Still Shopping... Medio Fino Hybrid

[gennaevelyn]

Hi again;

So I'm still looking for a bass to upgrade to from my Engelhardt and I found out that there is a person selling an Upton Medio Fino Hybrid.

From his pictures, it appears to be the same one that Upton was selling here:

http://www.uptonbass.com/used-double...ropean-hybrid/

Now, just to recap, I'm currently the owner of a very well setup Englehardt EC-1 as my first bass. Its a plywood, but nevertheless I'm using it in my community orchestra. I'm still learning and I picked this bass up in Boston back in May for an excellent price.

So I have two quick questions for you all:

First, I realise that the Medio Fino is a hybrid and mine is a plywood -- but would this really be such a good step up from the bass I already have or would it be more a horizontally upwards step. I'm looking to upgrade, but I don't want to put that kind of money into a new bass if its not going to be that much better than my old bass. I have not heard the Medio Fino or played it yet because its located 9 hours away from me. I don't want to go that far to test it out if there's a good chance that it won't be that much better than the bass I already have. Would you say it would be better to save my money and wait until I can get a better quality hybrid or would this Medio Fino be a good step up? From what I understand, the Medio Finos are not made by Upton but were imported from Europe. I am intrigued by the narrow upper bout because my short arms seem to be causing me to have some problems getting around the normal sized bouts on my Engelhardt.

Second question: looking at the pictures of this bass from when Upton originally sold it to this person I see that there were a couple of dings on the side

here: http://www.uptonbass.com/catalog/images/DSC01685.JPG

and here: http://www.uptonbass.com/catalog/images/DSC01686.JPG

Assuming this bass is in the same condition as when they sold it to him, would these defects have an effect on the tone/playability of this bass? I know small chinks don't seem to effect my plywood, but I've never had a hybrid.

Finally, what would be a good/fair price to offer to pay for this bass? It comes with a revolution solo ii pick up (which I don't need since I'm only playing orchestral) and a Deluxe Upton bass bag, but no bow (I already have my Upton German bow).

Well, I would appreciate any help or advice you all could offer. Hopefully I can stop bothering you all with my new purchase questions soon!

Genna.

[Jake deVilliers]

That looks just like a Gliga to me and they seem to be acceptable arco basses. We can't tell you if its worth the money unless we know the asking price.

The back and sides are plywood so you don't have to worry about the dents or cracking.

Why don't you call Upton and ask them about it?

[gennaevelyn]

Hi! Thanks for the quick response!

You know it looks a lot like the Corsini here too: http://www.jrmusicsupply.com/basses.htm

The sides are apparently carved, not ply. Only the back is ply so that's why I'm worried about the dents/cracks.

I did try to get info from Upton but they refused to answer my questions because they are not selling the particular bass. I understand that -- they haven't had a chance to look at it, and what not... but they sold him this bass in the first place and they are my only real source of hard info on the M-F. I really wish they would help me out. But whatever...

Anyways, the asking price is 2000.

Does that help at all??

[drurb]

The first bass I bought from Upton was a hybrid very much like that Medio Fino. In fact, I think it was the same model. Indeed, Upton imported those basses. At the time, I was playing a well set-up 1967 Kay C-1. If anything, that Kay was superior to the Engelhardt version. The hybrid was a substantial improvement, mostly as a result of that carved top. The neck, fingerboard, fingerboard projection, and overall design were also superior to the Kay. So, I can say that I come pretty close to having lived with both of the basses you're discussing. I'd take the Medio Fino in a heartbeat over the Engel (or Kay), especially for orchestral playing.

I believe Jake is quite correct that the ribs and back are ply. If the instrument is in good shape, I'd say that $2000 is a fair price.

I found a pic of the Upton hybrid I bought. You can judge for yourself how similar it is:

[gennaevelyn]

Hello again drurb!

Thanks so much for your insight. But look here

From the Upton website:

"The Medio-Fino double bass sports a spruce top, solid maple ribs, and laminated maple back." http://www.uptonbass.com/used-hybrid...-upright-bass/

Doesn't that mean that the sides are carved and not ply?

Does that make any difference to your opinion with respect to the cracks/dents?

thanks again!

[drurb]

I stand corrected. Upton knows better than me. No, the small dings don't change my opinion at all. I'd suggest you check those areas for open seams. If all is solid, it would seem (no pun intended) good to go.

[Jake deVilliers]

Genna, the marks are merely spots where the varnish has worn off from laying it on its side and are meaningless. The solid sides are bent not carved and will help overall resonance.

You've got a personal testimonial as the model, now you need to go and play the one you're considering. Basses are made of wood which varies widely, so they all sound different, and the setup can alter the sound a lot too.

Please be sure to take your present bass with you so you can play them back to back! This is very important!

Have fun.

[Bass]

Originally Posted by gennaevelyn

...I am intrigued by the narrow upper bout because my short arms seem to be causing me to have some problems getting around the normal sized bouts on my Engelhardt....

How do you like the looks of the narrow shoulders versus normal shoulders? ie Englehardt versus Medio Fino Hybrid:

[hdiddy]

Meh. If your ply bass isn't terrible, I would just keep saving your pennies and go fully carved, unless you happen to play one in person and cannot find the will to walk home without it. It's a step up but if your bass is decent, why bother?

[drurb]

Originally Posted by hdiddy

Meh. If your ply bass isn't terrible, I would just keep saving your pennies and go fully carved, unless you happen to play one in person and cannot find the will to walk home without it. It's a step up but if your bass is decent, why bother?

Well, here's a different perspective. I was in the same position a number of years back. My ply bass sure wasn't terrible. Still, the benefits offered by the carved top of the hybrid and the better overall design were well worth the upgrade. While I had the hybrid, I saved more pennies and traded that hybrid for a fully-carved. Then, I eventually traded further up to a nicer fully-carved. Given that these basses hold their value quite well, my preference, at least, was to enjoy the benefits of the hybrid. The hybrid was more than some small incremental step in improvement over my Kay. As usual, it all depends upon how each of us personally weights the value/importance of the change.

[gennaevelyn]

Hey thanks for all your help everyone (even though I'm still feeling a bit conflicted about what to do)

Drurb, could you comment on how you felt about the narrow upper bout compared to that on your old Kay?

Bringing my old bass with me makes a lot of sense... but I have a Yaris hatchback -- I'm not sure I could fit them both in there if I end up buying the M-F when I go down... I'll have to look into that.

Anyways, yeah. I really appreciate everyone's willingness to give me advice on these things! I know it must get tiring hearing what amounts to pretty much the same questions over and over again.

(but I am wondering how you found those narrow bouts, drurb)

[drurb]

No, not tiring. Happy to help. The narrow bouts made it quite easy to get into TP, as you might imagine. In terms of playing, they were quite convenient. I think that the down-side to the narrow bouts is two-fold. First, they reduce the overall volume of the cavity so maybe the bass could otherwise have a bigger sound. Second, I find larger upper bouts more aesthetically pleasing. Still, the bass is what it is and, in my experience, the benefits of it being a hybrid along with the other design and build advantages I mentioned earlier made it a substantial upgrade over my very nice Kay. The thicker neck was very welcome as it promoted far less fatigue for me than did the skinny neck of the Kay. As many others have found, the thicker neck made it easier to maintain the left-hand "claw." I was very happy I made the change. I'd say, at this point, you ought to just go and play it. After all, it's what you think that really counts. I'd be happy to discuss any nitty-gritty details on the PM side if you like. Not that I've left any out-- just thought I'd offer.

[gennaevelyn]

DrUrb, I wholeheartedly appreciate the time you've taken to give me an account of your personal experience with this bass. And thanks to hdiddy, bass, and especially Jake DeVilliers for all the time you've taken to answer my questions! You're right, its high time I was planning to go out there to play it.

We're still trying to negotiate how exactly we're going to do this... and it looks like the earliest I can take this 9-hour one-way trip to see this bass will be in the first week of January... but that's ok because as luck would have it, the very accomplished bass maker, Don Gorman, just moved to my little hometown of Fredericton! Finally there is someone local I can go talk to about this! I think I will celebrate by making an appointment to go see him and get some pointers about what to look/listen for when I go to test out this bass in January. Might even ask if he has anything comparable for sale a little closer to home (his handmades start at around $18k which is about 10 times as much as I have to spend, but I understand he sometimes deals in student basses...) What a lucky break.

Anyways, I am looking forward to trying out this Medio fino. I think -- from the sounds of it -- that its the way to go for me.

Thanks again everyone.

[philip sirois]

Actually I believe the ribs are solid on the earlier version of these basses. I had the same bass in a plywood and the sides at that time were also solid even on the ply.

[drurb]

Originally Posted by philip sirois

Actually I believe the ribs are solid on the earlier version of these basses. I had the same bass in a plywood and the sides at that time were also solid even on the ply.

I think you're correct. I think the one I bought, which was prior to the Medio Fino moniker, actually did have "solid" ribs.

[longfinger]

So it's been a few weeks now. Did you end up buying this bass? How is it? Do you like it?