Lothar Semmlinger Basses

Bassing around · #1 03-28-2011, 06:49 AM

Hey guys,

Its been a year since my first bass purchase (a very humble SGD$3800 probably-china-made bass). I'm now looking to upgrade from my first bass, and if you haven't known, Singapore is a instrument-dead island. I do not have the luxury of testing other instruments out, thus have to make a decision based on a very, very, very limited stock.

The bass that seems worthy of an upgrade would be the bass made by Lothar Semmlinger. The place that sells the bass is Gramercy, and here's a link

Welcome to Gramercy Music

I'll head down and try it out with my teacher, but I just wanted to hear your opinions on Semmlinger's basses. Not sure if they are worth the purchase. They are about SGD$15,800! (About US$11,580) Thus these are... expensive.

What do you guys think of Semmlinger?

Jason Sypher · #2 03-28-2011, 07:51 AM

I don't have an opinion of S basses but I do know of instruments for less that are a spectacular value, namely, a fully carved La Scala bass.

Eric Hochberg · #3 03-28-2011, 08:18 AM

If it's truly handmade by Semlinger, that's a very reasonable price, if you like the bass, of course. At that price though, I think it's probably more of a "shop" type bass. I don't know his basses, but his creds would make him out to be a fine builder.

Ben Mitchell · #4 03-28-2011, 04:29 PM

I bought my Semmlinger from a private seller for 6500! He was in great need of the money, because he was having some sort of surgery. I guess I took advantage of the bad situation, all though he was the one who offered.

Sorry, that was off topic. Anyway, absolutely incredible bass, better than many 20k plus basses I have played. It has a real singing sound with Bel cantos on it.

I emailed Semmlinger and he researched the bass in his archives and found that he had actually hand carved it back in 2000.

Eric Hochberg · #5 03-28-2011, 05:11 PM

IMG_20110315_112548-1.jpg picture by BassxBen - Photobucket

Nice looking bass

Ben Mitchell · #6 03-28-2011, 08:22 PM

Haha, you found it! Thanks

Bassing around · #7 03-28-2011, 11:45 PM

Hmm, that's the thing. Singapore's so bass-dead, I can't try ANY instrument at all. I would love a La Scala, or an Upton for that matter, but I'm kinda worried on the end sound... Anyone who took a leap of faith and ordered online to be pleased in the outcome? I'd love to hear.

I also agree with the pricing on the instrument, seems like a 'show bass', as mentioned. Thus my hesitancy.

And about the point on the authenticity of the bass, I would say for sure it was made in Semmlinger's workshop, though I can't be sure if he actually made it. Unfortunately everything here is about price. The sales person will no doubt claim that Semmlinger made it if it means a higher selling price.

Your Semmlinger bass looks great!

All things being said, I would totally love to have an Upton bass, Its only the sound quality that's worrying me. If I don't take the leap of faith, the only option to consider is the S bass :/

Eric Hochberg · #8 03-29-2011, 07:08 AM

Maybe you should take a road trip...

Ben Mitchell · #9 03-29-2011, 08:41 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Eric Hochberg

Maybe you should take a road trip...

+1
If it truly is a Semmlinger it will be worth it.

jayscheuerle · #10 03-29-2011, 08:42 AM

Calvin, I just put my final payment on an Upton laminate and I'd never heard one played before. From what I'd read about their small shop and their approach to bass-making, and the accounts from members here, they make a very consistent product and this consistency in build & materials quality comes across in terms of consistent sound. I've never read a negative thing about any of their house-made instruments and because they make them themselves, they have no excuses to hide behind if something goes wrong. Ergo, I have yet to read of an Upton house-made bass having any structural issues at all. They're rightfully proud of their products and stand behind them, even offering a full trade-in value if you want to upgrade to a better Upton bass someday. Read some of the Upton threads. PM some owners. Mine should be finished before the end of April and I am jonesing uncontrollably at this point! - j

Eric Hochberg · #11 03-29-2011, 08:56 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bassing around

Hmm, that's the thing. Singapore's so bass-dead, I can't try ANY instrument at all. I would love a La Scala, or an Upton for that matter, but I'm kinda worried on the end sound...

All things being said, I would totally love to have an Upton bass, Its only the sound quality that's worrying me. If I don't take the leap of faith, the only option to consider is the S bass :/

Sound is such a personal thing, what you want depends so much on the music you are using the bass for and the particular sound you are after. You might consider having someone at Upton or Arnold's shop play basses for you over Skype or another platform, or have some good quality recordings made by a local pro on the basses you are interested in. I would also talk with them about the qualities and dimensions you are looking for and they will probably be able to judge if they have something you would like. But, you won't get to feel the basses, their response, and how they "fit" you. If the resale market is good in Singapore, you could always turn it around if you don't like it.

On a positive side my friend Mike Arnopol commissioned a bass from a maker, a risky move IMO, and he absolutely loves it. Of course, he discussed with him at length what he was looking for in the bass.

Bassing around · #12 03-30-2011, 06:47 AM

Haha, a road trip would be awesome, though impossible with school and everything...

Alright Bassmaster, I'll check the bass out over the weekend and see how it feels!

jay: Hmm really? Gah, I'd love to do that too, just really concerned about the sound and shipping part.

Thanks Eric for the suggestions! I'll see what Upton replies first, and I'll take it from there.

Eric Hochberg · #13 03-31-2011, 12:15 PM

Have you tried this place?

Locate Bass Loft

Bassing around · #14 04-01-2011, 09:31 AM

Hey Eric,

Considered going there, but I'm not really interested in purchasing a Shen or Christopher. Nothing against them, but I just don't fancy another China-made bass. Sigh, if only the bass market here expanded... All I see are musicians with instruments bought from the same shop, and most of them are of the same 'model'.

brandonwong · #15 04-06-2011, 10:46 AM

Hey Eric and Calvin,

This is Brandon from BassLoft and I work alone. I'm teach and play bass fulltime and this "shop" is a result of years of frustration from looking for good instruments in Singapore, especially for my students who play a lot of what you call "same instrument and model".

I do want to make this bass-dead country alive by bringing good instruments in. It is also very sad most young students reject the bass because it is hard to play because of setup.
That is why Shen is the top of the list here, being both good quality and affordable. The other thing is I do all setup myself and being a bassplayer both classical and contemporary, i am very picky about what feels good before the bass head out of my "shop"(hdb house)

I'm not doing a sales pitch here, but do hope anyone plays the basses I set up before making a judgement on these instruments. I do hope to bring in quality European basses in the future, probably Wilfer. But as far as it stands, the higher end Shens easily beat any new European basses in terms of quality, tone and price.

A brand new Shen Rogeri SB800 Flatback replaced my old 1900s German hybrid and it's sitting in the pit for "The Lion King" musical. Many of the Shens are also rental instruments for many international artiste for Mosaic Jazz Fest and all have loved them, some even better than their own home instrument.

And to be fair, I have also tried the Semmlinger before I brought in the Shens 2 years ago. They are good basses in my opinion. and I will pick them as well if I'm concern about 1) brand 2) where they are made 3) not chinese

Do drop me an sms, whatsapp or call. I'm comfortable just talking bass and chatting about pickups, accessories and sharing what I know.

alanchia67 · #16 04-06-2011, 12:18 PM

Bassing Around, you are still looking for your new bass?

Bassing around · #17 04-06-2011, 06:40 PM

Hey Brandon,

Hmm, I'm not discounting the Shens or anything, but I just have a negative perception of the manufacturing process of the Shens. I don't see how an instrument made by a bunch of workers making basses in a chain production being able to beat the quality of individual attention given by a luthier on a bass... I guess I'd have to try one first to be convinced otherwise, haha!

I'd love to come check out your shop someday, maybe with my teacher, just so I can hear how it sounds. And maybe you'd like to bring in some European basses soon? :P

Bassing around · #18 04-06-2011, 06:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by alanchia67

Bassing Around, you are still looking for your new bass?

Hey Alan, yeah, I'm still looking to upgrade my bass. The price of the LS bass is 15.5k SGD, and I'm kinda looking for a cheaper alternative... haven't found any yet

brandonwong · #19 04-06-2011, 07:09 PM

Yeah, I do understand how you feel about workers working in a chain and not having the great attention being given to one instrument by a single luthier. I guess I do have the same thoughts before but do realize down the road in my years of playing that the resultant of a good sounding and good playing bass doesn't come from the manufacturing process alone. I do often tell others that I can make any bass play and sound good, with all due respect to what wood are being used.
On the contrary, having seen some other "European" basses in Singapore... I'm even more convinced that we have to have discernment in where it comes from or what the name sound like. Of cos, an European name often sounds better than a "Wong, Tan, or Ho, etc etc" :P

I do wish to chat more with you in private rather than over here as I afraid some of my views might seem more sales than just a member, but one thing I have to say is I'm more a bass player than a sales person so I really do not sell something I don't use and something you don't need.

To be honest, I have visited the Shen so-called factory and was very impressed by the work that is being done there. I would have posted photos but I stupidly deleted them on both my mac and camera when i came back. There are just a small handful of workers dealing with specific portions of the process. So two ways about it... you lose a certain human touch(including mistakes) in making just one bass, but you do one thing so well it gets replicated in all the basses.

Anyway, all of the top and backs are roughly pre-cut and left to dry for many years before they are actually being used to make an actual bass. When any order is made, they are then carved to shape. The resultant sound is a bass that is very stable, resonant and I haven't seen a single bass open up in Singapore for the past 2 years, also because the basses are made very near to Shanghai the humidity conditions are really close. I have seen other basses open up in some horrible conditions otherwise.

Okies... anymore ranting and I'll be robbing the thread of it's title. So I'll stop here... but i do want to say the Lothar Semmlinger basses were the only bass I found here suitable for recommending to a famous private school here before I found Shen.

The community here is really small, so I'm really interested in who you are and who your teacher is. And when the opportunity comes, I might need some bass players as well

Do drop me an sms.

alanchia67 · #20 04-07-2011, 10:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bassing around

Hey Alan, yeah, I'm still looking to upgrade my bass. The price of the LS bass is 15.5k SGD, and I'm kinda looking for a cheaper alternative... haven't found any yet

Which shops have you checked for other bass? Tried the Music Essentials (at Meridien Shopping Center) yet?