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11-18-2005, 07:06 AM
| | Registered User | | Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: Oslo | | | Old german bass with initials... But who is it?
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11-18-2005, 12:37 PM
| | AES Fine Instruments | | Join Date: Feb 2002 Location: Brewster, NY, USA | | | Gunter is around 70 now, so he would have been about 12 in 1947. |
11-18-2005, 12:45 PM
| | Registered User | | Join Date: Dec 1999 Location: NYC | | | Maybe it's the original price?
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11-18-2005, 06:34 PM
| | Registered User | | Join Date: Mar 2004 Location: Canada | | Quote: |
Also, I see 3 layers of wood there. Is that down by the Block? Looks a bit like plywood but must be a repair within the edges.
| It's at the end, looking at the top, with the saddle removed. The three layers are the end block, the ribs and the outer linings. |
11-19-2005, 10:02 AM
| | Jeff Bollbach Luthier, Inc. | | Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: freeport, ny | | Quote: |
Originally Posted by KSB - Ken Smith Also, I see 3 layers of wood there. Is that down by the Block? Looks a bit like plywood but must be a repair within the edges.
. | That'd be the exterior lining, ribs, and block. |
11-28-2005, 08:25 AM
| | Registered User | | Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: Oslo | | Thank you for all the answers...
I have now discovered some old german writings beneath the top plate. Hopefully that will tell something about the instrument  |
02-22-2006, 01:56 PM
| | Registered User | | Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: Oslo | | Quote: |
Originally Posted by fydda Thank you for all the answers...
I have now discovered some old german writings beneath the top plate. Hopefully that will tell something about the instrument | This was a poem that the luthier wrote... It is written in old german and with very hard-to-read handwriting, but I'll try to find out what it says... The only thing I understand is: "Manhheim, 1905"...
The sad thing is that the maker did not sign his work with other than the poem.. |
02-26-2006, 06:21 PM
| | | | GA Pfretzschner Bass - Whats The Scoop On That Label?
[quote=KSB - Ken Smith] C.F. Pfretzschner II/III made Basses under his name domestically as well as imports to USA under the G.A. Pfretzschner and Morelli from what I have seen. Here is my Morelli with the same 'button' purfling design; [url]]
OK, I just want to understand, Ken. What are we to make of a G.A. Pfertzshner label then? Were these made by C.F. Pfretzschner? And who is that? Another anonymous European shop bass? I very recently saw a pretty old one-- (by American standards) -- with the "G.A.P." label and it also had a repair label from some luthier dated 1920. It was on offer at a friend's music store out in the midwest. He brought it out of the back to ask me to play it and to evaluate it. We jammed some jazz standards for an hour or so in his store. It had a nice dark, warm sound, and was overall a fine bass for jazz. I guessed it was about 1890 to 1900 or so in age, though who knows? It could have been much older. It had some very good carving in it. I noted in particular the extremely thin F-Holes. Some real care and attention was paid to the cutting of those-- their opening at the widest point was so very narrow that I wondered how anyone could set a soundpost through that small opening. It took a good eye and steady hand to carve those f holes. Not much wiggle room there. It's finish was very worn but one could tell it was at one time a deep red varnish. This one looked like a faded old barn; faded color of dark red. Overall, the instrument was sound as a dollar. Over the years I've seen several "Pfrezschner" labeled basses in that same city, but all were lying damaged and in pieces in shops. Leads me to believe a handful of these may have been imported for use in the public school system there at one time-- maybe turn of the 20th century. So is a G.A. Pfretzshner bass a valuable commodity? Is there anything about those very thin f-holes and deep red varnish that lends a clue to the origin? I have considered purchasing that particular one. I just don't know if its that valuable -- or of any particular value beyond what a shop bass is worth. Your comments welcome. |
03-13-2006, 05:14 AM
| | Registered User | | Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: Oslo | | | The poem
The poem goes something like this (bad translation from old german to norwegian to english...):
"In the morning, when the rooster "howls" , you should look at this bass, if you can make it better, you have the premission to laugh ..."
"Manhheim, 1905"
There is also one more line I don't understand yet.. All lines are rhyming.
The bass sounds kinda crappy at the moment, but it is very good workmanship and high quality wood. Any suggestions who this might be? |
03-13-2006, 07:07 PM
| | Registered User | | Join Date: Jul 2000 Location: Colorado Springs CO | | Quote: |
Originally Posted by fydda The poem goes something like this (bad translation from old german to norwegian to english...):
"In the morning, when the rooster "howls" , you should look at this bass, if you can make it better, you have the premission to laugh ..."
"Manhheim, 1905"
There is also one more line I don't understand yet.. All lines are rhyming. | does it go like this?
"morgens, wenn der Hahn gekrähten,
sollten Sie diesen Baß betrachten,
wenn Sie ihn besser bilden können,
Sie haben das permission, zum zu lachen..."
Hmm. Basically it means "you better get up pretty early to build a better Bass than this one, and if you can, you have the right to laugh..right?
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03-14-2006, 03:39 PM
| | Registered User | | Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: Oslo | | Quote: |
Originally Posted by reedo35 does it go like this?
"morgens, wenn der Hahn gekrähten,
sollten Sie diesen Baß betrachten,
wenn Sie ihn besser bilden können,
Sie haben das permission, zum zu lachen..."
Hmm. Basically it means "you better get up pretty early to build a better Bass than this one, and if you can, you have the right to laugh..right? | Pretty much... Theese are the words that I understood:
"früh morgens wenn die hanen krähen
dann musst ihr diesen bass besehen
wenn ...?... ihn könnt besser machen
den dürft darüber lachen
mannheim august 1905"
But it's pretty hard to read though. I've had some good help from a "good at reading old german handwriting"-guy.
I'll post a pic later. |
03-24-2006, 01:09 PM
| | | Quote: |
Originally Posted by fydda | Hai Amund,
Your bass may be a Ferdinand Lang. He made several very good Italian copys. I had a Panormo copy from him. The initails may be from an inventory list from a school or opera house.
john van lierop |
09-06-2006, 04:08 AM
| | Registered User | | Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: Oslo | | | |
09-09-2006, 07:02 AM
| | Registered User | | Join Date: May 2003 Location: Gloucester, MA | | | Bass Maker's apology written in pencil.
The fact that the maker wrote in pencil rather than in ink might suggest this "apology" was aimed at future repairmen who might laugh at his experimental design. Also, maybe the English word "crows" is better than the chicken "howls".
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06-14-2007, 05:23 AM
| | Registered User | | Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: Oslo | | ...bringing this post back on track. Just found out who build the thing.
After looking through the whole darn Henely Dictionary page for page and looking for every luthier from mannheim, I discovered a guy that has to be the father of this bass. His name was "Dr. Blass" and he worked in Mannheim in 1905. The book says that he was a very proud man and that he claimed to have discovered the secrets of Amati and Stradivarius. Allthough, when his instruments was compared with some Cremonian beauties in a Berlin orchestra, it was a fact that this Dr Blass had to abdicate. 
Im pretty shure this is the right man. His experimental design and lack of masterous tone combined with high quality wood and great workmanship.
Comments are welcome. And if anybody has more info about Dr. Blass, I would be happy to know. |
06-14-2007, 10:54 AM
| | Registered User | | Join Date: Jun 2002 Location: Austin, Texas | | | i still think that bass looks awesome.
i love how long the body is...it looks so sweet. |
06-14-2007, 05:06 PM
| | Registered User | | Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: Wichita,KS | | | i dig the tuners, don't like the back (flat backs are my thing) |  | Thread Tools | Search this Thread | | | | 
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