Quote:
Member Comment (actually, it's from Phil  );
This is a great thread. It stands on the difficult edge of deciding what is valuable, now and in the future. There are big questions of utility vs. history. Do we modify things to address playability or do we maintain things for historical accuracy? What do we do when those things are at odds? Does an instrument have more value when it represents history precisely or when it is most fit for the current player? Is it possible to maintain an instrument for both current and future players and still be faithful to the original builder?
I struggle with these questions in the guitar business all the time. I don't have answers that I'm satisfied with and my feelings about them have change over time. Here’s where I am at today.
These days I ask myself if this thing that I am contemplating doing is going to be something that someone in the future might say "what hack did this and how could they think it was a good idea?” I try to avoid doing those things. I've done things to instruments in the past that I wouldn't do today as my priorities have changed. I find myself erring on the side of being more conservative more often than I would have 10 or 20 years ago.
Where I live craft and artistry have much less value than I think it should have. When my house was built in the early 50’s it was made by craftsman and it is level and square for the most part 50+ years later. The floor joists in my sister-in-law’s million dollar house just finished last year have at least 6” of warp across an 8’ span. Multiple workers saw that and decided it was ok to put their names on.
I value craftsmanship. I value its history and tradition, even more so than dollars. These days I value utility and function but only up to the point where it diminishes dollar value or historical value. If I can’t comfortably make those assessments I usually do nothing invasive until I can. Sometimes this stance can put me at odds with a client’s goals. There have been times that I have had to decline to do things that I don’t feel comfortable with. Shaving braces on Prewar Martins comes to mind.
The products of craftsmanship and artistry are manifestations of our spiritual gifts. The builder uses their gift to create an instrument from materials and the player uses their gifts to create music from the instrument. I respect the artisan builder’s intentions. Any choices I make to modify the product of their gifts must be made with the same care and consideration as the original creation. Irreversible changes require great scrutiny as we are making permanent transformations that may be inspired or may be selfish.
When masterworks transcend the common they also transcend ownership. They cease to be disposable commodities. It is our job as their temporary custodians to care for them, maintain them, and enjoy them for as long as we are allowed. Many of these instruments have outlasted generations of “owners”. They belong to God and humanity and my decisions about what to do with them can never be selfish. My decisions must be made with the long-range view of how they affect my children and the generations to come.
Last night I went to the Ohio Theatre in downtown Columbus. It is an outstanding Art Deco theatre built in the late 20’s. They were playing Harrold Lloyd’s Kid Brother, a silent film from 1927. The Morton Theatre Organ was played by Clark Wilson to accompany the film as a live soundtrack. It was magnificent. The 7 and 10 year old kids that were with us were amazed, mouths agape through the whole thing. They were witness to something from another generation that most modern kids don’t get to see. They got it too. 40 years ago the Ohio Theatre and its Morton Organ were set for demolition to make room for yet another office building. It was saved from the wrecking ball and these two kids are why.
I can’t say how this applies to your bass Ken. It may not. You are a far better judge of that than I’ll ever be. My point is to make sure you and the restorationist consider every angle before making your decisions. My hope is that all who make decisions like this about these instruments are as deeply considered about them as they can muster.
|
The main difference between the Guitars you work on and the Orchestral Basses is really the music. Most guitars with some exception is playing the same music and technique now as it did when they were made. Old Basses on the other hand took over 300 years to evolve to what we play now. I have seen a Strad Guitar and a Panormo as well, 300 and 200 years old. They of course were different than any Martin. If repaired they are most likely ONLY a Museum piece. Old Basses on the other hand have had all sorts of modifications to be kept in use as some were not even Basses but Violones with wider necks and extra strings. There is no replacement today for old wood and ancient Varnish. New and 'newer' Basses can be nice but they just don't have the experience and almost any good player can feel and hear that difference.
This Bass in question may or may not be a piece of history as it's just old with a few speculative origins attached to it. One thing for sure is that they didn't make this Bass to fit todays musical requirements of a Classical Bassist. I doubt that they played up to the octave on this Bass much less the harmonics over the fingerboard like in the Dragonetti. Market-wise, a young player going for a Symphony job may not want a Bass like this as he'll have trouble playing a solo piece on it. My Dodd had high shoulders but the String length was 2 1/2" less (41 1/2") than this Bass.
Personally, I think the best thing for this Bass is to respect its large Orchestral size but make it playable as an Orchestral Bass or all around Bass for a larger person. It MUST be modified once again to become playable in todays Orchestras. It has had many modifications in the past as well but never the size. Now we must make it playable but as a large Bass and get it back in circulation. The Block cut is the best idea yet which I learned from Arnold when he restored my Morelli. I don't expect a short string length but 44" is just not going to work.