Re-listed: FS--19th-C English Bass w/extension

[Jeremy Allen]

Hi all,

English bass, ca.1880, attributed to John Smith

I posted this for sale a couple of years ago after it was rebuilt because I had bought a house in the meantime and needed the bread. There wasn't much interest at the price and it stayed at the Bass Cellar for about a year, going out on trial but never selling (nothing in that price range did--recession and all that). But in that year of playing, the bass really opened up, so I took it back.

Now I've been playing it for a year, and it has truly finally settled into its rebuilt state and I can say with honesty that it sounds better than it ever has. It is an amazing bass.

It has been appraised at $42,500 by one shop and $60,000 at another. It was previously for sale at $38,500.

SOLD

Body length=46 1/2"
Top bouts=20 3/8"
Waist=14 7/8"
Bottom bouts=26 3/4"
Rib depth=8 1/4"
Mensure=42"

I currently have the extension off of it, and frankly I think it sounds better, but it can easily be installed again.

Why am I selling it? I just don't need to be into a bass of this value at this time in my life (two small children, money pit of a house, etc.) Trade offers will be considered for certain, although I do have my eye on something.

Thanks for looking...

[Gil]

I've seen a couple of basses made by Smith and they were both sweet ... as is the price on this one.

[Ed Fuqua]

I'm a tell Unka PeeDub...

[chris1125]

Wow, fantastic bass, I'm suprised there isn't an IU classical student in the market.

[Jeremy Allen]

Originally Posted by Ed Fuqua

I'm a tell Unka PeeDub...

Yeah, he and I spoke on the phone about it way back when, but I'm not sure if he ended up swinging through this area when he made his shopping trip (or if he even made the trip). At that time, I didn't think it was quite what he was looking for. Now, though, it may be; the sound is very focused and clear in every part of the board, and if you wanted to put an Underwood on it (like he does!) you would have a monster.

Originally Posted by chris1125

Wow, fantastic bass, I'm suprised there isn't an IU classical student in the market.

Hmmm...I haven't actually advertised it here. I should do that! Once I take the Spirocores off...(the guys in my jazz studio are not in the market for something in this price range, but the classical kids are definitely rolling some expensive axes down the hall here.)

[chris1125]

Good luck! Unfortunately I'm not in the market right now... maybe if it pops back up again in a couple of years.

[scott reed]

It's quite an instrument. I owned it before Jeremy and had the spiros/underwood combo on it.
It worked well for pizz and arco in the days before all the hybrid strings appeared. Easy to play and very even - definitely worth the trip to play it.

Good luck with the sale!

[Jeremy Allen]

Thanks, Scott.

I've added the measurements to the first post in the thread.

[geoffbassist]

Wow. Beautiful instrument.
Good luck with your sale.

[KJPbop]

Greetings Jeremy! Does the bass have a D or Eb neck; who put the extension on for you? Regards, KJPbop (aka Kevin Piekarski)

[Jeremy Allen]

Hi Kevin,

The bass has a D neck and very high shoulders. The extension was made and installed by Robertson's in Albuquerque, and a local luthier (Stephen Schock) removed it for me. It will be easy to put back on if whomever buys the bass wishes to do so.

Prior to Scott Reed owning the bass, it was owned by Steve Koscica, assistant principal in the Phoenix Symphony Orchestra. I think it has an ideal tone for the kind of pizz work I do (even, clear, full, deep in a refined as opposed to thunderous way), but I imagine it will end up in the hands of an orchestra player. It's a nice bass!

[Jeremy Allen]

Here's a pic from a nice acoustic duo gig last night. For scale--I'm 6'3" and 240lbs!

[Will Yager]

Do you have any audio clips?

[Jeremy Allen]

Originally Posted by Will Yager

Do you have any audio clips?

I have many, many recordings of the bass in a jazz context. I can put up some which demonstrate the unamplified sound of the bass in a live setting, and some studio recordings. I'll do that later today.

I do NOT have any arco/classical clips, which is a shame, because I imagine at this price point that might be the more likely potential buyer. I would humiliate myself if I tried to record some excerpts, but I've been thinking of asking a grad student here at IU to play the bass to demonstrate that part of the sound.

The bass has settled in nicely after having the C extension removed. I played a gig this weekend in a "barn" from the 1880s (kind of a luxury setting, with a Bosendorfer and a 7-foot crawlspace underneath the huge old plank floors) and it felt like I was playing a bass the size of a house. The drummer laughed when he saw that I had an amp.

[Jeremy Allen]

Originally Posted by Will Yager

Do you have any audio clips?

Unamplified live show, solo on "Darn That Dream"

Unamplified, live blues with Jim Snidero

[Herbie 80's]

That bass sounds like everything I'm looking for right now. I love high shouldered basses with big ribs. Absolutely huge.

It's a shame that I don't have the money for that, or I'd be on a plane to try it right now.

[Jeremy Allen]

Here's another clip--a studio recording which really captures the bass, I think.

Link Fixed:

"Smoke Gets In Your Eyes" excerpt--Amy Rempel, "Chatter," 2011

[bassphase]

Jeremy

"Smoke Gets in Your Eyes" won't open--just an error page shows. Asks to log in, etc.

By the way, the bass sounds killer on the other files and so does your playing.


bob

[Jeremy Allen]

Thanks for letting me know--that's strange, because it's in a dropbox public folder. Maybe it's too big? I've put it on soundcloud and fixed the link.

[Jeremy Allen]

Somewhat-improbable-but-very-interesting trade in the works.