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Double Bass Epiphone Upright Bass research questions

#44
Hi MollyKay,

I have an Epiphone B5 serial number 992 found under the EA plate. It is missing the plate on the tail piece but it's marked as a B5 on the GD tuner plate. It is a light brown color but that my not be original as this bass has been rebuilt and had finish applied. The tail piece is the same color as the body and is highly figured maple. The tuner plates are brass with the leaf engraving. It has the loop on the back as shown in the pictures in this thread.

I bought it here in Las Vegas around 1996 and the previous owner got it in California at a bluegrass festival.

I can send you some pictures if you'd like.

Regards,

Leon
 
#45
Hi Leon…I will add your Epi bass serial number to my growing data base. It sounds like a B-5 bass for sure.

I’ll send you a PM with my e-mail address so you can send me some pictures to review. Thanks very much for posting and give you Epi a hug from me! :)
 
#46
Good morning,,, I ran across your bass web site and wanted to see if I could get some info on a bass that I have. It is a epiphone b-5 model 917. It seems to be in really good condition. After poking around in the site,, I thought you might be interested in the lower model #. Mary
 
#48
MaryShappee said:
Good morning,,, I ran across your bass web site and wanted to see if I could get some info on a bass that I have. It is a epiphone b-5 model 917. It seems to be in really good condition. After poking around in the site,, I thought you might be interested in the lower model #. Mary
Click to expand...

Hi Mary, Thanks for your post. I can add your bass to the data base. Can you please give more details about your B-5 such as color, does it have etched tuners, does it have the loop on the back and any other details. Give your Epi a hug from me...enjoy it! :cool:

LouisF said:
Molly and y'all,

Do you know about this one:

Invalid Link Removed

Louis
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Yep...she is a beauty...that bass belongs to Mingus. This one is already in the data base. :)

Keep the good information coming...one point to note...Superman had asked about the bass bar on Epiphones. He thinks the bass bar is under sized (on the Epi’s he has played) and some Epi’s might sound better with a larger size bass bar. I checked my basses and he is right…the older Epi’s have a MUCH larger bass bar (depth). The later models have a thinner bass bar, MUCH thinner…so the oldest Epi’s may have the best volume because of this fact. I will put my oldest and beat to $hit B-1 above most any bass I have heard for volume (not tone…just a BIG fat thump). So if you have a later year Epi and want more volume, a larger bass bar maybe the fix.

One other observation, Epi’s have a square sound post patch on the top plate and not on the back as Kay basses do. I keep finding little bits of information that are very interesting.

:D
 
#50
If you had known then, what you know now! I hope you've checked out the EPi's at Kolsteins...they both sure look nice! Could be yours, for only pennies a day.

Listening to George Duvivier on the "Out There" sessions makes me wonder why these basses haven't been coveted, or for that fact copied. That is assuming he played his EPi on the date.
 
#51
MollyKay said:
one point to note...Superman had asked about the bass bar on Epiphones. He thinks the bass bar is under sized (on the Epi’s he has played) and some Epi’s might sound better with a larger size bass bar. I checked my basses and he is right…the older Epi’s have a MUCH larger bass bar (depth). The later models have a thinner bass bar, MUCH thinner…so the oldest Epi’s may have the best volume because of this fact. I will put my oldest and beat to $hit B-1 above most any bass I have heard for volume (not tone…just a BIG fat thump) :D
Click to expand...

Yup, my unlabelled and unkerfed American Standard has a HUGE bass bar, and huge tone. Very light weight instrument (for it's size) as well. I'm a lucky man!
 
#52
Oh No :rollno: ..... We are treading way too close to falling into a "my bass bar is bigger than yers" discussion. Be careful .... bass bar envy can lead a person into self-loathing, depression, and trips to the counselor :D . Well MollyKay, your old Epi might have a bigger bar than the late model B-5 I got from you and Monkey but mine still honks out a real big sound without being the least bit thuddy / thumpy / thunky :D ! Thanks, I like it !!
 
#55
Hi, I would say that the color of the bass is mahogany,, it is etched at the top on a gold plate and says epiphone inc. kalamazoo mich. B-5 In the inside cavity there is a paper that says bass violin, b-5s , 917. (sorry Im a trombonist,, Im not sure of the verbage for a bass) There is a bit of what I would call crazing, along with normal surface wear around the edges. The back does have a loop near the top. Any thoughts?? mary
 
#56
Bob Knebel said:
Well MollyKay, your old Epi might have a bigger bar than the late model B-5 I got from you and Monkey but mine still honks out a real big sound without being the least bit thuddy / thumpy / thunky :D ! Thanks, I like it !!
Click to expand...

Bob...Reds has the best tone of any bass we have heard. Your B-5 is an outstanding bass that any jazz player would lust after that tone. :)

MR PC said:
Bob, it's not really the size that matters. It's the motion it makes......
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Easy fellers...go practice your bass to work off that extra energy :o:rollno::D

MaryShappee said:
Hi, I would say that the color of the bass is mahogany,, it is etched at the top on a gold plate and says epiphone inc. kalamazoo mich. B-5 In the inside cavity there is a paper that says bass violin, b-5s , 917. (sorry Im a trombonist,, Im not sure of the verbage for a bass) There is a bit of what I would call crazing, along with normal surface wear around the edges. The back does have a loop near the top. Any thoughts?? mary
Click to expand...


Ohhhh…it is #917 but a Kalamazoo bass…where is the serial number located?…I am going to assume at the end pin. If the tuner plates say Kalamazoo Michigan you have a very late model Gibson/Epiphone made in the early 1960 verse an early Epiphone bass made in New York in the early 1940’s. When Gibson bought out Epiphone in 1957 they started the serial numbers over. Can you please clarify the location of the serial number…this is a very small but important detail.

Thanks for your efforts!
 
#57
Here is a description of the Epiphone B-5 s from a 1960's factory catalog.
 

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#58
Bob Knebel said:
Yes I know that ..... but we were talking about bass bars .....
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Bob, I was talking about bass bars.

You chimed in with your Sarsaparilla breath and wanted to B.S. about "bass bar envy" self loathing, depression, and the need for counseling.

Slim Picken's had something to say about bars, or was it bears? Anyway, he drinks Sarsaparilla too.

It's not the size of the bass bar that matters as much as the motion that it creates for sound production. Thats what I was talking about.

In other words, Bob, if your bass sounds good, don't worry.
 
#59
MR PC said:
Bob, I was talking about bass bars ..... You chimed in with your Sarsaparilla breath and wanted to B.S. about "bass bar envy" self loathing, depression, and the need for counseling.

Slim Picken's had something to say about bars, or was it bears? Anyway, he drinks Sarsaparilla too.

It's not the size of the bass bar that matters as much as the motion that it creates for sound production. Thats what I was talking about.

In other words, Bob, if your bass sounds good, don't worry.
Click to expand...

Damn PC .... You Really Are A-Pain-In-The-Ass .... Aren't You :p ?? I waz'jokin' ... Are you the only Diva around here that gets to be sarcastic ?? I re-read the whole thread .... You apparently don't even own an EpiPhone so What's The Deal ?? Having a big bass bar wasn't the original topic.

I Know .... I Know .... Bass Bars'N'Motion ... I'm an Engineer with a M.S. ... I know about vibrations ... Give me a break .... I ain't a total dip-sh&t ... I just like to play one on Montana TV.

What's Sarsaparilla Breath ?? You might want to spell-check. We don't do Sarsaparilly in Montana. Most of the time my breath smells like Animal Beer (Schmidt) & George Dickel ;) . You waz the one who chimed in about yer-big-ole AS-bassbar in an EpiPhone thread so don't be givin' me sh%t :) .

Where You From Dude ??? What kinda music do you play ? I wanna hear some ... You sure do talk a lot :D . Don't mess with My Pal Slim Pickins ... Again you may want to spell-check. So he's a Sarspy-Breath Low-Life too, Huh ?? I wager he can play some good bass ... Mostly-more-than-yer-ass-off...... From next Sunday-to-the-Sunday-after-that (at least in bluegrass).

At least I can now shift my "self-loathing" onto a different loaf ;) .

Oh .... I ain't worried ..... My basses sound good :p . Peace :hmm::help::p
 
#60
Bob Knebel said:
What's Sarsaparilla Breath ?? You might want to spell-check. We don't do Sarsaparilly in Montana. Most of the time my breath smells like Animal Beer (Schmidt) & George Dickel ;)
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sarsaparilla |ˌsärs(ə)pəˈrilə; ˌsaspə-|
noun
1 a preparation of the dried rhizomes of various plants, esp. smilax, used to flavor some drinks and medicines and formerly as a tonic.
• a sweet drink flavored with this.
2 the tropical American climbing plant from which these rhizomes are generally obtained. • Genus Smilax, family Liliaceae: several species, in particular S. regelii, which is the chief source of commercial sarsaparilla.
ORIGIN late 16th cent.: from Spanish zarzaparilla, from zarza ‘bramble’ + a diminutive of parra ‘vine.’

Try some. You might like it!:D Traditionally, sassafras leaves and bark were part of the sweet drink as well. Tonic. Good for inflamed gums after a night of tossing down shots and brews.:) Regular old Ginger Beer might settle your stomach in any case.

Funny, in the early "90's when I was playing bass at some bluegrass festivals, it was the first place I heard about the internet.
 

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