance of classical music and jazz music can be heard in this city than any other.
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10-13-2009, 04:36 PM
| | Registered User
Private Inventor - Bass Capos | | Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Cologne/Göttingen, Germany | | Quote:
Originally Posted by Ed Fuqua Read for context, ROGER. I still contend that the best RANGE of live performance of classical music and jazz music can be heard in this city than any other. | Ed,
I love NY too, but you just can't get your Wiener Waltz itch scratched there...
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10-13-2009, 05:36 PM
| | Registered User | | Join Date: Dec 1999 Location: NYC | | | Not since they cleaned up Times Square...
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"It takes a pretty great drummer to be better than no drummer" -Chet Baker
BECAUSE AWESOME CAT IS AWESOME!!!!!
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10-13-2009, 05:41 PM
| | Registered User | | Join Date: Dec 1999 Location: NYC | | |
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