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Double Bass Yet another upright bass ID thread.
- Thread starter Axtman
- Start date
My guess:
German -- It's the label, Sam
20s-30s -- Just a guess. Post-war would say "Western Germany" or later, "West Germany."
Amateur refinish -- coarse sanding, looks like poly
Tuners look right but the plates don't match the shadow and they were sanded (!) or steel-wooled
+ + +
I'm never a fan of poly finish on a DB.
The coarse sanding on the top makes me wonder whether it still sounds like it did before the top damage and repair.
The big goobs of glue on the back repair, spreading for inches away from the repair over wood which is not apparently cracked, also reflect unrefined repair-work. It's possible that Our Lutherer attempted to reglue the back braces without removing and cleaning it. Can't tell from these pics. If so, the braces are going to re-loosen sooner rather than later, and the proper job of open, remove, replace close is costly. Give them a good knock when you play-test; if you hear any gap budget accordingly.
The string balls are on top of the tailpiece. I've only had to do that once, ever, because an archtop guitar top was carved so that if the balls were below they rattled against the top. That makes me think there's a good chance that whoever strung it doesn't know what they're doing.
In short, try before you buy.
German -- It's the label, Sam
20s-30s -- Just a guess. Post-war would say "Western Germany" or later, "West Germany."
Amateur refinish -- coarse sanding, looks like poly
Tuners look right but the plates don't match the shadow and they were sanded (!) or steel-wooled
+ + +
I'm never a fan of poly finish on a DB.
The coarse sanding on the top makes me wonder whether it still sounds like it did before the top damage and repair.
The big goobs of glue on the back repair, spreading for inches away from the repair over wood which is not apparently cracked, also reflect unrefined repair-work. It's possible that Our Lutherer attempted to reglue the back braces without removing and cleaning it. Can't tell from these pics. If so, the braces are going to re-loosen sooner rather than later, and the proper job of open, remove, replace close is costly. Give them a good knock when you play-test; if you hear any gap budget accordingly.
The string balls are on top of the tailpiece. I've only had to do that once, ever, because an archtop guitar top was carved so that if the balls were below they rattled against the top. That makes me think there's a good chance that whoever strung it doesn't know what they're doing.
In short, try before you buy.
- Oct 12, 2004
- 1,327
- 587
- 72
- Disclosures
- Retailer: Shen, Sun, older European
Sam,
Thank you for your reply.
Yeah it has definitely had some work done and as you noted rather amateurishly. I too noticed the string ball ends are on top of the tailpiece. There appears to be a piece missing that is on top of the tailpiece. I am not sure what it is called. On acoustic guitars it is called the saddle.
The bass sounded really nice and the price was even nicer. It will be off to the luthier for repairs and adjustment.
Thank you for your reply.
Yeah it has definitely had some work done and as you noted rather amateurishly. I too noticed the string ball ends are on top of the tailpiece. There appears to be a piece missing that is on top of the tailpiece. I am not sure what it is called. On acoustic guitars it is called the saddle.
The bass sounded really nice and the price was even nicer. It will be off to the luthier for repairs and adjustment.
Go out and play $4000-10,000 basses in good shape to decide where yours might fit within that price range once repaired. But first, figure out if you really like the bass enough to take a chance on it with that much time and money.
