Moving to Indonesia

[Rama]

Hey there guys,

First thread here on the bright side of TalkBass.

I am planning to move out to Indonesia in a few years.
I know the climate is totally different then here in The Netherlands, so would it be wise for me to buy an expensive upright bass and bring it there? (I am talking about the climate)

I don't know any upright bassists in Indonesia, the only musicians I know there are either guitards or drummers for some reason.

Thanks in advance,
Rama

[Mike Carr]

I spent the better part of 2003-2004 playing in Jackara. Very high humidity and a long rainy season every year. Get a good plywood bass. Not much in the way of DB Luthiers there either so with a plywood there is less to go wrong. Not too many DB players there so the music stores don't have much in the way of strings, pickups and such so you might want to bring a supply of spares with you. On the other hand, Indonesians are some of the nicest people in the world and the food is amazing!

[Ben Wilkie]

Have you considered getting one from Australia? It's a VERY short trip to Indonesia from here!

[dbassnut]

Hi Rama,
if you ever drop by Penang in Malaysia, do drop me a line. As for basses, if you're not bringing your own, you could probably get a cheap chinese bass around here. Not sure about Indonesia though there are a few double bassist there. Which part of indonesia are you headed?

[drurb]

Originally Posted by Rama

Hey there guys,
First thread here on the bright side of TalkBass.

This is the dark side.

Sounds like a well-built ply would be a good choice.

[JAKBOUND]

In Jakarta there are at least a couple of shops that stock double basses. (there may be more as there are at least two classical orchestras in town). One is a chain M&B that has shops in many of the malls, but the branch that has the basses is down the street from the Blok M mall in central Jakarta. On the ground floor is their sports shop section so don't be surprised, when you see it, just go up to the third floor where the acoustic instruments are displayed. I got the adrees from their electric guitar outlet in Senayan Plaza Mall. They normally have Obligato Strings and Flat Chrome strings in stock. They also have a range of plywood and hybrid Chinese and Korean basses in stock. In the same row of shops is another shop which has a couple of basses. Last time I was there they had a german fully carved bass in stock.
I have not yet found a luthier so sugest getting a sound post setting tool kit and either some instruction or a book on DB luthiery. No sign of any decent bows either so a mid price carbon fiber bow is the way I have gone. That and a mid level plywood allows me to keep some sort of chops, while my fully carved bass stays in the US.
Singapore has a much better range and they are familiar with how to import basses into Indonesia. Importation duties on "Luxury" Musical instruments are considerable. I am not sure where luxury starts.
I haver heard that one can buy Shen basses in Shanghai, and now there are direct widebody jet flights on Garuda, that may be an option too.
Now I have relocated back to Jakarta, I plan on finding out where the professionals get basses and repairs.
Side note: Three gut string plywood set ups are common in the Hotel Jazz trios up in central Java, so someone is supplying those.
Best of luck.

[Rama]

Alright thanks guys, I am glad that they ''at least'' sell basses, I expected that they would sell basses there because of the music genre ''Kroncong''.
I currently use a cheap plywood bass, so my standards aren't that high.

Ps. It depends on what you refer to as the ''Dark Side''.

[adhus]

The famous bassist and composer in indonesia, Erwin Gutawa and Benny Likumahuwa (plays DB and BG) plus the rest of the players.
+1 Jakbound for Blok M mall and Senayan mall, but you will find more music shop when you actually there. There's tons of live music performances in hotels n cafes and festivals in jakarta where you can hang around and ask questions to the players, specially local players. I'm sure they'll give you the information bout the music shops or luthier.
FYI, the JAVAJAZZ festival is coming up in march 5,6 and 7. And i heard Darryl Jones will perform too, i know he's not really a DB player but just to share the information..
cheers!!

[Rama]

Awesomeness! I know quite a few musicians there who were ''baffled'' that I played the double bass, so I was worried that double basses were rare there.
I was at Plaza Tunjungan in Surabaya (last year) and I asked if I could try their upright bass, but it was for show only. (say what?)

I can't wait to get there!

[Marcus Johnson]

One word... Sambal.

Whether it's Badjak or Oelek or whatever.... best chili sauces ever.

[Rama]

Originally Posted by Marcus Johnson

One word... Sambal.

Whether it's Badjak or Oelek or whatever.... best chili sauces ever.

I put sambal on my food like Autumn Leaves is played on a Jazz evening... It's a standard. :P
My mom makes her own sambal from the pepper ''Madame Jeanette''. (#3 pepper on the Scoville list)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scoville_scale

*High Five!*