Good afternoon everyone, my question is.. Did Abraham Prescott make all his basses with the F-Holes the same? I’ve found one online but the f-holes are narrower are not joined..
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Double Bass PRESCOTT F-HOLES
- Thread starter byrdman1960
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Lots of them have been altered over time. Some restorers decided they "forgot to finish them" or "they looked weird" or something and cut them for aesthetic reasons, others thought that it changes the vibrations in the top, (it does, but Prescott was aware of that and accounting for it) etc. While there are a lot of characteristics about them that are similar, they definitely aren't all the same. There are a few different models and things change from there.
Gary at Upton has had a lot of content about Prescott lately. Talking about the history and connection to them locally, advocating that they are undervalued as they are often sharing stages with basses valued much higher, and a bunch more. They probably have one or two for sale on their website, and a few more in the archives with good descriptions and photos if you want a bit more of a dive.
Gary at Upton has had a lot of content about Prescott lately. Talking about the history and connection to them locally, advocating that they are undervalued as they are often sharing stages with basses valued much higher, and a bunch more. They probably have one or two for sale on their website, and a few more in the archives with good descriptions and photos if you want a bit more of a dive.
Yeah. They always look (to me) like they were made in an Amish high school Woodshop class... and not by the Valedictorian.
But, hey. That's just me.
Thx,
While I've only ever handled about 3 very briefly, I've seen a bunch of photos. Just like Busetto corners which Prescott used as well, I think it's one of those high risk, high reward type things. We rarely remember the people who make copies I guess? They essentially started out bass making in America with limited contact with the tradition and came up with some pretty decent basses, so I'm not going to knock them for adding some sort of visual signature to their bass.
I've gone back and forth over the years on both features and whether I personally like them or not, but they are both a feature of a lot of Prescotts, and one that has been changed on a lot of them over the years too. Many of those basses also started off quite large and were altered to be closer to modern dimensions, so I could see how some of the other features might not look right when the outline may have been changed. That was a far more common practice than we like to talk about, where a lot of really fantastic but exceptionally large instruments were significantly altered.
Going back to the original question: Prescott made a few different models. I do not believe all of them originally had attached f's, but many did. Many of them have been cut over time, and many of them have also been restored over time. I wouldn't use that as the defining "is this or is this not a Prescott?" feature because of that. If you're interested in buying an instrument like that, I would ask for some documentation and see if they have a certificate or appraisal from a reputable shop, (they would have to get one to insure it) and I would also not find it unreasonable to take it to a reputable shop/maker/repair person of your choosing to make sure it's on the up and up. If the person selling it just retired from a major orchestra and wants to cash in his nest egg, that's different from a random internet ad, but I'd still want to verify for Prescott amounts of money.
I've gone back and forth over the years on both features and whether I personally like them or not, but they are both a feature of a lot of Prescotts, and one that has been changed on a lot of them over the years too. Many of those basses also started off quite large and were altered to be closer to modern dimensions, so I could see how some of the other features might not look right when the outline may have been changed. That was a far more common practice than we like to talk about, where a lot of really fantastic but exceptionally large instruments were significantly altered.
Going back to the original question: Prescott made a few different models. I do not believe all of them originally had attached f's, but many did. Many of them have been cut over time, and many of them have also been restored over time. I wouldn't use that as the defining "is this or is this not a Prescott?" feature because of that. If you're interested in buying an instrument like that, I would ask for some documentation and see if they have a certificate or appraisal from a reputable shop, (they would have to get one to insure it) and I would also not find it unreasonable to take it to a reputable shop/maker/repair person of your choosing to make sure it's on the up and up. If the person selling it just retired from a major orchestra and wants to cash in his nest egg, that's different from a random internet ad, but I'd still want to verify for Prescott amounts of money.
Mike, thanks for your perspective!.. I asked for documentation, the luthier that did a complete restoration 30 years ago ( supposedly) and the name of owner and I’ve received nothing from the bass shop that lists it for sale… RED FLAGS 
Is there a label tucked away somewhere on the inside? I always laugh when I see one of the big paper Prescott labels that also include makers of fine unbrellas. I was under the impression that while he made basses in his shop, he also used a couple of other shops as subcontractors so there is some variation and we can call it from the "Prescott school". Either way, they are pretty cool for an original selling price of something like $25!
The last time I visited, Brian Giancarelli had an early one in shis shop in Greenville for sale that used to belong to Elliott Wadopian; 'great bass from an old friend.
The last time I visited, Brian Giancarelli had an early one in shis shop in Greenville for sale that used to belong to Elliott Wadopian; 'great bass from an old friend.
Prescott and his shop used several different f-holes designs. The early ones can be very long and thin.
