Double Bass NDBD New Double Bass Day: Nick Lloyd #68

[eric.damstra]

What a nice looking instrument! Enjoy it!

 

[ole Jason]

Hey (!) — I don't think anyone of any level of sincere playing/study/devotion should ever be ashamed about playing an obscenely high quality instrument (IMHO), if you can swing it.

My brother on Easter was similarly trying to justify a $6-8k investment in a vintage Gibson hummingbird as an amateur guitarist. I showed him how much my fantasy basses go for and he shut up real quick, lol.

When this comes up I always ask people how many guys they know with a $10-20k motorcycle, bass boat, car project, etc.

 

[Bruce Calin]

An old musician friend sent me a photo of us on a gig from 1970. I'm still playing the same bass that I was then. I don't know what it would be worth today. I've been told several times that it's ridiculously under insured, but it's always done the job for me and I wouldn't sell it anyway. I've played on other high priced instruments and would frankly be quite nervous to transport and use any of them if I actually owned one and knew what I paid for it. Maybe the familiarity with this bass makes me too casual in terms of value. I am as careful as I can be, but there's always a chance of mishap. Do I want to know its current value? Probably not.

 

[Ric Vice]

That's a exquisite bass Paul. I really like the aged quality of Nick's basses the woods look strong and as wood would
if it had been around for several centuries.

 

[SAlcott]

An old musician friend sent me a photo of us on a gig from 1970. I'm still playing the same bass that I was then. I don't know what it would be worth today. I've been told several times that it's ridiculously under insured, but it's always done the job for me and I wouldn't sell it anyway. I've played on other high priced instruments and would frankly be quite nervous to transport and use any of them if I actually owned one and knew what I paid for it. Maybe the familiarity with this bass makes me too casual in terms of value. I am as careful as I can be, but there's always a chance of mishap. Do I want to know its current value? Probably not.

One serious uninsured mishap will put to rest any reservations about neglecting to get an appraisal and insurance.

 

[Bruce Calin]

One serious uninsured mishap will put to rest any reservations about neglecting to get an appraisal and insurance.

I totally agree. I'm not saying it makes any sense. I've had more close calls over the years than I can remember. I just am afraid that if I knew the true appraisal I would be afraid to take it out of the house. Go figure.

 

[Eric Hochberg]

I've only seen and played a handful of Nick's basses but that's the most gorgeous one yet. I'm sure it sounds as great as it looks! Congrats!

 

[SAlcott]

I totally agree. I'm not saying it makes any sense. I've had more close calls over the years than I can remember. I just am afraid that if I knew the true appraisal I would be afraid to take it out of the house. Go figure.

I have (current appraisal for insurance) $65,000 in two basses; both are insured to the max. I gig them both and carry them on the subway at all hours. Along with 40 years experience schlepping in NYC without a car, it's the insurance that allows me to do that.

I had two mishaps with my first good bass, both of which required major (top off) repairs. I didn't have insurance for the first, and had to beg and borrow to pay the bill. After that, decided that I'd miss meals if I had to in order to keep up coverage, and I'm glad I did.

 

[lurk]

Yeah. FWIW I use MusicPro. It's not expensive. I never did a lot of shopping around, so there may be other, better, options. There's no point in owning a good bass unless you play it.

 

[Bruce Calin]

I have (current appraisal for insurance) $65,000 in two basses; both are insured to the max. I gig them both and carry them on the subway at all hours. Along with 40 years experience schlepping in NYC without a car, it's the insurance that allows me to do that.

I had two mishaps with my first good bass, both of which required major (top off) repairs. I didn't have insurance for the first, and had to beg and borrow to pay the bill. After that, decided that I'd miss meals if I had to in order to keep up coverage, and I'm glad I did.

I don't mean to make light of this issue. I have had a couple of mishaps that were covered by insurance, which I do have. I"m one of those people who don't have expensive cars or watches or anything much fancier that we can't make use of or need to worry about. My bass may possibly be the most valuable thing I have but I've had it for so long that I don't want to know how much. If I lost it the fact that it is gone would be the worst part, not how much it's worth. Others may differ.

 

[lurk]

I don't mean to make light of this issue. I have had a couple of mishaps that were covered by insurance, which I do have. I"m one of those people who don't have expensive cars or watches or anything much fancier that we can't make use of or need to worry about. My bass may possibly be the most valuable thing I have but I've had it for so long that I don't want to know how much. If I lost it the fact that it is gone would be the worst part, not how much it's worth. Others may differ.

I think you'd be surprised at how little it costs to get it insured. The biggest initial cost is an official appraisal by a luthier or dealer. In my case, David Gage was the guy. After that the yearly fee is pretty small. Thankfully I've never had an accident with my bass which is pretty amazing considering the cramped spaces with cables underfoot, uneven floors, bad lighting and drunk or otherwise impaired people around.

 

[Endlesssolo]

An old musician friend sent me a photo of us on a gig from 1970. I'm still playing the same bass that I was then. I don't know what it would be worth today. I've been told several times that it's ridiculously under insured, but it's always done the job for me and I wouldn't sell it anyway. I've played on other high priced instruments and would frankly be quite nervous to transport and use any of them if I actually owned one and knew what I paid for it. Maybe the familiarity with this bass makes me too casual in terms of value. I am as careful as I can be, but there's always a chance of mishap. Do I want to know its current value? Probably not.

I would kindly suggest that you get your bass appraised and insured for a reasonable replacement value. Accidents happen all the time, and the last thing you want is to find out how much it would cost to replace your bass with something comparable after it's been in one!

I have a friend who still has his Pollman from the 70s; it's great to have built that long a relationship with an instrument.