Double Bass Need help with my first double bass

[StevieJames21]

Hey guys. I've been an electric bassist for several years and now would like to purchase a double bass for the first time. A store near me is selling this Kay c1 circa 1956 for 1900 bucks. I could already tell off the bat that the neck was repaired, the bridge seems to be tilted to the right somewhat, and the wood finish is charming in a way, but is all different colors to do wear and tear and fixing and then some more wear and tear. If this doesn't seem like a good buy, please leave me you're recommendations. If the Kay doesn't work out, I'm going for an upton standard DB for 2,500, but just want to make sure I'm not passing up on a good deal before I go ahead with my next move. The place located in NJ, claims that it was Lisle Atkinson's favorite bass, as his two kays and hardcase were supposedly brought to this shop before his passing. The nice guy who works there also said that a proper neck fix up can actually make the instrument stronger. Please educate me based on the information I've given you. Thanks in advance.

 

[carl h.]

Top is sagging on the treble side and something is going on with the bass foot that looks expensive. (Not mentioning the neck repair)

I'd pass.

 

[birgebass]

I wouldn't consider it to be a good deal. It's about what you would expect to pay for a Kay. You could get any other decent ply for that price or better, or save a little more for a hybrid or maybe even a fully carved bass, which is the direction I would go, personally.

 

[Fretless55]

With your budget I’d research hybrids as well.

 

[statsc]

Upton Standards are great basses; I’ve got one. Much better than the Kay’s I’ve seen, in my opinion, unless you’re into the nostalgia.

 

[bherman]

Pass; you need to spend more time and really get educated before buying something used. That Kay has issues, and you'll spend a fair bit of money making them right. There are always a few used basses in your price range within a 1/2 day drive of where you live - buying a used bass from a TB member with a good track record is a much safer bet than from a store. Uptons are great also - are you buying direct from them or is it used?

 

[unbrokenchain]

Agree with all the responses above, and I think they're asking way too much for that particular Kay in that condition. Even if it didn't need repairs, $1900 should get you something that doesn't have an "ebonized" fingerboard imo. That could be a decent bass with a top re-arching, new bridge and fingerboard, assuming the neck repair is good. But that would still send you well past the price of the Upton. There are some dandy Kays out there, I've got one of them, but there are some junkers too..

 

[KUNGfuSHERIFF]

Absolute sucker deal. Run like your hair is on fire.

 

[210superair]

I own a Kay, and it has a few top issues, the same neck repair (many Kay's have that, as long as it's repaired correctly I don't find it a big deal personally). BTW, what's with the block under the fingerboard right by the neck? Never seen that before.

My Kay plays and sounds great, BUT, I paid $800 bucks for mine, and no way I'd drop 1900 on that. It seems guys on here either love or hate Kays, but all that aside, you can get more bass for your money. I agree that's got some top sag that will need repaired eventually. Check the classifieds here maybe? You're sure to find way more for your money by shopping around.

Edit: I'm not sure if it's cool to bump someone's sales thread, so I won't, but I'll say there's a really incredible hybrid Shen in the classifieds in your price range. A little bit more than you said you'd spend, but a few hundred well invested.... Just sayin'!!! Good luck!

 

[bherman]

I own a Kay, and it has a few top issues, the same neck repair (many Kay's have that, as long as it's repaired correctly I don't find it a big deal personally). BTW, what's with the block under the fingerboard right by the neck? Never seen that before.

My Kay plays and sounds great, BUT, I paid $800 bucks for mine, and no way I'd drop 1900 on that. It seems guys on here either love or hate Kays, but all that aside, you can get more bass for your money. I agree that's got some top sag that will need repaired eventually. Check the classifieds here maybe? You're sure to find way more for your money by shopping around.

Edit: I'm not sure if it's cool to bump someone's sales thread, so I won't, but I'll say there's a really incredible hybrid Shen in the classifieds in your price range. A little bit more than you said you'd spend, but a few hundred well invested.... Just sayin'!!! Good luck!

Totally ok to point a fellow TB member in the direction of something they're looking for - this is the sale thread:

For Sale - Shen SB-190 'Rogeri'- Price Drop!

If I lived closer I'd be looking at that bass. Good deal.

 

[210superair]

Man, if I had 2500 to spend, I'd definitely find a few hundred more for that, a real beauty for the cash.... I'd guess it won't be for sale much longer.

At any rate, good luck to the op.

 

[Fretless55]

Boy, if you can make it to Poughkeepsie I’d bet that’d be your huckleberry!

 

[Steven Ayres]

This bass is from the period after Kay retired its Student and Orchestra lines, leaving the C-1 at the bottom level. To maintain the price point to serve the entry market, the C-1 specs changed to a very thin ebonized maple fingerboard as well as a maple top veneer.

The heel repair looks OK, although there appears to be a button patch in dark wood, indicating it wasn't an easy one, and in any case you can't really tell the quality of a given reset from the surface. It has been stripped and refinished, of course, and the finish isn't attractive. I'm guessing the added support underneath is to firm up the thin fingerboard. (Yeah, they can bend.)

Even with the NYC-proximity premium and skilled seller support, given the veneer edge losses and crap fingerboard this is a $1,200 bass at best; in the West it would likely be a tough sell at 900.

If you go in again, please note the serial number. This will confirm its age and we can get it into the Registry.

 

[bassmanbrent]

This bass looks like a total can of worms to me. Leave this one alone and check out the Upton, or maybe the ply basses from the String Emporium.

 

[statsc]

If I were you, I’d spend a day and take a drive over to Upton in Mystic, Conn. They usually have a selection of Kay’s on hand that you can play and A/B with an Upton Standard back to back in the same location, which is really the only way to compare instruments. Also, you can have one of their staff play them and get a sense of how they compare from 10 feet away. This will really help you decide between these two choices. Keep in mind that the $1900 Kay you’re looking at will need new strings and probably a professional set-up, which will bring it to almost the cost of an Upton Standard. This is before any costs required for a neck repair and the problems with the top. For $2500, you’ll get a great sounding ply Upton with an ebony fingerboard, new strings, bridge adjusters, a much better neck profile, and a professional set-up to your exact liking. You’ll also get a free adjustment within the first year and you’ll have a bass with no issues that will only sound better as you play it more. The down sides are that you’ll have to wait several months them to build it and it won’t have the nostalgia factor of a Kay.

 

[StevieJames21]

Everyone, thank you so much for the recommendations and extremely detailed descriptions of what they spotted wrong with this bass. I have a lot to learn with these uprights. I am most definitely staying away from this Kay. I actually visited Upton in Mystic today and the Kay I played really can't compare to the sound of all the Uptons the nice guy showed off to me.
The serial number to the Kay I checked out was 38364.
I want to thank a couple of you for recommending that Shen bass in Poughkeepsie. That's not too much of a drive from where I live. I just might expand my searches this week and check that one out as well. This is turning into quite the adventure.

 

[turf3]

I've played a couple Upton plywoods and a couple Shens and I think either, in good condition, would be an excellent choice.

 

[bherman]

Everyone, thank you so much for the recommendations and extremely detailed descriptions of what they spotted wrong with this bass. I have a lot to learn with these uprights. I am most definitely staying away from this Kay. I actually visited Upton in Mystic today and the Kay I played really can't compare to the sound of all the Uptons the nice guy showed off to me.
The serial number to the Kay I checked out was 38364.
I want to thank a couple of you for recommending that Shen bass in Poughkeepsie. That's not too much of a drive from where I live. I just might expand my searches this week and check that one out as well. This is turning into quite the adventure.

You’re doing the right thing, be patient and learn as you look. You’ll be better able to judge after more time learning what the choices are, and how to judge what’s best for you.