Members JacieFB Posted January 31, 2008 Members Share Posted January 31, 2008 We lost our nice downtown bass viol shop. The man you want to talk to is Andy Stetson up in Cheviot. He's a good luthier and deals in double basses. If you can't find a number for him, I'll try to dig it up. The address should be on Montana. Thanks, Bob! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members marxalot Posted January 31, 2008 Members Share Posted January 31, 2008 I own an Englehart and it plays great, I love it. I dont know about the Lemur basses, I have never tried one. I have, however, played alot of old Kays and American Standards and the like (most from the 40's-60's) and finding one in good repair is very tough now days. The Engleharts are basically the same as the old Kay basses (Englehart bought the molds and jigs from Kay as far as I understand). When I bought my Eng. I was really all jazzed up to buy an old bass that had been around the block a few times but in looking I saw A LOT of repairs and other undesireables so I went with new. Remember to set aside part of your budget to get a setup from a GOOD luthier... it makes all the difference. I think what your goal is with the upright is will make a difference in what is recommended. If you are gonna go play honky tonk country-grass-a-billy then a fully carved bass from the 1800's would be a waste. If you have symphonic aspirations then sawing on a ply bass would be a bit silly as well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Pine Apple Slim Posted January 31, 2008 Members Share Posted January 31, 2008 http://bassesonline.com/roma.html I bought one of these $750 plys last yr. to replace my old Kay which disintergrated. Overall a solid and good sounding bass. He's sold out of the Roma plys but has some hybrids left, and also the Eberles are reported to be worth the extra. These basses definately need a pro set up tho. Mine still needs a F.Board planing and some nut work to play really well. I dont live near a good luthier, and havnt had a steady gig lately, so I havnt done it. When I get it set up, it will a really sweet bass. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Rowka Posted January 31, 2008 Members Share Posted January 31, 2008 Woodwind & Brasswind is basically another part of Music123...and it's the same warehouse they all ship out of. Which is part of the GC/MF conglomerate. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Cpt. Spliff Posted January 31, 2008 Members Share Posted January 31, 2008 Anybody know how the modern electric uprights like Steinberger and Warwick compare to the oldfashioned ones ? Nobody seems to stock them around here, but in a catalogue I even saw a hybrid, you could wear as a guitar ! ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Goofball Jones Posted January 31, 2008 Author Members Share Posted January 31, 2008 Which is part of the GC/MF conglomerate.This is true, but it hasn't changed WW&BW for the worse...yet. It's still the best showroom that I've ever been in. They even have a pretty big stage set up there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members JacieFB Posted January 31, 2008 Members Share Posted January 31, 2008 Here's a question that my wife asked me after I was fooling around with those URBs in SA the other day...I couldn't answer for sure. What function does the "body" of an instrument like this serve? A little bit of resonance? Looks? Reference for hand positions? Doesn't most/all of the sound come off the pups? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators Kindness Posted January 31, 2008 Moderators Share Posted January 31, 2008 Great assessment. Also, there's nothing wrong with a plywood for learning with a bow. It won't have the defined sound of carved bass, but just for learning how to play it's more than adequate. One thing about buying a carved bass though is they are an investment. They won't depreciate, and may become more valuable. +1 to everything above. I rented an Englehardt the first few years I played double bass. It was fine to learn on, but it is not an instrument I'd buy. My personal issue was the neck shape. Much too thin for my tastes. I also wouldn't buy any double bass from anyone other than a local luthier or a well known established online resource like Lemur (with whom I've had many very positive interactions). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members catphish Posted January 31, 2008 Members Share Posted January 31, 2008 Here's a question that my wife asked me after I was fooling around with those URBs in SA the other day...I couldn't answer for sure. What function does the "body" of an instrument like this serve? A little bit of resonance? Looks? Reference for hand positions? Doesn't most/all of the sound come off the pups? I believe it's done for resonance. This one has extension bouts you use in place of the body of a real URB so you can balance it better. Of course it doesn't balance like the real thing since the bouts aren't flat. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members basschick22 Posted January 31, 2008 Members Share Posted January 31, 2008 I love Lemur Music...great folks. Also, since you're in the midwest, you might consider KCStrings/St. Louis Strings. I have had personal dealings with both Lemur and KCStrings...both great. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators ThudMaker Posted January 31, 2008 Moderators Share Posted January 31, 2008 http://bassesonline.com/roma.htmlI bought one of these $750 plys last yr. to replace my old Kay which disintergrated.Overall a solid and good sounding bass. He's sold out of the Roma plys but has some hybrids left, and also the Eberles are reported to be worth the extra.These basses definately need a pro set up tho. Mine still needs a F.Board planing and some nut work to play really well. I dont live near a good luthier, and havnt had a steady gig lately, so I havnt done it. When I get it set up, it will a really sweet bass.+1 to bassesonline.com. I bought one of the Eberles last year. I like mine. it came with a very basic setup, but of course I went ahead and shaved the bridge down. I haven't had to do any work to the actual fretboard. Nice folks to deal with I thought. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Pine Apple Slim Posted January 31, 2008 Members Share Posted January 31, 2008 +1 to bassesonline.com. I bought one of the Eberles last year. I like mine. it came with a very basic setup, but of course I went ahead and shaved the bridge down. I haven't had to do any work to the actual fretboard. Nice folks to deal with I thought. The fretboard is playable, its just not great. Its good quality ebony, just not planed perfectly. There is a very slight dip at "frets" 1-4, which make the action a little higher than it should be in 1st position, even after filing down the nut slots. With low tension strings, its not even an issue, but this bass speaks best with a steel string like Spiros or Helicores. The bridge end is fine, just where I like it. Just a little fretboard and nut work and it would play like butter. I'm moving closer to a bigger city and as soon as I settle in my new location, I'm hunting up a luthier and going ahead and getting that done. And yes, they were very nice to deal with. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members bnyswonger Posted February 1, 2008 Members Share Posted February 1, 2008 Alright...any recommended local shops in the Cincinnati area? There's a big story about Andy's bass shop in todays Enquirer - check it out. Apparantly he's moved his shsop out of home into some space on Harrison. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members JacieFB Posted February 1, 2008 Members Share Posted February 1, 2008 There's a big story about Andy's bass shop in todays Enquirer - check it out. Apparantly he's moved his shsop out of home into some space on Harrison. Very cool!Wow, talk about selection! He's got basses ranging from less than a grand all the way up to many 10s of thousands! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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