Double Bass Gifted a carved upright bass.....needs work

[JSandbloom]

I’m ready to dump some money in this bass. Part of the top is caved in and is cracked. See attached. Who is top dog at upright restoration.

 

[Don Hergert]

I can't answer your question about who does the best restorations and I'll be interested to see who that might be...

But the first thing I'd be doing is loosening the strings so the damage to the top doesn't spread. If the strings are already loose and just don't look like it, that's fine, but if you do loosen your strings significantly, the bridge and sound post will probably shift and fall. I'd guess that the top is coming off of this beautiful beast for repairs anyway so a fallen bridge and sound post will probably be the least of your concerns for a while.

I'm not a luthier, though, so I'd bow to recommendations from anyone here who is.

 

[KUNGfuSHERIFF]

Yow! Slack the strings NOW!

Call or PM here Steve Swan, who has a bass shop in the Bay Area and a stable of excellent luthiers.

You’re looking at a bill of a few grand to repair it, but considering that you have $0 in the bass, you’ll be ok.

 

[james condino]

1-Get a big bottle of tequilla and two friends
2-Pass bottle around until it is half gone
3-Pour the rest all over that trashed old pile of junk and set it on fire
4-You and the other two friends go shopping for a bass that won't be a 6 foot tall repaired eggshell money pit...

 

[robobass]

I wouldn't burn it. All of that hardware store paint would make toxic fumes. Save the tuners. Put the rest in a chipper.

 

[LowG]

Off topic, but I love that bridge design.

Do you know how the instrument sounded before the damage?

 

[krfoss]

1-Get a big bottle of tequilla and two friends
2-Pass bottle around until it is half gone
3-Pour the rest all over that trashed old pile of junk and set it on fire
4-You and the other two friends go shopping for a bass that won't be a 6 foot tall repaired eggshell money pit...
View attachment 3133463

Seems... less than helpful... Interesting approach, and I'll defer to you, the expert, but... yah.

 

[robobass]

This one is just not worth saving. There is just nothing there. The fingerboard looks like painted beech. Shoe Goo or something attempted for crack repairs. Brown paint all over. Sorry, it's just a goner. The tuners are worth something though

 

[1st Bass]

On the OTHER hand...if you feel like learning bass-repair, you have a whale of a DIY project, there!

 

[Steve Swan]

The top is beyond hope. Whether or not the back and/or sides are salvageable will be answered more clearly when I can see it in person. The neck appears salvageable from these photos. It may be, as some have said, only a source for the tuners and possible the bridge. We shall see what we shall see...

 

[Steve Swan]

The rim parats may be useful for medium sized patches of other salvage projects.

 

[1st Bass]

Definitely repairable, but financially not a good bet unless you are doing it yourself.

I have restored instruments in far worse condition, but the truth is it will be worth less than the repair cost when completed.

 

[LowG]

Again: do you know how it sounded?

I find it interesting that so many people judge the value of a bass soley by looking at photos. I have a bass that multiple people told me not to restore because the value would not merit the investment. But upon playing the many expensive basses in multiple shops, I realized that the sound of the “piece of junk” was better than that of any of the other instruments I played.

Not to fully discount structural and functional concerns, but the primary concern is the sound to me - I don’t care at all about the look of the instrument.

But I’m also an experienced player who knows what I like, knows the potential of various string choice, and can coax a voice out of an instrument. When I first started I was not in the position to wisely identify the diamond in the rough. Most luthiers I’ve met can indeed accurately assess structural issues, but I’ve found their value judgements regarding tone to not usually match mine.

 

[CaseyVancouver]

If I was gifted that instrument I would get the wood and tools to repair it, do some research and take my time. Nothing to lose and it may sound ok.

I would not dump money into it.

 

[robobass]

No. I don't know how it sounded, but there are many things you can get from photos alone. 1. The fingerboard is not ebony. 2. There has been very crude work done on it. Look at the nut. 3. It appears to have been painted all over with brown hardware store paint.

That's why I conclude that 1. The bass is probably very low quality in the first place. 2. Prior poor repairs will make the job additionally problematic. 3. Just removing the paint would be an onerous task, and for me one which makes taking it on as a diy restoration a very bad idea. There must be other broken basses out there for cheap that don't require days working with paint stripper, which won't teach you anything about bass repair.

 

[RSBBass]

Again: do you know how it sounded?

I find it interesting that so many people judge the value of a bass soley by looking at photos. I have a bass that multiple people told me not to restore because the value would not merit the investment. But upon playing the many expensive basses in multiple shops, I realized that the sound of the “piece of junk” was better than that of any of the other instruments I played.

Not to fully discount structural and functional concerns, but the primary concern is the sound to me - I don’t care at all about the look of the instrument.

But I’m also an experienced player who knows what I like, knows the potential of various string choice, and can coax a voice out of an instrument. When I first started I was not in the position to wisely identify the diamond in the rough. Most luthiers I’ve met can indeed accurately assess structural issues, but I’ve found their value judgements regarding tone to not usually match mine.

Given the level of repair needed and the possible impact on tone there is no good way to evaluate what the post repair sound would be. What I understand people to be saying is the cost of the repair would exceed the cost of buying the bass if it were in good condition. Thus it would be better to save your money and find a bass with the sound you like.

 

[Ed Fuqua]

As a related question; what level of damage and disrepair constitutes a "basket case"?

 

[DrayMiles]

I guarantee you're going to spend at least $5,000 - 10,000 on a proper restoration of that bass. I'm in the middle of having one repaired that I've already put $3,350 into...

Rethink that course of action if possible ... IMHO.

If you want to take on the challenge, then that's another story. Just don't expect a quick fix in order to have decent results.

Good Luck!

 

[wathaet]

As a related question; what level of damage and disrepair constitutes a "basket case"?

Depends on the instrument. I have spent nearly $40k on repairs and restoration on my main bass. For the above bass, I personally would not spend over $1000

 

[Jay Corwin]

Yikes.