Bass shops in Rochester?

[Mr.Phil]

Hello,

I'm going to make a trip up to Rochester this weekend to check out some Shen basses in fairport... Any other shops out there? I want to make a full productive day, and if I take the time to drive there, I might as well try everything. Thanks!

[Bassist4Life]

What's up Mr. Phil?! I grew up in the Rochester area. Maybe I can help you out.

There aren't a lot of places to go to buy a bass.

Paul Strelau's Student String Shop in Fairport is a great place to visit. He has a number or basses to try. If there is something specific you're looking for; call ahead, he might be able to have it in his shop for you to try. If you think the bass will sound better with different strings, he will change them while you wait. He's awesome. Another bonus is that Paul is a bass player. Jesse, another guy that works in Paul's shop is also a bassist.

There is also the String House Kanack located on Monroe Ave. Last time I was there (long time ago) they only had one bass in stock and it wasn't set up very well.
585-442-9272

I don't know if this place is still around:
Signorelli String Instruments, Ltd.
It's located right near the Eastman School of Music. I visited this place a while back and they had one bass in their showroom on consignment.
585-262-2121

You could also call Michael Griffin, Luthier's Care at 585-425-1803. Mike did a couple of bow rehairs for me. I believe he had some instruments in stock that he was selling. Give him a call. Real nice guy.

There is one more place I can think of:
Lehmann Stringed Instruments
I've been to this shop before and the owner; who is a master guitar maker, had a couple of basses in stock. They may have been consignment instruments.
585-461-2117

Hope this helps.
Joe

[Bassist4Life]

I saw in another thread that you're looking for a 7/8 Shen willow bass.

I'm pretty sure that Paul has those. Like I said, give him a call and tell him exactly what you're looking for. He might let you take a couple basses home for a trial period. That would be the best scenario. Ask him.

I have a 3/4 Shen with a maple roundback. I love it. I recently had Paul do some routine adjustments on my bass and put some new strings on it (for jazz playing). It sounds really nice.

This is mine:




You can hear me playing this bass on my "Bass Corner" website. Listen to the intro and bass line on Blue Bossa. That's an old recording done with Helicore strings and the Full-Circle pickup. My bass has a little different character now with the Spirocores on it.

The edges on my bass look bare. I asked Paul about that and he told me that they are intentionally wiped with a cloth in the varnish process to hide wear marks on the edge. It didn't bother me, but I know that some people don't like how it looks. None of the basses in Paul's shop have that look.

Again, I hope this helps.
Joe

[musicrazy]

Originally Posted by Mr.Phil

Hello,

I'm going to make a trip up to Rochester this weekend to check out some Shen basses in fairport... Any other shops out there? I want to make a full productive day, and if I take the time to drive there, I might as well try everything. Thanks!

Hi,
That's really cool. I live in rochester, and the guy at the Violin Shop (who sells the shen basses in fairport) is one of the nicest people you'll ever meet. I saw the bass I own now in his shop, he was repairing it.
I don't really know what type of bass you're looking for, but there's a bass here and there at the local instrument dealers, but not too many, i don't think. I can give you a few names and addresses if you want ,
~Louisa

[Bassist4Life]

Phil,

How was your trip to Rochester? Did you find a bass?

Joe

[Mr.Phil]

The trip went very well. Although I didn't buy a bass on this trip, I've decided to buy a Shen Willow 7/8 soon. The bass sounded fantastic. Thanks for the help everyone!