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Double Bass NBD: my new Michael Bornhak double bass

Fran Diaz

Fran Diaz

Mar 28, 2002
3,912
1,058
Santander, Spain
Disclosures
Bassist
#1
Hi all,

After a very nice trip through France and Germany I came home with my new Michael Bornhak double bass (http://www.bornhak.de/). Michael is a very talented luthier who worked for Andreas Wilfer until he set his shop in Waldkirch, a beautiful town in the south of Germany, in the middle of The Black Forest.

I was looking for a bass with pizzicato playing in mind but that could also work well under the bow and this one does it, even with Spirocore Mittels. I love everything on this bass: woods, tone, volume, playability, fit, finish, attention to detail,... When I visited Michael to see and try the bass he was very friendly and he even went home and left me alone in his shop with the bass so I could play it for as long as I wanted without distractions.

I love an old bass as much as the next guy around here but provided the quality of the instruments compared being equal, buying from a living, working luthier was a plus for me as a way to support such an art, so this was my choice: my 2014 Michael Bornhak double bass:

go to this link for the full gallery slide show:
http://s97.photobucket.com/user/frandiaz/embed/slideshow/Gear/Michael Bornhak double bass

Some selected shots:

that's the bass changing hands:
MichaelBornhakampFran02_zps81146bf8.jpg


full shot:
MichaelBornhakDB_full_zps5b26be41.jpg


the beautiful scroll:
MichaelBornhakDB_headstock03_zps7569f725.jpg


the French inspired neck botton:
MichaelBornhakDB_neckjoint03_zps4ae4bbe7.jpg


Michael even carved the bridge and adjusters from scratch:
MichaelBornhakDB_bridge_wheeldetail1_zps8f7874a9.jpg


MichaelBornhakDB_bridge_wheeldetail2_zps74194cdd.jpg



You can hear some sound samplers that Michael recorded here:
[Invalid or Expired Link Removed]
 
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#7
Wow! Beautiful bass, beautiful workmanship. I love the work on the back below the button. May you enjoy for many years to come! :)
 
#10
Fran Diaz said:
Yes, as you can see, the contact points between both parts of the adjusters are spheric, which allows the bridge to be raised or lowered only on one side, something that AFAIK is not recommended on the standard adjusters.
Click to expand...

I have no doubt that it's working well for you (or you would have mentioned it); but honestly, I don't understand why a bridge with a hinge point like that doesn't immediately collapse under the huge tension of the strings! I can't grasp why it has the necessary vertical rigidity...
 
#11
pbasswil said:
I have no doubt that it's working well for you (or you would have mentioned it); but honestly, I don't understand why a bridge with a hinge point like that doesn't immediately collapse under the huge tension of the strings! I can't grasp why it has the necessary vertical rigidity...
Click to expand...

I've had the bass for only two days, but it seems to work perfectly, no problems whatsoever.
 
#12
pbasswil said:
I have no doubt that it's working well for you (or you would have mentioned it); but honestly, I don't understand why a bridge with a hinge point like that doesn't immediately collapse under the huge tension of the strings! I can't grasp why it has the necessary vertical rigidity...
Click to expand...
If it snaps in like buttons or locks in in some way, the bridge should be stable enough. If not, maybe the tension and angle are just enough to keep it in place, if this is the case keep an eye on the bridge. Especially when seasons start to change and when taking it in and out of the case.
 
#13
bassmastan said:
If it snaps in like buttons or locks in in some way, the bridge should be stable enough. If not, maybe the tension and angle are just enough to keep it in place, if this is the case keep an eye on the bridge. Especially when seasons start to change and when taking it in and out of the case.
Click to expand...

I have more faith in the dedicated professionals who have made this their life's work. I gotta believe that Michael and others who are expert luthiers and who use this approach have worked out the mechanics. I'd bet it's stable well beyond "just enough" so that no special attention or care need be paid when taking the bass out of and putting it in the case. The hundreds of pounds of tension ought to keep it right in place. Give the luthier more credit. :)
 
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#14
drurb said:
I gotta believe that Michael and others who are expert luthiers and who use this approach have worked out the mechanics. ... Give the luthier more credit. :)
Click to expand...


Believe me, I wasn't questioning his competence! Merely pointing out something that's got the better of my spacial intuition -- I had thought I had a decent grasp of basic physical mechanics.

This looks to my amateur eyes a bit like using an articulated Pinocchio puppet at rest, as a strut! But here it is, working _perfectly_ on the O.P.'s bass.

Like you allude, there are many reasons Michael Bornhak is a master luthier, and I'm not. LOL!

For all we know, all bridges in the future could go this way, and forever be known as "Bornhak"s!
 
#15
pbasswil said:
Believe me, I wasn't questioning his competence! Merely pointing out something that's got the better of my spacial intuition -- I had thought I had a decent grasp of basic physical mechanics. But this looks to my amateur eyes a bit like using an articulated Pinocchio puppet at rest, as a strut!

Like you allude, there are many reasons Michael Bornhak is a master luthier, and I'm not. LOL!

For all we know, all bridges in the future could go this way, and forever be known as "Bornhak"s!
Click to expand...
Indeed. Please understand that I was not referring to your post but to the one I quoted. You did say that you didn't understand how and why it works. I'm no luthier either. :)

bassmastan asserted that, unless the buttons snap or lock into place, special attention would be in order. I don't see how that conclusion is warranted.
 
#18
drurb said:
I have more faith in the dedicated professionals who have made this their life's work. I gotta believe that Michael and others who are expert luthiers and who use this approach have worked out the mechanics. I'd bet it's stable well beyond "just enough" so that no special attention or care need be paid when taking the bass out of and putting it in the case. The hundreds of pounds of tension ought to keep it right in place. Give the luthier more credit. :)
Click to expand...

I think that less material in the bridge adjusters may actually help the sound for the better! I think it's very interesting :-) just giving my $0.02
 

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