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Double Bass EUB repair prices query (copied from the EUB forum)

J

jamiefoxer

Dec 2, 2005
190
4
#1
Does anyone know if the $150.00 price is a fair price for a maple bass bridge? What about $75.00 for a partial plane of the board (to flatten a "knot"). What about $150.00 for a full plane? I've been reading online about different types of bridges and I just want to buy one that A) works with the Palatino VE-500 and B) is of good quality. I don't need Stradivarius-quality materials, folks. I'm not YoyoMa or Yitzhak Perlman here...I just want good, professional, gigging quality...for mostly Jazz and Latin/salsa gigs, and at a good, middle of the road price.

If there is someone that can make (or makes) a quality bridge for a Palatino VE-500 at below $150.00, I'd like to know, so I can order from them.

I'd appreciate a response to those questions, if anyone can answer them. Thanks guys!:D
 
#3
thanks Francois...

Hopefully I get some information on that.

Turns out the Art teacher where I teach is also an experienced carpenter/woodworker. He thinks he may be able to help me carve out a bridge that matches the design of my stock bridge out of a stronger wood. Even mentioned he had "exotic" woods... :)

Might be luckier than I thought... :)
 
#4
I think when you're looking for services as specialized and important as double bass repair, you should first find someone with a reputation who you believe will do the job right, and then make sure that you are paying a fair price. I don't think fishing around for the lowest price will get you very far with this kind of thing.

-Will
 
#5
WillBuckingham said:
I think when you're looking for services as specialized and important as double bass repair, you should first find someone with a reputation who you believe will do the job right, and then make sure that you are paying a fair price. I don't think fishing around for the lowest price will get you very far with this kind of thing.

-Will
Click to expand...

The guy I went to first is the most experienced luthier in the area. He has all the contracts for all the local colleges and schools for string instruments.

He charges $150.00 for a Maple bridge for a Double-Bass. He added he wouldn't charge me for the work he'd have to do to fine tune it to the size-specs of a Palatino.

I'm not having my electric Palatino Ve-500 worked on...I just want someone to make me a bridge just like the stock one but in maple wood. Maybe it's my ignorance of the issue talking, but I would think it would just necessitate tracing the stock bridge design onto a maple board of the same thickness, cutting out the trace, sanding off the rough parts of all the edges, adding grooves at the exact distance of the stock bridge's string grooves, adding exact width and length screw grooves for longer screws (than the stock one), add the adjusters, cut out the legs at the exact distance of the stock bridge, and voila, new adjustable maple bridge.

In any case, I'm also looking online for PDFs on how to make Wood bridges. I'm sure an experienced carpenter (like my friend) could read a design and carve out/wittle me a bridge out of it, especially if he has the stock bridge in his possession to work off.

I just can't bring myself to pay $150.00 for a wood bridge. I understand that's compensating a luthier's experienced hours of labor...but I'm not a world-class double-bassist, and I don't want to pay world-class fees for a bridge. If I was my friend, Luques Curtis (who gigs EXCLUSIVELY on Emience and Double-Basses with Pat Metheny and Gary Burton, and others), then I'd consider getting the $150.00 bridge. But I'm not...
 
#6
Just a question guys,

I've been considering ordering one of these bridges (the adjustable one, the first one described on this page - Link Removed, but i wanted to know if the 3/4 bridge is the one that will fit a Palatino VE-500

Also, what are people's opinions of the quality of this bridge? Better than the Palatino STOCK bridge?
 

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