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06-27-2006, 08:28 AM
| | Registered User | | Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: Chicago | | | Bass identification? (many pics included)
I am a knat's hair away from buying this bass. It will be my first DB. The store owner knows nothing about it, and there is no serial # or any other identification. As shown, it is very used, and is selling for 1K. My two questions are: what model/year bass is this? Is it a good deal? I have four more pics, but cannot seem to post them (?)
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Last edited by btrag : 06-27-2006 at 08:43 AM.
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06-27-2006, 08:35 AM
| | Registered User | | Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Chicago | | | Hmmmmm, hard to say.
gomez
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06-27-2006, 08:54 AM
| | Registered User | | Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: Chicago | | | nt
nt |
06-27-2006, 08:58 AM
| | Formally Known As Univac Jr. | | Join Date: Mar 2004 Location: West Palm Beach Florida USA | | | BTRAG;
In Chicago there are many many great bass luthiers. See if the store owner will let you take it to one to have them check out for you . Since you are an interested buyer the store owner should be OK with it since it is a big purchase. the voulte/scoll thing looks like a Kay pop off in the pic but that means nothing. Since it is your first DB it's best See what a qualified luthier thinks about the bass's health and what repair etc might be needed. They will know if the price is fair. GOOD LUCK |
06-27-2006, 09:01 AM
|  | Oracle, Ancient Order of Rass Hattur | | Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: Connecticut | | | The missing "fake" volutes, the tuners, and the skinny ribs say "Kay" to me but the neck looks thicker than a typical Kay. Hard to say. Personally, I'd save a bit more $$$ and get a higher quality laminated instrument. If you save a bit more, you can have a new Shen that will come to you set up properly. Save a bit more than that and you can have an Upton laminate. Depends on your budget.
My opinion is to pass this up. Others will, likely, disagree.
Last edited by drurb : 06-27-2006 at 09:04 AM.
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06-27-2006, 09:01 AM
| | Registered User | | Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: Chicago | | | nt |
06-27-2006, 09:05 AM
| | Oracle, Ancient Order of Rass Hattur | | Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: Connecticut | | Quote: |
Originally Posted by btrag nt |
That fingerboard looks hinky. |
06-27-2006, 09:11 AM
| | Registered User | | Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: Chicago | | | Hinky? What does that mean? |
06-27-2006, 09:12 AM
| | Oracle, Ancient Order of Rass Hattur | | Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: Connecticut | | Quote: |
Originally Posted by btrag Hinky? What does that mean? |
Suspect, funky, in poor shape. |
06-27-2006, 09:31 AM
| | Registered User | | Join Date: Oct 2005 Location: Mexico City | | | May I add, EBONIZED?
Some don't have a problem with ebonized fingerboards. Me, I prefer the real deal.
Have you played this bass? Other basses? How does/do it/they sound?
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06-27-2006, 11:05 AM
| | Registered User | | Join Date: Aug 2002 Location: Southeast Michigan | | | Sure looks like a Kay in questionable condition. If it was a really good sounding Kay, it would be worth the money, but you really can't judge either the condition or the sound without an opinion from a lutheir or experienced player.
Given that it would need several hundred dollars worth of repair, regardless, you'd probably be far better off putting that money into something like a low-end Shen. |
06-27-2006, 11:14 AM
| | Registered User | | Join Date: Feb 2003 Location: New York | | | WARNING: you tend to get what you pay for, unless the person selling it doesn't know what they have. |
06-27-2006, 11:52 AM
| | Registered User | | Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Boston & Arizona, USA | | | If that fingerboard needs replacement, it could cost mucho - do a search in the setup and repair forum. Being inexperienced in DB, I also did not realize the difference the fingerboard wood makes until after I had purchased a bass with a fair to poor rosewood board and then later played instruments with good ebony boards. Having owned many bass guitars and guitars with many different types and qualities of fingerboards, I didn't get HOW MUCH MORE IMPORTANT the fingerboard on a DB is right away. I can't emphasize this enough.
Make sure the bass is evaluated by at least one person with expertise before you spend a cent. Sometimes it is worth it to fix an old bass, sometimes it isn't. I, being ignorant but lucky so far, have bought basses that need much repair and have had some surprises WRT the amount of work they have needed. But I got them so cheaply that it seems likely to have been worth it. If you are considering buying into a bass that needs work, BUY CHEAP OR WALK AWAY. I will lay money that the repairs will always cost 2 to 10 times what a non expert would think they would.
YMMV,
S |
06-27-2006, 12:10 PM
| | Registered User | | Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: Philadelphia Area | | | Figure around $500 for a fingerboard replacement installed. |
06-27-2006, 01:02 PM
| | Oracle, Ancient Order of Rass Hattur | | Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: Connecticut | | Quote: |
Originally Posted by mje Sure looks like a Kay in questionable condition. If it was a really good sounding Kay, it would be worth the money, but you really can't judge either the condition or the sound without an opinion from a lutheir or experienced player.
Given that it would need several hundred dollars worth of repair, regardless, you'd probably be far better off putting that money into something like a low-end Shen. | We just seem to be on the same wavelengths these days! |
06-28-2006, 06:19 AM
| | Registered User | | Join Date: Aug 2002 Location: Southeast Michigan | | Quote: |
Originally Posted by DRURB We just seem to be on the same wavelengths these days! | It's all that early exposure in labs to gold thioglucose and osmium tetroxide... |
06-28-2006, 07:36 AM
| | Oracle, Ancient Order of Rass Hattur | | Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: Connecticut | | Quote: |
Originally Posted by mje It's all that early exposure in labs to gold thioglucose and osmium tetroxide... | Never got near any of that stuff. Maybe it was gamma rays from outer space. |
06-28-2006, 08:31 AM
| | Registered User | | Join Date: Aug 2002 Location: Southeast Michigan | | | Not me. I always wore my aluminum foil beanie.
Rock and Roll? |
06-28-2006, 08:38 AM
| | | | Def a maple fingerboard. Also, the bridge is in the wrong place, which indicates that it may be the wrong bridge (if the string height is reasonable).
Figger on a new fingerboard and bridge to go with it. Prolly a sound post and some seams here and there. About $1,500 in repairs and you have about $2,500 into it, which is about what it's worth if it sounds great.
New end pin at $150, new strings at $150... |
06-28-2006, 10:27 AM
| | Registered User | | Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: Chicago | | | Thanks guys. Based on your comments, I've decided to pass on this one. The store owner will be pissed. |  | Thread Tools | Search this Thread | | | | 
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