1967 Carved Ernst Heinrich Roth restoration

liam_g · #1 09-21-2007, 02:10 PM

Hey Folks,

I have an old bass that I hadn't looked at much, that was given to me by my stepfather. I didn't have access to it for years, as it was back home in Kentucky and I was living in Seattle. It's an Ernst Heinrich Roth, West Germany, 1967 manufacture. In the cursory looks I gave it when he first gave it to me, I had thought it was a plywood bass, with those artificial flames on the back and sides that they used to do with a propane torch. Now, though, I've moved close to home (Nashville), and I went and got the bass and gave it a closer look. Looked like solid wood to me. It's also very light ... felt really nice.

It's in *very* rough shape, with a number of cracks in the top, a separation in the seam of the back, and a long crack in the ribs going through the end pin hole up each lower bout. I took it in to Dustin Williams' shop here in Nashville (Williams Fine Violins) to get his opinion. First he confirmed that it is fully carved. Second, he confirmed that yes, there are a lot of problems.

Repairs are estimated to be in the $1500 - $2000 range. But he ballpark estimated the value after fixing it up to be $5,000 - $8,000. Even if that's high, I certainly couldn't find a nice relatively old fully carved bass for the price of the repairs ... so we're going ahead with it.

I need to get back down there and take some 'before' pics ... who knows, maybe they can take some 'during' pics, and then I'll take some 'after' pics, of course.

For strings, I'm going to start with the Oliv g & d, Eudoxa a & e set that I got a while back but never got around to trying. Should make a nice compliment to a nice old bass.

More to follow as the process unfolds!

Oh, and by the way, anyone know who was making carved basses for Roth back in the 60's? Or is there just no way of knowing what company may have originally manufactured this instrument?

Regards,
Liam

KSB - Ken Smith · #2 09-21-2007, 03:02 PM

It's hard to say as I believe Roth to be a brand as far as Basses go. Can you post some pictures of the Bass? It might be obvious what it is or then again maybe not.

Also, I don't know how well they can fix a bass as you described for only 2k? You can spend that on the Fingerboard, Bridge, strings and set-up easily. Again, if you show some pics (maybe in the repair section), you might get some second opinions. Then again, if this guy will fix it properly for that price, go for it.

Dave Martin · #3 09-21-2007, 03:16 PM

I've been pleased with the work that Dustin's done on my Juzek; he should do fine with your old Roth.

liam_g · #4 09-21-2007, 03:17 PM

Oops, this should have gone in the repair section! Sorry about that.

Dustin Williams is a pretty reputable luthier, so I trust that he can do what he says he can. He did of course caution me that things may look different after he takes the top off and gets a closer view of everything!

Thanks,
Liam

larry · #5 09-22-2007, 07:22 AM

I'd love to see pics. I had an EH Roth hybrid from the same time period. Good bass. I sold it for $2k when I bought a LaScala. I'm pretty sure I could have sold it a little higher if I had held out a while. It sounded better than $2k for sure.

liam_g · #6 01-30-2010, 11:58 AM

Reviving this old thread because I'm finally getting the fix-up done. One change is that I got a second opinion from someone who does not believe the top has to be taken off ... he believes he can fix the few cracks in the top from the top. so to speak. The repairs will be much cheaper, and I was able to examine several instruments he has fixed in this manner and they all look, play and sound wonderful. I should have the instrument back in a couple of weeks, and will post pictures and impressions then.

Cheers,
Liam

Will Yager · #7 01-30-2010, 02:24 PM

Looking forward to seeing it!

liam_g · #8 04-06-2010, 12:24 PM

Just got the instrument back today. I have only had time to play it for about 5 minutes, but am impressed with the tone. I went with Obligatos for the strings, and they seem to really mesh well with this bass. I'll try to get some pictures soon, and also some playing impressions as I get to spend more time with it.

Cheers,
Liam

CellarDweller · #9 04-06-2010, 01:04 PM

Cool thread. Pictures would be great. I like it when something old and well-crafted gets a reprieve, courtesy of someone who appreciates good work. I rescued an old Epiphone years ago from an auction, where the competing bidder wanted it for a decoration. A very talented luthier in Cincinnati brought it back to life for me, and it gets played every day (just about literally every day) now. Congratulations on getting your bass back.