Used Cremona @ $600 worth looking at?

gtrandbass · #1 05-04-2006, 06:09 PM

Hey guys -- this bass came up when I was looking for a cheap starter: Used cherry Cremona, perhaps 5 years old, dot inlays added, with a case and stand. Is $600 good enough price to take a closer look at it or should I forget it and keep on searching?

Tks again!

mcnaire2004 · #2 05-04-2006, 06:21 PM

Yes it is worth looking at. Alot of people on this board will tell you that $600 will never get you a good bass. Or a playable one for that matter. But, if it sounds good and you feel it's good for you go for it. It's extreemely cheep so if you can play on it and your teacher (if you have one) should go with you when you're looking at it. Well, good luck.

hdiddy · #3 05-04-2006, 06:28 PM

hrm... 5 years old? And does it have any damage? I'll say maybe if it's survived this long and $600 isn't a bad price. Maybe a good beater bass?

gtrandbass · #4 05-04-2006, 06:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mcnaire2004

Yes it is worth looking at. Alot of people on this board will tell you that $600 will never get you a good bass. Or a playable one for that matter. But, if it sounds good and you feel it's good for you go for it. It's extreemely cheep so if you can play on it and your teacher (if you have one) should go with you when you're looking at it. Well, good luck.

Tks for your super quick response. One additional piece of information: The seller said it is Chinese, does that change your opinion? And, I probably should have said "bag" instead of a "case"

I have played electric bass for a while now and I don't have a teacher to take with me. But, I know about action etc. as an old fart guitar player.... tks again.

mcnaire2004 · #5 05-04-2006, 07:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by gtrandbass

Tks for your super quick response. One additional piece of information: The seller said it is Chinese, does that change your opinion? And, I probably should have said "bag" instead of a "case"

I have played electric bass for a while now and I don't have a teacher to take with me. But, I know about action etc. as an old fart guitar player.... tks again.

Bag is fine. $600 for a bass by itself on a curb with a broken bridge and no strings would still be cheap. I have heard some bad things about chinese basses but hey, if it sounds good and you can play on it easy then get it.

**Chris Fitzgerald** · #6 05-04-2006, 08:27 PM

mcnaire2004 · #7 05-04-2006, 08:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chris Fitzgerald

No.

The funny thing is you can't judge a bass that you never saw, heard, or played before.

Gufenov · #8 05-04-2006, 08:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mcnaire2004

The funny thing is

...the popcorn's almost ready...

**Chris Fitzgerald** · #9 05-04-2006, 09:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mcnaire2004

The funny thing is you can't judge a bass that you never saw, heard, or played before.

And neither can you. How many Cremonas have you played that you think are worth $600? I've played quite a few of these "student instruments" at auditions, at music stores in the area, and at the Aebersold camps each year for the past 5 years, and there isn't a single one that I'd even pay shipping for. So, my advice to steer clear is based on experience. Is your advice to "go for it" based on the same? If so, please expound. If not, please don't give bad advice to newbies.

BGreaney · #10 05-04-2006, 09:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mcnaire2004

Alot of people on this board will tell you that $600 will never get you a good bass. Or a playable one for that matter.

Unless the seller has no idea of the value of the instrument they're selling, I'd say this is in fact true.

Alright, maybe there is the occasional exception...I doubt this is one of them...

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chris Fitzgerald

...please don't give bad advice to newbies.

Mcnaire, I think there's a time to offer your opinion...but there's also a time to let the more experienced folk offer their thoughts while you sit back and absorb the exchange of ideas. I think this is one of those times.

mcnaire2004 · #11 05-04-2006, 10:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BGreaney

Unless the seller has no idea of the value of the instrument they're selling, I'd say this is in fact true.

Alright, maybe there is the occasional exception...I doubt this is one of them...

Mcnaire, I think there's a time to offer your opinion...but there's also a time to let the more experienced folk offer their thoughts while you sit back and absorb the exchange of ideas. I think this is one of those times.

He asked if it was worth taking a look at. I say yes. I didn't say it was good or bad. I just say he should check it out.

gtrandbass · #12 05-04-2006, 10:03 PM

Wow -- I did not know this would create some real discussion here. I understand I must really carefully check the bass if I decide to take a look at it.

I change my question little here: Is Cremona OK for a student at any price? How much its value is if everything works and it is playable?

I am a frequest visitor to some guitar player forums where some say do not buy Epiphones or anything made in Korea or China. So far I have just good experiences with my cheap oriental guitars made in those countries and even in Indonesia (workmanship, action/playability). I just had to change some PUs to make them sound better (close to originals) and in one case tuners...

**Chris Fitzgerald** · #13 05-04-2006, 10:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by gtrandbass

Wow -- I did not know this would create some real discussion here. I understand I must really carefully check the bass if I decide to take a look at it.

I change my question little here: Is Cremona OK for a student at any price? How much its value is if everything works and it is playable?

IMO, no, and little to none. These things are more likely to hurt your playing and desire to play than anything. For about twice that price, you can get a great student bass in the Shen SB80 that will last and last and last. I have several students at the U who are going through the jazz program playing these and sounding great. BSO's like all the Cremonas and Palatinos I've ever seen are just time bombs waiting to implode, at which point they become a money pit.

Quote:

I am a frequest visitor to some guitar player forums where some say do not buy Epiphones or anything made in Korea or China. So far I have just good experiences with my cheap oriental guitars made in those countries and even in Indonesia (workmanship, action/playability). I just had to change some PUs to make them sound better (close to originals) and in one case tuners...

There's no comparison between the Epiphone analogy and the Cremora BSO situation. The Epiphones that I've seen are decent instruments. They've always been playable and dependable IME. The problem with a cheap double bass is that the wood is often green, and the string tension on a double bass just tears them apart when the wood starts to expand and contract. Check ou the newbie links thread in this forum, and listen to the wise words of our esteemed luthiers on the subject - they know their ****, especially since they have all had to attempt repairs on these dogs at some point.

If you can't stand it and must go check out one of these basses, find a teacher or someone you trust to go with you and check out the construction. These things are worse than Yugos as far as I've seen.

Roger Mouton · #14 05-04-2006, 11:16 PM

$600 for a Cremona isn't worth the money whether new or used. Instruments should increase in value if they're maintained well. A 5 year old instrument should be worth much more than it was new.

junk_funky · #15 05-04-2006, 11:29 PM

Hey now,

I just received my Cremona in the mail today (no shipping cause I work at a music store) and it was $659, BRAND NEW!

I've shopped around and talked to the elder upright cats in town (i just came back to this forum this week after a year long absence...)
and everyone said it would be fine. I played the same model at the NAMM this year and discovered that it needed a small setup jobby but it had good projection.

So it arrived today and I took it to the local setup guy who's from New york and knows what he's doing. He did a quick setup on it and it plays fine. Several other people in the shop commented on how good it sounds and looks, including another professional upright player who was there.

So, it may not be the best bass around, but for my money I think it'll rock. I understand that it won't age well as far as value or tone, but now I have a great looking, playing and sounding upright that I won't freak out about if it gets scratched at a gig!

******************** updated

And I just read a bunch of people dogging cremona hard on another thread. Everything they're saying makes sense, but this bass will work in a pinch and I'm rather enjoying it thank you very much.

So we'll see how long this thing will last before it 'busts at the seams' ; )

mje · #16 05-05-2006, 08:55 AM

Given that you can buy a really good Sam Shen SB80 for $1400 or less, complete with an ebony fingerboard, good strings, a bag, and a professional luthier setup, there is simply NO reason to buy a "Cremona" or another one of these cheapo instruments. In five years, should you decide to sell the bass, the Shen will be worth what you paid for it, and the Cremona will be worth nothing- or what you can get another newbie to pay for it.

The $500-700 basses are like the $125 mountain bikes sold in discount stores. You can ride them, but pretty soon the componants start failing, and you discover that it costs you several times what you paid for the bike in the long run to keep it going.

A few people have said that they have a Cremona, and it's very good. Maybe, given their loose quality control, a decent one slips through now and then. But I've noticed that every single buyer who talk up their Cremona is a newbie with their first instrument.

drurb · #17 05-05-2006, 09:01 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mcnaire2004

He asked if it was worth taking a look at. I say yes. I didn't say it was good or bad. I just say he should check it out.

There's a flame going on my gas stove. Is it worth sticking my hand in just to check if maybe, just maybe, it feels good?

NO!

Chris is right on. If "checking out" the Cremona involves more than five minutes and a half-gallon of gasoline, it is time, gas, and money wasted.

drurb · #18 05-05-2006, 09:07 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by junk_funky

Hey now,

I just received my Cremona in the mail today ...

but now I have a great looking, playing and sounding upright that I won't freak out about if it gets scratched at a gig!

A great looking, playing, and sounding upright? I understand that you are considering that it will work in a pinch and you are well aware that it may fall apart but-- "great playing and sounding?" Of course, I cannot challenge your perception but please do tell us what is the basis of comparison on which those superlatives are based.

nicklloyd · #19 05-05-2006, 09:12 AM

Why is the seller parting with his 5 year old Cremona? Maybe because it needs $500+ worth of work?

Cremonas sound good in the store, and good for about 6 months. "Time bomb" is a perfect description. g/l junk funky.

gtrandbass · #20 05-05-2006, 09:14 AM

Thank you all for your valuable comments!! This seller lives just ten minutes away so I may go and look at the bass just for my curiosity.

It was quite a surprise to learn that it is that EXPENSIVE to buy a decent student upright bass, LOL! A few months ago I paid just $650 for a used Mesa/Boogie MK4, top of the line gtr amp!

I'll look at a renting option too, as someone was suggesting in my earlier thread on starter basses too.

Have a great weekend!