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06-06-2007, 07:01 AM
| | Registered User | | Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Birmingham, UK | | | Buying a bass in UK for £1500/$3000. Help Needed.
I have been looking for a long time now for an inexpensive double bass to go through the rest of uni with me. I have just completed my first year studying jazz at a conservatoire in the UK and have had enough of playing the shoddy basses we have here. I want my own.
I need a good value, good quality upright for about £1500. Funds are extremely tight being a student, also time is a slight factor as the more I have to play these poor basses the more I actually get put off playing.
The two I am most interested in are the Uptons, going by all the comments, however, I would be unable to try them. I also really like the actual look and finish of these instruments compared to almost all other basses i have seen.
I have emailed upton and they have been very helpful regarding shipping to the UK etc.
The costs would be:
Upton Laminate $1900 @ +$450 s/h = £1180 +20% tax and duty = @ £1415
Upton Hybrid $2900 @ +$450 s/h = £1680 +20% tax and duty = @ £2015
Currently I am being swayed towards the Laminate, but is the hybrid worth the extra £600 it would cost?
Alternatively, are there any serious options in the UK? Because £1415 is quite a bit for a laminate, but not if it is that much better in quality than say the stentors etc.
I need to decide soon as I would like the bass before starting next september and there are obviously build times to consider.
Comments?
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06-06-2007, 07:13 AM
|  | Unprofessional TalkBass Contributor | | Join Date: Dec 1999 Location: Brighton, England, UK, Europe | | There are some long threads around here about this very subject - search for a thread called "Inexpensive basses in the UK!!  Several TBers (including me) have been very happy with fully-carved Stentors at about £1k - £1300! 
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Last edited by Bruce Lindfield : 06-06-2007 at 07:24 AM.
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06-06-2007, 07:22 AM
| | Unprofessional TalkBass Contributor | | Join Date: Dec 1999 Location: Brighton, England, UK, Europe | | As to your idea of shipping a bass across the pond - I just think it is too risky...?
I've seen what international freight companies do with packages - how they get to slide down chutes and be crushed by washing machines and other heavy appliances... 
So - if your bass is damaged in transit - what will you do - the only option is to send it back at great expense and then there is the time it takes when you will be without a bass ...?
It just seems like a bad idea to me - my personal opinion only!
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“Making the simple complicated is commonplace; making the complicated simple, awesomely simple, that's creativity.”
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06-06-2007, 08:35 AM
|  | Appointed President of the Roscoe Owners Club | | Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: Wake Forest, NC | | I remember reading in one thread about a shipping company that has a very good success rate of delivering instruments unharmed to the UK and Japan. You may want to search older threads.
By the way I have family in Rislip. One of my cousins, Clint Nurse plays in the Beaver Band and the other Tony plays in a band called Stretchneck. If you get a chance to see them, tell them their cousin in the states said to buy a pint for you.  |
06-06-2007, 09:06 AM
| | Registered User | | Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: Wellington, New Zealand | | Quote:
Originally Posted by Bruce Lindfield  As to your idea of shipping a bass across the pond - I just think it is too risky...? | Basses can be shipped easily if appropriate precautions are taken.
My New Standard came from the USA to New Zealand (6000 miles) in 3 days.
Here is the shipping crate: 
It took the guys from the freight company 10 minutes to undo all the screw that held the lid on.  |
06-06-2007, 09:10 AM
| | Unprofessional TalkBass Contributor | | Join Date: Dec 1999 Location: Brighton, England, UK, Europe | | Quote:
Originally Posted by CrashClint I remember reading in one thread about a shipping company that has a very good success rate of delivering instruments unharmed to the UK and Japan. You may want to search older threads. | But shipping Double Basses...?
They are very fragile things....
I tripped over a step and dropped mine last summer and the fingerboard popped off - even though it was in a heavily-padded gig bag!
I've bought many smaller and more solid objects from the US - but something like this would just worry me too much!
__________________
“Making the simple complicated is commonplace; making the complicated simple, awesomely simple, that's creativity.”
Charles Mingus |
06-06-2007, 09:12 AM
| | Unprofessional TalkBass Contributor | | Join Date: Dec 1999 Location: Brighton, England, UK, Europe | | Quote:
Originally Posted by Peck_Time Basses can be shipped easily if appropriate precautions are taken.
My New Standard came from the USA to New Zealand (6000 miles) in 3 days.
Here is the shipping crate: Attachment 60504
It took the guys from the freight company 10 minutes to undo all the screw that held the lid on. Attachment 60505 | I only saw this after my last post - but wow - isn't shipping like that going to cost more than you could possibly save by buying from the US - we're talking about cheap basses here...?
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“Making the simple complicated is commonplace; making the complicated simple, awesomely simple, that's creativity.”
Charles Mingus |
06-06-2007, 09:24 AM
| | Appointed President of the Roscoe Owners Club | | Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: Wake Forest, NC | | | You are right Bruce, I would be more concerned about shipping a double bass from the states. Especially with the humidity changes and impact shock the crate and packing will have to absorb from less than careful handling. I imagine it would add an additional $300 + to the shipping cost. |
06-06-2007, 12:35 PM
| | Registered User | | Join Date: Jun 2004 Location: Ireland | | Quote:
Originally Posted by Bruce Lindfield But shipping Double Basses...?
They are very fragile things....
I tripped over a step and dropped mine last summer and the fingerboard popped off - even though it was in a heavily-padded gig bag!
I've bought many smaller and more solid objects from the US - but something like this would just worry me too much! | How do you think they get all those eastmans and any other amount of chineese basses to America?
My bass came all the from way to china and survived the journey along with another bass. It was shipped by air freight. At the same time insurance and confidence in who your buying off are probably to very important things
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06-06-2007, 12:49 PM
| | Registered User | | Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Birmingham, UK | | Quote:
Originally Posted by Bruce Lindfield There are some long threads around here about this very subject - search for a thread called "Inexpensive basses in the UK!! Several TBers (including me) have been very happy with fully-carved Stentors at about £1k - £1300! | I have read that thread before and even commented in it I think, but it doesn't answer what, if at all, people in the UK think of the Uptons.
To be honest I am not worried in the slightest about shipping it really, it is just the extra cost. Is it worth it?
Anywhere i can try a carved stentor in or near the West Midlands?
Also, who in the UK has an Upton I can try, I know somebody has!! |
06-07-2007, 04:08 AM
| | Unprofessional TalkBass Contributor | | Join Date: Dec 1999 Location: Brighton, England, UK, Europe | | I've never seen an Upton bass in the UK - not for sale or anything...
I've been going to Glamorgam Jazz Summerschool each year for the last 8 years and there are 3 or 4 bass tutors who have nice basses and know about the scene - plus there are usually about a dozen DB players at least (often different people each year) and we tend to chat about basses and try each others - so I've met quite a few DB players from around the country as well as people locally...
Never had a sniff of an Upton - but I do know people on this board who have shipped basses from the US and they have been damaged in transit - it's then a big hassle to sort out - I wouldn't even know where to start on shipping it back to teh US ...
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“Making the simple complicated is commonplace; making the complicated simple, awesomely simple, that's creativity.”
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06-07-2007, 04:11 AM
| | Unprofessional TalkBass Contributor | | Join Date: Dec 1999 Location: Brighton, England, UK, Europe | | Quote:
Originally Posted by theshadow2001 How do you think they get all those eastmans and any other amount of chineese basses to America? | I think this is very different as they are obviously going to be partly dis-assembled and then put together by somebody who knows what they are doing in the US - where they can deal with any minor problems and repairs...?
But if a bass is shipped to me directly and it is dmaged - what do I do - I can't repair it and as I say - shipping back is going to be a big problem...
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“Making the simple complicated is commonplace; making the complicated simple, awesomely simple, that's creativity.”
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06-07-2007, 05:12 AM
| | | | Mikey, you seem to be studying music at the moment. Have you been taking DB lessons @ college? Presumably the bass tutor could be of assistance here?
I reckon you have a couple of options with your budget - essentially "high-end" plywood/laminate or lower level carved. Perhaps it depends on how serious you are/intend to be with DB. Do you love it (or think you will) so much that you want it to become your primary instrument? Or are you playing it because of your course and think it may be useful to have one in future for the odd gig? These factors may influence how much cash you want to spend.
If you want to go down the ply bass route, I wouldn't dream of spending over a grand - nowhere near it in fact. I'll risk fire & brimstone from our U.S. buddies by saying that IMO (shared by MANY others) a "high-end" ply bass is pretty much an oxymoron. Do any serious luthiers choose to build from ply? No. If you ask around and do some research, you should be able to find a useable ply bass for sale privately for way less than £1k. You're better off looking for a pro DBassist selling a backup instrument, rather than little Johnny's parents selling his high school bass.
I would always recommend you go for a carved bass, if poss - esp if DB is something you reckon you'll stick with. In your price range you may be able to pick up a bass hailing from Eastern Europe, as there's a lot of them about. They can be hit and miss, so enlisting a bit of help in choosing (college bass tutor?) is always a good plan.
Good luck. |
06-07-2007, 05:34 AM
| | Unprofessional TalkBass Contributor | | Join Date: Dec 1999 Location: Brighton, England, UK, Europe | | | I think we have this huge difference in the UK between the BG Market - where you can get just about anything - and the DB Market, which is sparse and patchy - it's weird and feels like we are some kind of 'backwater' compared to the US - whereas it's not like that for BGs!
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“Making the simple complicated is commonplace; making the complicated simple, awesomely simple, that's creativity.”
Charles Mingus |
06-07-2007, 05:48 AM
| | | Quote:
Originally Posted by Bruce Lindfield I think we have this huge difference in the UK between the BG Market - where you can get just about anything - and the DB Market, which is sparse and patchy - it's weird and feels like we are some kind of 'backwater' compared to the US - whereas it's not like that for BGs! | +1 |
06-07-2007, 06:47 AM
| | Registered User | | Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: Edinburgh, Scotland | | Check this thread out New Standard LaScala Hybrid in Scotland (UK)
Erik a.k.a. Low Note is selling a nice bass (not sure how much he wants for it though) and he's based near Edinburgh, so not too far for you to travel. He's a jazz player himself, and the bass is nicely set up for it - I've tried it myself.
If you can spend a little more, nearer the £2000 mark, you can get a fully carved "Westbury" model from these people http://www.thesoundpost.co.uk/westbury%20bass.htm Note they are wholesalers so you'll have to contact them for a local dealer. I have the gamba model and am very pleased with it. |
06-07-2007, 07:05 AM
| | | ...or alternatively, you could just sit back and wait for the basses to find you... 
Seriously though, this is exactly the kind of thing which could be a help. Check out the ply bass Erik has for sale. It obviously dose the job - and I can personally recommend Kenny McDonald's setups. Ken did a beautiful neck repair and general setup for me this time last year. |  | Thread Tools | Search this Thread | | | | 
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