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08-11-2007, 07:34 AM
| | Registered User | | Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: West Suburban Chicago | | | Yet another "Help me identify this bass" thread
First let me say...
I will have pics up asap!
My father found this bass in a road ditch in Iowa (no kidding). Pretty beat up. Appears to be carved, at least I can't identify any laminate.
The label inside says
Reproduction of Antonio Stradavarius 1723
Made By GA Pfretzschner
Thanks,
Mark
__________________
Anyone can make the simple complicated. Creativity is making the complicated simple. - Charles Mingus
Women and rhythm section first. - Jaco Pastorius
I drank what? - Socrates
Last edited by DrMWP : 08-16-2007 at 09:22 PM.
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08-11-2007, 08:01 AM
| | Registered User | | Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Toledo, Ohio | | Quote:
Originally Posted by jsbarber  Stradivari didn't make basses.
Jim | I think that is weird too! But mine is a stradivari copy too! LOL!
__________________
Nick
If you want to shake the floor and frighten the cellists, you might want to try this bass
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08-11-2007, 08:13 AM
| | Registered User | | Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: West Suburban Chicago | | |
__________________
Anyone can make the simple complicated. Creativity is making the complicated simple. - Charles Mingus
Women and rhythm section first. - Jaco Pastorius
I drank what? - Socrates
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08-11-2007, 08:14 AM
| | Registered User | | Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: West Suburban Chicago | | |
__________________
Anyone can make the simple complicated. Creativity is making the complicated simple. - Charles Mingus
Women and rhythm section first. - Jaco Pastorius
I drank what? - Socrates
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08-11-2007, 08:16 AM
| | Registered User | | Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: West Suburban Chicago | | |
__________________
Anyone can make the simple complicated. Creativity is making the complicated simple. - Charles Mingus
Women and rhythm section first. - Jaco Pastorius
I drank what? - Socrates
Last edited by DrMWP : 08-11-2007 at 07:59 PM.
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08-11-2007, 08:30 AM
| | Registered User | | Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: Chicago | | | GA Pfretzschner
German workshop basses imported into the US. Check out this link for some info. I've played a few in good shape and they can be very nice. The shape of the back under the button and the purfling on your bass look more like a Juzek to me than the Pfretzschners I've seen, but being factory made basses, any label could have been applied depending upon who was doing the marketing.
Last edited by Eric Hochberg : 08-11-2007 at 08:36 AM.
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08-11-2007, 11:44 AM
| | Registered User | | Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: West Suburban Chicago | | | Is it worth restoring? Its gonna need extensive work.
__________________
Anyone can make the simple complicated. Creativity is making the complicated simple. - Charles Mingus
Women and rhythm section first. - Jaco Pastorius
I drank what? - Socrates
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08-11-2007, 12:40 PM
| | Registered User | | Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: Chicago | | Quote:
Originally Posted by DrMWP Is it worth restoring? Its gonna need extensive work. | You have to run the numbers, how much to restore it vs. how much it's worth in solid condition. I've seen these basses listed at $5-10K, what yours might be worth is dependent on the market where it is located, how good it sounds and how playable it is (long string lengths might not get as much as "normal" 41-42" lengths, for instance).
It is a crap shoot, as you won't know the actual playing qualities of the bass until it is restored and sounding as good as it can.
Take it to a competent bass luthier or two for evaluation. Henry Boehm (doublebassworkshop.com) is in Madison, or there are a number of good people in the Chicago area.
Last edited by Eric Hochberg : 08-11-2007 at 12:50 PM.
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08-11-2007, 06:56 PM
| | Registered User | | Join Date: Aug 2003 Location: Denver, Co. | | | Hell, it doesn't look that bad for being in a ditch.
Get some estimates!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
__________________
Oh, no.....have we gone OT yet again?
"The opportunity was there...but it never presented itself." Phil Urso, 1980. :atoz: |
08-11-2007, 08:01 PM
| | Registered User | | Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: West Suburban Chicago | | A Pic of some BIG cracks! 
__________________
Anyone can make the simple complicated. Creativity is making the complicated simple. - Charles Mingus
Women and rhythm section first. - Jaco Pastorius
I drank what? - Socrates
|
08-11-2007, 10:53 PM
| | Registered User
Setup and repair/KRUTZ Strings | | Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: Kansas City area | | | A lot of us would love to have the opportunity you have right now. It looks like a diamond in the rough to me. Wanna sell it? |
08-12-2007, 06:14 AM
| | Registered User | | Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: West Suburban Chicago | | Quote:
Originally Posted by clink A lot of us would love to have the opportunity you have right now. It looks like a diamond in the rough to me. Wanna sell it? |  You mean this thing really could be a good bass?
I've looked it over very closely and...
The Neck and pegbox are all sound w/ no cracks or old repairs
The back is in remarkable good shape, no cracks, just some purfling missing
top has 2 good sized cracks, and some purfling gone
sides are the worst, 8 - 10 good sized cracks, although some look to be old repairs
Anyone have info on Pfretzschner. I've googled, read Ken Smith's article, etc. and find very little.
__________________
Anyone can make the simple complicated. Creativity is making the complicated simple. - Charles Mingus
Women and rhythm section first. - Jaco Pastorius
I drank what? - Socrates
Last edited by DrMWP : 08-12-2007 at 06:55 AM.
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08-12-2007, 08:01 AM
| | Registered User | | Join Date: Aug 2003 Location: Denver, Co. | | Quote:
Originally Posted by DrMWP You mean this thing really could be a good bass?
I've looked it over very closely and...
The Neck and pegbox are all sound w/ no cracks or old repairs
The back is in remarkable good shape, no cracks, just some purfling missing
top has 2 good sized cracks, and some purfling gone
sides are the worst, 8 - 10 good sized cracks, although some look to be old repairs
Anyone have info on Pfretzschner. I've googled, read Ken Smith's article, etc. and find very little. | This could be a really good bass. Some of the cracks probably are old repairs. Some cracks can be repaired without even taking the top or back off. lean the bass over and look straight down the line of the neck ( kinda put the scroll under you chin )Does it look pretty straight or twisted a bit? Hell you may not even need a new bridge. They can take warps out, clean 'em up. Have bridge adjusters put on for sure.
Kenny- Boy Is the researchers researcher. You probably won't find much more about Pfretzsner that he does'nt know.. I know his bows are highly respected.
__________________
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 : 08-12-2007 at 08:13 AM.
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08-12-2007, 08:53 AM
| | Registered User | | Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: Chicago | | Quote:
Originally Posted by DrMWP You mean this thing really could be a good bass? | Sure, it could be a good bass or better, but is it worth the expense and effort to fix it up and then find out how good it is? Get some repair estimates and then see what other instruments are out there already set up and ready to go and sounding good in the price range of the repairs to your bass. Then you can decide if it's worth the risk to restore it. |
08-12-2007, 09:47 AM
| | Registered User | | Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Indianapolis, IN | | | Where in Wisconsin are you? |
08-12-2007, 09:56 AM
| | Registered User | | Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: West Suburban Chicago | | Quote:
Originally Posted by Paul Warburton . lean the bass over and look straight down the line of the neck ( kinda put the scroll under you chin )Does it look pretty straight or twisted a bit? Hell you may not even need a new bridge. They can take warps out, clean 'em up. Have bridge adjusters put on for sure. | Neck is straight, no bridge, must still be in the ditch. 
__________________
Anyone can make the simple complicated. Creativity is making the complicated simple. - Charles Mingus
Women and rhythm section first. - Jaco Pastorius
I drank what? - Socrates
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08-12-2007, 11:38 AM
| | Registered User | | Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: Chicago | | Don't we all dream about finding a bass this way . . .
I would certainly encourage you to get a luthier or three to check the bass out and give you some estimates on repair/restoration work.
As another poster has mentioned, there are a number of bass luthiers in the Chicago area. While all have a good reputation, allow me to put in a plug for Mark Sonksen at Sonksen Strings, www.sonksenstrings.com. Mark is a great guy to deal with and I've seen what he can do to basses that came in looking like firewood. There's actually a Pfretschner on his "for sale" page right now but it's a much older bass than yours. It's well worth a trip to find out.
Good luck. I hope it works out for you.
BTW: my bass is on Mark's "sold" page - it's No. 0467. |
08-14-2007, 07:49 AM
| | Registered User | | Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: West Suburban Chicago | | | I have an appointment on Thursday to get an estimate.
__________________
Anyone can make the simple complicated. Creativity is making the complicated simple. - Charles Mingus
Women and rhythm section first. - Jaco Pastorius
I drank what? - Socrates
|
08-14-2007, 07:55 AM
| | Registered User | | Join Date: Aug 2003 Location: Denver, Co. | | Quote:
Originally Posted by DrMWP I have an appointment on Thursday to get an estimate. | Ya got me excited as hell about this!
__________________
Oh, no.....have we gone OT yet again?
"The opportunity was there...but it never presented itself." Phil Urso, 1980. :atoz: |
08-14-2007, 10:04 AM
| | Registered User | | Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: West Suburban Chicago | | Quote:
Originally Posted by Paul Warburton Ya got me excited as hell about this! | Me too!!! I'll let you know what the luthiers say
__________________
Anyone can make the simple complicated. Creativity is making the complicated simple. - Charles Mingus
Women and rhythm section first. - Jaco Pastorius
I drank what? - Socrates
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