Finish on a Bass?

[400$Bass]

Is there a situation when you should not refinish a Bass?

There is an interesting thread on here about a gent doing just that. I ask because I know of a person who had a violin which he brought back from WWII. He "procured" the violin from a home that had been bombed out in Germany.

He eventually refinished the instrument thinking he was improving it. Somewhere in the latter 1950's the violin was viewed by Izler Solomon...conductor of the Indianapolis S.O. and a violinist I believe. Izler told this party that "your violin is worth 500 dollars...however if you had NOT refinished it, it would be worth 5,000 dollars.

With all of that being said are there times that it would be inappropriate to re-finish a double bass?

I have not intention or agenda of refinishing anything...I just like to know these things.

aka FOATY

[bassteban]

W/perhaps the least-informed post, I'll say I would not refinish a bass unless it were structurally neccesary. My DB has had the top brutally but incompletely sanded w/a very rough grit, but unless it affects it's playability or durability, I'll leave it ugly. My bass is likely worth $1500 so it's not a huge deal one way or the other. I won't attempt to comment on something of a greater quality than my own.

[drurb]

Originally Posted by 400$Bass

Is there a situation when you should not refinish a Bass?

There is an interesting thread on here about a gent doing just that. I ask because I know of a person who had a violin which he brought back from WWII. He "procured" the violin from a home that had been bombed out in Germany.

He eventually refinished the instrument thinking he was improving it. Somewhere in the latter 1950's the violin was viewed by Izler Solomon...conductor of the Indianapolis S.O. and a violinist I believe. Izler told this party that "your violin is worth 500 dollars...however if you had NOT refinished it, it would be worth 5,000 dollars.

With all of that being said are there times that it would be inappropriate to re-finish a double bass?

I have not intention or agenda of refinishing anything...I just like to know these things.

aka FOATY

Well, there are many situations in which you should not refinish a bass. The list is actually shorter of the situations under which you should. Certainly, this applies to older, coveted basses of certain "pedigree." The situation is basically the same as that you described for that old violin. For basses of relatively modest value and age and no special pedigree, it would seem to matter little, especially if the refinishing adds aesthetic value. Of course, there are exceptions. Folks here know of cases (often controversial) in which even a pedigreed bass was in bad shape and refinished and it was questionable whether the value was diminished at all.

[GerardSamija]

I draw the line quite simply with these two rules, applying to any hand made instrument. One, if you think you can do a better job of varnishing than a given maker, make your own, 'better' instrument, then varnish that to prove your skills. Two, if an instrument has been attacked by someone intent on removing/replacing the finish and by this effort they've ruined the original varnish, then sure, clean it off, repair what needs repairing, and varnish away! Of course if you're like most people, even most luthiers, the varnish will range from outright awful to somewhat tolerable.

Of course if yours is a bass mass produced, and there are thousands of equally bad basses identical to it, whatever, do whatever you want to do to it. The odds are distinctly against most people getting the job right of course, and I have seen many, many disasters to prove this point, but really, what does it matter? The best job I have seen was with a very badly beaten up Kay, the original varnish being almost gone through both accidental and deliberate abuse. The new owner lovingly sanded and scraped just barely to the veneer, then primed with a clear coat of a durable but flexible flooring varnish, then used several coats of a red-brown version of the same varnish. The result was not in the classic sense 'beautiful' - no one is ever going to mistake it for the work of an Italian master - but it's an old Kay and was probably doomed to further abuses if left looking so bad as it was. In that case the fellow spent a great many hours and put a lot of care into it, and the job came out alright. It's now a working bass and the owner is very happy with it. But that's an exception. So many re-varnished instruments come out exactly as you described with the German fiddle, and so it goes with most any antique. Would one sand off the finish and re-blue an antique Colt 45? What about sanding down and re-spraying an old Jaguar or Rolls? Any removal and 'replacement' of the original finish is an inherently devaluing effort, regardless of the sort of antique. One might as well touch up a Van Gogh.

[400$Bass]

Originally Posted by 400$Bass

Is there a situation when you should not refinish a Bass?

There is an interesting thread on here about a gent doing just that. I ask because I know of a person who had a violin which he brought back from WWII. He "procured" the violin from a home that had been bombed out in Germany.

He eventually refinished the instrument thinking he was improving it. Somewhere in the latter 1950's the violin was viewed by Izler Solomon...conductor of the Indianapolis S.O. and a violinist I believe. Izler told this party that "your violin is worth 500 dollars...however if you had NOT refinished it, it would be worth 5,000 dollars.

With all of that being said are there times that it would be inappropriate to re-finish a double bass?

I have not intention or agenda of refinishing anything...I just like to know these things.

aka FOATY

I didn't put this in my orginal post...but I'm nearly certain that WWII Violin was made in the 1700's. I have been thinking about the conversation which was in about 1980 with the old Veteran. I seen the violin as well, but really didn't look at it that close...more of a glance.