Steve Swan String Bass

Steve Swan String Bass Retail sales and service of Doublebass instruments and accessories. Large inventory of student, intermediate, and professional level string basses.

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Here are some photos of the just listed 1998 Poellmann 3/4 carved back bass.
10/13/2021

Here are some photos of the just listed 1998 Poellmann 3/4 carved back bass.

Here are some teaser photos of a bass that will soon arrive in the shop for consignment sale. It is a 1921 Giovanni Leon...
06/22/2021

Here are some teaser photos of a bass that will soon arrive in the shop for consignment sale. It is a 1921 Giovanni Leoni bass, made with Lombardy poplar for the back and sides.

For a couple of decades I have heard about the 7/8 doublebasses that came out of Guadalajara that had a big, rich tone a...
08/24/2019

For a couple of decades I have heard about the 7/8 doublebasses that came out of Guadalajara that had a big, rich tone and handsome outlines. I was finally able to find one that had been used in jazz situations for about 30 years and had been used in Southern California orchestras for a couple of decades before that. This one differs from those offered by Paul Toenniges shop in having gamba corners and no fancy label inside. The basic construction was the same as those described as having been sold through the Toenniges shop in the late 1950s and early 1960s time period: Mexican Mahogany back and sides, Cedar top, Neck of unknown species, and a Mexican Rosewood fingerboard. The sound is thick and rich, perfect for a dark jazz pizz situation demanding a lot of acoustic volume. The arco tone is fairly dark and penetrating. I had planned to have the dovetail neck joint converted to a standard mortise for a neck reset and to have an ebony fingerboard installed. A local customer was captivated by the sound and feel of this instrument, so it quickly found a new home. An interesting side note is that the bass came equipped with a painted steel screw-on tailpiece saddle extension. It did not seem useful to this bass when strung with lighter strings, so I am keeping it in the bass parts "museum" on a shelf at the shop. I hope that it does not take another 20 years to find another example of this interesting high quality Mexican made bass.

This 2004 Wilfer 7/8 violin corner carved back bass was used by my Ukiah customer, who bought it brand new from me in 20...
07/19/2019

This 2004 Wilfer 7/8 violin corner carved back bass was used by my Ukiah customer, who bought it brand new from me in 2005, for 11 years on a 6 night per week jazz gig. When it came back in trade for one of my "Swan Workshop" basses, the bass got the performance enhancements of a neck reset, new fingerboard, a top regraduation and bass bar remodel, and a new bridge. The final piece of the professional orchestral puzzle is now in place with a Jason Brown C extension. For more about this breath-taking orchestral instrument, please see the complete listing at www.steveswanstringbass.com Thank you to Jason Brown for bringing this bass up to full professional capability.

This great sounding 7/8 German violin cornered carved back bass came to the shop as a veteran jazz bass. With a setup re...
07/19/2019

This great sounding 7/8 German violin cornered carved back bass came to the shop as a veteran jazz bass. With a setup refinement, retirement of the Full Circle pickup, and a new set of Flexocore Deluxe strings, it is a majestic orchestral bass. A Jason Brown C extension would complete the possibilities for this fine bass, available at a very attractive price. For more information, please see the full text and photo posting at www.steveswanstringbass.com

This 2010 Upton Professor custom 7/8 size 5 string bass was made at a time when Upton was sourcing their bodies and neck...
06/27/2019

This 2010 Upton Professor custom 7/8 size 5 string bass was made at a time when Upton was sourcing their bodies and necks from the large Romanian factory that supplies instruments to distributors and retailers around the world, such as JR Music Supply, Kolstein, Thomas, etc. The string length is quite moderate at 42 1/8", lending itself to the current stringing of Spirocore Orchestra gauge strings with a high C string on top. The dark brown varnish finish may look familiar to those interested in Upton Bass' current offerings. This bass is versatile enough for employment in jazz or orchestral settings. A more complete listing can be found on the website: www.steveswanstringbass.com

This 2012 New Standard Cleveland 5 string was a special order that was never picked up. This large top shape is sort of ...
06/27/2019

This 2012 New Standard Cleveland 5 string was a special order that was never picked up. This large top shape is sort of a large rectangle or squat figure 8 shape that produces a great, penetrating presence in a group. This bass is now strung in a Spirocore Orchestra gauge set that includes a high C string. In the classical world, the high stringing is gaining favor for the production of a longer effective string length and greater precision of finger placement for the upper notes. Fine travel instrument that's more fully described on my website: www.steveswanstringbass.com

This ca. 1950s German 7/8 cried back bass is an excellent example of a good bass made into a great bass by the performan...
06/27/2019

This ca. 1950s German 7/8 cried back bass is an excellent example of a good bass made into a great bass by the performance of our complete suite of performance upgrades that include: Neck reset, Top regraduation, New aged African ebony fingerboard, New aged European Maple bridge and often replacement endpin and/or tailpiece. This large-voiced bass has a fine jazz potential, but it is currently set up for orchestral play with a set of Original Flexocore strings. Check the website address: www.steveswanstringbass.com for more basses like this.

This ca. 1930s German 3/4 carved back bass represents an excellent performing example of one of our most popular request...
06/27/2019

This ca. 1930s German 3/4 carved back bass represents an excellent performing example of one of our most popular requests for a large-voiced 3/4 German carved back instrument from the 1920s-30s. We performed our full suite of performance upgrades that include: Neck reset, Top regraduation, new full thickness aged African ebony fingerboard, New aged European Maple bridge with added adjusters, New ULSA adjustable endpin, and new African ebony tailpiece. The top of this particular bass is especially noteworthy for the bold spruce top grain lines, even spruce grain Lin spacing, and uniform character along the entire top length. A spectacular performing example.

Here are some more older gut string packages dating from the late 1950s through possibly the early 1970s The first two a...
04/09/2019

Here are some more older gut string packages dating from the late 1950s through possibly the early 1970s The first two are some US made "Sweetone" brand No. 112 plain gut G strings, with the "Italian Finish". They are the least expensive, and may the oldest, at a price of $1.50 USD. The next is a no. 56 plain gut D string made by "Hopf" in West Germany, with no visible price marking. This string could have been purchased by the original user on one of his many European tours. The next is a LaBella No. 75 plain gut G string, priced at $1.90 USD. The last two packages no. 51 and no. 53 ( ) wire wound A Strings made in the USA by the C. D'Addario & Son company, priced higher at $5.50 USD. Remember that these strings were made about 50-60 years ago when the US dollar was valued quite differently than it is today!

More gut strings and packaging from the shop string museum. NONE OF THESE ARE FOR SALE. The 3 Eudoxa strings appear to c...
03/30/2019

More gut strings and packaging from the shop string museum. NONE OF THESE ARE FOR SALE. The 3 Eudoxa strings appear to come from a 1960s era set. The two "Manny's" brand D strings may have been rebranded from Artone string company. The unidentified D string package is a mystery! The old Olive string probably dates from the 1960s as well.

These photos show a couple of the top and bass bar diagrams that we work from in performing top regraduations and bass b...
03/30/2019

These photos show a couple of the top and bass bar diagrams that we work from in performing top regraduations and bass bar recontouring.

Address

1519 Bayshore Highway
Burlingame, CA
94010

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Telephone

+16505151014

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