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Double Bass Asking for advice on 2 basses

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porterhouse1

Guest
Mar 13, 2016
3
0
50
Methow Valley, WA
#1
Hello everyone,
This is my first post but I've been lurking here for months while renting an upright. I've finally decided to purchase one and have narrowed it down to 2 of them. Having found some great advice here, I would like to draw on your experiences for my decision.

First is the Thompson RM-200 hybrid bass from String Emporium. I called and talked with Steve and he offered me a pretty sweet package. This seems to be a great deal for the money compared to ANYTHNG else I've seen and the hybrid will come with a professional set up, new strings, full circle pick up, carbon fiber bow and a 2 year warranty.

Second is a mid-century 5 string Kay known as the Chubby Jackson model. It sort if made my heart skip a beat when I saw it. Check it ...
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It has some wear and tear and I've spoken with the owner. She's getting older and plays a few other instruments and doesn't use it anymore. She claims it was inspected by a luthier and it had an "Extensive professional set-up - including new nut, shaping of the fingerboard and bridge and a new sound post." There is also what she says is a cosmetic crack where the neck attaches and was verified by the luthier that it isn't structural. It has an ebony fingerboard with an Underwood pickup, bow, stand and bag.

I really REALLY like the Kay, but I'm scared of the neck on those, especially a 5 string that already has a crack. I also have to drive about 6 hours for it.
The RM-200 deal seems unbeatable, but I will be getting it shipped without ever playing it first and something about the whole mail order Chinese bass bugs me a little but even though they have a pretty good reputation.

Ok, that's about it. What do you all think? They are about the same price. This will probably be the only bass I ever buy. I'm not a career musician, but I play every day and it's a huge part of my life. Owning an upright has been a dream for years. I will be playing both arco and pizz, maybe 20/80%.

Anything you guys can offer is much appreciated. Thanks!
 
#2
Personally, I've decided that I'd always opt for a healthy young instrument (provided it's well built and sounds good) over a vintage one with unknown troubles below the surface. HOWEVER, from an economics standpoint, it depends on the price you can negotiate. Kay Chubby Jackson models are rare and highly prized, and this one appears to be in really good shape. If you can get a terrific deal, it's a good bet that you can come away with a cool bass and maybe quite a bit of equity to boot. Depends on whether you're looking for a gig bass or an investment bass. And depends on what price you can negotiate.

I believe James Condino is the one of the top authorities on Kay basses here on TB. I'd give him a shout and see what opinion he might offer: Kay, King, American Standard, Epiphone and AlCoA bass repair in Asheville, North carolina - or send him a PM.

BTW, Steve at String Emporium is a former classmate and a terrific guy. He won't steer you wrong, either.

P.S. 5-string setup can be a real bear to get just right, and lack of good setup can affect playability (especially arco) and your enjoyment of the instrument. Once it's dialed in, though, a 5-string is wicked good fun to play. (Just made the switch recently, myself.)
 
#3
I don't know about "expert", but I live in an area with probably the highest concentration of vintage Kays in the world, and I work on them every day of the year.

Neither of those basses is a great choice; personally I suggest that you avoid anything with neck issues. About half of the used basses out there have neck issues or repairs, it is just the nature of the design. You can get them repaired and the function fine and can provide long term stability, but that does not mean it retains the same market value. I figure at least 1/3 less and 1/2 or more if the work is questionable. 5 string basses are a fairly specialized instrument.

Above everything else, it is a buyer's market, so if you exercise some patience and you will be rewarded 100 times over with a bass that you can enjoy a long successful relationship with.

j.
www.condino.com
www.kaybassrepair.com
 
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#6
Thanks for your replies everyone. Im reading some good things here. Ive always liked the "idea" of a 5 string upright, but no ive never played one. I starting to think it makes sense to avoid the Kay, as much as i like it.



James can I ask why you dont like the Thompsons? I havent really seen anyone say anything bad about them anywhere. I live in a fairly remote area and it really sounds like a great option.

Does anyone know of a thread where people were unhappy with their thompson? I found one where the guy seemed disappointed with the service, but other than that people seem to like them and be happy with the setup.

Thanks again
 
#8
I actually have some experience with the Chubby Jackson Kay. One of my teachers had one in his studio he was trying to sell for a friend. One day during a snowstorm I used it for a lesson so I didn't have to drag mine on the subway. After playing it for an hour, I never allowed the weather to prevent me from bringing my bass again. ;)

I understand why you might be attracted to it. It's a cool instrument with a high mojo-factor, but it's really a very weird bass. It had a typical thin Kay neck, but was very wide across; very idiosyncratic and perhaps not the best thing for a newish player. They are really made to be strung up with a high C, but the one in the studio had a low B. It was floppy with very little punch. It's my impression that it takes quite a bass to really make stringing it low viable, and the one I played wasn't. If you were interested it high C I'm sure it's a more balanced sound, but if you're a 5 string electric player I'm guessing you are used to the low B.

My advice would be to shop around online if you have to and buy a new bass from a reputable shop. If you can road trip into a town that has a string shop / luither, I think it would be worth the effort as well just to get your hands on some basses you and compare models. This is a big purchase, so it's best to get it right the first time. If your heart is set on a Kay, buy a healthy four string from a shop that specializes in them and will stand by the work.
 
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#11
porterhouse1 said:
This will probably be the only bass I ever buy. I'm not a career musician, but I play every day and it's a huge part of my life.
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Never say never. One of my bass stories:

I bought a relatively inexpensive carved bass a few years back, shortly after I first started playing; I teach and also have basses I rent out to students. One of my students was getting too big for his 1/4 size bass so I looked through the classified ads here for a 3/4 size plywood bass that I'd buy and then rent to him. I ended up liking that bass - for which I paid $1200 including a case, a bow, and a pickup - better than my carved bass, so I rented out the carved bass and played the plywood for a number of years as my only bass, and even though I have others now, I still play it regularly.

Surprises abound in this life, including surprises about what bass you end up liking to play and not. Get yourself something that makes you happy now, and that feels like it will reward your playing - something that, when you play better, will sound better. That's about all you can do, IMHO.

And you can keep trying out basses as you come across them, and if something really rings your chimes in six months or six years, you can buy it and sell what you've been playing or keep that as a backup.

JMO, YMMV.

-S-
 
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