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Double Bass Wan/Bernadel basses

#41
I hope we are all around long enough to hear what our carved Chinese basses sound like in about 30 years. I'd bet that the Wans and the Shen Willows (I've got a Willow 3/4) will hold their own against just about any older European made factory bass. Mine is a great bass, and it's only going to get better with time!
 
#42
I did a lot of reading when I was looking into what I should buy. I liked the idea of a new bass because it gets to be just mine and the 2 year warranty was also a plus because Im still a student and dont want to have to worry about the annual repair bill. I wanted something dependable. I contacted Steve and he was professional, informative and really great to work with. I didnt want to buy sight unseen so I drove from northern California to his house outside Phoenix where he gave me the run of his living room for the afternoon. I was able to try 3 different bernadels and a rogiri. I settled on one of the bernadels that, to my ear, was clearly above the others in tone and personality. Its been 6 months and I have nothing but great things to say about this bass. As Ive been playing it the tone has changed and begun to mellow all for the better. For the money i really dont think you can go wrong dealing with Steve or buying a bernadel. Its not the same as a vintage bass but for the cost you really cant find anything hand carved with this kind of tone, presense and personality. I could clearly tell that each of the 3 I tried were different. These are not factory built basses. I expect to be playing this bass for the next 15 years at least. Throw in the warranty, the bag and the awesome experience I had knowing that I chose the right bass for me and there really is no beating the bernadel or Steve at string emporium.
 
#43
FellowTraveller said:
...for the cost you really cant find anything hand carved with this kind of tone, presense and personality.
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Congrats on finding a bass that speaks to you and with which you are happy. May you enjoy it for a long time to come. :)

Steve does seem to have a bunch of fans who have posted here. To put your statement into context, what other new basses did you play in the price range (say, $4500-$5500) that led you to conclude that one can't find anything with "tone, presense [sic] and personality" of comparable grade? After all, there are several new "hand carved" basses available at that price point that have been spoken about very highly in these threads.

FellowTraveller said:
These are not factory built basses.
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They aren't?
 
#45
DRURB, I suspect that Steve asks people to speak up. There are also a lot of forthright fans of the Thompson basses and Finale bows on talkbass. It's effective advertising I'm sure.

You get what you pay for, and for 5k my bet is that these basses are good competition for the Shen Ruggeri and Gemunder, Eastman 605, Christopher 600's and many others I'm sure.
 
#47
crowsmengegus said:
DRURB, I suspect that Steve asks people to speak up. There are also a lot of forthright fans of the Thompson basses and Finale bows on talkbass. It's effective advertising I'm sure.

You get what you pay for, and for 5k my bet is that these basses are good competition for the Shen Ruggeri and Gemunder, Eastman 605, Christopher 600's and many others I'm sure.
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I think you're right on all points. :) I sure have seen the posts you're talking about. Good competition-- yes-- but "you really can't find anything" like it? Well, that's a perfectly valid opinion. I just wondered on what it was based. This review was FellowTraveler's one and only post. Hmm... seems to fit the pattern. Maybe I'm wrong and he'll join in the discussions.
 
#48
Steve Laspena is a fine player and professor of bass studies at a local University. He is playing a WB as are a few of my friends in the NYC metro area...

Very nice sounding bass in my opinion and it seems that this another viable option for bassists looking for a really good instrument at an affordable price.

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#49
crowsmengegus said:
DRURB, I suspect that Steve asks people to speak up. There are also a lot of forthright fans of the Thompson basses and Finale bows on talkbass. It's effective advertising I'm sure.

You get what you pay for, and for 5k my bet is that these basses are good competition for the Shen Ruggeri and Gemunder, Eastman 605, Christopher 600's and many others I'm sure.
Click to expand...

I bought a Bernadel from Steve and he never once mentioned anything at all to me about getting the word out or advertising for him. It may be the fact that these really are great basses and that everyone who gets their hands on one can't help but tell others about how much they like it.
 
#50
Hammond and Ashley outside of Seattle have a Shen Roggeri and a Wan Bernadel next to each other in the showroom (as of 6/1/11). I thought that the Wan had a little rounder tone and projection and was easier to get around on. Of course every bass is different; maybe it's just those two particular basses in this case.
 
#51
I am the happy new owner of a Thompson 'Ruggeri' (sp?) and Steve never hinted at me advertising for him. He gave great service, lots of time spent, including giving me lots of 'personal space' with it, and sold me an outstanding instrument. He also let me play on some very upscale basses and I remained very impressed with the one I selected. I think that he has a good product and has established an affordable price along with great service and warranty. As far as I'm concerned, he let the instrument sell itself. Previously I had tried a variety of very nice basses at Robertson's - also a great store and staff. I held off and when I played the 'Thompson, it was a fit. End of story.
 
#52
...and neither kurtsnyder nor you ever posted one of those "hype" reviews. That you weren't asked to say anything doesn't mean that others weren't. FWIW, I see nothing wrong with a dealer asking a customer to spread the word via the internet. Something on the order of, "Hey, if you're happy, then please say something on TalkBass." Why not? If a customer is happy, then others should know. Seems like a win-win.

For whatever reason... and you can draw your own inferences... a number of Thompson and Wan owners (often newbies, sometimes who never post again) have written reviews containing all sorts of hyperbole and which, interestingly, contain similar language and phrases. Check them out with the search function.

That behavior seems to have calmed down tremendously of late. Perhaps the change is a result of sensitivity to the negative publicity produced by the earlier reviews.

I appreciate honest, informative, and detailed reviews of basses from their owners. The more experienced the player, the more valuable the review. As for, "end of story," that never seems to be the case around here! :)
 
#53
I am the father of a young bass player. Last year I bought a Wan-Bernadel from Steve. I spoke with him several times before, during and after the transaction. Never once did he say anything about recommending the WB. He was happy when I told him that it would eventually be seen by Cleveland Orchestra bassists who of course play instruments superior to this WB. I have posted several times on this site on subjects that have nothing to do with the WB. If he had asked me to, "sing the praises", of this bass I would have been put off and certainly not have done so. Judge the bass on it's qualities or lack thereof, in my experience I never felt that Steve was trying to push this bass.
 
#54
Barongket said:
I am the father of a young bass player. Last year I bought a Wan-Bernadel from Steve. I spoke with him several times before, during and after the transaction. Never once did he say anything about recommending the WB. He was happy when I told him that it would eventually be seen by Cleveland Orchestra bassists who of course play instruments superior to this WB. I have posted several times on this site on subjects that have nothing to do with the WB. If he had asked me to, "sing the praises", of this bass I would have been put off and certainly not have done so. Judge the bass on it's qualities or lack thereof, in my experience I never felt that Steve was trying to push this bass.
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Lovely. Glad you're happy. I might be put off too if a dealer asked me to "sing the praises" of something he sold.
 
#55
I kind of disagree with the notion Steve doesn't push. When I was in the market for a new bass I called Steve. I asked him if he by chance carried Shen and he then proceeded to push wb really hard. He told me that there's to much hype surrounding Shen, upton, and ns. He seemed like a nice guy and by no means this is a reflection on the quality of his own instruments. I also think that wb might be a viable option in this price point, but I was really turned off when he told me every other bass in the 5000- range other than his is over hyped.
 
#56
I bought a Wan from Steve in 2006. I had it sent out to try and decided to keep it. The set-up could have been better, (tioo much scoop in the board) but after having some basic work done on it here, it has been a fine bass. I gig approximately 3x a week and it now has its share of bumps and bruises but has remained sturdy, stable, and has opened up over the years. The proportions make it relatively easy to play (versus other "inexpensive" instruments and it has been a good solid bass for the money. No complaints
 
#58
Holy Thread Necro, Batman! :eek:

Since the topic is back up, I am curious to know, since these instruments have been on the market for a few years now, if any repair guys have worked on any of these? If so, have you been able to identify which factory they are built in? What did you conclude about the quality of the woods and the construction?

I've raised a thread earlier this year about various Chinese factory instruments, as I'm likely entering the market for a ~$5-6K instrument within the next 9-12 months. So far, I've gotten a usable amount of feedback about Eastman, Christopher, and Shen, as they are readily-available in most of the reputable shops in my area. I'm still curious about X. Sun, Snow, Sinaman, and other less-publicized factory instruments.

I'm certainly not limiting myself to Chinese-made instruments, as I'm also considering some older Czech and German factory instruments, like Juzek, Hofner, and Wilfer-- but I haven't had any difficulty finding info on them, since they seem to appear everywhere!
 

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