Any clues about this bass?

stranded horse · #1 01-17-2010, 06:16 AM

This bass has been offered as an "old French" Bass.
I hope the pictures will ring some bells, and someone can just give the slightest bit of a judgement by the pictures about craftsmanship, origin and approximate age.

And please no nasty comments, that one cannot judge by pictures. I just would like to you know what you would expect of this instrument after seeing these pictures.

regards,
s.h.

stranded horse · #2 01-17-2010, 06:18 AM

Gponyy · #3 01-17-2010, 07:06 AM

looks like a new hungarian bass that has been varnished and distressed a bit to look like an older bass.

stranded horse · #4 01-17-2010, 07:14 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gponyy

looks like a new hungarian bass that has been varnished and distressed a bit to look like an older bass.

Intesting. Why do you think so?
What are contemporary hungarian double bass manufacturers by the way?

regards,
s.h.

forester · #5 01-17-2010, 07:25 AM

let's see the hardware.

Gponyy · #6 01-17-2010, 07:49 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by stranded horse

Intesting. Why do you think so?
What are contemporary hungarian double bass manufacturers by the way?

regards,
s.h.

There arnt really many actual individual makers but there are a number of factories mostly in Romania and Hungary.

It looks very much like the models of bass that they make over there, the crazy detailing around the f's is very strange, the shape of the neck butt is very Romanian as is the rim and the back button. The tunors look new and they are also fitted with phillips head screws - not too many french bass makers use them! Also for some reason they have put 3 of one type of tunors on and 1 of another and this bass was never 3 stringed. Looks suspect to me!

arnoldschnitzer · #7 01-17-2010, 07:50 AM

I'm with Gponyy. The decoration around the f-holes is Eastern European looking, as is the treatment at the back button, and the overall shape. What is that etching at the top of the back?

stranded horse · #8 01-17-2010, 08:12 AM

Is there a page which helps identifying characteristics of basses, or where did you get your knowledge? I would like to learn about that too!

regards,
s.h.

forester · #9 01-17-2010, 08:46 AM

sir,
you are on the page

Square Bear · #10 01-17-2010, 08:47 AM

the bridge is pretty off center and crooked FYI. i don't see any pictures with the tuners... where did you see them gponyy? do you have a picture of the scroll?

PsychoScout · #11 01-17-2010, 08:55 AM

An old french bass with no cracks whatsoever?

I'm wondering about the material the sides are made off to be honest, looks kind of weird to me.

Gponyy · #12 01-17-2010, 09:15 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Square Bear

the bridge is pretty off center and crooked FYI. i don't see any pictures with the tuners... where did you see them gponyy? do you have a picture of the scroll?

The bass is for sale on eBay - http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.d...%3DI%26otn%3D2

Please enjoy the additional pictures of this Great French Masterpeice...........

stranded horse · #13 01-17-2010, 09:21 AM

Well the thing is, that the price is still really low, so IF it is really carved I guess it would be a great bargain, no matter where it's really from. And I live close enough to Prague to collect it personally, so I could take a look at it before I pay and simply refused to pay if it's a new laminated artificially aged instrument.

PsychoScout · #14 01-17-2010, 09:26 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by stranded horse

Well the thing is, that the price is still really low, so IF it is really carved I guess it would be a great bargain, no matter where it's really from. And I live close enough to Prague to collect it personally, so I could take a look at it before I pay and simply refused to pay if it's a new laminated artificially aged instrument.

The front panel could be carved, the sides and back however: don't think so....

Strange as well that he first put 7/8 and then corrected to 3/4. If you have played a bass, you should know this...

drurb · #15 01-17-2010, 09:26 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by stranded horse

And please no nasty comments, that one cannot judge by pictures.

It is precisely pictures that are requested when such questions are asked. No reason to look for trouble where there is none, s.h.

Of course, no one can tell you how it sounds by looking at the pics but I think it's quite likely that the bass is neither French nor old. I believe Arnold has acquired his vast knowledge from many sources. Suffice it to say, it's knowledge I trust.

Square Bear · #16 01-17-2010, 09:26 AM

true. still, it's a bit disturbing how much of this sort of thing you see on ebay.

drurb · #17 01-17-2010, 09:37 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by stranded horse

Well the thing is, that the price is still really low, so IF it is really carved I guess it would be a great bargain, no matter where it's really from. And I live close enough to Prague to collect it personally, so I could take a look at it before I pay and simply refused to pay if it's a new laminated artificially aged instrument.

Horse, as it has been stated many, many times here, being fully-carved, in and of itself, does not a great bass make. To quote myself:

Do not, however, be fooled. There are entry level carved basses that, from many standpoints, are far less desirable than a quality ply! Think of ply, hybrid, and carved as three overlapping distributions (bell-curves, if you will), with the mean value of "quality" being lowest for the plys, intermediate for the hybrids, and highest for the carved ones.

Notice that the eBay bass has a reserve. No telling what that price is right now. In addition, it would be a dangerous strategy to figure that you could win the bid on eBay and then refuse payment. Read the eBay rules. You bid, you pay-- unless other arrangements are made. Finally, I don't see anywhere in the description where it is stated that the bass is fully carved, so you could hardly claim any basis for non-payment if it were not. If you're really interested, go and see it and then bid, if you like. Just trying to save you headaches. The truth is that this is not a good way to buy a bass.

Quote:

Originally Posted by PsychoScout

The front panel could be carved, the sides and back however: don't think so....

I sure can't see enough detail in those pics to make that judgment.

PsychoScout · #18 01-17-2010, 09:37 AM

I would never buy a bass online anyway. I'm a total newbie so I would only buy from people I trust. (or who come highly recommended by people I trust)

Quote:

Originally Posted by drurb

I sure can't see enough detail in those pics to make that judgment

you're right....

drurb · #19 01-17-2010, 09:41 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by PsychoScout

I would never buy a bass online anyway. I'm a total newbie so I would only buy from people I trust. (or who come highly recommended by people I trust)

...but some of those very people (real luthiers) do sell online!

I suspect that you meant that you wouldn't buy a bass online sight unseen and sound unheard from someone who was not a trusted luthier or expert. Of course, it's always best to see and hear first.

stranded horse · #20 01-17-2010, 09:44 AM

I don't want to open a new thread for this: Can you name European factories that produce double basses, and what you think about them?

I only know Strunal in Czech Republic, and heard that they offer a pretty decent qualitiy for the price. I heard about factories in Hungary and Romania, but no specific names or opinions. I want to buy a carved instrument made in Europe, and preferably made in large part from local woods.