Double Bass Double Bass in Shanghai?

[leslienatelle]

I recently moved to Shanghai and I am looking for a bass to buy and play while I'm here. I would love to find a Shen, but haven't been able to locate any information about where to find them here. Any information would be greatly appreciated!

 

[Mike Carr]

Hi, I used to live in Shanghai and have bought 3 different basses from him over he years. As of 5 years ago, he had a showroom on Jinling Lu. There are a bunch of music stores in that street. In my days there you could ring the Shanghai number listed on the Shen website and he would pick it up. Sam speaks English very well.
It's been a while since I've been in touch with him so maybe all this has changed but its worth a shot.
If I were you and you are in the Puzhi side of town just hail a cab and tell the guy you want to go to Jinling Lu. I don't speak much Mandarin so when I thought he asked where I'd make gestures like I was playing air guitar..they kind if all could figure it out.
Once on street there is an area several blocks long that has mostly music stores. Just walk that area and you will see the Shen shop.
You will pay less...much less for a Shen bass in China.
But...then you got to figure out how to take it back to your home country when you leave.
Good luck with that!
If you do end up meeting Sam tell him I said hello. I was an early promoter of Shen basses back in the earlier days of Talkbass.com. That was going back about 12 years ago!

 

[Steve Swan]

I agree that Sam Shen is very much a hands-on business owner who is very proud of what he produces and takes good care of his customers and workers. When Shen's U.S. distributor was still exhibiting at the winter NAMM shows in Anaheim, I used to take much of their display every year, usually about 8-12 basses. This arrangement saved them the shipping back to New York and saved me considerable shipping coming out to Burlingame from Rochester. On one of the Sunday afternoon load-out marathons, Sam Shen helped hump basses on the very long walk from the exhibit hall to my large rental van. I was very impressed with his "roll up your sleeves" attitude and good humor about the whole endeavor. I am a big fan of his, for sure!

 

[John Sprague]

Hi Leslie,
Sam recently closed the Shanghai retail store and hasn't reopened the new one yet. I will message you with his phone number so you can call him directly.

 

[BerndB]

Hi to all. About two years later but similar question: How to get in contact with Sam Chen? Before 2018 I visited his shop in Jingling Lu several times and met him twice. (Was about a wooden damper; he asked me to visit him in Suzhou.) Now I'm in Suzhou for at least 3 years and looking for a bass. Unfortunately, I can't find his adress in www. Has anybody an idea how to get in contact with him? Or any other options for getting a bass in Suzhou?

 

[John Sprague]

Hi to all. About two years later but similar question: How to get in contact with Sam Chen? Before 2018 I visited his shop in Jingling Lu several times and met him twice. (Was about a wooden damper; he asked me to visit him in Suzhou.) Now I'm in Suzhou for at least 3 years and looking for a bass. Unfortunately, I can't find his adress in www. Has anybody an idea how to get in contact with him? Or any other options for getting a bass in Suzhou?

I'll message you his email address.