Old Bass for "restoration"?

[Nick Ara]

I have my doubts about this offer I just came across on ebay...anyone have any thoughts about it's potential value as a restoration project? It's item no. 230116801183

"Antique Double Upright BASS 3/4 sz Over 6ft tall !
Pick up or Delivery within Southern Ontario"

Could it be a carved bass, 100 years old? Perhaps not?!?

Thanks, everyone!

[Matthew Tucker]

Won't be 100 years old because (as KS would have pointed out) Czechoslovakia didn't exist until 1918 and since the label is in english this indicates a bass made for export.

But it looks to me like a nice bass, the back and ribs show what looks like flame and the head is quite elegant too. I can't see any grain on the front though. Odd. I'd guess it is solid looking at the flamed back, but can't tell from the table which looks like a cheap antiqued ply top actually! But what would I know.

And the bridge is pretty unique. What a strategy to stop the bridge falling over!!!

The damage looks to be mostly in the ribs. You'd want to fix it properly, especially if its all solid.

Well, I like the look of it, I'd check it out for a project if I wasn't thousands of miles away. But I'm sure it won't sell at bargain basement price!

[drurb]

Originally Posted by Matthew Tucker

And the bridge is pretty unique. What a strategy to stop the bridge falling over!!!

When I saw that bridge, it reminded me of this bass that I saw in the Antique Musical Instrument Museum in Vienna. Same strategy, 300 or so years earlier! If you look closely, you can see a single cord running from the middle of the bridge down to the tailpiece.

[neal davis]

I remember when I got my bass it had the chord on the bridge, I heard it was attached to the saddle to keep the bridge from pulling up and facing the finger board while using gut strings. I sometimes wish I still had that bridge.

[fryBASS]

woah that thing is rediculous!

[Eric Hochberg]

I wouldn't mess around with it. It looks like thousands of dollars in repairs to me, with the cracks, probable new fingerboard, endpin, tail wire, finish touchup and who knows what else... And, you won't know what it sounds like until you are finished! At best it looks like a project for an aspiring luthier.

[drurb]

Originally Posted by neal davis

I remember when I got my bass it had the chord on the bridge...

I'm not giving you mis-spelling grief, I'm just pointing out something funny. When I wrote the post above, I, too, spelled "cord" as "chord" and then looked at it and changed it. We are all so used to thinking about musical chords I guess.

[Matthew Tucker]

interesting ffs on the old bass drurb ...

So much for centering the bridge at the nicks!!

[Phil Rowan]

Looks exactly like the old plywood I used to use when I first started out in high school. I bet it is plywood.

[Matthew Tucker]

So is the flame painted on?

[Heifetzbass]

Originally Posted by Matthew Tucker

So is the flame painted on?

Some plys have really pretty veneer...

[Matthew Tucker]

OK. I've never seen ply veneer like that before, or a ply bass with a fake back "seam" as that one seems to have!

cheers

MT

[Nick Ara]

So here's more on the 'carved vs. ply' restoration bass...

Would this photo help solve the mystery? I wish I knew more about these things......(sigh)....

And thanks, again, to all the helpful replies!

[eh_train]

Nick,

I would be willing to bet that this is a ply bass, for 2 reasons:

1) If you look at the longer-focus pic. of the endpin (i.e, the end pin shot that isn't a close-up), you can see a split in the top. It's not a split along the top grain however, but a split right at the edge, clearly following the plys!

2) I emailed the seller, and asked "Is this a ply bass?". The response - which wasn't posted to potential bidders - "I think so."

Someone else suggested that this could be a project for aspiring luthiers. Take a look - the price is now up to $630 dollars! I have repaired several beater basses, and might have bid up to $200.... Any poor soul who obtains this and can't fix it themselves (I hope it's not a TBer) is probably looking at $1500 over the purchase price, potentially much more, in repairs and setup costs. For a ply bass?!?!?!

[Matthew Tucker]

Well I don't see that. What I see in that pic is the outside linings coming away where the ribs have come away from the bottom block.

I have a czech ply bass in my office three feet from me as I write, and the sort of damage my bass has, are splits and chips at the edges up to the purfling where the plies have been split. This is about the most common damage on ply basses IME but, at least in the pics shown, there is none of this sort of damage apparent where i'd expect to see it. There might be such chips in the lower edge of the back but it could just be the finish worn off.

The only thing that looks a bit sus is the thinness of the rib break in the lower bout but its hard to tell if its darkness underneath or another layer of ply. And the lack of "spruce" type grain in the top makes it look ply-ish, especially if you look at the closeup of the ff you posted. Wish I could reach inside the monitor and scratch that black paint away a bit...

The cracks in the upper ribs don't really look like ply cracks either, cos no splintered edges which i would have expected. But hey, I just like playing sherlock holmes. My opinion isn't backed by years and years of experience, unfortunately.

[philip sirois]

Originally Posted by Matthew Tucker

OK. I've never seen ply veneer like that before, or a ply bass with a fake back "seam" as that one seems to have!

cheers

MT

My wilfer hybrid is both hightly flamed on the back AND has a fake seam. I claim no expertise on the subject.

[eh_train]

Matthew,

I'm not sure if we're talking about the same spot. I wish I could circle the area I mean, but I don't have the computer know-how... I was trying to draw attention to the bass side, approximately where the right foot is when you're playing. On the edge of the top plate, about 4 or 5 inches away from the block, it seems like the plys are separating. Whatever it is, there is some damage which hasn't resulted in a top crack.

I have a blonde bass that has highly flamed veneer on the back - it's even (psuedo) "book matched", with a centre seam. It looks really nice, but it's still ply.

Paul
(Eh_train)

[Matthew Tucker]

Originally Posted by eh_train

On the edge of the top plate, about 4 or 5 inches away from the block, it seems like the plys are separating.

Hi Paul yes I do see that.

And hey, I believe you all, its a ply!

[Ike Harris]

Also, on the pic that shows the endpin closeup, you can see the outer veneer separating badly around the pin block area. Either that or you've got a REALLY thin rib there.

Ike

[Matthew Tucker]

Winning bid: US $1,524.99