Double Bass New (to me) Juzek

[Contrabenjista]

Hey all! I finally joined the fully carved club!

I've been playing an Eastman plywood bass for a while now, and as far as plywood basses go it's been pretty great. But as I keep working on arco, thumb position, and sit in with community orchestras, I've been increasingly feeling the need for some richer resonance.

So I finally caved and shelled out for a c. 1970 +/- Juzek.

Chosen for the following factors, in order of importance:
-singing highs
-crisp low end clarity
-good volume
-feel (proportion/playability)
-from Pete Lampe's shop in Portland
-new fingerboard with pretty solo extension

 

[bass player 53]

I just want to say that that is a very
nice instrument, with what looks like
a great setup.
I have one very similar, close to
100 years old and no name. It has some dated repair stickers.
Mine sounds good for jazz, but
a new fingerboard would make it
a little easier to play in thumb position.
Enjoy your new bass!

 

[LouisF]

That was exactly what my first carved bass was like (in 1970!). I wish I still had it. Congrats.

 

[Contrabenjista]

I just want to say that that is a very
nice instrument, with what looks like
a great setup.
I have one very similar, close to
100 years old and no name. It has some dated repair stickers.
Mine sounds good for jazz, but
a new fingerboard would make it
a little easier to play in thumb position.
Enjoy your new bass!

Thank you! Yours is looking good!

That was exactly what my first carved bass was like (in 1970!). I wish I still had it. Congrats.

Thank you! What happened to yours?

 

[LouisF]

I sold it when I moved to France in the late 70s --- my only other regret (not counting several French girlfriends at the time) was selling the Citroen DS19 I had when I moved back to the States. Ah youth!

 

[LouisF]

Not mine but you get the idea!

 

[ReillyProductions]

Gorgeous, congrats!

 

[Contrabenjista]

Not mine but you get the idea!

I've got vicarious regret. Gorgeous!

 

[Contrabenjista]

Gorgeous, congrats!

Thank you!

 

[Koshchei]

Hey all! I finally joined the fully carved club!

I've been playing an Eastman plywood bass for a while now, and as far as plywood basses go it's been pretty great. But as I keep working on arco, thumb position, and sit in with community orchestras, I've been increasingly feeling the need for some richer resonance.

So I finally caved and shelled out for a c. 1970 +/- Juzek.

Chosen for the following factors, in order of importance:
-singing highs
-crisp low end clarity
-good volume
-feel (proportion/playability)
-from Pete Lampe's shop in Portland
-new fingerboard with pretty solo extensionView attachment 7404772

Beaut!

 

[EdwardofHuncote]

Congratulations & Compliments!

 

[Sam Reese]

Congrats!

 

[ejnachtrab]

Hey all! I finally joined the fully carved club!

I've been playing an Eastman plywood bass for a while now, and as far as plywood basses go it's been pretty great. But as I keep working on arco, thumb position, and sit in with community orchestras, I've been increasingly feeling the need for some richer resonance.

So I finally caved and shelled out for a c. 1970 +/- Juzek.

Chosen for the following factors, in order of importance:
-singing highs
-crisp low end clarity
-good volume
-feel (proportion/playability)
-from Pete Lampe's shop in Portland
-new fingerboard with pretty solo extensionView attachment 7404772

Beautiful! I spent a really pleasant couple hours in Pete’s Bass Shop the last time I was in Portland. It’s a great spot with many excellent basses and Pete does great work. Congratulations!

 

[Stuart.C]

Nice bass, congrats

I think that bloom suggests it came from the Wilfer workshop

 

[ejnachtrab]

Nice bass, congrats

I think that bloom suggests it came from the Wilfer workshop

Yes, I have a 1977 Wilfer and the purfling bloom on the back is almost identical.

 

[Contrabenjista]

Beaut!

Thank you!

Congratulations & Compliments!

Thank you!

Congrats!

Thank you;

Beautiful! I spent a really pleasant couple hours in Pete’s Bass Shop the last time I was in Portland. It’s a great spot with many excellent basses and Pete does great work. Congratulations!

Thank you! Agreed. I had been hoping to buy from his shop for those reasons. He's helped me out with bass repairs in the past and is a great guy.

Nice bass, congrats

I think that bloom suggests it came from the Wilfer workshop

Thank you! Oh interesting. I read that the gamba style Juzeks came from the Lang workshop in Mittenwald after WW2 vs violin corners for Wilfer, but the body shapes on the Lang basses seem stouter and the purfling different than mine, and I've seen gamba style Wilfer basses with the same purfling, so you're probably right.

Yes, I have a 1977 Wilfer and the purfling bloom on the back is almost identical.

Sweet! Is that what you are playing in your A Collarbone And Eight Ribs recording? Sounds great!

 

[ejnachtrab]

Thank you!

Thank you!

Thank you;

Thank you! Agreed. I had been hoping to buy from his shop for those reasons. He's helped me out with bass repairs in the past and is a great guy.

Thank you! Oh interesting. I read that the gamba style Juzeks came from the Lang workshop in Mittenwald after WW2 vs violin corners for Wilfer, but the body shapes on the Lang basses seem stouter and the purfling different than mine, and I've seen gamba style Wilfer basses with the same purfling, so you're probably right.

Sweet! Is that what you are playing in your A Collarbone And Eight Ribs recording? Sounds great!

Thanks! That’s actually a different bass, (probably) German shop bass 1930’s. But I am playing that Wilfer on the new Signal Quartet record if you want to hear it.

 

[Jay Mendoza]

Congratulations on your real European fully carved bass. Yours looks exactly like my Johan Rauner, with two very minor differences:
1. The fingerboard extension on the treble side
2. The Tyrolean tuners are Nickle plated, mine are just polished brass, but identical and have the heart shaped tuning keys, which were used by Wilfer.

The Bloom, or heart shaped purfling on the back near the heel is a Wilfer trademark, meaning that Juzek, and my Ruaner, were both made by Wilfer, in the Nuremberg area, West Germany. Johan Rauner, and Juzek, were names used on imported German Bases to the USA. Rauner was distributed on the West Coast by Vitalli Imports and Juzek was distributed on the east coast by another importer.
The have relatively large bodies for a 3/4 size, and they have very good tone and projection, especially if they are set up correctly.

Several years ago, I got a hold of Roland Wilfer and he sent me photos of the patterns they used for the heart shaped bloom, and also he had a box full of the the "Made In West Germany" labels that were identical to the one in my Johan Rauner. He told me they made many basses for other companies that exported them to foreign markets, one of which was Hofner. He al;so said they made the Johan Rauner and Juzek models that were sold here in the USA during the late 1960s-70s. There were several grades, yours being the one of the top models as it was fully carved and had some figured maple. Cheaper versions were flat backs, and/or laminated tops and backs. Many of these bases went to schools/colleges. Mine was salvaged from Cal State Fullerton after a student knocked it over and broke off the neck.