| I had an ES9 for while. Engelhardt makes a decent bass IMO. I also bought mine from Music123.
It probably will be drop-shipped from Engelhardt. The strings will be unplayable, especially pizz. The bass will be super stiff as well and have a semi-fitted bridge with no wheels.
You really need to have a good luthier work on it. For few hundred bucks, you can have the post fitted correctly, the neck scraped out right and the bridge fitted with adjusters. (I'd go ahead and spring a little more for a better blank) He'll also get the nut in better shape than the factory did.
While he has the strings down, have him fit the tailpiece with a flexible cable. The factory ones are super stiff. This cheap mod will make the bass much louder with a more ringing tone.
If you have the time and money to have it all done in one whack, have it fitted with a nicer endpin. Engelhardt pins drive me nuts. Not a real necessity, but certainly a big improvement and will make life easier in the long run.
For strings, I'd recommend Obligatos. They are loud, easy to play and have plenty of pizz sustain without being ultra contemporary sounding like Spirocores. They are a little darker sounding. I think Mike Bub plays Spirocores, but his bass is well-aged with a darker overall tone. I tried Spirocores on my new ES9, and they were too bright.
Lastly, it will take a while for the bass to open up. IMO, you can speed up the process with a cheap fiberglass bow and a set of earplugs (optional)
The bow cranks a lot more energy into the top than pizz ever will. Once I started bowing the swingmaster, it woke up a lot in just a few months.
Just spend 15-20 a day cranking long tones on the open strings. If you get bored, run whole-note scales. You'll be amazed how the bow exposes holes in your intonation.
If you actually develop an affection for the bow, throw away the Glasser and bet a real bow pronto, and don't touch the new one until you have hooked up with a teacher.
But for the sake of rattling the bass loose, I think my advice is sound.
I spend a lot of time at BG and folk festivals. There are more Engelhardts out there than you can shake a stick at. Some are really nice to play and hear. Others are just plain nasty. The setup makes all the difference in the world.
Last edited by Chasarms : 12-21-2004 at 09:21 AM.
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