Double Bass Locking an Upright?

[Don Kasper]

A famous jazz bassist

Were his initials "G.M."?
Just wondering...
Thanks.

 

[fdeck]

I'm going to elaborate on my previous post because it's an amusing story. I won't name names because I don't have permission. A famous jazz bassist has a week-long gig at a well-known NYC club and leaves his bass overnight. Next day, it's missing. Another bassist, not so famous who lives in Brooklyn passes a guy on the sidewalk selling a bass for $100. He buys it, realizing it's stolen, and takes to a big NYC bass shop where they recognize the instrument, notify the owner, and call the police. Before he can take the bass home, the police make him leave the room and have the shop put it in a rack with some other basses to see if he can identify it. After all, they're all the same basic shape, have 4 strings, etc.

I can recognize my own bass blindfolded, just from the clams that it plays.

I've wondered if it would be a good idea to take some really high quality pictures of the wood grain of the bass, which is almost like a fingerprint in terms of uniqueness.

 

[DoubleMIDI]

A good idea, but probably a bit hard to compare.
Signs of little damage or repair might be a bit less individual, but easier to compare.
Doing both might be a good idea.

 

[Ross Kratter]

Were his initials "G.M."?
Just wondering...
Thanks.

I was about to ask the same question; I remember when that happened.

 

[james condino]

....Years ago, well before my time, there was a NYC bass players club where you paid dues and got the combination for locked basses at nightclubs, radio stations, theaters, etc.

There was the famous "Manhattan Jazz Club" that Ampeg used for an advertising campaign. They supplied 50 amps to the best clubs and studios in town and only 50 guys got a copy of the keylock for the power cord.

I always heard, "Don't leave your bass unattended anywhere you wouldn't leave your date..."

 

[robobass]

I heard an anecdote of a bassist coming down the stairs of his NYC walk-up, leaving the bass on the sidewalk with no case, running up the stairs to get the rest of his stuff, coming back downstairs to the sidewalk to see his bass being compacted in the back of a garbage truck.

I've heard that story many times and figured it was urban legend. It came up in conversation once and a guy sitting at the table insisted it was totally true and he knew the guy. He was an artist and was trying to get the remains for a project, but insurance issues were providing obstacles.

 

[BucketOfFish]

I saw a bumper sticker that said "fat people are harder to kidnap", apparently more so if they are in a case and chained to a post.

I'll be here all week.

 

[srbbass]

At the risk of asking the obvious... Is this a $2,100 plywood bass, or a $38,000 fully carved 18th century Italian contrabass?

Been gone for a minute, but thanks for all the answers. To answer this question, we're talking some uprights worth between $12K and $25K