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Double Bass Help with a cello?

unbrokenchain

unbrokenchain

Jun 8, 2011
1,357
2,280
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Black Mountain, NC
#1
Hope it's ok to post this here, I know it's a little blasphemous...

I even got gig-cello'd last night so it's all the more funny I should ask

Tough for me to resist a broken old instrument for cheap on craigslist... After messing with that Kay bass for a while recently I guess I must be some kind of glutton for hide glue punishment..

IMG_0454.JPG

Seller in his 80s said he'd had it 45 years in its present condition, guy is a fiddle/mando player and a wealth of knowledge, happy to have bought the cello just to have met him really.

I don't have questions yet about the repair (rebuild?), I know I'll need new everything except the body itself, but it looks like I can just use the same general ideas as repairing a bass, neck joint is a little different but otherwise essentially the same design on a smaller scale..

My question is basically, is there a resource similar to Talkbass setup/repair for repairing a cello? Or is it ok to discuss this instrument here?

Things I'd like to know are:
Any way to determine country of origin or age without any explicit markings?
Is this a "full size" cello - what are typical ballpark measurements for this instrument, bout size, rib depth, string length, bridge height etc
Where's a good place to source the pieces that I'd need to make this thing a musical instrument again? Do cello players have a Gollihur?
 
#6
s0707 said:
One reference of measurements of cello, violin, viola, bass is the Henry Strobel book "Useful Measurements For Violin Makers"

Book List

I have it at home and can check the measurements for you if you'd like.
Click to expand...

That would be helpful! I'm in no rush to get this thing done, I'm not even a cello player if that's not apparent, but I would like to know what size to consider it for when I get to ordering a neck and bridge. It seems a little smaller than most, but I don't have another one to compare it to on hand.

Neck block to bottom of saddle = 26.5"
Across upper bout = 12"
Across lower bout = 14.5"
Rib depth :4 3/8"- 4 5/8"
 
#7
unbrokenchain said:
That would be helpful! I'm in no rush to get this thing done, I'm not even a cello player if that's not apparent, but I would like to know what size to consider it for when I get to ordering a neck and bridge. It seems a little smaller than most, but I don't have another one to compare it to on hand.

Neck block to bottom of saddle = 26.5"
Across upper bout = 12"
Across lower bout = 14.5"
Rib depth :4 3/8"- 4 5/8"
Click to expand...

Unfortunately, the book doesn't mention the width of the bouts or rib depths, but these are the body lengths:
body length
4/4 29.72"
3/4 27.16"
1/2 25.6"

So, my guess would be a 3/4.

I found this page also: Invalid Link Removed
 
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#10
Decided to take this project on as a way to try and develop some better repair skills. Rainy day kinda thing. Still no idea of its origin, I don't imagine it's particularly valuable being a 3/4ish size instrument, and I've only got fifty bucks in it, but I'm gonna do my best to get it all back together and eventually a playable instrument again.

A couple pieces of the top were pretty reluctant, had to torture it with the steam a little bit, but I don't think I damaged anything further.

IMG_0499.JPG IMG_0498.JPG IMG_0500.JPG IMG_0497.JPG

Pretty neat little baby bass. I'm thinking of mainly using this sort of idea to get the top back in one piece figure4forwebbig.jpg
 

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