Double Bass Yet another identify

[gerry grable]

I'll try one more time to get this old bass to load.

 

[gerry grable]

I still had the old tail piece wire on it.

 

[gerry grable]

Two more.

 

[gerry grable]

The other side.

 

[Jake deVilliers]

Look at you posting photos and everything! Nice looking bass, Gerry.

 

[gerry grable]

Look at you posting photos and everything! Nice looking bass, Gerry.

Thanks, and this is the one my father got for nothing

 

[eh_train]

Hi

Re the I.D., I'll agree that it is a very nice looking bass.

Before clicking on the pics, it looked like a typical German or Czech gamba style, with the tall and thin neck join that was common for basses labelled Hofner. I think the inlay below the button has somewhat sharper corners than most German shop basses, which might indicate more of a hand built item. I guess an obvious question is does it have any label or markings? Note, markings or labels could also be on the back of the top (and viewable with a mirror and light).

Shame about the neck break: It looks like an un-pretty but solid repair.

I notice in your profile that say you own an "unplayable German bass". Hard to tell from the pics, but is this that bass, now properly set up? I wondered if you had work done on it because the nut looks nicely trimmed and ready for playing. Can't really tell, though, about the rest of the setup.

Definitely a nice looking bass!

Cheers,

Paul

 

[gerry grable]

Does anyone have any idea? Is this a Juzek? The button from another posted bass that was supposed to be a Juzek looked similar.
The only written mark on it is a partial sticker:

aul afran & So
epairing all Accessor
8th St Phila

I think this person or establishment must have been the the luthier who last worked on it, not the maker.

Thanks,
Gerry G

 

[Steve Swan]

Without any other information, I'd say an early 1950s Hofner or similar german shop bass. The Hofners tend to be 41" string length.

 

[gerry grable]

Hi

Re the I.D., I'll agree that it is a very nice looking bass.

Before clicking on the pics, it looked like a typical German or Czech gamba style, with the tall and thin neck join that was common for basses labelled Hofner. I think the inlay below the button has somewhat sharper corners than most German shop basses, which might indicate more of a hand built item. I guess an obvious question is does it have any label or markings? Note, markings or labels could also be on the back of the top (and viewable with a mirror and light).

Shame about the neck break: It looks like an un-pretty but solid repair.

I notice in your profile that say you own an "unplayable German bass". Hard to tell from the pics, but is this that bass, now properly set up? I wondered if you had work done on it because the nut looks nicely trimmed and ready for playing. Can't really tell, though, about the rest of the setup.
Thanks for the input. You are right; this bass was repaired and set up by Robert Tice, a luthier out of Sciota, PA. He usually repairs violins and cellos, but he took on my bass and did a great job. It plays great and I have been using it since he fixed it in 1999. By the way, Robert Tice didn't do the neck repair. That was done long before I got possesion of the bass. It is not the "barn bass." That bass is still in pieces. I have pics of it, too which I will post on another day. Thanks again.

 

[gerry grable]

Without any other information, I'd say an early 1950s Hofner or similar german shop bass. The Hofners tend to be 41" string length.

Thanks for your input. The string length on this bass is
42 1/2."

 

[gerry grable]

I forgot the side views.

 

[KUNGfuSHERIFF]

I know what that is. It's a shop bass imported by Paul Safran and sons, a luthier's shop in Philly that went out of business in the late '60s IIRC.

A similar bass sold on eBay this spring for $2K, which was a bargain.