Hi Everyone--
I’m selling a ½ size plywood upright of unknown make, model, and vintage.
I'm a pro electric player but not currently an active upright player--I bought this bass used about 12 years ago and have used it occasionally for home demos when I want an upright sound.
The only marking suggesting the bass's origin is a "Scott Russ Warehouse" label inside. I don't know if this is a dealer of manufacturer or both. I googled the place but it doesn't seem to have a real website. I did, however, find this review on yelp:
"Where to begin. I just started playing the cello a few days ago, and needed an instrument to practice with at home and to be mine. I had exhausted amazon and ebay, most of which were dirt cheap and looked like it, when I found a post on craigslist about this music store. Scott is a total character, his family are all musicians and his father played alongside Duke Ellington (and there are pictures around the store which show it).
I took the LIRR from manhattan to this unknown hamlet out in Long Island, grabbed a cab and 5 minutes later was in front of a sketchy seeming music store. Scott let me in and showed me around his incredible instrument warehouse. He had all the options for me set up, tuned and ready for me to play with, and taught me all about the features of the various cellos.
They have an on staff luthier to hand-carve their bridges and sounding posts, and I was really impressed with the level of care they cleary took of their instruments. Add to that, they have a 3 year get half your money back deal, which is great for children and adults who may get bored.
After buying a wonderful cello for maybe 1/3 of what I would have paid in the city, he drove me to the train station. Such a surreal yet amazing experience. I'm breaking in my cello already and its giving me some really amazing tone.
Thanks Scott!"
I'd say this is more of a "student" model than a serious professional instrument, but it is playable and has a really cool, unique sound—very woody and punchy with somewhat less volume than a traditional 3/4 bass. In other words, good for not annoying the neighbors, sounds great recorded, and would probably sound great amplified. It definitely has something endearing about it; I feel like it always inspires me to make up cool riffs when I pick it up. A good "spirit" so to speak.
In other words, if you just want a fun instrument for some bluegrass or folk, it might work for you. Also, it’s a ½ size (meaning about 6" shorter and 3" narrower than a standard 3/4 size) so if you are an electric player wanting to try a little upright, it might be a bit easier for you to handle the shorter scale length.
The condition is actually very, very good--a few bumps and scratches but otherwise fine. No repairs that I can see and it has a very solidly-constructed feel. There is the beginning of a slight separation where the body meets the saddle but it seems to be extremely stable and has never gotten any bigger in the time I've had the bass. There is also what seems to be some slight sinking on one of the f-holes, but again, seems to be very stable--no sound post bump on the back or anything like that. The bridge is solid and adjustable--not fantastic but functional. The tuners, however, are very sturdy and smooth and the tailpiece seems solid as well.
I am far from an expert on uprights, but I like playing it. I'm betting with a bit of work you could have a really cool, funky little bass that plays even better.
This is for local sale; I live in Bayside, Queens in NYC and don't have a car, but I may be able to be persuaded to bring the bass on the train to my rehearsal space in Midtown Manhattan. That said, I'm not opposed to shipping it on an "sold as-is" basis if the buyer wants to pay for the packing and shipping by a professional service--I have no idea how to go about properly packing an upright and I'm not really wanting to attempt it. In other words, if you want to have it shipped, I can probably get it to it to somewhere that will pack it and ship it for you.
I dunno...$400? I'm also willing to consider trades of various sorts (electrics, upright, guitars, mandolins, recording gear...)—I am particularly desirous of a sunburst Palatino EUB but I'm open to just about anything cool. Thanks for looking!
