I have been really enjoying learning electric bass and I've decided to get an upright and start the learning process. I've been searching the forums and reading guides about selecting a bass but still barely know what to look for. I'm torn between picking up an inexpensive used plywood bass for the first year or two ... or just starting right off with something like a Shen SB-150 or even an SB-200. There is a guy in my neighborhood selling a 1949 Kay C1 for $2000 but for that price I think I'd be better off trying to find a used SB-150.
I see quite a few good choices in the classifieds here on TB - but all seem to be back East (I'm in California) and I can't imagine how you ship a bass across the country - and by the time I add all the expense of trying to ship a used bass (I'm guessing it's expensive - maybe I'm wrong?) I might as well buy a new one locally.
from my searches, I realize that trying to buy a cheap used bass can quickly cost you more in Luthier costs than a new bass. But I occasionally run across something like this for sale locally for $700 and described as "german from 1960s" (I'm expecting it to be plywood and probably not really even German) but how far wrong does this look for a starter instrument? Anything obvious from these low res photos that tell you I shouldn't even waste my time driving over to look at it?:
I see quite a few good choices in the classifieds here on TB - but all seem to be back East (I'm in California) and I can't imagine how you ship a bass across the country - and by the time I add all the expense of trying to ship a used bass (I'm guessing it's expensive - maybe I'm wrong?) I might as well buy a new one locally.
from my searches, I realize that trying to buy a cheap used bass can quickly cost you more in Luthier costs than a new bass. But I occasionally run across something like this for sale locally for $700 and described as "german from 1960s" (I'm expecting it to be plywood and probably not really even German) but how far wrong does this look for a starter instrument? Anything obvious from these low res photos that tell you I shouldn't even waste my time driving over to look at it?:
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