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Double Bass Shen Owner's Club

#223
Now a second teacher has stated that my sb150 has no volume. He said that he was really giving it to the E string but that there was nothing there and that it was a good looking bass but something was up with it.

We talked a bit about Spiros so I think I am going to consider switching over from Zyex. A trip to the shop would also be a good idea.

Has anyone experienced a significant increase in volume with Spirocores?
 
#225
erniej said:
Now a second teacher has stated that my sb150 has no volume. He said that he was really giving it to the E string but that there was nothing there and that it was a good looking bass but something was up with it.
Click to expand...

Seems akward from this description, are you sure your soundpost is properly set? Better safe than sorry...
What are your current strings now? Spiros have a good acoustic volume on my bass, enough to play with any other acoustic instrument (drums excluded). But I'm sure there are louder strings if that's the only thing you're aiming for.
 
#226
Not sure what you mean by akward. Awkward?

The bass came new with D'Addario Zyex mediums. I bought it around the first of March. I play it at least 2 hours a day both arco and pizz.

Might need a soundpost tweak. I have no reason to suspect that it is improperly set. I've been through all this volume stuff with it once before and made a trip to the luthier. He said it was as it should be and I do trust him. But nothing has changed as far as I can tell, setup or sound.

Not really aiming for loudness by itself. My teacher was talking about tone and resonance as well as volume. Said there was nothing there, meaning full sound and tone, while plucking the E. But just looking over the bass he did not see anything out of whack.

I'm thinking the thing to try first is different strings. But I am a student and so it might be awhile before I can do that.
 
#229
As noted above, I sold it to Stereo Joe.

Overall it was a very nice bass...good volume and projection once "played in," nice fat round neck, good quality fingerboard, tough laminated back and ribs. I thought the stock cast brass tuning machines sucked and replaced them with a set of Rubners I had lying around, and I wasn't thrilled with the removable endpin cap which kept coming loose.

It also had a peculiar odor, I assume from whatever varnish they use.
 
#230
So is that why so many people seem to go with the 180?

I've noticed that the 150's do not seem to be as popular and many people have 180's.

Would you say that the 150 is an ok/good/better/great Bass for a beginner upright player? I've played electric bass (P-Bass) for years casualy and want to get into upright.

Your advice is invaluable. Thank you.
 
#231
Have had a Shen SB150 (with the shen upgraded single machines) which we sold to cajunInExile to fund an upgrade where the guy flaked at the last minute. Ended up replacing it with an SB180 which was available at the time.

Wish we had not sold the 150 and as far as I know cajunInExile has really enjoyed it. We had Nick Lloyd set it up and much preferred the 150 over the 180.

That said, from what I have been told, there is not a lot of difference between the 150 & 180 except for finish and visual appearance of the woods used with the higher flame and straighter grain going to the 180. Perhaps some Shen experts might weigh in on this?

Your concerns may just be a set up issue. Best of luck.
 
#232
I have the SB180 and from what I understand there is no difference except in the woods used for the outer veneers on the ply back and sides. The finishes should be the same, unless you are talking two different ages.
For instance when I bought mine Shen was not yet using oil finishes.

When you first bought your SB150 it, did you have it professionally set up by a bass luthier? Set up and strings can have a big impact.

While it certainly is no "cannon", I have never had any complaints and I used it in jazz, latin and a great deal of orchestral playing.
 
#236
That is cool skyre12. I am using my SB150 for a jazz program and it will suffice for that and the years after if I want it to. All of my playing situations are amped, with drums and a wall of saxaphones, and so acoustic volume and low end is really only a personal preference as I can compensate with the amp when I am using one. In my little apartment with hardwood floors it sounds huge. I do get a lot of compliments on how natural it sounds amplified and I do like the sound in those situations. It is a nice bass and plays well. I could probably raise the string height a couple of mm's along with the string change too.

I looked at the SB80's alongside the 150's and the 80's were nice. I could have done as well with one of those I think.
 

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