Thanks guys. Yes, the bass is very special and it is not a design or pattern one would just make from thought. Having the original side by side was the key to success along with Arnold's hands. It was an experimental risk doing it to begin with as it's so different than any other bass as far as the dimensions are. I just had to see if it was possible to copy the pattern and modify it with corners, move the Fs up and out and still get at least a good sounding bass if not something close to the original. What we don't have is the 'exact' wood and species of the original, the age of it and the repairs as well as the centuries or settlement of the sum of its experiences.
That was a long sentence.. lol..
My point is that I was willing to take a chance and commission something that I thought would work. Arnold put his own work experience into it as well as far as the archings and graduations go so it IS a Schnitzer Bass but made off of a pattern he's never tried.
Now that it's here, I just have to play it and get over the anticipation from the building of it. Time to do some serious practicing now that I have no excuses at all.
