need cheap replacement ub with decent pickup

melodicly · #1 12-09-2009, 09:44 PM

I had a nice solid top bass that katrina took from me and haven't had the dough or need to replace it since. It was about $1800 and sounded great acoustic and I had put the K&K pickup with the transducers and the microphone (I think it's been discontinued) that was at best mediocre, but got the job done.

So here's the deal, I still don't have even $1000 lying around but I have gone almost 5 years with out my favorite instrument available to me so I need to bite the bullet and go laminate chinese. Problem 1: NOWHERE around me that I can play or look at these; Problem 2: with shipping etc I am looking at $6-700 for something that isn't set up right, has crap strings, crap bow and even crappier case; Problem 3: I can do $600 tops; Problem 4: I hate electric uprights, if I played enough BIG gigs on ub I would consider it, but I don't. Any suggestions? Am I best off getting the $350 ebay special and putting a few hundred into strings and setup or is that a waste of money?

I figure a decent pickup will help a not so decent bass (especially in a rockabilly kind of environment) but have no clue what seems to be the most popular, reliable and affordable pickup. Thanks for advice on this guys.

Food for thought, I would rather pay $500 for an ok bass without the crappy bag, stand, bow, extra crap strings etc, but just haven't found that deal yet

Anybody in New Orleans that can give me some shops that I can look for affordable basses and get a good set up? That would be HUGE!

Also In Januarary I will be driving to Tennessee (chattanooga) so if there is a store in that general area I should look that would be great too. As well Birmingham as I am in out of there as well. I avoid Atlanta like the plague though.

Thanks again for advice and sorry for long message.
Dale

melodicly · #2 12-09-2009, 11:31 PM

Ok long story short, should I go for one of these ebay site unseen $400 deals or not? I am afraid that they may be so bad that I would never be able to get them set up properly. I can deal with mediocre sound right now, but if the neck is off, or there is no way to keep the sound post in the right spot, or the end pin will never hold and can't be replaced.... No experience with them or pickups on them. Thanks, Dale

Bass Barrister · #3 12-09-2009, 11:45 PM

Looks like you're in a bit of a tough spot there. If you could somehow scrape up $1300 and the cost an Amtrak ride up to Chicago or Milwaukee, there's a guy selling what looks like a halfway decent old Kay with a pick-up for that amount. See the classifieds. Every now and then, something like that pops up on our classifieds.

I also noticed that Chicago CL has a listing for a used blonde Engelhardt for $950.

It will be hard to beat those prices for anything decent.

ctxbass · #4 12-10-2009, 12:22 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by melodicly

Ok long story short, should I go for one of these ebay site unseen $400 deals or not? I am afraid that they may be so bad that I would never be able to get them set up properly. I can deal with mediocre sound right now, but if the neck is off, or there is no way to keep the sound post in the right spot, or the end pin will never hold and can't be replaced.... No experience with them or pickups on them. Thanks, Dale

Long story short, no. The problem with those basses is that they usually don't hold up. I saw one in a pawn shop once and could not believe what a piece of junk it was. Keep your eyes out for a used Engelhardt. They are affordable, will not fall apart on you, and will wind up costing less in the "short run".

wineaux · #5 12-10-2009, 02:04 PM

Mel,

The few CCB I've played or tried to play are not worth the money, and even if you pay for a decent setup, you don't know how long the body will hold together.

You'd be better off, in the long run, waiting for another year, saving what you can and looking for a better bass. In addition to keeping tabs of what's available on Craigslist and local shops, check ebay for basses close enough that you could check out. Also, Ideal Music, which advertises on this forum, has some reasonably priced basses.

I know it's tough to wait. But if you burn the money you have now and get a bass that isn't playable or doesn't last, you'll be bassless for even longer.

Keep hunting and hoping. Keep us posted.

melodicly · #6 12-10-2009, 06:00 PM

d@mn it, why do guys have to be so reasonable?! I have a few guitars I rarely play anymore that I am strongly considering selling and that would get me into the $1300+ range, but they are sentimental and I am still not sure I would be happy selling my nice guitar for an ok bass. I will definitely look around for used engelhardt. Any other maybe less popular brands I should keep an eye out for?

Thanks for the reality check. Some how I knew that's what I'd hear

How about pickups? What seems to be the most usable and reliable?

EBMatt · #7 12-10-2009, 06:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by melodicly

d@mn it, why do guys have to be so reasonable?! I have a few guitars I rarely play anymore that I am strongly considering selling and that would get me into the $1300+ range, but they are sentimental and I am still not sure I would be happy selling my nice guitar for an ok bass. I will definitely look around for used engelhardt. Any other maybe less popular brands I should keep an eye out for?

Thanks for the reality check. Some how I knew that's what I'd hear

How about pickups? What seems to be the most usable and reliable?

If you can get in the $1300 price range I would definitely check out a Thompson RM-100. I just got the hybrid version of that bass (RM-200) and it is a unbelievably great bass.

http://stringemporium.com/thompson-u...ood-basses.htm