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View Full Version : Wreck of an old Yankee


Michael Cahill
07-12-2013, 05:08 PM
Ken,

I sent these pictures to Arnold and borrowed his reply for the title of this posting. Sadly, it would cost a fortune to restore this bass and they're asking $7,800!

Michael

Ken Smith
07-13-2013, 12:10 AM
Ken,

I sent these pictures to Arnold and borrowed his reply for the title of this posting. Sadly, it would cost a fortune to restore this bass and they're asking $7,800!

Michael

The pics don't help me ID what it is. Maybe Yankee and maybe not. I can't tell but it needs a Top restoration and a Neck graft at the least from these pics. To ID a bass, I need full 'straight-up pics of the body, all sides and the same for the head.

So, what did you want to discuss about this?

Michael Cahill
07-13-2013, 11:17 AM
I thought I'd share the pictures in the off chance it might be rescued by some idealist with deep pockets or the required skills. It is a smallish bass (they're calling it a church bass) but with a pretty big sound.

It's in Dover NH

Shawn Charniga
07-13-2013, 11:55 AM
I have photos and measurements on the way. The clerk I spoke with claimed it had been "verified" (as what, he declined to say) and dropped the asking price by almost a grand during our five-minute phone conversation.

Looks like a neat little old bass. If only the decimal place in the asking price wasn't so far off to the right...

Ken Smith
07-13-2013, 03:03 PM
I have photos and measurements on the way. The clerk I spoke with claimed it had been "verified" (as what, he declined to say) and dropped the asking price by almost a grand during our five-minute phone conversation.

Looks like a neat little old bass. If only the decimal place in the asking price wasn't so far off to the right...

Ok, a bass in this condition that is also a small bass has a lower commercial value than if it were a regular 3/4 sized bass.

From the pictures I can't tell if it's Yankee or Bohemian bass. I have not seen many Yankee basses with a round back. That wood also looks more European than the maples I have seen on Yankee Basses. I don't know what it is but looking at the condition, I can tell you that it is more expensive to restore than it might be worth in the end if done properly. If it was a small Italian bass it might be worth it, but it's not Italian. Buying an unknown Germanic style instrument (Yankee or Bohemian) of a small stature in poor condition can be a huge risk.

Spending money on basses like this can turn deep pockets into no pockets as well as loosing your shirt, not just your pants, so be careful!

Shawn Charniga
07-13-2013, 04:30 PM
The shop (assuming I called the right one, there are two in Dover) is calling it a Mittenwalder and gave the overall length as 72" and the lower bout width as 24". If they are correct about what it is, it's horrendously overpriced.

EDIT -- Whatever it is, it's blockless and has had a hard life. Anyone interested in hosting the photos I was sent? I'm on paternity leave and won't be near a computer for a good long while.

Michael Cahill
07-13-2013, 05:19 PM
The shop (assuming I called the right one, there are two in Dover) is calling it a Mittenwalder and gave the overall length as 72" and the lower bout width as 24". If they are correct about what it is, it's horrendously overpriced.

Yes, that's the right store and they know nothing about basses. I looked at two and don't recall which one had a string length of about 41.5 and the other had 42 inches. I was looking on behalf of a petite woman who wanted to move up from a 1/2 size but not too much bigger.

I think the store owner will be looking at this bass for a long time if he wants more than $4k for it. There may be scary things inside, too but it would be a nice instrument for someone. I made a brief video playing it so send me your e-mail in a PM and I'll send it.
Michael

Ken Smith
07-13-2013, 05:22 PM
The shop (assuming I called the right one, there are two in Dover) is calling it a Mittenwalder and gave the overall length as 72" and the lower bout width as 24". If they are correct about what it is, it's horrendously overpriced.

A Mittenwald bass with a round back? Rare but possible. Maybe Fussen or Austrian but Germanic in nature. I have seen one German bass slightly similar to this one from the Hamburg area. I would place the origin there. It's funny how the mind works sometimes. After I see enough pics, my mind works like a search engine and tells me what I have seen in the past that was similar. In this case, it was the back block area and the tuners, mainly the handles. What is the string length?

Some better shots of the scroll would also help.

On the value, if this is a mid-late 19th century German or Danish bass from the Hamburg region (which some parts were formerly in the Danish kingdom) then it would be priced in the mid-teens at best IF fully restored (for about that much or close to it!), a string length of at least 40" and a sound that can be used in both a collegiate level orchestra and suitable for solos and auditions. Also, possibly used for a jazz player that will pay this much for a bass that probably needs amplification. It is risky even if it is a good bass or even a pedigree that can be named but would be a little known maker.

So, like I suspected, this is probably NOT a Yankee bass.

Shawn Charniga
07-13-2013, 06:35 PM
Yes, that's the right store and they know nothing about basses.

I suspected as much, ha ha...I wish them all the luck in the world because I'd be hard-pressed to pay dollar one for that bass with all those funky old cracks and probably needing a neck block and a real bass bar among God knows what else.