Information on my bass

[JasonBurnham]

This is my first bass, and I need to know how to find info about it. I looked in the f hole and it said John Juzek: formerly in Prague made in Germany. Is there any way I can find out more?

[drurb]

Sure, here is a way you can find out more.

Also, try using the search function right here in the Double Bass forum. Type in "John Juzek" (without the quotes).

If you want information specific to your bass, you'll have to give more details.

[eh_train]

Originally Posted by JasonBurnham

Is there any way I can find out more?

Try searching Juzek, as they get talked about plenty! If i recall correctly, Juzek wasn't actually a builder of basses, but more of an distributor/importer. People tend to be swayed by the Juzek label - and pay more for it - when many unlabeled or other-labeled German shop basses are virtually identical.

Is your bass plywood or carved from solid wood? The difference in value is probably 2k at a minimum (in favour of carved).

Pics always help people offer an opinion!

Cheers,

Paul (eh_train)

[JasonBurnham]

I'm 75% sure it's plywood. It's 3/4 size. There is flowery inlay on the hardware on the head.

[JasonBurnham]

I have pictures but I can't upload them due to a size limit on my phone.

[KUNGfuSHERIFF]

Try uploading to photobucket. I have a ghetto BlackBerry and that works for me.
A plywood bass with flowers and vines engraved in the (chrome?) tuning machine plates sounds like my bass, which is labeled Wilfer. There was apparently a lot of cross-pollination between shops and brands at that place and time.

[JasonBurnham]

http://s1133.photobucket.com/albums/m599/JasonBurnham

That's all I have at the moment. I can get more tomorrow.

Is it working for you ?

[Eric Hochberg]

From what I understand, the ply Juzeks were made by the Lang company. Juzek family's Metropolitan Music was a NYC importer of instruments and labeled them in the US. They were sold to the NYC schools at first. The carved models, mostly made by Wilfer, are popular jazz basses today. There is also a lot of info on Juzeks at smithbassforums.com and the Metropolitan Music website.