Stentor Conservatoire double bass w/ David Gage Realist pickup, £1200 - SOLD
£1200
Bristol

leroybasslines · June 16, 2022

Up for very reluctant sale is my Stentor Conservatoire 3/4 sized double bass.

As the PJB combo you can see I’m the pics has just died and I need a replacement, and my 13 year dalliance in upright bass has resulted in tendinitis due to my lack of effort at learning proper technique, I need to sell this ASAP. I’m open to sensible offers!

I purchased this bass in 2009 from a young lady who was upgrading to an instrument more suitable for a professional orchestral player. She played classical music so the bass is set up for arco playing - it has Spiro Weichs on it now but the action is perhaps a touch higher than most jazz/folk players would go for. I just got used to it and liked the big sound!

The Conservatoire is a fantastic instrument for the price with a fully carved body. This one has a lovely big, warm sound.

I’ve gigged this bass a lot and it has a few cosmetic scuffs. However, in the interests of full disclosure there are a couple of key things that I want to point out…

1) On the VERY FIRST GIG that I played it, I laid it down carefully on the stage only for a punter to kick it over onto its bridge. This caused a serious crack in the back of the bass near the sound post. I thought it was a goner, but the geniuses at Bristol Violins performed key hole surgery and used small patches to fix the crack. It’s been absolutely stable for 13 years and it’s almost invisible on the outside.

2) There is also a small crack in the heel of the neck that was present when I bought it. Again, thus has been completely stable and hasn’t expanded in the 13 years I’ve owned it.

3) Finally, the end pin is a bit sticky and I sometimes need to use pliers to get it out. I’ll throw the pliers in for free!

Other than that, it’s been a totally reliable workhorse of an instrument for me for over a decade.

Also included in the price are the installed David Gage Realist pickup which works brilliantly, the French style bow which I’ve barely used, the stand and a Will & Tom soft case which is tatty and well-used but does a job.