Buying a Bass in China?

[ByahBass]

What do you all think?
I'm off to China for 3 months and I figure it could be a cool idea to pick up a bass while I'm there. Not anything serious, just something to play around with while I'm there and can hopefully bring back home. Any recommendations?

 

[OOZMAN]

Well if it's not serious, just get something cool looking. When you get back, frame it and put it on your wall.

 

[ByahBass]

Haha yeah, I think that's what I'll do. Does anyone know where in Xian I should be looking? Also, what should I be aware of when buying the bass?

 

[BassGen]

Haha yeah, I think that's what I'll do. Does anyone know where in Xian I should be looking? Also, what should I be aware of when buying the bass?

Obvious signs of it being a cheap-o counterfit copy? Super high odds of it being painted with paint that's full of lead?

 

[JBW]

About four years ago my wife and I bought my son a b-flat tenor sax while in Guangzhou, China (former Canton, just west of Hong Kong). I don't play wind instruments, but we had two other couples with us and one of the husbands played the sax and helped us pick out a good one. The exchange rate then was 8.5 Yuan to the U.S. dollar, but it is down to 6.5 now. We got a great deal on the sax at the time in large part due to the favorable exchange rate.

My best advice is to do your research before you leave and know the value of what you'll be looking at and how to identify originals from copies. Nearly everything you'll find will be a copy. Also, be prepared to pay a premium to take it on the plane. Most airlines charge a ridiculous amount extra if your package is over a certain length, which a bass is likely to qualify.

Other than that, have fun. China is a great country to visit. Be sure and buy yourself a small terra-cotta soldier to take home and put on a shelf since you are going to Xi'an.

 

[OOZMAN]

Also, be prepared to pay a premium to take it on the plane. Most airlines charge a ridiculous amount extra if your package is over a certain length, which a bass is likely to qualify.

There is a user on eBay who sells basses and guitars and when they ship to overseas they take the neck off for this exact reason. So I advise doing so also.

 

[gazman_res]

Customs, your purchasing something thats made/assembled of wooden components in China.

if i recall correctly US customs are as diligent as Australia, so if they see any porous type grain it could get flagged.

Make sure everything is double glossed, lol

 

[Basically Bob]

My best advice is to do your research before you leave and know the value of what you'll be looking at

Good advise. I found that instruments with North American brand names were priced extremely high in China and that it wasn't worth buying them there. I would be very interesting to learn what your findings are.

 

[madmachinist]

i would imagine that in china there are luthiers who don't
just make fender and gibson knockoffs .

three days isn't very much time, but i'd bet you could get
something unique if you looked hard enough.

 

[knucklehead G]

What do you all think?
I'm off to China for 3 months and I figure it could be a cool idea to pick up a bass while I'm there.

three days isn't very much time, but i'd bet you could get
something unique if you looked hard enough.

Pointing this out because other people will skim the OP, glance at your post and this will rapidly turn into a thread about how to find basses during weekend trips to other countries.

 

[Andy_D]

Get on Alibaba.com and look around there are literally dozens of companies marketing hundreds of different basses. I bought 2 counterfeit Warwicks on AliExpress. They were very good about protecting my credit card as well. I was in Taiwan at the time and had them shipped there. I work on a ship and left one bass on the ship and brought 1 home with me. Build wise they are pretty nice and they are both good players in that I was able to set up with decent action and such. The electronics left a little to be desired...single coil pickup hum and scratchy pots but you kind of expect that considering what you pay. It would make a good modding platform. I was going to do that to mine but I am selling mine now because I have acquired some nicer basses and need to thin the herd, somebody else can mod it instead.

As long as your not expectations are not too high you should be able to do well. Also, be prepared to bargain as prices are almost always negotiable. They build these things usually for $20-30 a piece so if they are asking $100 or more for a bass you have a lot of bargaining room.