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Double Bass Pfretzschner Aluminum Restoration Project

RSBBass

RSBBass

Jun 11, 2011
2,545
3,245
NYC
#1
My brother rescued a G. A. Pfretzschner bass from a dumpster behind a music store. It has suffered from a bad fall which cracked the scroll. The scroll has been badly repaired with gorilla glue. In addition it has several coats of different paints slapped on it. That is not the worst of it though. The fall had separated the neck from the neck block. Only the screws from the aluminum ribs and button were holding it on. I have removed the neck, the badly cut bridge, tail piece and end-pin.

So far I am stripping the paint off the body. I intend to clean up the scroll as best I can and reset the neck to have a proper angle and more of an overstand. A friend who is a bass luthier is coaching me on the process. However he has no experience with aluminum bass construction.

I would like to remove the top to get a better look at what is going on with the neck block and to facilitate repair. I know the tops are removable but don't know what the process of removal and replacement entails. Do I just unscrew the few dozen screws or will I have to do any work on the metal itself? Any help will be much appreciated.
 
#2
'Nice job dumpster diving! That is the second Pfretzschner in a dumpster tale I've heard about in NYC.

If the neck block is the typical factory setup, you should be able to just unscrew the neck and block and they will all come apart from the body. The neck will be glued into the block. The top should also unscrew. Depending upon the year, the back may be crimped on with a small visible folded aluminum ridge. In between the aluminum and the block there should be a green felt that is a little bit of a "rattle buffer". You should be able to "banana peel" everything open to get the block out. Since it already has had the Gorilla glue treatment, all bets are off and you should be prepared for anything...

Please post a few photos for the visual nerds around here.
 
#3
Thanks!

The dumpster was actually in New Jersey but close enough.

The back is crimped and I would not attempt anything there without help from a tin smith. The neck has separated from the block in the fall. I got some lights into the body (love the Christmas light trick) and the block looks OK except for some damage at the top where the neck sheared off. That said, I would like to get a good look in case I missed something. Since the block unscrews from the top, I may be able to get it out without taking the top off but it is good to know I can remove it.

I don't know if I should hope the gorilla glue joint fails so I can do a proper repair or hope it holds so I don't have to.

Thanks again for the help.
 
#4
I will post some photos later right now the bass is at my house in Vermont where I have a garage to work in and tolls. Its a bit hard to find the space for the work in a NYC apartment.
 
#5
Well I am back in Vermont and working on the bass. The block and the top did unscrew. I just unscrewed the top enough to finagle the block out. Glad I checked, there was a split through the side of the block that I did not see. I will be consulting with my luthier friend to see if I should glue the block back together or make a new one.
 
#6
Since you've already got it out, make a new one a bit larger than the factory issue. All the screws that go back into it will likely split any fix you do to the cracks. My preference for the old Pfretzschners is something a little more dense than the original spruce, like Honduras mahogany or eastern walnut.

Photos????

j.
 
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