This is most likely the only opportunity you’ll have to get a bass built by Bob Swanson. He was a bass luthier in Philidelphia who worked on orchestral instruments and often built backup basses for professional orchestra players. This is one of those backups. His basses are known for being idosyncratic and non-traditional in overall construction and with a sound that rivals basses 10-15x the price. This one is based around an Italian instrument from the 1850s.
This bass sounds huge, partly because it is so lightweight and also due to the ribs being almost 10” at the lower bout. Solid top (very thin and somewhat warped at the lower bass bout), needs some gluing done to repair buzzing, what appears to be solid willow ribs, and a laminate back. It has an ugly neck repair but it is stable. It could use a new bridge and a setup, currently strung with Obligatos.
Mensure: 41.5”
This bass sounds huge, partly because it is so lightweight and also due to the ribs being almost 10” at the lower bout. Solid top (very thin and somewhat warped at the lower bass bout), needs some gluing done to repair buzzing, what appears to be solid willow ribs, and a laminate back. It has an ugly neck repair but it is stable. It could use a new bridge and a setup, currently strung with Obligatos.
Mensure: 41.5”
