christopher hybrids.. thoughts?

spacecanoe · #1 06-22-2005, 11:29 AM

hey hows it going guys and girls, just a quick question. im switching over to upright from electric but dont wanna spend a fortune. ive tried a christopher hybrid and it feels good sounds good to me and the price is resonable. its the chris 200 model . no any thoughts or comments on these basses? or should i steer clear?

AMJBASS · #2 06-22-2005, 11:34 AM

Christopher 200 series are fully laminated(plywood). They are the upgraded laminates with fancy top veneers. I just ordered one myself to use on the ships. I also have a fully carved 500 series which is my main bass right now. The 300 series are Hybrid with a carved Spruce top. I wouldn't hesitate to buy a Christopher bass. I have been playing them for a couple years now, and they are well worth the money. That is provided you have it professionally set up. I'd say go for it!

Peter Ferretti · #3 06-22-2005, 11:43 AM

If your going to by a ply bass, I would say go for Arnolds NS. If the price or some other unforseen variable restricts that, then go for the Chris. I would also reccomend moving up to the 300 series over the 200 series mainly bc I like the way hybrids feel over plywoods. If you buy the 200 or 300, then you end up with a great bass either way. Welcome to the Dark Side.
Peter

Ed Fuqua · #4 06-22-2005, 11:49 AM

Isn't a New Standard almost double the price of a Chrissy ply? Not that it's not worth every cent, both Clevelands that I played (1 ply and 1 hybrid) were wonderful instruments. If you can go for one, do it. But if budget is a constraint a Christopher is fine. You may also want to take a look at Shens...

hdiddy · #5 06-22-2005, 12:15 PM

Us Chrissy owners have been doting on our basses for quite some time now. Just search for "Christopher Hybrid" and you'll see how happy we are.

An NS bass would be nice, but after dialing my bass in for the sound I want, I don't feel the need to go any further, at least for the time being.

Mike Goodbar · #6 06-22-2005, 12:52 PM

I'll put in my usual endorsement for the Christopher hybrid. I've had mine for more than three years with no quality problems whatsoever, and I'm happier than ever with the tone. Agreed that you should have it set up by a qualified luthier, and if you can swing it, have the stock bridge and soundpost replaced.

Mine's a 7/8 Busetto, and I'm reminded time and again what a good bass it is for the money. A few weeks ago a guy sat in on my bass, and afterward exclaimed, "Man, that's a nice-sounding Pollman!"

I would also recommend staying away from the 200 model, as the better-quality 300s can be got for not much more bread.

I, too, have also heard really good things about Shen basses as well, though I've never tried one.

**Francois Blais** · #7 06-22-2005, 02:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Adrian Juras

Christopher 200 series are fully laminated(plywood). They are the upgraded laminates with fancy top veneers. I just ordered one myself to use on the ships. I also have a fully carved 500 series which is my main bass right now. The 300 series are Hybrid with a carved Spruce top. I wouldn't hesitate to buy a Christopher bass. I have been playing them for a couple years now, and they are well worth the money. That is provided you have it professionally set up. I'd say go for it!

Adrian,
where did you order them?
A shop in Toronto?

Thanks,
François

elvinstheman · #8 06-22-2005, 04:03 PM

I'm a newbie too and I just got a Chris laminate and I like it a lot so far. It sounded as good to my amature ear as any of the absurdly expensives axes I played while shopping.

spacecanoe · #9 06-22-2005, 04:08 PM

yea i just went back and it is the 300 series.. its 2499 with bow and bag and set up.. not bad im assuming thats canadian bux too!

soon as i can swing it im for sure hookin it up

thanks alot guys youve been a big help

spacecanoe · #10 06-22-2005, 05:12 PM

ok if and when i get this bad boy.. since its my first ub... yea im an electric player hehe with a custom d huff bass

anyhoo .. what can i do to make this thing sound better? it already sounds good to me but theres so many variable on ub's that i dont know of yet. any suggestions?

Marcus Johnson · #11 06-22-2005, 05:42 PM

Get a DB teacher, and play the hell out of it.

elvinstheman · #12 06-22-2005, 05:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by spacecanoe

yea i just went back and it is the 300 series.. its 2499 with bow and bag and set up.. not bad im assuming thats canadian bux too!

Shoot man - that sounds like a smokin' deal to me. Or else I'm getting hosed on the 200.

Something to keep in might though is that I've heard the laminates are a bit less delicate and less likely to crack than those with carved pieces. That was a definite plus for me, because I can't be bothered with humidifiers and dehumidifiers and all that stuff.

spacecanoe · #13 06-22-2005, 06:12 PM

well im gonna go triple check tomorrow but it says carved top christopher bass.. so its gotta be the 300. unless there scammin my ass haha. so what kinda mods can be made to make it sound better?

**Freddels** · #14 06-22-2005, 06:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by elvinstheman

Shoot man - that sounds like a smokin' deal to me. Or else I'm getting hosed on the 200.

That price seems about right. Here's a site that has Christophers and their prices. http://www.violins.on.ca/basses.html

AMJBASS · #15 06-22-2005, 07:06 PM

That is where I have purchased all of my Christophers from. Leif Luscombe is a great guy to deal with. I wouldn't hesitate to buy from him. It would probably be better to go for the 300 series if you can spend the money. It isn't a lot more than the plywood. I have a plywood on order because I don't want to deal with any cracks while on the cruise ships. Mine is a special order so I won't have it until later this year(probably fall).

**Chris Fitzgerald** · #16 06-22-2005, 10:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cosmickayak

so what kinda mods can be made to make it sound better?

1) Find the strings that best represent the sound you're going for. This can take quite awhile.

2) Make sure your bass is set up well.

3) Practice like hell. Most of the best "mods" are attached to the ends of your arms.

Peter Ferretti · #17 06-22-2005, 11:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chris Fitzgerald

1) Find the strings that best represent the sound you're going for. This can take quite awhile.

2) Make sure your bass is set up well.

3) Practice like hell. Most of the best "mods" are attached to the ends of your arms.

+1

spacecanoe · #18 06-23-2005, 01:41 AM

absolutely..i agree 100%. so aside from the christopher.. any other suggestions? i hear good things about englehardts and they seem a lil less spendy. though i havent found anyone in canada that sells them much to my dismay>

so , from the more experienced people . guide away! all your info is invaluble

Eric Jackson · #19 06-23-2005, 08:01 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chris Fitzgerbald

...Practice like hell. Most of the best "mods" are attached to the ends of your arms.

Another +1.
Most of your sound is in your hands. As has been stated before, it's a different ax from electric. It's not enough to just get the string vibrating, you hafta get that big wooden box vibrating too. Hotrodding the bass won't help your sound if your technique is weak. Get at least a few lessons from a double bass teacher to learn the basics, then play as much as you can.

robgrow · #20 06-23-2005, 11:50 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by spacecanoe

absolutely..i agree 100%. so aside from the christopher.. any other suggestions? i hear good things about englehardts and they seem a lil less spendy. though i havent found anyone in canada that sells them much to my dismay>

so , from the more experienced people . guide away! all your info is invaluble

You might also want consider the laminate and hybrid basses made by Samuel Shen http://www.samuelshen.com and the laminate and hybrid basses sold by Upton Bass http://www.uptonbass.com which are in the same general price range as Christophers and Englehardts. I like the Shen SB100 very much, which is a good laminate bass, and recently I played an Upton Hawkes model and was very impressed. I think I could be happy with either of these basses.