Just picked up.....

jacochops · #1 03-09-2009, 11:55 AM

my new Shen bass. I had a Shen Willow, which is a fine instrument, but it is a bit small for me...I was at NAMM this January, and went over to the Shen booth. They had a brand new bass they built, and this was the very first one. Luckily, since I was an exhibitor at NAMM, I got to hear the bass in a quiet hall before the madness began. It was strung with Obligatos, and it was a CANNON!!! The body is based off the Rogeri body. Big shoulders, and a very large body. This bass has an EXCEPTIONAL 2 piece top, willow sides, and a flat maple back. The mensur is 41 3/4, although Shen claims it to be 41 1/4. Nice overstand to drive the top, which it does well!!!

I called up Steve Swan, and he worked out a very agreeable trade deal with me on the bass, and we agreed to meet up somewhere in Oregon when he was coming through the area.

A note about Steve Swan....I have owned several basses in the past, from old Pfretzschners to a Pollman, old New England basses to a modern Chinese bass...of all the people I've ever done a bass deal with, Steve truly has to be at the top of the heap in regards to service and price. He's been nothing but a prince to deal with, exhibiting the patience of Job with me! If anyone ever has the privelidge of working with him, you will be delighted with the experience!

I picked it up yesterday at Glenn Freese's place in Ashland/Talent, Oregon (another very cool cat who does exceptional setup and repair work). I A/B'd the new Shen bass with my old Willow bass, and....there truly was NO comparison! Even with Spiros, under the bow, this bass is responsive, and LOUD!!! SO much more air being moved, with tremendous growl and low end...I am very excited to see this bass open up in the coming months/years. It sounds SO good right now, and I can only imagine what the future holds for the both of us!!!

I believe the "model #" (which I personally think is ridiculous...it's not like it's a tractor or something...

) is SB190. It's not even on their website yet, as I have the first one, but they can be ordered though Steve (or any other Shen dealer).

I'll get pics up sometime soon. But, I have a gig tonight, and am looking forward to making some great sounds on this beautiful hunk o'wood!

61pollmann · #2 03-09-2009, 12:30 PM

Is this model fully carved, or is it a hybrid?

George

jmpiwonka · #3 03-09-2009, 01:05 PM

sounds very interesting.
i have an SB200 that sounds nice but i'd like something bigger...something like your describing.

oh yeah, how about some pics?

jacochops · #4 03-09-2009, 01:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 61pollmann

Is this model fully carved, or is it a hybrid?

George

Hi George,
It's a hybrid. My fear, which I passed along to Steve, is that I didn't want to be going backwards, moving from a solid carved to a hybrid. After a minute of playing the bass, there was NO regret! This bass sounds SO much better than my fully carved willow, it's ridiculous! The bass responds, to my ear, like a fully carved bass. Certainly better than my willow, and on par with the old Pollman I had after grad school.

jmpiwonka · #5 03-09-2009, 01:39 PM

so they use laminated Willow for the back and sides?

SWoods · #6 03-09-2009, 01:40 PM

your nw bass sounds great.
What is the model number of the new shen?

jacochops · #7 03-09-2009, 03:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jmpiwonka

so they use laminated Willow for the back and sides?

Nope...solid willow for the sides...not laminated....and the back is a maple laminate...all maple back, just in plys.
The model number is SB 190.

Jim Calhoun · #8 03-10-2009, 11:24 AM

I had the pleasure of meeting JC for the first time and seeing his new bass on Sunday. What a beautiful instrument!Unfortunately, I didn't get to hear it because Glenn was busy installing JC's pickup (a Rev Solo if I recall correctly). I did get to play his trade-in for a bit; it's a very nice bass that will no doubt be snatched up quickly from Steve's shop. I took my bass along, too, and it was a pleasure to stand out front and hear it played by a really good player.

+1 on dealings with Steve Swan. He was very helpful to me with the purchase of my bass almost two years ago and has become a huge asset in this relatively "bass resource starved area" of Southern Oregon.

So, JC, how does that bad boy sound through the amp? Inquiring minds want to know......

Jim

jacochops · #9 03-10-2009, 01:22 PM

Hey Jim!
It was a real pleasure meeting you as well...that's some bass you own! And I dig those Velvet Compas Blues strings!

To answer your question about how does it sound through an amp...it sounds absolutely RIDICULOUS acoustically...but man, now I remember why I don't like new Spirocores! REALLY twangy...
I did a gig last night, and it was a really boomy room, and I was playing a bass with new strings...so, I wasn't happy with my sound. I started to get really frustrated, 'till I went home, and played again acoustically. When these strings calm down, this bass is going to be absolutely killer! All I got through my amp was Spirocore "boing"....freaked me out a little, but I know that when the strings darken, it will be tone central! This bass growls like crazy...a real pleasure to play!

Jim Calhoun · #10 03-11-2009, 09:56 AM

My wife and I usually try to take a vacation over to the south coast in May or June. I'll try to look you up and come hear you and your bass in person. Those Spiros should be sounding great by then!

Jim

Steve Swan · #11 03-12-2009, 11:23 AM

It was very nice seeing both Matt Powers and Jim Calhoun again over at Glenn Reese's great repair shop in Ashland. I was pretty hampered by an oncoming cold and sat stupidly in a corner for most of the 2 1/2 hours that I was there.It was especially nice to meet Glenn Freese (www.stringinstrumentservices.com) for the first time, who gets very high marks from the locals. Coincidently, the next day in a phone call a local San Francisco Bay Area guitar playing friend mentioned that he had taken his locally pruchased 1956 Martin D-28 up to Glenn's shop to have some bone bridge pins installed. That is really quite an endorsement because there are so many great guitar repairmen in the greater San Francisco Bay Area. It really is a small planet.

jacochops · #12 03-14-2009, 12:21 AM

The bass is settling in nicely. The Spriocores are calming down, and the bass is starting to really sound great through the amp. It's been so long since I've had a new set of Spirocores that it was really a shock at first. They are starting to sound much warmer, and my new bass just sings! I am playing a TON every day, and this instrument and I are getting along nicely. SUCH a drastic improvement over my Willow bass!

From a very thankful doublebassist....I recommend this new model highly, as well as the work I recieved from Glenn Freese and Steve Swan. Good guys with great, honest intentions the whole way around! Thanks, guys!

oldfretless · #13 03-14-2009, 11:02 AM

It's funny that 4 months into my first set of spiros I was lamenting they don't sound like when they were new. Apparently, I didn't get the memo that this is a more desirable tone. At any rate, congratulations on your new bass.

Tin-Foot Paul · #14 03-14-2009, 11:58 AM

I own one of those SB 190s, too. I agree with your description "Cannon!" It's a really nice bass for the money. I too am looking forward to it opening up, as it already sounds great.