Help me Pick: Fully Carved Gollihur Estle Louis, or KC Strings Krutz 300 Fully Carved

[mojar99]

Hey bdyer - I may be interested in your Shen if you still have it, and I'm in Illinois. Sent you a message.

[pnchad]

Honestly, I don't understand this pursuit of 'new' carved basses - I mean, I know that folks are making some nice instruments at reasonable prices but REALLY?

None of these $2 - 3k basses are anywhere near the quality of a simple 'shop bass' from 50 yrs ago.

One of the joys of acquiring a DB (unless you have big bucks) is the Search. I have found wonderful old basses with gobs of character in garages and basements.

I guess it's the shiny new finish, etc. boring

[bassmanbrent]

Just thought I'd chime in on this topic...I own a KC Strings 300 bass and think it's a great instrument for the price. I've never seen one of Gollihu's basses but I've been very happy with my dealings with them for strings and accessories. They seem like a great company.

Other people have said this already but I think your best bet is to play them both and bring your teacher or another bass player so you can hear the basses being played by someone else and get another opinion on sound. If you can somehow arrange to have both basses in the same room, even better.

I haven't read the fine print regarding warranties but both companies are very reputable, so I can't imagine you having any real problems in that regard. I would just go with the bass that sounds best. And if you are looking at other basses as well, I agree with what others have said here. In this price point, I wouldn't get too hung up on carved vs. hybrid vs. ply. I would go with what sounds best. Good luck.

[Champagne]

Originally Posted by pnchad

One of the joys of acquiring a DB (unless you have big bucks) is the Search.

My 1st bass: 600 miles of travel to one shop. Played 4 or 5 and picked one to take home with me. Was sooo happy and I miss it now she is gone.

My second bass: 450 miles of travel to 5 different shops and one online potential deal from a pushy mofo. Played 40-50 different basses and found my love. In person, in my hands, beat up, with a voice that would humble the Sirens.

I thought my first one was hard, but after playing for a year and a half, I had strict requirements of what I wanted and it had to be an upgrade from my first bass that was just awesome at its price. That made it super hard to find that one ... that connection to the neck, body and sound. But it did happen after a few months of looking and playing. I met a lot of cool and interesting people that go-round.

[Violen]

I played on a Krutz 300 this weekend. I believe the tag said 2600? Thats nuts for a fully carved bass. Gonna do a review on a different bass i have checked out while mine is getting some shop time.

[farmerdude]

If you come to KC, I have a KCstrings mid series carved roundback (for sale) you can test drive.

[Greg Clinkingbeard]

Originally Posted by Violen

I played on a Krutz 300 this weekend. I believe the tag said 2600? Thats nuts for a fully carved bass. Gonna do a review on a different bass i have checked out while mine is getting some shop time.

They are delivering some great instruments, top to bottom. Across the range, I've seen constant improvements in quality and value.

[jayscheuerle]

Originally Posted by pnchad

One of the joys of acquiring a DB (unless you have big bucks) is the Search. I have found wonderful old basses with gobs of character in garages and basements.

I guess it's the shiny new finish, etc. boring

If you're a newbie, buying a used bass from a private seller can be filled with pitfalls, as you don't know what you're looking at or even how to play. Sometimes it makes good sense to get a new instrument that you know has been set up well and has people that stand behind what they sell you. I've been very happy with my Upton ply and know I can contact them about any problems I may run into. On top of that, I can trade it in at full value if I want to move up to one of their Hybrid or Carved offerings in the future.

And mine isn't shiny!