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03-09-2006, 11:29 PM
| | Registered User | | Join Date: Jun 2002 Location: Salt Lake City, Utah | | | Is this too good to be true?
It seems like it could be a good bass, what d'yall think? http://cgi.ebay.com/CARVED-TOP-UPRIG...QQcmdZViewItem
Sign in to disble this ad
Last edited by Michael Case : 03-10-2006 at 02:50 PM.
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03-09-2006, 11:45 PM
| | Registered User | | Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Sherbrooke, QC, CA. | | Sure looks good, even with the missing info 'bout the history and the very basic (lack of) care. It may very well be a risk worth takin...
you'll get more info from the knowledgeable sages that hang around here who can size an instrument from a couple seconds lookin at it  . |
03-10-2006, 02:06 AM
|  | Official Forum Flunkee | | Join Date: Mar 2004 Location: San Francisco, CA | | | the top is obviously splitting. Looks like theres some decent amount of chip action on the bottom right of the table. Seems like the closeup photo's conveniently edited them out. Also, is it me or is the back of the pegbox cracked? Or is that just a bunch of scratches? |
03-10-2006, 05:22 AM
| | Registered User | | Join Date: Jun 2002 Location: Salt Lake City, Utah | | | The pegbox cracks were mentioned in the listing. That is kind of disheartening. I'm really just curious, but if an instrument is too good to turn down I'll go for it. Maybe the ebay bass aint it. |
03-10-2006, 05:27 AM
|  | Unprofessional TalkBass Contributor | | Join Date: Dec 1999 Location: Brighton, England, UK, Europe | | If it looks too good to be true - it generally is!! 
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03-10-2006, 08:05 AM
| | Jeff Bollbach Luthier, Inc. | | Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: freeport, ny | | | The scroll is ugly but I would say fixable. A saddle crack is common and also quite easy to repair[with the top off]. For 900 bucks i'd consider buying it on spec. I'd worry 'bout the shippiing though. UPS is gonna "professionally" box it? and how much? |
03-10-2006, 08:15 AM
| | Unprofessional TalkBass Contributor | | Join Date: Dec 1999 Location: Brighton, England, UK, Europe | | Quote: |
Originally Posted by Jeff Bollbach For 900 bucks i'd consider buying it on spec. | But it's $910 already and the reserve isn't met - isn't this the insidious nature of eBay - you get drawn into what looks like a bargain and end up paying more than it's really worth, once you've decided that's the one for you? 
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“Making the simple complicated is commonplace; making the complicated simple, awesomely simple, that's creativity.”
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03-10-2006, 09:21 AM
| | Registered User | | Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Philadelphia, PA | | | UPS will destroy. |
03-10-2006, 09:24 AM
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Originally Posted by Mook Is this to good to be true? | How does one 'good'? |
03-10-2006, 09:53 AM
|  | Registered User | | Join Date: May 2001 Location: St. Louis, MO USA | | | I am guessing the repair and setup needs would tack on a respectable stack o' scratch to the final "what you have in it" cost. If there are that many obvious bugs in the bass, there's likely a few hidden ones as well.
I don't know enough about it to know what it would be worth once up to snuff.
It is a sweet looking bass though. I really like the shape and finish, and I love the look of external linings.
Last edited by Chasarms : 03-10-2006 at 11:50 AM.
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03-10-2006, 10:55 AM
| | Registered User | | Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: West Haven, CT | | Quote: |
Originally Posted by Bruce Lindfield But it's $910 already and the reserve isn't met - isn't this the insidious nature of eBay - you get drawn into what looks like a bargain and end up paying more than it's really worth, once you've decided that's the one for you? | I always advise anyone interested in an item listed on eBay is to make one bid for the item. The amount should be the highest of what you are willing to pay for it. Then, just walk away and wait for the auction to end. If you win with a lower amount, it is a bonus. If you win with the highest amount, then you won with your best price. If you lose, it is because someone else was willing to get wrapped up in the bidding war or it was something they were will to pay more for. |
03-10-2006, 11:22 AM
| | Registered User | | Join Date: Dec 1999 Location: NYC | | | I will defer to JEFEJEFF, but that pegbox repair looks to scary for my blood. If it happened to my bass I would be happy that JEFEJEFF fixed it two good too worry about (happy, Ray?), but I would be put off buying a bass to which it had happened.
hmmm, but if it sounded like MY bass....
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03-10-2006, 12:52 PM
| | Registered User | | Join Date: Jun 2002 Location: Salt Lake City, Utah | | Quote: |
Originally Posted by Ray Parker How does one 'good'? | I know, it was late when I posted this.  |
03-10-2006, 12:56 PM
| | Registered User | | Join Date: Jun 2002 Location: Salt Lake City, Utah | | | I kind of put this bass out of my head. I'm gonna save some bread and look around town. |
03-10-2006, 01:07 PM
| | Registered User | | Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: Philadelphia Area | | That bass could be worth $6-8K once repaired
Even if you can pick this up for $1500, depending on the reserve of course, and say repairs are another $1500, it may not be a bad deal.
Of course it all depends on what the seller is willing to let this bass go at. |
03-10-2006, 02:04 PM
| | Banned
Owner: Ken Smith Basses, Ltd. | | Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: Perkasie, PA USA | |  Good Bass?
Quote: |
Originally Posted by mike da mook |
It is just a commercial German shop Bass. Now it has a Sound Post/Saddle Crack and a poorly repaired multi-fractured Scroll.
The Scroll needs to be repaired again or replaced or someone might get hurt. The sound post crack will not be cheap to fix. I estimate 2-3k in repairs to do it right if not more. If that Bass didn't have those cracks/breaks, it might be a decent Bass to buy. They go for 3-5k on average, maybe more or maybe less depending. If it was a Wilfer, Rubner or Pollmann Bass, it could go higher but still, you have the Scroll to deal with.
I have a 200 year old English with an old Scroll repair. After Varnish touch-up, you need to be real close to see the repair. It was repaired about 25 years or or so.
Blow up the pics and see if you can find the repair. This is how repairs should be done; http://www.kensmithbasses.com/Double...ges/dodd11.jpg http://www.kensmithbasses.com/Double...ages/dodd9.jpg
I saw this damage above the A-string tuner/plate before I bought the Bass and some more in the back and top of the scroll. The repair was done so well, I didn't care a bit about it as if it wasn't there. The Scroll break on that Ebay Bass scares me. It's worse than mine by far but the repair looks to be poorly done. |
03-10-2006, 02:48 PM
| | Registered User | | Join Date: Jun 2002 Location: Salt Lake City, Utah | | | Ken would you say that a German shop bass in need of that much work is something to be avoided? |
03-10-2006, 03:12 PM
| | Registered User | | Join Date: Jun 2002 Location: Austin, Texas | | ray parker, i love that you are a stickler for proper grammar.
ed, i think you have the wrong "to" there, twice.....awesome.  Quote: |
Originally Posted by Ed Fuqua fixed it two good too worry about (happy, Ray.... | |
03-10-2006, 03:23 PM
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03-10-2006, 04:40 PM
| | Banned
Owner: Ken Smith Basses, Ltd. | | Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: Perkasie, PA USA | |  Avoided?
Quote: |
Originally Posted by mike da mook Ken would you say that a German shop bass in need of that much work is something to be avoided? | Well, if this were some sort of special Italian, English, Fench, American or even a fine handmade Czech or German Bass I might be the high bidder myself. Being that it is a VERY common 20th century German Shop Bass that needs some MAJOR Repairs, I would find something else to do with my money than gamble on a Bass that is nothing special at all.
The chances of buying that, fixing it and selling it for the total spent is not all that great. If you already own the Bass and just wanna keep it 'running', then do as you need. To buy this as an investment or a 'too good to be true' venture, keep walking!
It's only 'too good to be true' for the seller that paid between $100 and $300 new for this Bass at most. In 1965, a fully carved Juzek Bass made by Wenzel Wilfer started at $200 at Metropolitan Music in NYC. In 1971, I bought the 3/4 Master Art model labelled Wenzel Wilfer for $875, Violin Cornered AAAAA Flame Maple Back, ribs and Neck/Scroll with individuaol German made French style Gears. It was listed for $850. in the catalog but Robert Juzek yelled in Czech at his son Bobby (a full grown adult) because they couldn't get these Basses anymore. Bobby came back and said his father was upset and want's $25. more for that Bass. I hesitated, took a deep breath and said...... Ok, I'll buy it...... True Story....
A friend of mine has that Bass now and the estimated Value is $12k. I sold it in 1975 with a fingered C-extension on it for $1,800. It is in good condidtion but a few years ago, the Bass decided to split up the Sound post and Bass Bar.
That Bass has been worked on by Andrea Fantoni, Peter Eibert, Paul Biase and Jeff Bollbach. The latter two under the current ownership. Fantoni put a fingered Extension on it. I was in a car accident in 1972 and the Neck was replaced along with the Fingered Ext. done by Eibert.
When buying a Bass, remember that a crack can cost the same on a 2k Bass as it would on a 200k Bass. The older Bass may have more calateral repairs but still, it's time and materials on the work bench.
Shop around and stay off Ebay unless you're an expert. Most bargans are in our dreams. |  | Thread Tools | Search this Thread | | | | 
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