Husband's Birthday, would like to replace the upright bass he had to part with

Thank you for that TomLane! Totally diving into that resource!

Yes, good question. Heavy lean toward Jazz.

(He did toy with it across several genres. Was in a low-key $$martini-bar lounge trio which covered pop songs. Huge Zappa fan. Believe the upright was occasionally recruited in a rock band for select songs. But big picture: Jazz.)

You're the bee's knees.

 

Ee!
Again, thank you ALL!
How are you all such wonderful people?
I never expected such a wealth of information and insight.

(Ya'll might even prompt me to touch my untouched violin I've been afraid of falling in love with since I acquired it )

*Mini update:*
I contacted someone who knows of the original bass's status (beautifully restored, professionally active! WANT! But thrilled to hear it's thriving! )

I can request information (from current owner) regarding the neck on the original bass, how those might vary. My husband has long, narrow fingers and I know the neck style was a major draw. (The current owner must be a budding Luthier himself, as he personally restored/performs with the bass; He offered to aid in determining fair pricing as well as other red-flags to look for and so on. He's across the country, but my secondary/tertiary resources are becoming abundant!)

I reached out to Rufus Reid (did I just message a deity!??) and will be speaking with the violinist neighbor this afternoon. Husband and I are attending a performance of hers tomorrow so hopefully stealth connections will be made!

Rad people, please correct/modify/suggest regarding my tentative plan:

The gift process:
-keep reaching out to local resources (thanks to above poster for providing two more leads !)
-utilize these resources to direct me to a local, real-deal small business who might source a small variety of basses for hubs to explore (ideally with a luthier in tow if appropriate).
-arrange a financial allottment ahead of time to inform hubs of (with maybe a $500 bonus wiggle room ) per "homemade gift certificate"
- "gift certificate" will be handed to him as we near said shop. The trip otherwise will be under the guise of "surprise trip" until then.
-Let him feel around for what calls to him, stand back and choke down the wife-tears.

A former bandmade of my husband said that even small/local shops will often agree to payment arrangements ($x/mo.)?

If that's the case I'm EXTRA excited, as I will be able to up the spending limit a bit.


I'm so excited. I thought this was an impossibility. I hope each of you know you have contributed to a powerfully moving experience for someone I love so dearly. Thank you.

I'll keep you updated, and warmly in my heart.

I'm so overwhelmed by your responses.

Gratitude and love to you all.

 

Amaaazing! Been looking for an excuse to get to the Carolinas anyway thank you thank you all!

So.excited. THANK YOU.

 

You know, there's a swing in the pendulum I didn't anticipate. This might be the ticket.

Husband's been searching for a postdoc position; this week the possibility of moving internationally was brought to the table. If he had to part with a bass again... My heart threw up at the thought.

Realistically, it's likely his career will remain in the US. But a major move lost the bass, and we are not settled right now. That was not in the front of my mind. Thank you.

So...perhaps this is a reasonable variant?
-Securing him a heady lesson with Rufus Reid (when in Rome and Rome is 75 years young...)
-Prime the piggy bank (/down payment) for bass-to-be
-Shoot for a casual (yet well-researched because you all are AMAZING) little road trip for hubs to "meet" various basses and get back in touch with himself. Maybe I'd have the honor of standing back and watching him, in love, second-hand learning. (We never had a honeymoon. This could do ).

Is it a faux pas to shop-hop to feel around like that? It sounds like that's sort of the nature of the business, just foreign to my world of visual arts. I wouldn't want to act disrespectfully in someone's private business.

More thanks than ever to each of you.

I have to say, I'm a moderator of a massive uh, major-trauma-based support subReddit (if you're a Redditor, you likely know it). You are the anti-Reddit. Ya'll got nothing but love. Your words are more composed, compassionate, and affective than much of the "support" I sift through in that world behind the scenes. Your personalities are palpable.

Thank you for what you contribute to the world. Truly.
Thank you.
All that love is coming right back at you all, tenfold.

Sorry I haven't replied to every PM yet, but please know how moved I am by your community, passion, and selflessness. I hear you, and look forward to responding.