Top repair on a budget

[Dave Martin]

I'm not sure this is the place for a question like this, but here goes...

I was just shown a mid-sixties Roth bass with a carved top and plywood back and sides that has seen better days; it appears to have at least three good sized splits in the top including one on or very near the bass bar. The kid who owns it is wondering if it's worth repairing, and I didn't have an answer for him since I've never had to have that sort of thing done. The owner is apparently a carpenter - I was able to explain to him that the tools he uses to frame houses would NOT be good to use on a musical instrument.

The goal would be to make the bass playable, not new. Would one of you gentlemen be willing to even venture a guess as to what would be involved? I can get pictures, probably on Tuesday, if that would help....

[Matthew Tucker]

There are other, less economical, ways to repair the bass bar crack other than removing the bar.


If it is a real bass bar crack, there is only one way I know of to repair the crack properly and it means taking the bass bar off. I can't imagine why you'd need to do anything less economical than that?

[Matthew Tucker]

Ah. You said less economical. You meant more economical.

[Ken Smith]

Don't shop for repairs on line. Would you have your Dental work quoted this way or Medical care? Without a one-on-one with the person doing the work you are just wasting ink here.

A Hybrid bass that needs a full Top restoration will far exceed its value, period!

I don't know without seeing it in person and nor does anyone else what the Bass actually needs.

[Matthew Tucker]

A Hybrid bass that needs a full Top restoration will far exceed its value, period!


Well IMO you can't even generalise like that, really :p ... we know its a Roth ... but what if it was a La Scala hybrid? I think it'd be worth fixing.

A generalisation I could make from my experience, is that a top restoration will be at a minimum 6 hours' work and more likely several hours' more and depends entirely on the damage once the box is open!

Wayne you're really going to have to work out how to post your pics!

[Matthew Tucker]

yes that was clear the first time :-)

[Ken Smith]

Clear? then why don't you send me an email- hey-I'll send you pictures of me playing the bass in a dress with upper and lower clevage while putting on my favorite lipstick if you want. You can post my pics and show the world what the master luthier does with a bass bar crack

The only crack here is your nuttiness. What is this Thread about? Any clues yet Master?

[Dave Martin]

Don't shop for repairs on line. Would you have your Dental work quoted this way or Medical care? Without a one-on-one with the person doing the work you are just wasting ink here.

A Hybrid bass that needs a full Top restoration will far exceed its value, period!

I don't know without seeing it in person and nor does anyone else what the Bass actually needs.

Mr. Smith, I'm not shopping for repairs and I didn't even imply that I was asking about a 'full top restoration'. In my original post, (which, in your words, "I posted on deaf ears") I believe that I stated that "The goal would be to make the bass playable, not new."

The owner of the bass brought it to the theater where I'm working and asked me what I thought of the instrument, and if it was worth fixing. As I said in my original post, I've never had this sort of work done before, and wouldn't know within an order of magnitude what it might cost.

Since this forum actually has active members who do this sort of work (and is the only forum in which I participate at that talks about basses at all), it seemed to be the best place to ask a general question about repairs to a double bass.

I have received some very helpful responses from this thread, via PM and email (thanks, Wayne and Matthew), so I can at least respond to the young man who owns the bass without making figures up out of my own head; that was the reason I asked.

[Ken Smith]

I was making the point that with just the description you gave, there is no way to know what the bass needs. The top is just the issue that is noticeable. Maybe that's all it needs, maybe not.

Making a bass playable can be done in a number of ways. Just about anything can be fixed to play.