No-Name Upright

[lucyfur]

My apologies for adding to the seemingly large number of "what type of bass is this, and is this a good price" threads, but here goes.

I'm considering purchasing my first upright bass (I currently have an Ergo EUB) and found this one not too far from me.

Upright Bass/Double Bass/String Bass

I contacted the seller, and he told me "It was manufactured for a distributor in Livonia (Michigan, near where we live) and doesn't really have a brand name. It is a copy of a Testore bass with gamba corners."

Since this would be my first purchase, I really have no idea of what I should be looking for, other than obvious cracks or repairs. I don't even know how to tell if it is carved or plywood. I know $1000 isn't a great deal of money for an upright, but don't want to go crazy on my first one.

Any help would be most appreciated. I looked for a "buying tips" thread but didn't find one.

Thank you.

[fingerbun]

1.Starting on a cheap bass is fine if you get a good one and understand the limits. I still use a ply for pizz gigs.

2. Everything in double bass land is more or less boutique. There is no "safe" mass brand like Ibanez, Squier or whatever. So you have to judge the quality if the instrument. Hard when you are a beginner.

3. Everything in double bass land is expensive compared to electric. Saving $100 bucks is great but if you have to spend several times that in repairs and setup were you wise?

For all these reasons I would look for a reputable dealer, not private sales through Craiglist. Have a look at Gollihur Music's website as a starter. I haven't dealt with them but the feedback I've seen from their customers is pretty good. Also ask around who other bassists you know deal with. I can recommend a couple of good Australian places :-)

Your budget will buy a new double bass. The Craiglist one may be better, or the seller might be trying it on. A shop with an ongoing business has more incentive to look after you IMO.

[Jsn]

Originally Posted by lucyfur

Since this would be my first purchase, I really have no idea of what I should be looking for, other than obvious cracks or repairs. I don't even know how to tell if it is carved or plywood.

First, you should ask the seller if it's carved, a ply or a hybrid. If they know things like "Testore" and "gamba corners", they ought to be able to tell you that (verify before purchasing, of course).

This may be a killer deal and worth jumping on, but it sounds to me like you're not in the best position to judge that. If you're a beginner just starting out, on general terms you'd be better served by buying a new, entry level bass from a reputable dealer, that will arrive under warranty and impeccably set up. You can get this for comfortably under $2,000 these days (lucky you!).

This may or may not be a deal--and even if it is, it may not be the right deal for you.

[fingerbun]

Originally Posted by Jsn

First, you should ask the seller if it's carved, a ply or a hybrid. If they know things like "Testore" and "gamba corners", they ought to be able to tell you that (verify before purchasing, of course).

This may be a killer deal and worth jumping on, but it sounds to me like you're not in the best position to judge that. If you're a beginner just starting out, on general terms you'd be better served by buying a new, entry level bass from a reputable dealer, that will arrive under warranty and impeccably set up. You can get this for comfortably under $2,000 these days (lucky you!).

This may or may not be a deal--and even if it is, it may not be the right deal for you.

$2k in US seems high. But then I don't live there.

[Jsn]

Originally Posted by fingerbun

$2k in US seems high. But then I don't live there.

I was being conservative. A Shen SB80, brand new, goes for about $1500. That's from a reputable shop, with setup. There are similar values in Thompsons, I believe, and perhaps a few others like Gollihur's Estle Louis. There's more value received for the dollar in that category than in previous years.

[lucyfur]

Thanks for the information so far. I did ask the seller some more questions. He told me it was Chinese made, he bought it new several years back. In addition to the fingerboard being planed, he also had work done on the bridge (I think he said it was made thinner?) and also something done to the sound post.

I'll ask him about the carved/plywood/hybrid issue. From what I've read here so far I"m assuming carved is the preferred type?

[Eric Hochberg]

Originally Posted by fingerbun

2. Everything in double bass land is more or less boutique. There is no "safe" mass brand like Ibanez, Squier or whatever.

Shen, Christopher, Strunal, Eastman and others have been noted many times on this site to be of generally good quality and safe bets for entry level instruments starting new and set up by a bass luthier for $1.5k.

[timobee4]

That bass could be a winner mate, I am pretty sure that it is carved and I can tell that its Chinese! I got one just like that and I paid 3600$ plus 1000$ tax, new German hat pegs, new high quality bridge and setting up the neck another 1000$, recently paid around 500$ to have it finished with oil varnish and I know that it sounds nuts but every cent was worth it! If you can get it for a 1000 bucks grab it, specially if the fingerboard is already done!!!!! If its not carved but a hybrid its still ok!!! If its a laminate I wouldn't even blow my nose in it, but I reckon the back is figured maple typical of Chinese carved basses. Spiro strings are 200$ and basically the best jazz strings on the planet I play gut strings nowadays! Considering that a 1000$ is a fantastic deal, grab and start putting the hours in. I hope your ambitions are not revolving around the string torturing rockabilly slap machines, because in that case get the cheapest ply wood bass and don't even bother with carved or hybrid as you'd be more of a percussionist than anything. Good luck!

[lucyfur]

The seller says:

"Maple laminate back and sides, spruce laminate top"

[fingerbun]

Originally Posted by Eric Hochberg

Shen, Christopher, Strunal, Eastman and others have been noted many times on this site to be of generally good quality and safe bets for entry level instruments starting new and set up by a bass luthier for $1.5k.

Thanks...haven't seen those brands here in Oz. But I accept what you say.

[TroyK]

It's tough to tell from the pictures, but it could be a good bass for $1k. Ask who planed the fingerboard and if you could speak with them about the general state of repair of the instrument. Take the bow as part of the deal, doesn't matter what it is.

I'm not telling you to do it, because there's no way without inspecting it that I could get a qualified opinion, but it's worth checking out. No adjusters on the bridge I noticed, which you might want at some point. Can be added, you might not want or need them, but there's an expense if you do.

Good strings on there, no need to replace those for years unless you just wanted something else. It's worth pursuing, I think.

[tstone]

>> Thanks...haven't seen those brands here in Oz. But I accept what you say.

According to the Shen website, they have a dealer in the Melbourne area.

[lucyfur]

Just got a couple more pieces of information from the seller:

"Just remembered: I had the neck shaved down so it wasn't so chunky as when I got the bass. This upright was my first after playing only bass guitar, so I wanted a neck that felt a little more comfortable."

and:

"Yes, the work was done by Ed (**last name removed by me**), my instructor (also, the principal bass in the lansing symphony)."

He also stated he paid about $2000 for the bass/case/bow when new, and will take less than $1000 now, as he recently purchased a carved bass.

[TroyK]

Talk to the luthier and go check it out. The "shaved down" concerns me a little, depending on what they did, you don't want a DB neck to feel like a BG neck, but it kind of depends on what he was starting with. If he's just talking about fingerboard planing, no worries.

But talk to the luthier, they'll be able to tell you and probably give you their opinion on the bass. They would like for you to become their customer too, so it's not likely they would shill for the seller.

Could be a good buy....

[fingerbun]

Originally Posted by tstone

>> Thanks...haven't seen those brands here in Oz. But I accept what you say.According to the Shen website, they have a dealer in the Melbourne area.

Oh dear I am in trouble ;-)

Let me go into more detail so you can critique what I say.

First declaring my experience. Very experienced electric player . Not so much on upright. I have bought 2 uprights since I started maybe 4 years ago. Not enough to make me an expert but enough that what I learned in the process might help someone else.

Based on word of mouth there are one dealer in Melbourne and one in Sydney who I deal with. Both used by serious players. Both also do repairs so they know what they see in their workshop. And for me the Sydney one basically warranted the quality of the bass so if a lemon he stood to lose. (it wasn't). There are other shops but I don't trust their advice, based partly on personal experience.

(I live in Sydney. Melbourne is 900km away. Worth the cost of a plane ticket for a good carved instrument but probably not for a ply one. So my research is Sydney-centric).

Neither of them have mentioned Shen to me, and with the Chinese brands they do carry there is a constant need to monitor for changes in quality so from time to time they change what they carry if a brand comes back into the workshop too often.

Australia has a much smaller market than the US so it would not be surprising for some things to nominally have dealers here but not actually be in the country. Don't know if this is the case for Shen. But for example had this situation recently when wanting to try a Czech Ease Bass by David Gage. Their website tells you they have a dealer here until you try to get the dealer's name and address. Or did yesterday. They may read this and fix it :-) And buying sheet music it often has to be ordered and brought in from the US or UK by dealers who claim to keep it in stock.

My original statement was that upright is kind of boutique and i was thinking compared to electric. When challenged I gave ground. Certainly the list of brands wad good advice for OP. However I still think my original point was true. I know many more electric players than upright and there are many more shops that do electric. So it's easier to try a lot of brands, seek advice from people I know, and so on. On the web there is less room to verify things and even the possibility that a manufacturer is paying someone to pose as multiple people and write glowing reviews of a crap instrument.

Also is brand enough to buy on? For example if I told you an electric was Ibanez it could be anything from fairly entry level to a reasonably good pro instrument or even a vintage classic. Depends what model and when made. I don't know the same isn't true of Shen.

Don't really want to get into an argument over it. Have written a long explanation to put my original posts into context and people can take or leave on its merit ad they see fit.

fwiw my Chinese ply is a modified Sallieri and it has been good for me but others may say "that junk?!?!?". :-).

[TroyK]

I don't think anyone's arguing here. The OP has gotten lots of different opinions on this bass, which I think for the most part are all well founded. In the end, they've got to check out this bass and make a decision about it. I think we've given them some alternatives and the right steps to take/questions to ask.

Anxious to see how it turns out.

[Jsn]

I'm glad that the owner has been so responsive. Given the background provided thus far, this sounds like a well-tended bass owned by a reasonably well-informed player. It may well be worth the price.

[lucyfur]

Originally Posted by Jsn

I'm glad that the owner has been so responsive. Given the background provided thus far, this sounds like a well-tended bass owned by a reasonably well-informed player. It may well be worth the price.

Yes, he's been very responsive, and has offered to give me the number of the person who did all the work on it. He also had this to say when I asked him about the "shaved neck":

"He took some wood out of the heel and did some minor reshaping on the neck. It just made it a slightly slimmer neck... a little easier to get around."

So I'm seriously considering going to check it out soon, especially since I mentioned it to the wife, and didn't get the "what do you need another bass for?" response.

[TroyK]

Well, if you're seriously interested in a <$1,000 bass, then I would definitely go check it out.

And the Banana Splits freakin' rule!

[fingerbun]

Originally Posted by lucyfur

I mentioned it to the wife, and didn't get the "what do you need another bass for?" response.

Whatever you do with the bass do something REALLY special for that wife.

I'm blessed with such a supportive spouse as well. Not everyone is so blessed.