Milano Basses

[MilesC]

Does anyone here have any experience with Chinese Milano basses? I'm thinking of buying this fully carved Milano on eBay to replace my Eastman and I want some input!

http://cgi.ebay.com/ALL-CARVED-ANTIQ...QQcmdZViewItem

[Gearhead43]

Those "Milano" basses are just CCBs, and would not be a wise choice. Your Eastman is a much better bass.

[Jsn]

Ditto that. If you're looking to move up from your Eastman, you're better off finding, playing and bonding with an individual instrument, not practicing eBay roulette.

You're probably intrigued by the claims of "fully carved", but that doesn't necessarily represent a quantum leap in quality among cheap imports. Some Chinese factories are well-equipped with CNC routers these days, which mean they can slap a chunk of wood in the machine and retrieve a "carved" piece ten minutes later. It's technically not plywood, but that doesn't mean it's been crafted out of seasoned, quality tonewood, and crafted with individual attention to the inherent sonic abilities of that particular piece of wood.

Caveat, as they say, emptor. The bottom line is that "fully carved" isn't just an automatic upgrade feature.

[mattfong]

Look at the pricing too.

So you're asking for around 2 grand for your Eastman, but bought it at 3.

The Milano bass is around 2 grand.

Logically, a good carved bass is going to be more expensive than a good ply bass, right? If the ply bass is worth the same or more than the carved bass, then it is NOT an upgrade.

Eastman makes good basses. If you want a carved bass, maybe look into a used Eastman carved bass? My Eastman is great and I got it for 3 grand, used.

[Barron]

The Eastman is an excellent intermediate instrument.

You're sixteen years old...have you outgrown it already? If you're jonesing for the romance of the idea of a carved bass, then save your pennies and get the one that really sets your heart on fire. Otherwise you're just moving laterally (or in my opinion downward, but I'm biased).