Double Bass duh... 3-string restoration photos

[LouisF]

It's finished! I thought I would never say it, but I picked it up today and had it at rehearsal this evening. The thing is warm, loud, easy to play, responsive and really good looking (I'm talk about the bass...)

We strung it with an old set of Jargar mediums and and a Pinnacle Ext E just to have something to break in. Probably will put on a set of Jargar Fortes in a few weeks; some final set up and adjustment bits and pieces probably to be done when we change strings, but it's sounding remarkably good for the first day home.

Will play some Bach on it in the morning.

Thank you's:

1) to Nick Roubas - obviously; what work!
2) Rubner hatpegs from Gary Upton
3) Cameleopard endpind
4) Pernumbucco tailpiece from B&G strings Italy
5) Stenholm extension (these things work!) from Lemur

what else can I say...

Thank you all for hanging in there.

Louis

 

[LouisF]

more pics

 

[LouisF]

In case anyone has forgotten - this is what we started with:

I bought it for $300 from a band store

Louis

 

[Chris Fitzgerald]

Great looking bass, Louis. Congrats!

 

[Eric Hochberg]

Where did you get the Camel endpin?

 

[notabene]

A beauty. It seems that in today's world, repairing stuff has been replaced with buy new stuff, cheaply made. It is wonderful to see value placed on restoring existing (barely existing, in your case) objects to, I suspect, better than new form. Thanks.

Steven

 

[LouisF]

I got the endpin from the gut who made them (outside of Boston) I think he's long since gone out of business, but I can try and track down his number.

The fact that we did this part time was what made it financially possible for me (it was still a significant chunk of change) but also that Nick was patient enough to do it right was the real key.

I know people like Ken Smith bring $50-100K basses to luthiers like Arnold and Nick Lloyd to restore, but I bought this bass for $300 and its worth 100 times that (to me) for the work and care that went into it -- let alone the sound that comes out of it.

It was a pleasure to share the process.
Louis

 

[PB+J]

Wow--cool bass, cool story. You took a discarded ruin and made it into an instrument to be proud of. Play it with joy!

 

[Eric Hochberg]

I got the endpin from the gut who made them (outside of Boston) I think he's long since gone out of business, but I can try and track down his number.

Ok, you've had it for a while then. Last I heard he was very ill, not sure what happened.

 

[LouisF]

I'm sorry to hear that. The endpin was one of the first things we settled on for the bass. He was very helpful in discussing the project at its earliest stages

Louis