NS Cleveland in NorCal?

[Jsn]

So, I'm starting to get intermediate-level basses in my sights, with an eye toward moving up from my '38 Kay in the next year or so. The Kay has manifold charms, but it's more of a bluegrass beast than suited for the kind of music I find myself playing these days.

My needs are:

• Superior volume/projection. I'm mostly backing up singer/songwriters, and sometimes we're in coffeehouses or other venues that don't have amplified music permits, which means I can't plug in. It would be nice to be able to cut through the noise nonetheless. (One of my options here is a 7/8s, perhaps).

• Arco friendliness. I'm getting more requests for the bow these days, and I'll have to say I'm enjoying it. Looking forward to growing in that particular dimension, but you'll note I say "arco friendliness", not "arco magnificence"--perhaps a hybrid top instead of a fully-carved. That's because I also have to keep in mind...

• Non-fragility. The Kay is, of course, a tank. And between the casualness of some venues, most without a proper stage, and the omnipresence of my two young kids (3 and 5) at home, I'm not quite ready to take on the care and feeding of a delicate antique. But hey, it sure would be nice to have a lighter bass to lug around.

For all the above reasons, you can see why I'm intrigued by the New Standard Cleveland. But I live in the San Francisco Bay Area, and I'm very much inclined to see/hear/play before I make the leap into my next instrument.

Anyone in the broad perimeter of this area happen to have one? Hybrid or full-lam--I'd just like to get the real measure of a model, for five minutes or so. As a token of my appreciation, I'll bring you a good bottle of local wine.

Any takers? I'll venture as far north as San Jose, as far north as Sonoma, as far north as Sacramento. As for venturing west...well, if you happen to have deposited a Cleveland on the Farallon Islands, I'll make it out there too.

Those of you not in the neighborhood: I'd appreciate any input/advice on my quest. Thanks!

[D McCartney]

Give a holler if you plan on coming to the land of liquid sunshine (WA) anytime soon. You can put my Cleveland through the paces.

[Bass Barrister]

I had the honor of visiting Arnold Schnitzer on Monday afternoon (10/20), and the pleasure of trying out a hybrid NS Cleveland and a fully-carved LaScala. As the younger folks say: OMG!!

Since this thread is about the Cleveland, My feeling is that this is an amazing bass which can rival many fully carved basses in terms of projection and tone. When played pizz. (not my main style), the sound was clear and loud. It was strung with Spiros, so the bowing was not ideal but, nonetheless, very doable. Strung with better hybrid action strings, this bass would be more than able to satisfy the needs of those who need to "do it all" with one bass. Being somwhat larger and more broad-shouldered than a standard 3/4 size bass, I found it a bit large for my physical abilities. Of course, the workmanship, fit, and finish are top drawer as one would expect.

Now, as to the La Scala - well . . . that requires another thread. But did I say OMG!