shen or thompson?

[skatevu]

Im going to buy a bass soon (ive been pllaying in school for about 3 years now) and ive found 2 basses. one is the shen SB80 ply and the other is the thompson RM-100 ply. if anyone has had any expeirence with either of these i just want to know which one is overall better ( sound, playability, ect.)

[darjama]

The one you can try (and like) before you buy.

[ole Jason]

There probably is not a big difference between the two "out of the box" but a nice setup will go a long way towards getting the most out of each bass.

[kreider204]

I bought a Thompson recently from Steve Koscica at String Emporium. He did a great setup before he shipped it, I'm enjoying the hell out of it.

[eerbrev]

I'll be honest: it's unlikely you'll get a straight answer from anyone over here. The reason for this is that at the end of the day, you should:

1.) Read ALL the stickies at the top of this forum (this page in particular) to find out what you should be looking for in terms of workmanship on your instrument etc.

2.) Fill out more of your profile. It doesn't have to be totally complete, but for one it helps all the people here who are interested in helping you more able to help you, suggesting things like a close bass shop, a recommended luthier in your area, et cetera. Also, since we're a smaller community here than on the BG (bass guitar) side, it' helps it all feel more home-y around here.

3.) Do a forum search for these companies on this forum. There have been a lot of people tossing around these names lately, and you will glean lots of knowledge pertaining to exactly what you're asking about.

4.) Remember that musical, and personal instrument taste are very subjective, and 10 different players will be able to extract at least 10 distinct sounds out of the same instrument. As a result, what someone find in an instrument, you may not.

5.) Remember that every bass is different, and this is even more pronounced than on the BG side of life. This means that the best option is to take a weekend, travel to a good bass shop in your area, and try as many instruments as you can (hopefully the shop will have the previously mentioned two basses you are interested in), including some a little bit outside of your price range. this will help you know what you want in terms of an instrument, and help greatly with your decision.

I hope this helps you, and I hope you find an instrument you like. Keep us posted over here! we all like to drool over the new bass pics.

best regards,

Alex

[Hqubed]

Not certain where you are located but set up will make a big difference no matter which you choose. My son plays with the local youth Symphony and has private instruction as well. We own 3 Shen's all of which have, for the price point, exceeded expectations for both playability and sound quality. One of these purchased used off CL, the orginal owner stated it was perfectly set up because he knew the guy who did yet the bass was unplayable. Knowing Shens and the comments from educated people whom we have come across of "never heard a bad one" we felt it was most likely not the instrument. First thing we did was take it Nick Lloyd, in the words of both my son and his instructor it plays like butter. We are very happy with the Shen(s) and can't say enough about the great work Nick does.

Good luck in your search

[TheIrishOx]

Thompson, I have a sb 80, great bass, but string emporium packaged deals are literally unbeatable and sound good too

[fruity2x]

Originally Posted by eerbrev

I'll be honest: it's unlikely you'll get a straight answer from anyone over here. The reason for this is that at the end of the day, you should:

1.) Read ALL the stickies at the top of this forum (this page in particular) to find out what you should be looking for in terms of workmanship on your instrument etc.

2.) Fill out more of your profile. It doesn't have to be totally complete, but for one it helps all the people here who are interested in helping you more able to help you, suggesting things like a close bass shop, a recommended luthier in your area, et cetera. Also, since we're a smaller community here than on the BG (bass guitar) side, it' helps it all feel more home-y around here.

3.) Do a forum search for these companies on this forum. There have been a lot of people tossing around these names lately, and you will glean lots of knowledge pertaining to exactly what you're asking about.

4.) Remember that musical, and personal instrument taste are very subjective, and 10 different players will be able to extract at least 10 distinct sounds out of the same instrument. As a result, what someone find in an instrument, you may not.

5.) Remember that every bass is different, and this is even more pronounced than on the BG side of life. This means that the best option is to take a weekend, travel to a good bass shop in your area, and try as many instruments as you can (hopefully the shop will have the previously mentioned two basses you are interested in), including some a little bit outside of your price range. this will help you know what you want in terms of an instrument, and help greatly with your decision.

I hope this helps you, and I hope you find an instrument you like. Keep us posted over here! we all like to drool over the new bass pics.

best regards,

Alex

I would like to thank you, Alex.

I am an electric player but I like to "lurk" on this part of TalkBass, as my father-in-law is interested in getting a double bass soon and I'd like to have one myself someday. (yes I was lucky enough to marry a bass-players daughter ).

This is one of the most well put and pleasant posts I have ever read for helping a new member to our little world.

Sorry to "hijack" the thread but I just really appreciated this and feel we, as a community, tend to not have a lot of civility sometimes.

Again, thank you!!!!

[eerbrev]

Originally Posted by fruity2x

I would like to thank you, Alex.

I am an electric player but I like to "lurk" on this part of TalkBass, as my father-in-law is interested in getting a double bass soon and I'd like to have one myself someday. (yes I was lucky enough to marry a bass-players daughter ).

This is one of the most well put and pleasant posts I have ever read for helping a new member to our little world.

Sorry to "hijack" the thread but I just really appreciated this and feel we, as a community, tend to not have a lot of civility sometimes.

Again, thank you!!!!

I'm Canadian. It's in my nature to be nice.

Thank you though. I hope the OP finds it useful.

[wdnewman]

Not much difference (if any) between the two basses, but if you are planning on trading up or selling at some point in the future, I would go with the Shen. In fact, I DID go with the Shen for that very reason. Name recognition along with quite a few years of customer satisfaction mean something when sell/trade time comes.
For you, you got to play 'em. Play everything you can.

[InfinityJaco]

Originally Posted by kreider204

I bought a Thompson recently from Steve Koscica at String Emporium. He did a great setup before he shipped it, I'm enjoying the hell out of it.

Does the setup not usually get messed up during shipment? I would be worried that I would pay all that money and then they would ship it and it would be out of whack again...(new to DB)

[Square Bear]

steve ships basses all the time. when he shipped my wan, it was packed very well in a flight case and sent air cargo. arrived that evening at the airport just fine. really, steve knows what he is doing and i don't think he has shipping problems very often.