Good Shops in Oregon

Fletcher Lanning · #1 11-26-2009, 12:50 AM

Are there any good bass shops in Oregon? All I can find are violin luthiers who have maybe one bass lying around on consignment.
I'm playing an Old Kay right now for 50/50 jazz/orchestral and, as I get better with the bow, I'm starting to yearn for something with a better sound.

I'm in central Oregon on I-5 so I was just wondering if anyone knew of some good places that would be worth the road trip to go check out basses. I'm not looking for a super high-end shop that only sells 10k+ but somewhere with a decent selection of different types would be nice as I'm still trying to figure out what kinds of basses I like best.

jacochops · #2 11-26-2009, 05:18 AM

I just moved from Oregon. Check out Pete's Bass Shop in Portland. He usually has several in there.

You should also call Steve Swan Guitars in Sacremento. He drives up to Oregon all the time. He brought several basses up for me to choose from. He will meet with you and let you try whatever you ask him to bring.
He has several basses right now he's looking to clear out before he gets a bunch of others in, so he might be inclined to really give you a good deal. Steve's a great guy to deal with, and is honest.

Good luck, and hope you find a bass that's a good fit!

D McCartney · #3 11-26-2009, 09:26 AM

http://www.hammondashley.com/

Also, you might talk to Jake:
http://www.thebassspa.com/

Jim Calhoun · #4 11-27-2009, 12:02 PM

+1 for Steve Swan, although his shop is in the bay area, not Sacramento. He makes a trip up to Oregon 2-3 times a year and has room in his van for at least 4 basses. If you contact him and discuss your needs and what you can spend he'll bring a selection of basses to your door! I bought a bass from him 2 years ago and could not have been more pleased with the transaction.

Another more local option would be Doug Heydon in Springfield. Doug has 4 basses in stock currently and can be found at dougheydonluthier.com.

Good luck.

Jim

crowsmengegus · #5 11-28-2009, 12:46 PM

+1 for Pete's bass shop in Portland. Nice guy and has good stuff in the shop.

You could also try Richard Moffet in Estacada. He gave me a good deal on a nice carved Eastman a few years back (been my steady bass ever since). When I visited he had a bunch of basses around to try out (that was about 8 years ago).

Gollihur lists Moffet's number as 503-630-3827