• TalkBass has been independent since 1998. Add your voice.
    Create a free account to reply to discussions, view embedded media, and browse with fewer display ads.
    Join free Log in
    Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.

Double Bass Hybrid or All-Ply?

Blackjac97

Blackjac97

May 27, 2012
1,248
1,441
Maine
#1
Hello talkbass community.

I am on the market for a new double bass, and I lack information in a certain area. I've heard plenty about how you can't beat the sound of a hybrid for the price. However, I need to know about durability.

Do hybrids crack more easily than all-plys, or are they just as tough but with better sound? Is it something that you can leave in a room somewhere for weeks or months without worrying about it falling apart, so to speak? Can it take as much love (or abuse, depending on how you look at things) as a laminate bass?

Lay it on me. Thanks!
 
#2
Hybrids cannot tolerate the abuse that all-ply basses can. The carved top requires more care than does a ply top. Hybrids are typically more durable than fully-carved basses for at least two reasons. The first is intuitive in that the back and sides are ply rather than being, say, maple and are, thus, more durable. The second is that the body of the bass is not subjected to potentially damaging stresses brought about by the differential expansion/contraction of the different woods. As has been discussed in these threads in several places, although many take the precautions that we do (e.g., temperature and humidity control), carved basses tend to be more durable than all the discussion might lead one to believe. Considering that hybrids are even more durable, unless the bass would be subjected to some awful conditions, IMO, the complexity of tone provided by a carved top yields rewards and enjoyment far beyond the increased risk over a ply bass. You could certainly leave a hybrid in a room for weeks or months given that it didn't suffer extreme swings or extremes of temperature and humidity. I'd say that the conditions really shouldn't be much different than those to which you'd expose a fully-carved bass. If harsh conditions are just plain unavoidable (a rare circumstance), then better to go with a ply bass.

Hope this helps. :)
 
  • Like
Reactions: Eric Hochberg
#3
This does help, thank you!

Now, here's another question. Is there a certain price bracket that anyone should avoid? I know, for instance, that "they" say a $2500 ply bass is a better value than a $2500 carved bass because $2500 gets an extremely good ply, but won't get you much for a carved yada yada.

An Upton ply is in my budget, but and Upton Hybrid is in my budget after I have saved enough 15 months down the road.

I guess, better phrased, can you get a hybrid that's worth your time on a $2000-2500 budget?
 
#4
Many players here think highly of the Shen hybrids in the $2000-2500 range. I have limited experience with their hybrids so I'm hoping (expecting :)) others will chime in with first-hand accounts. I guess much depends upon how quickly you want to get going. Those 15 months would, by many accounts, have you end up with a better instrument but, then again, that would be 15 months (plus build-time) not playing a bass. I've always been in favor of getting the best instrument (within reason) that you can into your hands but there are, of course, many practical concerns.
 
#5
I think with my given time frame and budget, I would probably be picking between the Shen 150 or Thompson 200 and the Upton Standard ply. The only luthier I've ever been to (MarK Carlsen), who is also a reasonable distance from me (ME - MA) deals in Shens, and Upton is a similar trek, so. I want to be able to buy a bass by December/January.

Please, others, chime in!
 
#6
We recently drove over 2000 miles through Washington, Oregon, California and Nevada in temps as high as 96* F. and as dry as 18% moisture and the Romanian hybrid was happy to be there all the way.

The Shen 150 is a good student hybrid and with the right set-up would give you lots to work with.

Good luck!
 
#7
Jake deVilliers said:
We recently drove over 2000 miles through Washington, Oregon, California and Nevada in temps as high as 96* F. and as dry as 18% moisture and the Romanian hybrid was happy to be there all the way.
Click to expand...

Wow! Stuff like that is great to hear! So, am I on the right track in saying that as long as the bass stays in one steady climate, it should be okay? I mean, as far as states go, ME is fairly temperate... We get below 0º in the winter and above 90º in the summer, but certainly not as bad in either respect as some places.
 
#8
It's been our experience that hybrids hold up almost as well as plys, so it's worth going for the extra tone. However, if the bass will be living a hard life and you want something that is safe for a drunk couple to dance into/over/through, a plywood may suit you better.
Good luck!
 
#9
I don't think it will have too rough of a stage life, but I will be taking it back and forth to college and to the islands on the coast some. It's more of a traveling/I'm-at-a-point-in-my-life-where-I-can't-attend-to-it-every-day durability that I would need. I try my damnedest to baby my instruments when they're out of their cases, but stuff happens.
 
#10
About six years ago, I upgraded to a fully carved bass for more "refined" playing and better-defined tone.

I intended to keep my Kay S-9 as a second bass for outdoor jams and gigs, but an existing neck separation and a shop accident prevented this, and I was offered a Shen SB-180 hybrid as a replacement. I was reluctant to use such a pretty instrument as a "beater" bass for the reasons you've expressed, but after comparing the SB-180's sound with every ply bass in the shop, I accepted the offer.

Six years on: daily practice, more than weekly gigs -- some at questionable venues, some chips and dents, less than optimal humidity control at Atlanta humidity levels (I know, I know, mea culpa) … and NO major repairs, cracks, or open seams. I do aim to keep the bass clean and I check its condition regularly. Hybrids, at least this one, can be surprisingly durable. Just my personal experience.

Thanks,
Pete
 
Last edited:
#12
Even with only two months with this bass, I have to second Pete. I have a Shen SB 180 that I'm going to be taking with me to college. The weather has been fluctuating like crazy this past month. I've been freaking out that a seem may open, but nothing has happened! One of the guitarists I play with accidentally slammed his headstock on the top of my bass (in the midst of a photo) and it survived! I for sure know that this bass is going to be super durable throughout college.
Another good plus for getting a hybrid is the great tones you can get. Yes it isn't a beautiful carved bass, but they get close. When I got my SB 180, my first performance with it was for a school orchestra concert. The bass sounded beautiful that night (and still does) but what really amazed and scarred me was how loud it is when played arco and pizz, both jazz and classical. The other two bassists I played with are very timid players, so I needed to be really loud playing in that orchestra. I'm used to blending in nicely with the orchestra, but that was the first night I got the infamous hand from my conductor. Part of our program was the 3rd Movement to Shostakovich's 5th Symphony. There is a divisi section that has a sfff dynamic marking. My conductor specifically looked at me and signaled me to quiet down since I was overpowering the cello section that had the melody. So overall, I'm happy with choosing a hybrid as my main bass for the next few years.
 
Last edited:
#16
That sounds like a great deal. I'm considering the Shen 150 or 180, in which case I would most likely go to Mark Carlsen in MA, or the Blonde Upton Standard.

Now, here's a question...

Does anyone make a blonde hybrid that isn't a complete custom job that most likely costs $6000?
 
#17
I bought a used Shen 180 hybrid about three years ago. I've tried not to be stupid with it, but I have gigged and hauled it all over the place. I camped in a tent in the snow with it several times.

It recently spent a week with me in a tent at the Galax Virginia Fiddlers Convention with high temps in the day, cool at night, and high humidity. My case was soaked every morning from the dew dripping from inside the tent.

It's been more bass that I really need for what I do, but everyone loves it.

I would troll around for a used bass. I found mine in Nashville and had it checked-out where it was purchased at Dustin's Fine Violin Shop.

I'm just found a sweet deal for a Shen SB-88 Laminate with Oil Varnish. I'm buying it for the great price and to have a backup bass.
 

Latest posts

Top Bottom
Back