german upright. any good?

thechips · #1 10-18-2006, 08:52 PM

I'm on the look out for an upright for around $2000/$2500
and I'm considering a wilfer from that guy in NY with the warehouse...but I came across this post on craiglist.

the post just says 'german bass for sale'
and they want $2500 Canadian for it.

I've emailed them for more info....but if anyone can tell me if this is a good deal or not that would be useful. thanks.

thechips · #2 10-19-2006, 06:28 AM

more info from seller
"The bass is a plywood Hofner. It sounds great. I have had the bass for ten years. The bridge and maintanence have been done by Ludy Pollak. The bass is around thirty to fourty years old and is in excellent condition and I have had no problems with it"

toman · #3 10-19-2006, 03:24 PM

It may just be the picture, but it looks to me like that fingerboard is not ebony, but probably maple. If so, factor the cost of replacing it with an ebony one, because otherwise it will suck. Other than that, in your price range I'd reccomend one of those Eberle/Musima basses that have been discussed here recently. They can apparently be had for under 1k now, plus the cost of setup...

thechips · #4 10-19-2006, 08:07 PM

I emailed the seller and she said that the fingerboard is ebony.
she also emailed me an audio sample of the bass being played...sounds pretty good.
http://www.myspace.com/meredithnelson3
but I'm pretty new to uprights. any advice welcome.

toman · #5 10-19-2006, 08:48 PM

In my opinion, there's no reason to buy an old plywood bass over a new one, unless the old one happens to be particularly good, like some Kays. Since plywood basses don't get better with age, all you're looking at is more likelyhood of problems... The asking price on that bass seems high to me, but not having played it and not being sure of the exact Can/US exchange rate, it might be OK. Best bet is to get someone who has played plenty of instruments, like, say, your teacher, to play the bass and give an opinion. If you were to buy one of those Eberle/Musimas online, and then put a little dough into it to get some good parts and a good setup, you'd probably come out about the same price wise, and have an almost undoubtedly better bass, plus one that is brand new and gauranteed not to have problems for a long time.

accutone · #6 10-21-2006, 07:51 AM

I agree with others here. The price is high for an old plywood bass. Consider what you will be happy with for a few years, otherwise, you'll find yourself trying to sell the bass in a year and ungrade anyway.

I am not sure of your budget, but if you can swing another
2K top of the $2500 he is asking, you will be in a whole different class of instrument. I have an early 1900's German bass and recently bought a Wan from Steve at the String Emporium in Phoenix. The Wan is a really nice instrument in the 5K range. I've seen a number of fully carved older instruments lately for under 5K, so be patient.

bassist14 · #7 10-21-2006, 08:12 AM

i like this bass. i´ve got a similar one (made by hopf).
imho these basses have more character then new plys. if the condition is ok, i think you can use it many years without problems, because they are very well made, and don´t fall apart after some years.
my advice: try to negotiate and buy it for less, and keep it as a backup-bass if you want to upgrade

edit: i think the fingerboard is ebony, and you cant compare an old höfner with a new musima
edit2: the mp3 sounds good to me

msw · #8 10-21-2006, 08:54 AM

It has been my expierence that all basses which start out as good/playable instruments definately improve over time. There is no way a new plywood bass is not going to get better over time providing it was made well to begin with.

glivanos · #9 10-21-2006, 08:57 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by msw

It has been my expierence that all basses which start out as good/playable instruments definately improve over time. There is no way a new plywood bass is not going to get better over time providing it was made well to begin with.

David Gage on his website has some opinions about plywood basses. He believes they improve over time.

BTW, I have the same bass being shown here with a carved top. It sounds awesome!!!!

philip sirois · #10 10-21-2006, 09:41 AM

For that money or maybe a tad bit more, it seems like you should at least get a solid top on a bass. I think the difference is pronounced. The other thing to thnk about with older plywood basses- if they do need work(which is almost always expensive), then you run into the issue of whether the bass is really worth the expenditure. On a fine old bass, that would be a different equation. To me, if your on a tight budget, your better of getting something that's in perfect playing shape, from a shop with a good luthier, so you can really pin down your expenses. For instance, if you were to buy a hybrid from Upton, or a shen from nick lloyd or arnold schnitzer, you'd be good to go for a while without having to worry about spending more anytime soon (execpt on strings, pickups, amps, lessons, ....

greene · #11 10-21-2006, 01:11 PM

Check your PM CHIPS

philip sirois · #12 10-21-2006, 01:20 PM

oh yeah I forgot bassesonline. good deals to be had(i'm a happy customer).

greene · #13 10-21-2006, 01:21 PM

And a small correction. Ideal Music isn't a "warehouse" ... it was originally a music import business which began selling retail and focusing on string instruments about a quarter century ago. Some well known people in the string instrument business began with us and almost all know us. We still have two luthiers on staff and are very much alive and well and still frequented by string players from NYC as well as those from around the world who are usually visiting NYC with an orchestra. This week for example it was the Russian Tchaikovsky Orchestra and so we played host to dozens of their string players.
We do have a large warehouse and most of you know what's in it however we are NOT a warehouse but a string instrument business.

Hi Phil ...

thechips · #14 10-22-2006, 04:24 PM

thanks for the replies people. it does seem a bit expensive at $2500. Sounds nice on the MP3 though.
but after some thought, I'm leaning towards getting a new wilfer ply. I can't really strech to spend over $2000 at the moment & I'm looking for a good bass to learn on for now.

Greene> I contacted you by email a while ago. thanks again for your very detailed reply. Useful info. I'll contact you again when I'm able to commit and have fully made up my mind.
Sorry to call it a 'warehouse' hope no offence is taken

Matt