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11-14-2010, 10:19 PM
| | Registered User | | Join Date: May 2005 Location: Nashville, TN | | | Jacobus Hornsteiner Bass
Hey folks!
While on the road this weekend I played a Bluegrass festival in Springfield, Illinois. There were some instrument dealers there and one of them had a bass that caught my eye. It was a big old blonde bass, not in fabulous shape, and it had a lot of poorly done repairs, but it sounded great and played very well. The label inside says "Jacobus Hornsteiner, Hand Made Reproduction, Antonius Stradivarius" There's a second label that says "Sole Representative in USA, Blakkestad Music Co. Minneapolis Minn." Oddly, the bass has a carved maple back and sides, but a laminated top. The dealer said he bought it from an older man who played in an "old-timey band" and had some repairs done to it by a luthier. He said that it was made in Germany in the 1920s-30s, and imported into the USA by Blakkestad Music in Minneapolis, who went out of business many years ago. He was asking $900, I got him down to $800 and bought it. It had ancient old steel strings on it but I had some spare guts and Sensicores, and so I put them on, fitted my pickup to the bridge and played it at the festival that night. It sounds great! Everyone in the band was raving. A big, loud, punchy gut sound with the notes ringing clear up the neck. It has a great feeling neck and the ebony fingerboard is in good shape. Score! It needs a new bridge and some work done to it, but I'm happy as a clam! Here's a pic: (and I've got a dorky look on my face) I called my wife and told her I picked up a German blonde on the road. 
BTW, my Shen SB80 is now for sale in the classifieds  
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11-14-2010, 10:53 PM
| | Registered User | | Join Date: Nov 2001 Location: Milford, NJ | | | Wow Congrats. It looks punchy. I always love ebony fingerboards on blondes. I have a Kay that Gage put an ebony board on when the rosewood one became too thin. Made the instrument a canon. Enjoy your find. |
11-14-2010, 11:13 PM
| | Registered User | | Join Date: Nov 2001 Location: Milford, NJ | | | Ooops. I meant cannon. But you can play a canon on it. |
11-15-2010, 12:19 AM
|  | 'Woodworker - Witch Doctor - Luthier'
Owner/The Bass Spa, String Repairman/L & M Vancouver | | Join Date: May 2006 Location: Crescent Beach, BC | | Congrats on finding the new dance partner! Nice! |
11-15-2010, 12:45 AM
| | Registered User
Endorsing Artist: Conklin Guitars (Basses) | | Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: Kansas City Metro Area | | | totally sweet! Mebby there is a good story behind why it has a laminated top. Anyone have any ideas?
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11-15-2010, 05:34 AM
| | Registered User | | Join Date: Aug 2003 Location: Denver, Co. | | 
Every time I try to post less @ TB, something fun like this comes up. Oh, well.
Bobby, my first carved bass was a JH. Carlos Henriquez just sold one down in the TBDB Classified last week or so. He mispelled the first name as Jacabus. There may still be some pics down there. Mine was burned badly in a club fire in Minneapolis when I was there with Pat Moran (of Scott LaFaro fame) and Buddy DeFranco in about 1962 (right after the pics below were taken). That bass was the loudest bass I've ever played, both pizz and arco. Google the name for some information. I think Jacobus' father made some basses with Neuner......labled Neuner/Hornsteiner. I had one of those as well when I was bass brokering. It was a Busetto pattern. I had mine resurrected by a luthier name Chris Maine here in Denver after the fire. He put an English carved top on it and it actually sounded better after than it did before. The pic in my Avatar with Bill Evans and and Philly Joe Jones is that bass. I also used it when I was with Anita O'Day and recorded a few records with it. One is: Latin + Jazz = Cal Tjader. With the ply top the value is pretty much shot, IMO, but I would bet that it still sounds good.
BTW, I'm 22 in these pics so no wise ass comments, please.
Congrats.
EDIT: The studio shots were over-size for TB. If you'd like to see them you'll have to dial up my Facebook. This one was taken at The Aspen Jazz Festival when I was playing with Vince Guaraldi of "Peanuts" fame. Yeah, I was also playing 4th tuned jazz cello on that gig. About 1967.
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Oh, no.....have we gone OT yet again?
"The opportunity was there...but it never presented itself." Phil Urso, 1980. :atoz:
Last edited by Paul Warburton : 08-10-2011 at 06:26 AM.
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11-15-2010, 05:44 AM
| | Registered User | | Join Date: Aug 2003 Location: Denver, Co. | | Facebook link.
Here's a link to that Facebook page. http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fb...918.1493665322
FWIW, I'd stain it a medium brown and do a nice French Polish to give it a nice antique bass look close to the original.
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Oh, no.....have we gone OT yet again?
"The opportunity was there...but it never presented itself." Phil Urso, 1980. :atoz:
Last edited by Paul Warburton : 11-15-2010 at 05:55 AM.
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11-15-2010, 05:55 AM
|  | Registered User
Endorsing Artist: Black Diamond & Sensicore strings | | Join Date: Nov 2000 Location: Iowa City, Iowa | | | That's fantastic when you find a deal like that...and...can gig with it same day. Which pickup did you put on? |
11-15-2010, 05:58 AM
| | Registered User | | Join Date: Aug 2003 Location: Denver, Co. | |
I know you were asking Bobby, but mine dint need no stinking PU. We all played without amps in them olden days.
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Oh, no.....have we gone OT yet again?
"The opportunity was there...but it never presented itself." Phil Urso, 1980. :atoz:
Last edited by Paul Warburton : 11-15-2010 at 06:07 AM.
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11-15-2010, 06:34 AM
| | Registered User | | Join Date: May 2005 Location: Nashville, TN | | Quote:
Originally Posted by Paul Warburton  I know you were asking Bobby, but mine dint need no stinking PU. We all played without amps in them olden days. |
That's because you all were special like that.
Thanks for all the info Paul! Have you seen many basses that were solid back and sides but laminated top? I wonder why it was made that way? Also, do you think the blonde is not the original finish? In any event, I'm not real concerned about the value, it plays great and I got it pretty cheap. I love the sound, it gets a big boom like an American Standard. I've been wanting to find a bass like this for a long time that didn't cost an arm and a leg. The pickup is just a K&K Bass Max. I had to find a file and I was furiously filing the bridge wing right up until show time to make it fit. But I got 'er done and it sounded awesome right away! |
11-15-2010, 06:39 AM
| | Registered User | | Join Date: May 2005 Location: Nashville, TN | | Quote:
Originally Posted by Paul Warburton | Very cool, Paul! What strings were you using in "those days" ? |
11-15-2010, 06:49 AM
| | Registered User | | Join Date: Aug 2003 Location: Denver, Co. | | | The fabulous Lycons. Do TB search.
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Oh, no.....have we gone OT yet again?
"The opportunity was there...but it never presented itself." Phil Urso, 1980. :atoz: |
11-15-2010, 12:18 PM
| | Registered User | | Join Date: Apr 2003 Location: Los Angeles, CA | | | |
11-15-2010, 01:15 PM
|  | Oracle, Ancient Order of Rass Hattur | | Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: Connecticut | | Quote:
Originally Posted by Paul Warburton The fabulous Lycons. Do TB search. | Indeed!
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Famous last words: And with that- Im gone. You will probably read in the paper soon about a deranged kid who burns his bass in front of a luthier. |
11-15-2010, 04:22 PM
| | Registered User | | Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: emmitsburg, maryland | | good score..
michelangelo chisel that left hand ? |
11-15-2010, 06:39 PM
| | Registered User | | Join Date: Dec 1999 Location: Ridgewood, NJ | | Quote:
Originally Posted by Bobby King Thanks for all the info Paul! Have you seen many basses that were solid back and sides but laminated top? I wonder why it was made that way? | I have to suspect that the top is not original.
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11-15-2010, 07:06 PM
| | Registered User | | Join Date: May 2005 Location: Nashville, TN | | That's possible Don, but the purfling on the top and back are the same.
I spoke to Dustin Williams about it and he said that he's seen other basses that had a laminated top w/ solid back and sides. (and plenty of archtop guitars are built like that) Dustin said that they probably just had a lot of maple lying around 
It doesn't really matter that much to me in any event, it's a great player. |
11-15-2010, 08:02 PM
| | Registered User | | Join Date: Dec 1999 Location: Ridgewood, NJ | | Quote:
Originally Posted by Bobby King It doesn't really matter that much to me in any event, it's a great player. | That's what matters. Enjoy.
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11-15-2010, 09:14 PM
| | Registered User | | Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: Princeville, Kauai | | Quote:
Originally Posted by LouisF | Thanks Louis for the great sites!
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