I need help to appraise this Double Bass

jingyel · #1 03-06-2011, 09:20 AM

Hi Everyone,

I an new for Double Bass. I found a Vintage John Juzek Double Bass with some damage. Please find photos in the link below--

http://www.flickr.com/photos/4069030...7626083124389/

Could any one tell me more about the Doule bass? How much it would cost to get it fixed and what market value it is going to be?

Thanks for the help!

drurb · #2 03-06-2011, 09:35 AM

Disclaimer: I am not a luthier.

This appears to be a plywood bass in need of repairs that, if performed by a qualified luthier, would easily run into the thousands. That's based on what's visible. Who knows what lurks inside? The cost of repair would substantially exceed the market value of the instrument after the repairs are completed.

Eric Hochberg · #3 03-06-2011, 09:37 AM

If it's a ply, the cost to repair may be more than the market value in good shape. If it's solid carved wood, then it may be worth fixing. If the top needs to come off to fix the rib, it will be expensive. Price for the neck reset will depend on the exact work that needs to be done... Carved Juzeks have been on the market from $5-12k. Location affects price. Condition is always a major factor on price, too, as repairs can be expensive.

You have to bring this to a double bass luthier to get some repair prices.

drurb · #4 03-06-2011, 09:41 AM

The delaminations on the top and back and the plys visible in the damage on the upper bout peg it as a ply bass. Eric is quite correct. If it were a carved bass, there would be something to think about. Given it's a ply, IMO, paying for the repairs will not be cost-effective.

KUNGfuSHERIFF · #5 03-06-2011, 09:53 AM

I saw the ad you're looking at. In a nutshell, no freaking way. Last year I sold a Juzek ply with all four strings and an attached neck for less than that person is asking. What's happening here is that he was told what it will cost to repair the bass, balked, and is dumping it onto the market for some other poor slob to deal with.

fdeck · #6 03-06-2011, 09:55 AM

I'm wondering. It looks like the only two problems are: 1) The neck done broke off and took a bit of the neck block with it. 2) The rib met with a well aimed drum stick.

Like drurb says, full restoration will be expensive. And what it will be restored into is basically an old plywood bass. I'm not a luthier, but I've restored a "basket case" ply bass in even worse condition, and it held up for many years.

Whether the bass is worth restoring probably hinges on whether the neck block can be repaired without removing the top, if you can live with the hole, and how handy you are.

What would your plans be for the bass? If the bass can be rendered playable enough to give you a few years (or even a lifetime) of enjoyment before you decide to upgrade, then perhaps the resale value is a moot point.

drurb · #7 03-06-2011, 10:38 AM

I agree with fdeck (no surprise there

). Sure, if you can do some of the work yourself, then the whole picture changes. That's why I was careful to say "if performed by a qualified luthier" in my initial reply. You asked about market value, so I answered. Of course, if it's to be a keeper, then that's of less concern.

Where do you live? Do you own the bass? If so, I suppose you could offer it "as is" to a luthier, get whatever $$$ you can out of it, and put that toward a nice new ply. A luthier might make a project out of that bass by working on it during "off times" and end up selling it having invested few real dollars. Just a thought and maybe a crazy one.

jingyel · #8 03-06-2011, 12:15 PM

Thanks for the reply. I live about one and half hour's drive from New Haven. I got the photos from seller and was thinking of get it fixed to make some money....

Now my biggest concern is how to figure if it is made of plywood or solid carved wood. The picture of back panel looks like solid carved wood, but the rib looks like ply.

Jason Sypher · #9 03-06-2011, 12:50 PM

The bass is a plywood bass. If it were in great shape it would be worth about $2000 on the market today. As it is, it is really worth nothing.

fdeck · #10 03-06-2011, 01:33 PM

My vote: Ply.

The close up of the neck pocket, and the neck heel, show cross grains indicative of plywood. Likewise for the poked hole. Also, it doesn't have the "lip" around the edge of the top, that would be typical of carved but impossible to produce on ply.

For a DIY project, ply might be a blessing -- more forgiving. For "flipping" the bass, you have to price it against a modern ply. AFAIK there is very little "vintage" value in old basses aside from their tone and playability unless they were made by a seriously prestigious maker.

ole Jason · #11 03-06-2011, 01:41 PM

Looks like a ply to me.

I would not try to flip this bass for a profit given it's current condition. There are a few guys on here who flip plywood basses pretty frequently for a profit but they're usually in good condition to begin with and are often bought from one group (bluegrass) and sold to another (jazz) because there is a lot of overlap in the kinds of basses used but a huge gap in what your average player expects to spend.

Jason Sypher · #12 03-06-2011, 02:38 PM

If that was a carved bass it would mean that German makers were putting slab-cut tops on their cheaper models.....not a chance.

drurb · #13 03-06-2011, 03:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jason Sypher

If that was a carved bass it would mean that German makers were putting slab-cut tops on their cheaper models.....not a chance.

Indeed-- I noticed that as well but the visible plys made it a dead giveaway.

Quote:

Originally Posted by jingyel

Thanks for the reply. I live about one and half hour's drive from New Haven. I got the photos from seller and was thinking of get it fixed to make some money....

Now my biggest concern is how to figure if it is made of plywood or solid carved wood. The picture of back panel looks like solid carved wood, but the rib looks like ply.

Are you or do you want to be a DB player? Is your interest in the bass only a financial one? If so, better to look elsewhere to make a profit. No need to figure out anything. It's a ply bass.

Eric Swanson · #14 03-06-2011, 05:05 PM

+1 to all of my erstwhile pals' preceding comments.

A remarkably unremarkable, plywood, factory bass, that has met some unfortunate circumstances.

Unless you know someone very skilled in luthiery, who will do a bunch of careful, expensive worth of work for nothing, pursuing this bass is a waste of time, IMHO.

My vote: keep looking. As the police say, at an accident, "Keep moving folks; nothing to see, here..."