Double Bass Shen SB100 or Moretti 450

[bajistaman]

Hi, the other day went to a clearance music shop sale and there was a broken double bass on display that I played and I really liked it so started finding out how much would cost to fix it and at the end decided to buy a better double bass that could last longer without the need to any major fix, after some research I am deciding between a Shen 100 and an upgraded Moretti 450 both for sale at the Bass Violin Shop, what would you think would be a better choice?

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BTW this was the broken double bass unbranded:

Thanks!

 

[KUNGfuSHERIFF]

I have no idea what's going on here.

You have one local Cheap Chinese Bass which was made so poorly that its' back is coming off that you say you like, and on the other hand there are two other basses which you've never seen or heard and which are on another continent.

Do you want...advice? What, exactly, are you asking for?

 

[bajistaman]

I have no idea what's going on here.

You have one local Cheap Chinese Bass which was made so poorly that its' back is coming off that you say you like, and on the other hand there are two other basses which you've never seen or heard and which are on another continent.

Do you want...advice? What, exactly, are you asking for?

Sorry if I explain myself poorly, just want to know if you think the Shen or the Moretti would be a better choice for that price range, please don't worry about the distance.
The bad cheap chinese part was just to let you know that I enjoyed the double bass experience even with that bass. Thanks!

 

[KUNGfuSHERIFF]

You're going at this all wrong.

Call every shop within 100 kilometers who might have a bass. Go check out what they have. Play a lot of basses. Sooner or later, one of them will tell you that it's the bass for you.

 

[bajistaman]

You're going at this all wrong.

Call every shop within 100 kilometers who might have a bass. Go check out what they have. Play a lot of basses. Sooner or later, one of them will tell you that it's the bass for you.

Sadly all the shops around me sell only cheap chinese basses, no luck so far with used ones either

 

[Eric Hochberg]

Sadly all the shops around me sell only cheap chinese basses, no luck so far with used ones either

Maybe someone on this list can help: Directorio de Luthiers - La Boutique del Luthier

Buenos Aires, Alberto Solari
(05411)4553-0671

Link Removed

[email protected]
Making of quality hand-crafted double-basses, repairing and restoring.

Buenos Aires, Auday-Giormenti
(05411)4381-7814

Link Removed

[email protected]
Instruments, repairs, familiy owned firm devoted to double bass making

 

[Sam Sherry]

You're going at this all wrong. Call every shop within 100 kilometers who might have a bass. Go check out what they have. Play a lot of basses. Sooner or later, one of them will tell you that it's the bass for you.

Sadly all the shops around me sell only cheap chinese basses, no luck so far with used ones either

Well. I agree with KFS' advice, but respectfully disagree with part of the comment. You've done at least three things right:
a) You're here, asking for help
b) You didn't buy the broken piece of bass-dung
c) You haven't just jumped wildly at another piece of bass-dung

When scouting for an inexpensive bass patience is often rewarded.

But remember, inexpensive basses often turn into expensive basses. Add a set of strings, fingerboard planing, bridge replacement, new post, pickup, starter bow . . . indulge in a new peg, buy a good bag . . . wow! Could have just bought a better instrument at the start!

Good luck and stick to it!

 

[bajistaman]

Maybe someone on this list can help: Directorio de Luthiers - La Boutique del Luthier

Buenos Aires, Alberto Solari
(05411)4553-0671 View attachment 2756666 Link Removed View attachment 2756667 [email protected]
Making of quality hand-crafted double-basses, repairing and restoring.

Buenos Aires, Auday-Giormenti
(05411)4381-7814 View attachment 2756668 Link Removed View attachment 2756669 [email protected]
Instruments, repairs, familiy owned firm devoted to double bass making

Thank you!

 

[laklandplayer]

I've got a Shen and its a good bass for the money. You can easily have the back re-glued, it happens.
The glue they use is water based so it can be removed if necessary for any repairs. Heat and and humidity can make it let go if the bass is not properly stored. If you can get a deal on it and it is otherwise ok, buy it and have it repaired.

 

[bajistaman]

I've got a Shen and its a good bass for the money. You can easily have the back re-glued, it happens.
The glue they use is water based so it can be removed if necessary for any repairs. Heat and and humidity can make it let go if the bass is not properly stored. If you can get a deal on it and it is otherwise ok, buy it and have it repaired.

Thank you! At the end I couldn't buy the Shen but got a cheap-ish chinese one that is keeping me busy for the moment.

BTW I thought that as an experienced bass player wouldn't be hard to play the double bass, how wrong I was! The different scale, strings thickness, higher action, fingers to use, thumb position, ... all things that made the experience very frustrating at the beginning but after a few trail and error I am starting to fall in love with its big wooden sound. Anyway got myself a teacher

 

[sean_on_bass]

Aw man, what happened? Anyways, the double bass is a different instrument as far as technique. The only thing you can pull from electric bass is that fact that the string tunings are the same. If you try to use electric bass technique on double bass you are in for a world of hurt.

 

[laklandplayer]

Thank you! At the end I couldn't buy the Shen but got a cheap-ish chinese one that is keeping me busy for the moment.

BTW I thought that as an experienced bass player wouldn't be hard to play the double bass, how wrong I was! The different scale, strings thickness, higher action, fingers to use, thumb position, ... all things that made the experience very frustrating at the beginning but after a few trail and error I am starting to fall in love with its big wooden sound. Anyway got myself a teacher

You can do a few things to make the bass easier to play: choose low tension strings that are easier to play, I use Innovation Golden, lower the action, and if the neck is too thick, have a qualified repairman take some wood off of the back of the neck to thin it down. My Shen was too thick for my taste and I had it thinned down. It is still very stable and I have not had any problems with it. Unfortunately, most of the people that make basses don't play them so they don't know what players are looking for. You have to make the bass comfortable to play for you to embrace it and want to play it. I had a horrible bass in college that belonged to the university. It was all wrong for me, wrong size too big, wrong scale length, and wrong strings. It made me hate playing upright and I didn't touch one for years. Then I found the right bass with the size, scale length and string that I liked and it made all of the difference. Now I love playing it. With the upright, not one size fits all, you have to figure out what works for you as we are all different.

 

[damonsmith]

You really have to start over from scratch, at least for a while. The sound and attack is so different it leads you to mostly different material to play. The only you can really take from BG is that you are already a musician.

 

[damonsmith]

You can do a few things to make the bass easier to play: choose low tension strings that are easier to play, I use Innovation Golden, lower the action, and if the neck is too thick, have a qualified repairman take some wood off of the back of the neck to thin it down. My Shen was too thick for my taste and I had it thinned down. It is still very stable and I have not had any problems with it. Unfortunately, most of the people that make basses don't play them so they don't know what players are looking for. You have to make the bass comfortable to play for you to embrace it and want to play it. I had a horrible bass in college that belonged to the university. It was all wrong for me, wrong size too big, wrong scale length, and wrong strings. It made me hate playing upright and I didn't touch one for years. Then I found the right bass with the size, scale length and string that I liked and it made all of the difference. Now I love playing it. With the upright, not one size fits all, you have to figure out what works for you as we are all different.

I would seriously warn against too much customizing out of the gate. Of course a school bass is going to be unacceptable, but get a "normal" set up, and normal strings like Spirocores or Heliocores. A normal set up and a good teacher teaching out of a traditional method will get you past most of these other things. Good, traditional technique will get you a lot further than extreme customizing.
Any serious engagement with the instrument is going to involve borrowing basses for different things like lessons and out of town concerts. String and scale hang ups are not helpful - at all. The double bass was invented when people were smaller. In over two decades of playing and teaching for a lot that time, I have never experienced a person not being able to use the traditional technique because of size, I have only read it bout it here.
Once you have more experience and your music calls for certain things like a bigger or cleaner sound, you can go down the string rabbit hole. Once you have a couple decades in and your own travel bass you can set you parameters a little more.

 

[laklandplayer]

I would seriously warn against too much customizing out of the gate. Of course a school bass is going to be unacceptable, but get a "normal" set up, and normal strings like Spirocores or Heliocores. A normal set up and a good teacher teaching out of a traditional method will get you past most of these other things. Good, traditional technique will get you a lot further than extreme customizing.
Any serious engagement with the instrument is going to involve borrowing basses for different things like lessons and out of town concerts. String and scale hang ups are not helpful - at all. The double bass was invented when people were smaller. In over two decades of playing and teaching for a lot that time, I have never experienced a person not being able to use the traditional technique because of size, I have only read it bout it here.
Once you have more experience and your music calls for certain things like a bigger or cleaner sound, you can go down the string rabbit hole. Once you have a couple decades in and your own travel bass you can set you parameters a little more.

A lot of it depends on if you want to be a legit symphonic player or someone who plays well enough to double.
Those are 2 different career paths and every symphonic player that I know sucks on electric and doesn't understand musical styles, how a rhythm section works, or even how to play with one. I'm not knocking them it's just a different school of discipline. If it takes customizing a bass to make it work for you, there is nothing wrong with that.

 

[damonsmith]

A lot of it depends on if you want to be a legit symphonic player or someone who plays well enough to double.
Those are 2 different career paths and every symphonic player that I know sucks on electric and doesn't understand musical styles, how a rhythm section works, or even how to play with one. I'm not knocking them it's just a different school of discipline. If it takes customizing a bass to make it work for you, there is nothing wrong with that.

I'd say right back to you that it isn't really doubling or really learning to play the instrument. Also, even if weird, pseudo-work arounds out of the gate are functioning the way you want in your life, it still is really bad advice to give others.

 

[laklandplayer]

I'd say right back to you that it isn't really doubling or really learning to play the instrument. Also, even if weird, pseudo-work arounds out of the gate are functioning the way you want in your life, it still is really bad advice to give others.

So, someone has to be miserable with and live with instrument that doesn't fit or work for them.. an acoustic bass martyr?

 

[damonsmith]

So, someone has to be miserable with and live with instrument that doesn't fir or work for them.. an acoustic bass martyr?

Did you try a basic set up and a year of lessons? Without lessons and proper technique you don't really know what works and what doesn't.
People of all sizes have been able to do great things with the instrument for centuries.
If you want to pick up a double bass and have it as easy and bass guitar that is not what is going on here.
In any case this is about a beginner getting into and what is good advice, not about justifying an idiosyncratic path.

My advice, which is rock solid is to get some serious experience with a basic set up before extreme customization.

 

[bajistaman]

Thank you everyone!, I've got a teacher to show me the way and now everything makes more sense, lot of study/practice though