Double Bass The search begins...

[sean_on_bass]

Glad you found a bass you like. Anyone have any idea how something like this hole happens?

My Upton Ply has a dent in the side ribbing, i think it got hit in the side with something pointed when i was loading it into a relatives house. No plans to fix it. Essentially if something pointed hits it with enough force, it can cause a dent or hole, particularly in laminate. But generally the bass is still perfectly functional i reckon.

 

[Keith Rawlings]

Glad you found a bass you like. Anyone have any idea how something like this hole happens?

I’m assuming someone was rushing to load it up (as it came from another one of their locations) and they punched a hole in it with another endpin from another bass butted up against it. The shop brought four basses from their other locations to this one because of the large try-out room. It was very nice of them to do (I’m not used to even seeing more than one bass in the shops we have in my town). They even offered for me to take one of them home for a test drive, but the Krutz was damaged and I didn’t want to put that nice Soloist bass in my pickup bed in 95 degree Texas heat and drive all the way back to Corpus with it.

 

[Keith Rawlings]

…But generally the bass is still perfectly functional i reckon.

It still sounded wonderful even with the hole in the bottom. They’re going to give me a call and let me know what the repair does to the price after their luthier examines it. Let’s see what they say.

 

[Ed S]

So, just trying to be a sounding board:
-What makes you think this is THE bass for you at this point, as opposed to a solid comparison point to continue the search? (This IS essentially the 1st shop you've visited.)
-You are comfortable with it being Chinese made?

 

[Keith Rawlings]

So, just trying to be a sounding board:
-What makes you think this is THE bass for you at this point, as opposed to a solid comparison point to continue the search? (This IS essentially the 1st shop you've visited.)
-You are comfortable with it being Chinese made?

Well with my limited access to instruments it sure felt nice to try out so many instruments at one time in one place and to compare them to each other; and the Krutz really shined through. Maybe I am jumping the gun here but after bowing my Kay and bowing the Krutz there is no question that the plywood bass is holding me back arco-wise.

At this point I’m particularly interested in how much the repair will drop the price as the value for the money seems to be there already; albeit in a Chinese bass, but it appears to be much better quality than the Eastman I played on, as well as the Christopher I messed around with a few years ago. It’s definitely better than the Cremona my buddy plays on (he has two and the necks are already getting loose after only owning them for about 10 years). Having the Krutz setup and finished in an American shop supporting four stores worth of Houston-area employees also makes it a bit easier for me to buy an imported Chinese bass. I guess I need to be more realistic about what is out there in my price range anyway, and that’s what I’m trying to do. The Krutz basses are instruments they regularly keep in stock so it’s nice to know that I can come back to these if I keep looking elsewhere.

We will see how it all goes. I haven’t gotten a chance to go to San Antonio or Austin yet and now with the Delta Variant increasing the number of Covid cases in Texas, I may have to postpone those trips now until the numbers get better.

 

[SteveCS]

...
...
but it appears to be much better quality than the Eastman I played on...
...

I suppose, at twice the price, it should be. One is an entry-level hybrid instrument and the other is, at least on paper, a fully-carved student-grade instrument.

 

[ctrlzjones]

(…) particularly in laminate (…)

Then there are those who say that laminate sides are more resitant.

 

[Keith Rawlings]

I suppose, at twice the price, it should be. One is an entry-level hybrid instrument and the other is, at least on paper, a fully-carved student-grade instrument.

Actually the shop wanted $5500 for the Eastman; which is what they are asking for the fully carved Krutz 400. They think rather highly of their hybrids at Eastman, don’t they?

 

[SteveCS]

Actually the shop wanted $5500 for the Eastman; which is what they are asking for the fully carved Krutz 400. They think rather highly of their hybrids at Eastman, don’t they?

Maybe, but more likely a result of US/PRC trade tariffs. The VB105 here in the UK starts at about £2,300, or $3,200. $5,500 (~£4,000) does sound pretty steep for a VB105 given that the VB305 can be had for around £4500 ($6300) here.

 

[Ed S]

Thanks for taking my questions in the spirit intended.

A lot of folk talk about finding lifetime basses for $3k-3500. I'd imagine most of those finds occur in larger markets - and might need some work.

It sounds as tho you have a relatively healthy budget (although, presumably, you don't want to spend money unnecessarily.) IMO, if you found a "good enough" bass in the range of $5k, from a shop you like and can expect to stand behind it, that's enough to end the search.

I know nothing about Krutzes, but they seem to have a plenty good rep with folk who do. I would wager that it would take you some time to outgrow this bass - if, in fact, you ever did. While it may not appreciate in value as an investment, I'd bet it retains sufficient value that if you enjoyed it for a couple of years, any loss would be a very acceptable "rent."

I could imagine if you passed on this bass, you could continue your search for years w/o finding a bass you clearly liked better at a similar or lower price. Plus, added time and travel for an extended search have SOME cost. Just my guess/calculations.

Some folk enjoy an endless search and/or fall into decision paralysis. Others (including me) might make too rapid of a decision just to move forward. Just offering MHO that, provided they do a good job on the repair and reflect it in the price, you could close the door on your search and get busy w/ improving! Best wishes!

 

[sean_on_bass]

Then there are those who say that laminate sides are more resitant.

They may be, i am no expert.

 

[Keith Rawlings]

Thanks for taking my questions in the spirit intended.

A lot of folk talk about finding lifetime basses for $3k-3500. I'd imagine most of those finds occur in larger markets - and might need some work.

It sounds as tho you have a relatively healthy budget (although, presumably, you don't want to spend money unnecessarily.) IMO, if you found a "good enough" bass in the range of $5k, from a shop you like and can expect to stand behind it, that's enough to end the search.

I know nothing about Krutzes, but they seem to have a plenty good rep with folk who do. I would wager that it would take you some time to outgrow this bass - if, in fact, you ever did. While it may not appreciate in value as an investment, I'd bet it retains sufficient value that if you enjoyed it for a couple of years, any loss would be a very acceptable "rent."

I could imagine if you passed on this bass, you could continue your search for years w/o finding a bass you clearly liked better at a similar or lower price. Plus, added time and travel for an extended search have SOME cost. Just my guess/calculations.

Some folk enjoy an endless search and/or fall into decision paralysis. Others (including me) might make too rapid of a decision just to move forward. Just offering MHO that, provided they do a good job on the repair and reflect it in the price, you could close the door on your search and get busy w/ improving! Best wishes!

I tend to fall somewhere in the middle as I usually weigh several options (maybe not as many as others), then I jump on something that may be more easily attained. I'm reigning the search in as far as finding that forever bass and instead focusing on "the next step bass" to get me to where I want to go arco-wise. The bass I really want is just not attainable right now at $12K+ for an Upton Concord, but if I can find something decent to work with now at a reasonable price, take care of it, learn on it, woodshed and then see how far I can go with it; then maybe I can trade it in for some money down on one of those beautiful Concords or maybe a New Standard someday.

I probably could have found a forever bass in the $3K - $3500 range if I would have started looking in 2005, but the ends weren't meeting for me like they were a decade after that...then Covid happened. And yes, Ed - I do appreciate the questions you are bringing up as I want to make sure that I make as informed a decision as possible. That's why I posted on here about my search as the input from everyone on these forums is much appreciated. Knowledge is power and there is so much of it on Talkbass.

 

[Inky13]

How goes the search? I’m about to embark on one of my own, but my budget will only get me something like a used Shen 80.
Still, it will be sweet to have a bass that’s complete and more comfortable than what I currently have.

 

[Greg Clinkingbeard]

Those KRUTZ basses are nice. Does Mitch have any Shens in stock? I like the 200 series and think they compare very favorably.

I don’t see confirmation that you actually bought that KRUTZ.

 

[Keith Rawlings]

Something interesting is brewing. More details later today.

 

[Ed S]

Something interesting is brewing. More details later today.

What a tease!

 

[Keith Rawlings]

Well I checked out a $500 Craigslist listing yesterday that appeared to be one of those magic bass finds that people talk about, but it needed too much work for a beaten-up student bass. The instrument appeared to be an older German hybrid - probably 50's or 60's, but not a Juzek, Hofner or a particularly high end model. The label has mostly disintegrated over the years, but you can still see the "Made in Germany" portion of the label down through the F hole. It has what appears to be a good sized crack running along the top on the bass side and the fingerboard needs planing as it has a Romberg bevel. It also needed a deep cleaning and the tuners are a bit frozen up. It appears to have painted on flamed grain on the neck and the back and sides appear to be laminated wood. The top is a nice, thick piece of spruce though but at this point I don't want to have to have something that will be so much of a project unless it's just an amazing instrument.

It's funny - I thought that this might be my lucky moment to find what I want for an amazing price, but it isn't this bass. It seems like there are so many stories on Talkbass of people who found $10K-$15K basses for next to nothing; but the advent of the Internet makes this so much harder to do nowadays.

The shop in Houston is in the process of repairing the Krutz model and I had planned to go up and check it out again this weekend but now there's the possibility of a hurricane with the stuff that's brewing in the Caribbean. I'll have to wait and see what happens with that before I go and complete my purchase.

 

[Inky13]

Hey Keith. Any developments on the new bass search?
I always enjoy these threads.

 

[Keith Rawlings]

Hey Keith. Any developments on the new bass search?
I always enjoy these threads.

I love these threads too and eagerly await the day I can post “NBD”. I’ve been back to Houston a few more times to try out the two basses I liked up there, but I’m still waiting to make the purchase.

I’m trying to get with a fellow TB’er to check out a nice bass he has out of state but work mucked up our travel plans to head East for Turkey Day. We may go up that way for Christmas, but we are still evaluating if that’ll be feasible with our jobs; and he might be coming down south in the springtime. Until then I’m still playing my Kay and awaiting a Deuce Bridge I ordered from Jason Brown.

 

[Erik Turkman]

If you are okay with a 7/8 sized bass made in China, I’d suggest checking out a Shen Gemunder. It can hold its own in an orchestra section or in a jazz context.