Thompson Upright Bass, Testimonials

Here are a few testimonials from of some of our recent customers that have purchased a new Thompson plywood or hybrid bass:

Picked up the bass last night and just returned from a gig in which I used. It's great! everything about it is perfect! I will happily and gladly recommend anyone I run into to your shop. Excellent packing by the way.
 Thanks again!
 (I LOVE the action and playability.)
 
Ian Nye (Atlanta)

Hey Steve,  I just wanted to thank you for the bass.  I really like it.  Its beautiful and sounds great.  I really enjoy playing it.  or learning how to play it.  The bow is really nice too.  Thank you for eveything you did to make this bass great.

Rita (Charlotte, NC)

OK. This bass is great! You gave me eveything I asked for. The best upright tone I've ever heard and great playability. Nice tuners too. Thanks Steve you really came through for me.
Scott Hadsell (W. Palm Beach, FL)

I love this bass. I left the set-up alone-keeping it just as you sent it. After playing for a week or so, I have gotten use to it. If the strings were any lower, I wouldn't be able to "dig in" as much with the right hand, and my tone would suffer. I have played an assortment of basses in shops all over town after receiving my Thompson--plywood, completely hand carved, etc. For what I paid, there is no comparison. This bass has an incredible growl, even throughout the fingerboard, and just sings!  Steve thanks for the incredible bass, incredible service, and great conversation about the good ole days. When its time to upgrade, you will be my first call.

Mark Sligh, Rancho Palos Verdes, CA

Not only did the Thompson bass meet my expectations for quality and workmanship, but it exceeded them by far. This is a superbly crafted instrument in both design and sound, which is big and even across its tonal spectrum. I especially love the feel of the thoughtfully shaped neck. It provides for an amazing ease of playing, and its fine ebony fingerboard alone is damn near worth the price of admission! Except for a few tweaks of the adjusters, I haven't changed the set-up since I first got it. Thanks Steve, for making it so easy to obtain such a terrific ax. I've not seen any other bass in its class (and believe me, I've looked) even begin to approach it in value. Keep up the great work.

Dean Crandall (professional player, NYC)

Steve, Got the Bass. It was love at first sight! Couldn’t stop playing it. Very rich sound. Looks beautiful too. It’s just what the Dr ordered for my hand. Everything you’ve steered me to was right on the money. For my info: what brand and size are the strings. Also  I didn’t see a serial number on the inside label. Is there one on the bass?  Thank you, Rick Arthur, Seattle, WA

I bought my Thompson Bass from the String Emporium back in October of 2008. I previously purchased an inexpensive upright from an e-bay store for use in college in pursuit of my master's degree but ended up paying almost as much as the bass just to make it playable. After searching the internet for other options, I discovered Steve and the String Emporium. The page Steve had up under the "Cheap Bass" heading peaked my interest (and I'll be honest a little wary). There were two different basses listed and one of them was the Thompson. I called and spoke to Steve personally for information on the bass and was significantly impressed with his passion for his product. He gave me a history of how he found the company and his personal philosophy in regards to customer service. Right off the rip, I wanted the bass. Steve worked with me on arranging payment and shipped the bass to me in Albany,NY. Steve explained to me that the bass would be playable right out the "box" and it was. As previously mentioned, I am using the Thompson for college and my private instructor (who can play all of the sting family instruments) was extremely impressed with the bass and surprised at the price tag. I am currently using the bass to study classical and jazz. I equipped it with a pickup to play jazz and plug it into an Ashdown combo amp. It sounds absolutely amazing pizzicato. Unplugged in the orchestra setting with the bow, the Thompson speaks extremely well (very warm and rich). I definitely recommend this bass if price is a factor and recommend Steve to get it from. Steve is a fellow bass player and loves to talk shop (another reason why I give this recommendation) with a true passion and not the typical salesman just trying to get your money. Talk to Steve and get one and I guarantee you will write a testimonial like just like this one. Christopher Ruth,  Albany,NY

Thank you so much for the bass that you send me. I really enjoy it. Good bass, good set up, everything is perfect for me. You'll have good publicity from me.Once again, thank you. Louis-Martin Grimard, Montreal

Received the bass and I love it. It's been putting a huge smile on my face all night. It was definately worth the wait. My only regret is not getting the pick-up because the annoyance of transfering the realist is a pain. Thank you very much for everything I will keep you in mind if I know anyone looking for good basses. Dan Filipak (New Jersey)

I just received the Thompson bass from String Emporium for my 13-year old son.  He was playing an upright electric, but really wanted a “real” upright bass and since he’s been enjoying playing upright bass with a passion for more than a year, my wife and I decided we wanted to get him a bass that would be a top-notch instrument that he could play with pride for years.  In other words, we were after something a bit more than a “student bass.”  Frankly, though, we didn’t think we could afford one and considered ebay.  We had been around town and looked at various basses from Englehart, Shen, Kay (used) and a couple other brands that were way more money than we wanted to spend.  I looked at his instructor’s bass, a Shen SB100, in detail.   I do believe this Thompson is superior in construction quality and fit and finish to anything we looked at.   For example, the F-hole edges are nicely sanded and finished whereas the other plywood basses we looked at had rougher F-hole cut outs.  The neck is solid – SOLID – and smooth as . . . well . . . fill in your own metaphor.  The ebony fingerboard is just beautiful and consistent in the grain pattern.  And the tuners are very nice with a very positive feel and no slop or loose winders to buzz.  There’s no sloppy glue, no gaps in the joints, no filler that I can see, and even looking at the inside you can see the superior construction.  The plywood is really beautiful with no flaws that we could see and the finish is a beautiful medium, though rich brown.  Most importantly, the bass sings!  It has a beautiful growl to it for jazz and pop.  I guess we’ll at some point consider a pickup and amp for rock.   The adjustable bridge with the delrin adjustment knobs works 10 times better than the one on his electric Palantino.  Of course my son couldn’t resist bowing Iron Man right away and the bass sounds wonderful bowed as well. Steve Koscica of String Emporium was very helpful during the buying process and spent a lot of time answering questions over the e-mail.  What I liked about him was his honesty about competing brands.  He didn’t down talk them.  Rather, he convinced me that this Thompson would be every bit as good, but less expensive than any other plywood bass on the market.  I haven’t looked at “every other bass” on the market, but of those I’ve seen and heard, this Thompson is superior. After we placed the order, he called and spoke with my son for about 20 minutes so he could get the setup right.  He actually switched the stock strings out for a better set after speaking with my son.  He then e-mailed us tracking and pickup information with helpful tips about what to do at the shipping terminal to make the process of getting the bass home very easy.  Then he e-mailed us after the bass arrived to see how things were going.  I think his biggest problem is the price of this bass.  I believe he would sell more if he priced the bass at $1700 because I think people are too skeptical of $1250 for a plywood bass. Anyway, I wanted to post because, like me, at $1250 I was very reluctant thinking this might be another temporary bass that my son would outgrow in a couple years.  Hell no!  this is a beautifully made and superb sounding bass that will last him a lifetime.  So impressed was I with the build quality, finish, and sound that we sprung for a deluxe Mooradian bag to protect it.  Those go online for about $400, so you can see that I believe this bass is worth way more than $1250, otherwise why invest in such a bag worth 1/3 of the instrument?  Don’t walk, run. . . .. . . MJ in Louisville, KY