looking for a student bass?

brake · #1 04-05-2008, 02:26 PM

I'm in the market for a student bass - I checked out the n00b links and the only ones talking about student basses are 5 years old - I was looking for a little more up to date information.

I'm looking for something I can buy online - preferably in Canada, since sending a bass across the border would probably cost me almost as much as the bass itself.

Big Bass Daddy · #2 04-05-2008, 02:41 PM

Yo there, Brake!

Are you / have you considered looking for a deal on a used bass? Like check out the ads here - you might find something from Canada....

I have bought all my basses used and have gotten some great deals. With what you would pay for some starter bass new, you can get a really nice instrument used. All of the guys that I have dealt with on TB have been really cool and given me great deals (and have shipped them out protected and all that good stuff).

Check it out!

CamMcIntyre · #3 04-05-2008, 03:23 PM

I think the biggest change with student basses 5 years ago to now are some updates from Upton. Beyond that-i don't see much changing. Strunals, Engelharts, et all-have been made the same for quite some time.

For the Canada side-check to see if Bob G has any shops/luthiers listed for Canada.

Slaps McGoo · #4 04-05-2008, 08:32 PM

About $1500 will get you an engelhardt from Jerry Fretwell, all included (shipping, setup, bridge, strings, etc). I'm starting myself and this is one of the basses I am considering.

nathanmcnathan · #5 04-05-2008, 09:08 PM

It's pretty hard to find basses in Canada, although on of the local music stores here in Barrie has started selling basses... Palatinos for $700. I saw one today - didn't like the shape (shoulders to high) and extremely thick neck, but it had an adjustable bridge. I don't think it would be too good, probably only last a few years, but you can try tomleemusic.ca (they're in Vancouver - I've never dealt with them, but I looked over their site several times in my quest for a student bass)
also, try kijiji.ca - online classifieds, might find a used bass
Well, I think that's all I can say - good luck!

Slaps McGoo · #6 04-05-2008, 10:34 PM

From what I have read, Palatino's and Cremona's are basses to be avoided at all costs, adjustable bridge or not. And watch out for some Canadian stores, they have foreign made basses that will cost you more than having one shipped and set-up from the US. There's one shop in Vancouver, unaware of the name, selling Engelhardts EM1/EC1 for almost 1700, when you can order them, fully set-up, with shipping, for even less from the US. Our market here is really lacking for easy access to basses. I'm sure there are places out there, but beginner basses are a pain.

blah148 · #7 01-21-2009, 12:31 PM

i like basses

Nagrom · #8 01-21-2009, 01:24 PM

Bringing a bass into Canada is easy, I've done. There are no tariffs on string instruments. You have to clear it through customs. You can hire a broker to do that, or go do it yourself. Your supplier must included the country of origin on the invoice, a proper description of the item, and the selling price. You will have to pay GST & PST to the customs people. Once the bass clears customs, they will fax the clearance over to the truckers (or whoever actually has the bass in their customs compound) and you can go there and pick it up. It will not be at customs per se. Expect to pay about $300.00 for freight from the US. If you hire a broker to clear customs instead of doing it yourself, allow about $150.00 for their fee, plus the required taxes. It's really no big deal to broker your own shipment as long as the customs office is reasonably close to you.

Happy hunting

GerardSamija · #9 01-22-2009, 06:32 PM

And don't try to 'sneak' a bass into Canada. I have a client who about a decade ago tried that, with the assurances of a prominent Seattle shop that it'd be fine as customers of theirs did it all the time. He was taking the bass on trial for a couple of weeks, leaving his own in their shop. Got unlucky, as a familiar border crossing guard happened to take an interest and wanted to see the instrument... and said 'hey, that's not the same bass you had the other day, is it?' And of course my client was honest about it, and for his trouble he got slapped with a $1,500 fine for attempting to smuggle the bass across the border. Also had to wait some days before he could recover the bass from border authorities. He ended up buying the instrument, for cash plus his own bass, plus the fine to make it not a very great bargain. Nice sounding bass though. So yeah, do fill out the forms and find out everything there is to know about the process before trying to import an instrument.

brake · #10 01-22-2009, 08:47 PM

Thanks guys! In August I got my hands on a 1940s-ish German bass from a semi-local luthier. Loving it!

dcavin · #11 01-29-2009, 10:37 AM

Congrats, brake, nice ending to the story.

dchan · #12 01-29-2009, 10:46 AM

Good choice. Those older German shop basses can be a real bargain, especially if they don't have the Juzek name attached to them (IMO, the Juzek name tends to inflate the prices a bit). A German plywood will usually go for far below what Kays, American Standards, Epiphones, and Kings go for, and can sound just as good, if not better.

CalebWilson · #13 01-30-2009, 02:59 AM

You wouldn't be talking about this if blah148 didn't like basses. :\

brake · #14 01-30-2009, 10:14 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dchan

Good choice. Those older German shop basses can be a real bargain, especially if they don't have the Juzek name attached to them (IMO, the Juzek name tends to inflate the prices a bit). A German plywood will usually go for far below what Kays, American Standards, Epiphones, and Kings go for, and can sound just as good, if not better.

It's not plywood

There's not a whole lot I can tell you about the bass, there's an old-ass sticker inside that has "Made in Germany" written on it, and another that says (don't quote me on this) "Busso" - I'm not 100% on that but I'll take a peek later I guess.

Tarka1966 · #15 01-30-2009, 04:21 PM

Does anybody know anything about Dimavery basses? I think they're a German company.

brake · #16 01-30-2009, 06:36 PM

Boy was I way off. It said Durro.

dchan · #17 01-30-2009, 06:46 PM

^ Even better.

The prices of the carved Germans shop basses tend to be more inflated than the German plys, for obvious reasons of course. But the no-name ones will probably be a bit cheaper than their more 'famous' counterparts - people hear 'Juzeks' are good basses, so everybody flocks to buy one and that drives up their prices.

daneatsfood · #18 01-30-2009, 07:25 PM

I don't suggest Engelhardts. There are much better basses for the money. The fingerboards are too flat. Try Shen or Upton. Both of their lower priced basses are well designed and sound good.