Samuel Shen basses

[saxobass]

Samuel Shen basses seem to be a big thing stateside. However there are very few here and I`m wondering what they are like as I am considering one. Any info. very welcome.

[velvetkevorkian]

Have you got a lead on one already in the country or are you looking at getting one imported? As you say, they get good reviews from our US brethren but I've never come across one here.

[tinyd]

I picked up a second hand Shen SB180 hybrid here in Ireland recently and I'm very happy with it - the quality/finish seems very good and I like the way it plays and sounds. Over on TalkBass the general consensus is that along with Christophers they're among the best of the entry-level basses. I'm not sure where you can get them in Europe so I'm not sure if this is much use, but if you can find one I'd definitely recommend taking a look.

[saxobass]

[quote name='saxobass' post='409680' date='Feb 14 2009, 08:20 PM']Samuel Shen basses seem to be a big thing stateside. However there are very few here and I`m wondering what they are like as I am considering one. Any info. very welcome.[/quote]
Hi. Sorry about the delay. Yes there is one on eBay at the moment. It`s in S. Wales with a `buy it now` price of £1200, plus an `offer` option. Have just got myself a 1970`s Reghin bass, so I won`t be bidding.

[symcbass]

I've had a Shen SB100 I bought from the now ceased trading Norton Customs in the US. Brent's basses were beautiful
Light weight, very well made bass. Nicely finished, has good bottom end, and projects well.
Very happy with mine, made in 2003 and still going strong after being gigged for years.
Only upgrades I made were a new thick endpin and a Pecanic tailpiece, strung with Innovation RAB E and A strings, and Gotz gut G & D. Lovely bass to play.

for those of you not familiar with Brent's work,

www.nortoncustoms.com

[Lownote-LA]

[quote name='saxobass' post='409680' date='Feb 14 2009, 08:20 PM']Samuel Shen basses seem to be a big thing stateside. However there are very few here and I`m wondering what they are like as I am considering one. Any info. very welcome.[/quote]

I split my time between Los Angeles and the Edinburgh area although I'm living in Scotland most of the time now. About two years ago I brought over to Scotland a LaScala flatback hybrid to use as my main bass here. I recently sold a very expensive bass that was left behind in Los Angeles and needed an instrument for the limited time I spend there. In February I purchased a Shen Willow Roggieri hybrid (carved top, ply back) that is beautifully made and sounds great for my use which is primarily jazz playing. I'd love to get the LaScala and the Shen side by side so that I could compare the two, but they are very similar in size and, I think, sound. Both of these basses are loud and have a big low end. Both have violin corners. While I was in the U.S. I also had a chance to try two of the Shen all carved basses at Robertson Violins in Albuquerque, a very high qualitiy bass dealer and luthier in the U.S. Both of the Shens sounded great, particularly the all carved Shen Willow Roggieri. Robertsons told me that they have been selling a lot of the Shen's and believe they are the highest quality Chinese basses on the market--they have had little or no problems with the basses they have sold. While you would want to budget for a good set-up if buying one new or used, if hadn't been given a great setup already, the only upgrade I chose to do was to put on a Goetz endpin and install Spiro's. Lisa Gass, the LA luthier who sold it to me (she had bought it off the floor at the NAMM show) said that she had to do just a touch of fingerboard planing, but that other than that it came to her with a very good setup already. The bridge that came with it was nice and had adjusters pre-installed. The tailpiece as also ebony. I don't understand why Shen is not selling their stuff in the U.K. The Chinese basses I've seen in the U.K.--mostly with the name Stentor in them--don't begin to compare to the quality of the Shen.