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Double Bass Stravari Bass or Shen?

V

vlakvlakvlak

Mar 25, 2023
5
4
ABQ, NM
#1
I'm an aspiring upright bassist, looking at a used Stravari B-534.
It seems like Stravari doesn't sell it anymore, and I can't find more info on it.
I'm guessing it's a laminated bass, made in China.
I was curious if anyone had any experiences with this brand?
At $3000, it seems really high, but in the area I'm in there's there's not a lot of options. At my local store, Shen-80 is $2000 new.
Would love to hear people's thoughts.
Thanks!
 
#2
Might be wrong but I'd imagine no one's really heard of Stravari. There are countless "brands" of random instruments imported with little to no QC and it's possible if not likely that is the case here. I could also be wildly incorrect.
But Shen is a well-known and well-regarded manufacturer that most of us have experience with I'd wager.
 
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#8
Robertson & Sons is a pretty serious place to try out upright basses. It's been years since I visited, but last time I did they had everything from laminate, to hybrid, to fine instruments that cost more than my house. Probably the biggest collection of basses I have ever seen in one shop.

AFAIK, $2K is not all that unusual for a new Shen SB80. If you are serious about bowing, step up to a hybrid if you can.
 
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#9
shen 80 for sure.

My first bass was a shen 80, made in 2006.

admittedly i rarely use it anymore, (since acquiring my dream bass) but i still have it, and i'm glad.

it's a legitimately nice bass. it's certainly not very loud or particularly rich sounding, but the sound it makes it very pleasant. particularly for jazz, it's a wonderful instrument.

I'm a professional musician, and to be transparent an absolute instrument/gear enthusiast. so when I say "i still have mine," it's because i can't imagine a better backup/second bass for a busy musician.
 
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#10
slappahdabass said:
You're right by Robertson & Son's (mega shop with massive selection) and String Emporium as you said then.
Click to expand...

Yeah, Robertson's is literally one of the best and largest bass shops in the entire world. They have a bit of a focus on high end stuff, but they usually have a very good selection of Shen basses from plywood on up.

You might get a better deal from String Emporium, but buying from a local store with great in-house luthiers, and a good trade in policy in case you decide to upgrade seems like a huge advantage.
 
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#12
Well, that's too bad. Maybe they just keep one of each model in stock these days. Leaves more space for $200K basses, I suppose...

I still think the SB80 there might be your best bet, if you like the bass, unless you find a great local deal. $2000 is in the standard range for a new SB80 these days, and the fact that they can set it up to your liking, plus the trade-in factor later makes that seem like a reasonable deal to me.

I have an SB80 that I love and have happily taken on the road with world class musicians. Some players in town here actually prefer it to my "nice" carved bass.
 
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#13
vlakvlakvlak said:
Right Robertson's is great from what I hear, but when I went a couple weeks ago they only had 1 plywood Shen, and 1 hybrid Shen. Everything else was wildly out of my price range. Hahaha.
Click to expand...
$2k seems about right, most places will only have (or at most a few) basses in stock in that range. You cant go wrong buying a bass from Robertsons, and as others have said, its best to buy it from someone who can set it up and take care of it as time goes on. Also if you are just beginning, you may find that it needs adjustments as you move forward. I've heard good things about people buying basses from String Emporium but as a beginner, I don't think that would be a particularly good idea, as you need to be able to tell them what you are looking for as far as setup.
 
#16
vlakvlakvlak said:
It seems like Stravari doesn't sell it anymore, and I can't find more info on it.
I'm guessing it's a laminated bass, made in China.
Click to expand...

The Shen laminated basses are also laminated basses, made in China.
As good as Shens are, there are other makes/brands worthy of consideration. I think that consistency is a big selling point for Shen, but don't discount other choices from reputable sellers. Robertson and String Emporium are both good retailers to deal with.
 
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#18
If i found a vb-95 or sb-150 for ~$2k ysed here i would've bought it in a heartbeat and moved on to getting playing again. 2k here though would get me a used (rented) vb-80 from a shop here.
New vb-95 about $3600 and all the shen basses would have to be ordered and price is "what is listed on the shen website".
I very seriously considered getting a vb-95 from string emporium.
 
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