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Double Bass Japanese St. George bass...worth fixing?

elgecko

elgecko

Apr 30, 2007
9,063
16,940
Anasleim, CA
#1
I have an old bass on permanent loan that's in pretty rough shape. It's labeled: St. George, Hollywood, California, Made in Japan.

IMGP0001.jpg


I want to get some opinions on whether or not the bass is even worth fixing. I have no sentimental attachment to this bass and if repair costs are going to exceed the price of CCB, it most likely would not be worth it to me. The main issues are as follows:

The top is collapsed under the G side bridge foot

IMGP0005.jpg


The top and back are separating from the sides

IMGP0016.jpg


There is a small (old?) crack in the neck

IMGP0018.jpg


IMGP0029.jpg


What do you think?
 
#3
The crack in the neck may have been repaired. It sort of looks like it has been.

The separating top and back aren't necessarily a big deal.

There could be other more major problems, like a failed bass bar. So you'd need to have it checked out by a luthier before you decide on anything. The luthier may be able to tell you the worth of the bass if repaired.

I don't know anything about this maker, but from the photos, this looks like a cheaper student laminate. The fingerboard looks like rosewood. Maybe someone else on Talkbass knows more about this particular bass...?
 
#6
Thumpie said:
(It looks a lot like a Kay C-1, except the upper bout appears too narrow. Possibly the perspective the photograph was taken from?)
Click to expand...

No...there's no such thing as a Kay without outer linings.

elgecko, the only thing I see that worries me is the puncture under the bridge foot. That could possibly be fixed with a reinforcing patch on the inside of the top, but maybe not. Punctured plywood top usually = dead bass.
 
#9
St. George was a cheapo Japanese brand that imported instruments into the US in the 1960s, maybe earlier. Larry Graham of Sly and the Family Stone played a St. George while he was still playing with his mother's organ duo when he was a kid in Oakland.

Honestly, it doesn't look like much and it has at least one fatal problem. If you're handy see what you can do, but I wouldn't pay a professional thousands of dollars to make this bird sing again.
 
#11
KUNGfuSHERIFF said:
St. George was a cheapo Japanese brand that imported instruments into the US in the 1960s, maybe earlier. Larry Graham of Sly and the Family Stone played a St. George while he was still playing with his mother's organ duo when he was a kid in Oakland.

Honestly, it doesn't look like much and it has at least one fatal problem. If you're handy see what you can do, but I wouldn't pay a professional thousands of dollars to make this bird sing again.
Click to expand...

MostroDB said:
My view: looks quite crude & when fixed-up is unlikely to exceed the value of a new Contemporary Chinese Bass by much...
Click to expand...

Thanks for the opinions. As I suspected, it's looking more like a decoration/DIY project than a viable bass. I may eventually take it to someone just for poops and giggles.
 

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