Positive major rebuild experiences?

Eric Swanson · #1 08-19-2010, 12:05 PM

I know a tiny bit about some of the restorations that Ken Smith has sponsored and made happen, and the many basses he has brought back to life. I certainly don't know all of the stories; I know he has given a lot of work to several luthiers and made a lot of basses sing better than ever before.

Ken currently has an expose thread going in his forum about the cheesy, illegal, and unscrupulous things that a few luthiers have done. Its good information to have out there, to be sure.

Here's that thread:
http://www.smithbassforums.com/showthread.php?t=1651

On the other hand, there are some talented, scrupulous luthiers doing beautiful work these days. Does anybody have positive, successful, major rebuild stories to share? With either a modest bass (like mine) or some of the less modest instruments that many of you have?

Here's my thread on a positive experience with Jed Kriegel and his work:
The bass I bought

Any other stories from luthiers and/or bassists where instruments were drastically improved, transformed, rebuilt, and/or restored?

kurt ratering · #2 08-20-2010, 04:56 AM

i have one such bass under the knife right now. older german factory bass, im not sure its worth all the work and stress (financially) but i have high hopes. ill post some pics when i can...

kurt ratering · #3 08-20-2010, 05:57 AM

as promised...

Eric Swanson · #4 08-20-2010, 07:42 AM

Round back, I take it? Any work on the ribs or back?

kurt ratering · #5 08-20-2010, 08:14 AM

nope, flat. ive got some cleats on a few of the ribs, and need to do a partial graft on the one missing from the pic. he (the kaiser) will be getting a new back as the original is TOAST.

robobass · #6 08-20-2010, 12:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kurt ratering

as promised...

Looks Great! Both my Germans now have a belly inlay and taller narrower bar like you have done. I wonder why so many of these older German shop basses were graduated this way and need it? Was there was some aesthetic desire to keep the thickness uniform? Perhaps it was felt that a thicker belly would decrease sound. I can't begin to imagine the rationalle for the integral bar. Does it save that much time? Anyway, in my experience these two jobs always make a world of difference, and are worth the effort every time. Even on plywoods!

uprightben · #7 08-21-2010, 08:46 AM

Very nice looking work as always Kurt. What motivated the belly patch? Was it a falling arch? tons of cracks under the bridge? I'm on the edge of my seat here.

Rob-fitting, glueing and clamping a bass bar in a bass does take an increadible amout of skill and time, and just carving one in while you thickness the top takes almost no extra time, and certainly no extra skill. It's the difference between spectacular and craptacular.

kurt ratering · #8 08-21-2010, 12:22 PM

yeah, all of the above...
teh arch was colapsing, and there was a crack that ran coast to coast right through the sp area. i feel like i can fit anything after doing that patch!!!

salcott · #9 08-21-2010, 12:50 PM

The guys at David Gage's shop, Mike Weatherly in particular, brought my former Olde Tyrolean back from the dead a couple of times.