Old Englehardt recommendation

geojam · #1 07-10-2006, 11:25 AM

I recently purchased an old Englehardt (EC-1 or MC-1) plywood bass with Rosewood fingerboard and tailpiece. It's previous owner played Jazz and it has an adjustable bridge and was fairly well maintained. It's my second bass - I started with a Christopher rental. FYI, I'm a bass guitarist (38 years) making my return to UB after leaving High School...

Okay - this is a pretty good sounding bass but not as good as I want - My question, is this bass worth working on/setting up or should I move it on and buy a newer bass like the Upton Hawkes or DB204 series Christopher? I play mostly roots music.

drurb · #2 07-10-2006, 02:11 PM

Well, for laminates, the probability that something will happen is far lower than with a hybrid or carved. As far as new basses go, if they are quality ones, then you can be quite sure there will not be disaster. With regard to cracks (hybrid/carved), I wonder if once a bass is old, the likelihood of further cracking is any lower than for a new, quality bass.

To my ears, no matter what you do to that Englehardt, it will not sound as good as something like an Upton Hawkes. Of course, it's all a tradeoff. If you can bring the Engle to its peak performance for, say, $200, it may not be worth it to you to spend additional $$$ on something new.

Indeed, you should let a qualified luthier evaluate it.

Jazzman · #3 07-10-2006, 03:14 PM

The Hawkes will blow your mind...it isn't in the same ball park as the Engelhardt. The best move would be to put in a little extra dough and get one from the Upton line.

geojam · #4 07-10-2006, 03:31 PM

I'm leaning toward the Hawkes - already talked to Jack there at Upton - great guy and have the price etched in my mind. But what may sway me even more - is that I already have $650.00 invested in this Englehardt bass and just got a repair estimate for another $400 to set it up ( new sound post, endpin, fingerboard plane....). I can get my $650 back out of it... I'll break even... Hmmmm. The Englehardt is solid - well maintained... But....

All responses, even local responses so far are leading me to sell.... Thanks so far! Not a lot of great experiences with that old Englehardt I guess...

drurb · #5 07-10-2006, 06:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by geojam

I'm leaning toward the Hawkes - already talked to Jack there at Upton - great guy and have the price etched in my mind. But what may sway me even more - is that I already have $650.00 invested in this Englehardt bass and just got a repair estimate for another $400 to set it up ( new sound post, endpin, fingerboard plane....). I can get my $650 back out of it... I'll break even... Hmmmm. The Englehardt is solid - well maintained... But....

All responses, even local responses so far are leading me to sell.... Thanks so far! Not a lot of great experiences with that old Englehardt I guess...

I was being a bit reserved. Given this new information, my advice would be to sell that Engle and get an Upton. You won't believe the difference!

5stringDNA · #6 07-10-2006, 06:45 PM

Here's the deal- the upton will be anicer bass and sound better, but the engle isn't bad if you are short on cash. If you do put the $400 into it, i can almost gaurantee will not lose money on it. An Em1 with a good setup adn good strigns and adjustable bridge will bring around $1000 in just about any market. That is simplay what they are worth. The used and new price doesn't fluctuate much on them so long as the condition is good. Some cats prefer a used bass. At any rate, if you want a ncie rbass, buy a nicer bass, but if you decide to stay with the Engle, you won't be losing money on it so long as you don't go much over the $1k mark.

geojam · #7 07-12-2006, 01:58 PM

Thanks for all your responses! UPDATE: I've made an emergency decision keep the Engelhardt for the summer so I can fullfil another bass 'Wish' of mine - Own an Eminence 4 string to perform with. This is not so much a wish as a requirement now as my trio plays very small open mic and private party stages. The DB's size forces me to use my fretless BG on many of these gigs, as such my playing style changes with that equipment and I'm forced to practice each song we play with both the DB and BG... My arm was twisted when I found a used Eminence unit and will buy it today if all goes well. The Upton folks will have my Hawkes order before the end of the year however - This Bass Aquisition Syndrome thing is never ending I hear.... Cheers!

geojam · #8 07-12-2006, 04:31 PM

All went well... The Eminence is a Sweet EUB and will complement my 'Bottom Line' very nicely. I'm very broke as a result... but now have plenty of time to practice. Cheers!