Patented Bass Bar?

[DB66]

"deep, booming sound with great power and response"

Only $3,500 to install one. For real?

http://www.zaretandsonsviolins.com/bassbar.html

[Jeff Bollbach]

Dr. Zaret, Dr. Zaret. Wasn't he in "Planet of the Apes"?

[Chris Fitzgerald]

You must be thinking of Dr. Cornelius. Hubba, HUBBA!

[Marcus Johnson]

oo-ooo-ooo-aaa-aaa-aaa-aaaa*


*"get your hands off me, you damn dirty NRA president"

[gomez hacienda]

Originally Posted by Marcus Johnson

oo-ooo-ooo-aaa-aaa-aaa-aaaa*


*"get your hands off me, you damn dirty NRA president"

I hope the wasn't the Roddy Mc Dowell chimp...

gomez

[Jazzin']

From the Chrysler commercial.

[Bob Branstetter]

Originally Posted by KSB - Ken Smith

Arnold by the way put a similar type Bar to the one mentioned in my Morelli during the restoration and also uses it in his own hand made Basses. It's not just the Bar that this guy does but some added wings coming off the Bar in a 'v' shape at each end to spread the sound.

So what, he's gonna open up every Bass in the world and start billing the current owner??

I believe that Ken Smith is confusing the Zaret bass bar with the Kasha bass bar. From what I've seen in photos of the Zaret bar, the bar appears to be made like an "I" beam or "T" shaped cross section with total length similar or slightly shorter than a standard bass bar. Peter Zaret is quite serious about his patent and has sued (and won) for patent infringment. He has made a lot of money by putting his patented bass bar in moderate priced violins, violas and cellos and then selling them for a not so moderate prices. Although I've never actually seen one, I have read some independent reports that say some of the instruments he sells with his bar do sound similar to old Italian instruments. It would be interesting to go to his shop and play one of his to see if that is actually true.

The Kasha bass bar for cello and double bass is actually a fan bracing arrangement with a short main bar (14") that has a very unusual double hump shape. It then has 2 fan braces that radiate out from the main bar beginning about 3" from each end at about a 30 degree angle. I saw and played a bass that the Hammond Ashley shop had done in the early 1990's with a Kasha bass bar and it sounded great and very even across the strings. It looks like it might be a good choice for a bass that has lots of cracks in the traditional bass bar area.

If anyone is interested, I have a PDF copy of Michael Kasha's original 1990 abstract describing his bar design with detailed drawings. I would be happy to send a copy to anyone who sends me an email requesting it. Unlike Peter Zaret, Michael Kasha encourages luthier's to use his (also patented) bass bar design.

[Bob Branstetter]

Originally Posted by KSB - Ken Smith

. On the Price he quotes or 10% of the value or what ever is greater, if they send the Paganini DelGesu valued at 20-25 million and he charges 2.5 million for a bassbar in a violin? Is he serious?

Actually it sounds like pretty smart business to me. It doesn't take a genius to see that he doesn't want to do the work on someone's personal instrument. The high prices will tend to discourage most of that kind of business, especially on the high end. For his time, he makes a lot more money by selling his instruments than by doing work for the end user and taking the risks involved. He has little control when he works on your instrument, but has total control with instruments he already owns and intends to sell. Plus, those high prices tend to make the instruments he sells look more reasonable. This way he has little risk of people like you coming in and then spouting off to the bass world about it not being as wonderful as you anticipated. If someone were really dumb enough to pay those prices, it's doubtful that they will be willing to admit to the world that they voluntarily grossly overpaid for something if it didn't work. I can hear the snickering now! (something about having more money than brains)

[Bob Branstetter]

Originally Posted by KSB - Ken Smith

You talkin to me? You talkin to me Bob? .. lol

Of course I am. While you have been very successful in your business, your business model is not the only successful one around. I ran across several business policy and marketing cases in college masters classes that parallel what I suggested. Sometimes, psychology is just as important as the product you are trying to sell.

[Eric Rene Roy]

A little lite reading

I know of a troubled sounding Carlo Carletti viola that was sent to Peter for his BB in hopes of boosting it up enough to sell. It was different...I wouldn't say better, or worse...just different. A year latter, and the bar was ripped out and a new (regular) one put in. I lost touch with the owner, so I don't know if it is still for sale or not.

In an previous employment, we used to send entry level & step-up violins to Peter for his BB's. It did make them sound bigger...much different. It tends to work well with thin, flex plates from what I have seen.

I can say from seeing them first hand that 1) the patent pics are NOTHING like what he does and 2) I have seen two variations of them from his shop, depending on the value of the instrument (the "cheap" bar is for trade instruments and seems to be a very easy modification to an existing bar while the more expensive instruments get new bars that are a bit diffferent in design).

I know a violinmaking group that when you mention Zaret...heated conversations ensue. Jeff & Bob know the one!

[Tritonis]

Originally Posted by Jazzin'

From the Chrysler commercial.

Aw man, I love that commercial.

On topic, 3500 or more seems a bit much to spend on something like that. Can is really make that much of a difference?

[jonas]

Some month ago, I've met a luthier from Slovakia, who has told me about his idea of a bass bar which is shaped like a comb. I've made a quick'n'dirty sketch to explain what I mean ...