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Double Bass Bridge work for my DB

#21
Hi Tim, I'm from Modesto too and from my experience there are no competent bass luthiers in this town. I pretty much gave up awhile ago. But like someone said before don't go to a violin shop, the one around here, you know the one. Well they do shotty work on basses, and only really care about the little cousin to the bass. I wish I could tell you someone to go to around here, but there really isn't anyone. If you trust the guy $300 is not a bad price, then maybe you can let me know who he is if he does a good job. Anyways good luck.

Riley
 
#23
Yes, $300 sounds steep. I had one of the best mandolin makers in California fit a new bridge on my mando a couple years back for well under $100 and it took 1/2 hour max. Admittedly, I haven't had a lick of work done on my upright bass, but how much harder can it really be? I paid about $1100 for my Englehardt, new. More than 25% of that cost is attributable to fitting the bridge?

I don't know about Modesto, but if you're willing to drive a bit, I'm sure you could find someone who'd do a fine job for less than $300. PM me if you need help.
 
#26
james condino said:
Speaking from the standpoint of being both a mandolin builder and a double bass builder, comparing the two different bridges and their respective installation time and process is like comparing a cat to a giraffe....:rollno:

j.
Click to expand...

I'll admit, I've only watched it being done to my mandolin and I've fit a bridge to my cheap archtop guitar (I did a much better job than the guy who did it originally), so maybe you can teach me something. Is there really that much more to fitting a bass bridge that would justify it being WAY more expensive?

If I was playing a multi-thousand dollar carved bass, I might consider paying $300+ dollars to get a bridge fit. But I'm not going to shell out that kind of cash for my Englehardt, and I know people who will do a fine job at a reasonable price.
 
#27
Uh.... yes...!!

I built my own frankenbass.

Fitting the bridge was without a doubt the most time-consuming, painstaking part of the whole thing. It took me probably at least 12 hours labor total, across 2-3 days, and I don't think I did that great of a job (it was my first).

We're talking about hand-carving a big hunk of hard maple to very precise specifications. Every little bit has a huge impact on sound.

It was a great learning experience, but next time, I'd gladly pay a good luthier $2-300 to install a new bridge with adjusters.

Fitting a bridge on an arch-top or a mandolin is a total cinch in comparison.
 
#28
Wow! Thanks for all the replies everyone. I certainly don't disagree that properly cutting down and fitting a bridge for a DB is a lot of work, but I can't see spending $300 to fit a $65 bridge to an $1100 bass...My other bridge is sh!@, so installing adjusters on that is not an option...
The guys I talked to are legit - repairs and builds from scratch - violins to basses. I'm sure they do great work and come highly recommended from a number of sources. I was, however, rather put off by the fact that they quoted me $200 for a cello bridge fit and $300 for the DB. It can't possibly be THAT much more work.
I may just have to find a friend with a band saw and sander and give it a go myself. I'm sure it would be better to have it professionally fitted, but I would be happy just to have the thing playable again. :(
 
#29
Advice from hundreds of guys who've been there and done that never seems to be enough to stop someone from learning the lesson the hard way. :) And I'm speaking from personal experience.

Yes, it does seem a little crazy to spend $300-$400 to fit a bridge to an $1100 bass, and it's ultimately the owner's decision, and of course times are tough, but the job is what it is, whether the bass is worth $1000 or $100000. If you want the bass to play and sound its best, this is what you have to do.

OTOH, maybe you'll end up taking up bass lutherie and you can be the only guy in your neck of the woods and YOU can charge $295! ;)
 
#30
You can't expect to buy an $1100 bass and have a perfect setup, so you either play it as is or put some more money into it to play LIKE A MORE EXPENSIVE BASS! Paying a pro $75-100 an hour for his labor is not outrageous, as AFAIK, it can take an experienced guy 4 hours to do this right. Prices for many things are often lower in small towns and higher in big cities.
 
#31
I guess the market supports whatever price it supports, so more power to the guys that can get $300+ for fitting a bridge. In the circles I travel in, I know I can get the job done by qualified people for less.

Maybe the shop I bought it from did some work on it, but my Englehardt had a fine set up on it when I purchased it.
 
#32
stewdiodog said:
I was, however, rather put off by the fact that they quoted me $200 for a cello bridge fit and $300 for the DB. It can't possibly be THAT much more work.
Click to expand...

I am not a luthier, and I don't play one on TV.

I have, however, carved a bridge to fit my bass. I spent a lot more than $300 worth of my time (plus the bridge cost) to get it done to a level I was happy with.

And while I agree you can use a bandsaw and sander to do some of the gross cutting, you'll not get the kind of fit needed with those tools, IME. You'll want a tiny plane for shaping the face and edge, and an insanely sharp chisel and a scraper for shaping the feet.

Then I bought a set of nut files to make the string notches, I could not get them uniformly sized for the strings with the tapered round files commonly found.

$300 for an experienced Luthier with the proper tools and skills sounds reasonable to me. Just my two cents.
 
#34
In the long run, everyone seems to have a price point that they are willing to work with and are pretty adamant about sticking to it, regardless of what they get for their dollar.

Two days ago, I had a customer in the shop come by to look at a well restored, great sounding, and fantastic setup old Kay. I was selling it for someone else who wanted a quick sale and was offering it for $1900- VERY fair priced in my area- about 1/3 below the market value.

The prospective buyer shows up and strikes up a conversation about how he owns TWO Lloyd Loar signed Gibson F5 mandolins- their sum value is close to $500,000. He checks out the old Kay, agrees that it is a great instrument for a great price, and proceeds to try and work the price down by $200 like it will make a huge difference to his financial situation.....

People are funny some days....

j.
 
#35
Eric Hochberg said:
As a service to those in your neck of the woods, how about some names?
Click to expand...

Most of the bay areas blue grassers get their basses from Steven Swan. I don't know if he does set up himself, but he has a guy coming in July 6-10 for a "setup residency". I wold also trust Steve's recommendations on luthiers (and estimate of what the job should cost).

http://www.steveswanguitars.com/

I also see Bruce Sexauer doing set ups at festivals pretty regularly, but I don't know if he does them out of his shop, as I think he focuses on his builds. Unfortunately, those in need just missed him at the Grass Valley festival.

http://www.sexauerluthier.com/

I'd also call Gryphon String Shop to see what they would charge, but I'd expect their quote to be on the high side.

http://www.gryphonstrings.com/

Admittedly, these are all a bit of a drive from Modesto, but if you are frequently traveling into the city, it's easy enough to combine it with another trip. To be honest, the first people I'd go to are people that don't really advertise their services and get all the work they need from referrals. I wouldn't feel comfortable posting those names here.
 
#36
So.... I decided to make a couple phone calls.

Bruce Sexauer said that he couldn't give an accurate quote without seeing the bass, but said for a thorough fitting where he was supplying the bridge blank, it would be anywhere from $250-$500. That didn't include adjusters.

Gryphon doesn't do double bass bridge fittings.
 
#37
This is an interesting discussion from varying view points that has not turned into a rant…NICE. :D

As for James, we have visited his shop and seen his work in person. He is a true craftsman’s (and a real nice guy) with a passion for his selection of premium grade woods and the finishing details of his high quality instruments. We looked at his personal carved bass (very inventive) and his hand built mandolins. His mandolins are as beautiful from the inside as they are from the outside, a real piece of artwork. As far as the corporate Pepsi guy he was looking for a “yes-man” not and “crafts-man”. As tough as it may have been at the time…he did you a favor.;)

I have visited the Martin Guitar factory (BIG production) in Nazareth, PA, the Gibson factory (medium production inside a mall) in Nashville, TN and the Stelling Banjo Works (small chicken coop production) in Afton, VA. All were impressive in their own way however it is easy to see when production demand grows; speed, cost and quality all tend to blur. I think Martin builds a fine guitar but I would not buy their low-end models just to have a Martin. These entry level POS have there purpose and are built to compete with the oversees, low-budget crap that floods our market. Then again, I don’t need a $50,000 pre-war D-18 to play guitar. There is a middle ground and a price point for all pocket books.

To get back to the original point of a fitting a bridge, the same level of craftsmanship applies to this scenario. Some folks are perfectly happy with a no-name, medium quality bridge blank that has been cut, fit and made playable on a bass. It’s a bass; it plays, it makes a sound…good enough. Then there is the craftsman who selects a high quality seasoned maple bridge blank (you are going to spend few hours playing with this piece of wood, it should be of good quality and worthy of your efforts) carefully fit and adjusted for maximum playing comfort. The bridge is then artistically carved, finished and signed by a proud craftsman. That same craftsmen will go one step further to be sure the new bridge complements the sound, volume and playability of the bass. Often tweaking the sound post to accommodate the new bridge. There is a difference to a $100 bridge and a $400 bridge; it is the range of personal pride, years of skill and craftsmanship.

The Engelhardt bass most likely has the factory set up and can be improved in sound and playability with some tweaking from a skilled bass luthier. It is a matter of how much you value your practice time, your sound and the value for a bass that will become an extension of your musical expression. I think we under value our skilled craftsmen’s in the same way we undervalue our own musical worth.

I completely understand everyone has a price point they can afford and there are fine craftsmen who work for less and give more…and some who work for more and give less. When you find the right luthier, the right price and the right bass to make the investment or your musical efforts…THAT is bass nirvana.

Good luck and let us know how it works out in the end. I for one learn a lot from these open exchanges of information (and humor). Especially when the opinions come from all different perspectives and geographical locations…Thanks! :cool:
 
#40
I would be interested to see what some of the luthiers commenting on this thread think about the methods in the video.
1) I've used inserts on two bridges to change the threads in order to use a Full Circle. Although I didn't notice a change in tone, it seems that inserts certainly wouldn't help and aren't necessary.
2) The bridge top doesn't make much contact with the adjuster wheels. That can't be good and especially weird since he used wooden wheels. Were that my bass, I'd ask him to finish his work.

But it was an interesting video nonetheless.
 

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