That's why I'm here. :)

We get to see heaps of german/bohemian-type basses over here, but not too many french ones like that one ...

hey, why doesn't my avatar roll its eyes on this forum? they roll on TB ...

update
 

i added 3 pics of the vuillaume in post#18

Nice..
 

Beautiful Bass by the way. Also, besides this Bass with the unusual Peg stringing order it was the French that in the 19th century placed the lower pitched E and A gears above the higher pitched G and D gears.

I did this to the Martini myself to lengthen the E and A string. When the Extension was put on, the inner throat area of the peg box had to be notched because of the Gear being so high up on the Scroll was touching. Now, instead of doing that, I just switch the strings between the A and E as it would happen with an Ext.

Here are some examples. The first is the Martini followed by a French Bass, then also a Pollmann, a Bass modded by Alfred Meyer and my 5er.
http://www.kensmithbasses.com/double...iBass/extE.jpghttp://www.kensmithbasses.com/double.../bisch-009.jpghttp://www.kensmithbasses.com/double...llmann-003.jpghttp://www.kensmithbasses.com/double...nese/vien9.jpghttp://www.kensmithbasses.com/double...imgs/m2_pf.JPG

All of the Basses with reversed 'tuners' have the lowest string on the normal peg but one position higher. It is the Basses with normal placed tuners that this extended E stringing benefits the most as well as the French method.

As you can see in this picture or the martini, even the A is up higher with the French tuner positions. Maybe this is the best overall method!
http://www.kensmithbasses.com/double...crollFront.jpghttp://www.kensmithbasses.com/double...iBass/extG.jpg

french basses in sydney?
 

Actually Matthew there are some around and actually I have had 3 over the years. Each time I put one for sale in the Bass Shop and no buyers at bargain price (I think), so I sold overseas for more $s. 2 of them had that same shape - one was a Paul Claudot. Have to keep your eye out because they will disappear if no players here prepared to pay for one! ...:rolleyes:.. There are quite a few English basses here too mostly in Orchestras esp Sydney.

my alfred meyer

Meyer..
 

The Bass Scroll I pictured above is not a Meyer Bass. It is an older instrument that was cut smaller in the early 20th century. The label inside says 'repaired by..." (not sure of the exact wording in German). Meyer cut the original Top smaller all around and made new Ribs and Back. He also installed the new Tuners which are not as well matched to the Scroll cheeks as would be if the brass plates were original.

I have seen a few basses by Meyer over the years and they all have the lower gears reversed with the E longer than the G.

Well, gonna go with the E/A swap today, I'll let y'all know how it works out on my el'cheapo bass

XD

E-A Swap has been performed! I like it. E didn't change very much in my opinion, although I do think it sounds a little cleaner. My A string however is LOVING the change. The A, which before on mine seemed to be "lacking" and dull, has great new life. It's bright and edgy, without being obtrusive. It really makes me want to try this on my D and G now. Here is some pics. Warning, the are fairly large. And please no laughing at my el cheapo ; ; One of these days I'll get to upgrade to something decent. http://www.dakpluto.net/pictures/ae1.jpg http://www.dakpluto.net/pictures/ae2.jpg http://www.dakpluto.net/pictures/ae3.jpg

The same thing happened to my A string. It just had a really wimpy sound and feel to it before, both pizz and arco. I really had no idea it would affect it so much. Honestly, I did the switch only to get a looser feeling and more sonorous E string sound, since it felt sort of like a bridge cable before. I never really imagined that the switch would cure the weak A string as well. It sounds and feels like the D string now: tight, punchy, yet warm.

The G string has been improved with the Pirastro rubber tone filter, but it will still squeak under hard bowing. A lighter touch with the bow as well as a quicker stroke will prevent that from happening.

ok, it's 2 Weeks later so good time for an update on my swap.

I still LOVE the swap. It has produced a lot of new spark in my el cheapo bass. I was debating the switch of the D and G, but as I've been playing it more I've decided all 4 strings are now sounding great to each other.

So overall, I'm really glad this topic came up as I feel it breathed some great new life into my bass.

I'm very close to changing over the E & A on my cheap bass too... here's hoping!

It's 11pm, I'm tired after a very long day but, I've just made the change. Too tired to be subjective, although I think I notice a difference. My funny Ab, just below the octave A on the A string, is still there... so no magic. I'll look forward to tomorrow and hope the change is for the better!

a good motto for every day, richard!

Though not your last day, I suppose.
By the way, I climed Anselm's Hill this evening.

I played my bass this morning and both the E & A strings seemed to have quite an 'open' sound. It think there has been a gain! Time will tell.

Speaking of reversed..
 

My Loveri is fresh out of Restoration and it is now strung in reverse but the Tuners are in the normal configuration. Also shown is the Extended False Nut I made to shorten the String Length under 42" and D-Neck stop at the Heel.
http://www.kensmithbasses.com/double...ages/scr_R.jpghttp://www.kensmithbasses.com/double...ges/scr_fr.jpghttp://www.kensmithbasses.com/double...ages/scr_L.jpg

Sorry for reviving what is probably a well worn topic. I've had my E & A reversed since my last comment February and, to be honest, haven't noticed much difference. When I put my Bel Cantos on, I kept the same format. I've been playing only unamplified gigs lately, but played my first amplified gig with the BCs last Saturday. The venue was a very bass unfriendly place and the band played louder than I like to play my double bass (well into electric bass teritory). I noticed that the E & A strings seemed louder than the D & G. This could just be the BCs amplified, or the lousy acoustics of the venue, but, there you go.

Last October or so, I had my bass fixed up and setup by Jeff Bollbach. His work was truly fantastic, and my bass sounded and played better than ever. I however, neglected to get my fingerboard planed and dressed because it was a bit out of my budget at the time.

I ran into a few problems afterwards, however:
- Jeff noted that there were a couple of high spots on the fingerboard in thumb position on the G string. These high spots came to haunt me later as the colder weather came around.
- the G string, a Flexocor, was noticeably more nasally than any Flexocor that I have played. I had acquired it used, and it was nasally on other basses as well.
- The high spots tended to hit the G string when the string was bowed. I believe they acted as harmonics and caused the G string to squeak and squeal badly.
- My A string....was just not there. It didn't play particularly well with the bow, and it required a good deal of bow pressure to get it to vibrate with the bow. It also sounded pretty dull.
- The G on the D string had a terrible wolf tone.
- Thumb position was still pretty hard to play on the bass.

1. So I had first tried to change my G string to an old Helicore G I had around - it was even worse. So I put the Flexocor back on.

2. Next, I lowered the E to a low D. This relieved a lot of the tension on the bass, and made it easier to play all around. It also made the bass more sonorous and full-sounding overall. But the other problems still remained.

3. When I finally had enough of the squeaky and buzzing G string, I decided to get a new Flexocor G. But then, I raised the bridge adjusters, and both the squeaks and rattles were gone. That problem was solved; however, the rest of the problems remained, and the bass was now a tad harder to play - that said, it was also easier to play without a squeaky and buzzing G string bothering me.

4. I had stopped playing for a while, as it was a bit discouraging to play my bass. I had always wanted to swap the E and A strings from their respective pegs, and I even wanted to tell Jeff to do it for me when I picked up my bass last October. But I figured at that time: why fix what wasn't broken?

Today, I decided to make the switch....and the difference has been nothing short of stupendous - almost all my problems have been fixed. Let's hope it stays that way. *cross my fingers*

With the E (low D, actually) and A switched, I believe the bass has much lower tension before overall. And it shows while playing: thumb position has been almost a breeze, and I managed to get in close to 2 hours of practice because it was so much easier to play now.

The A string, which was once difficult to bow, is much easier to bow. It still sound a bit dull, just less dull.

The bad wolf tone I had gotten whenever I bowed the G on the D string....was totally gone. Or hidden. Whatever it is.

But the biggest change was on my G string. Previously, it sounded nasally when bowed on almost any position. Now? It merely sounds bright, which is much, much more tolerable.




Who knew that swapping those two strings could do so much! Perhaps there are other reasons why everything changed for the better. I don't know.

Soundwise, the bass has a bit less volume, I feel, up close. Dunno what it sounds like further away. But it's a tradeoff that I'm definitely willing to live with.

Evidently you can get the same results by chanting,
"Nan Myoho Renge Kyo."