Ah, that thing sure is a sight. I am generally against brighter varnishes leaning towards blonde or honey, but this piece just melts in your mouth. This one (and Calvin's!!) almost makes me reconsider...
I know what Phil & Sam means... in the beginning, I was also strongly against the carvings, and when I borrowed the Bussetto I would later buy, I was almost a bit, you know, condescending when I spoke about it. I came to terms with it, though... after all, a model like that just wouldn't do very well without it!
(On a side note, if you want to know what's still grinding my gears, it's lion heads on the scroll; or any custon scrolls for that matter. Or, actually, I saw a Ganesha on a cello which was rather cool, and if I was to get myself a rockabilly bass, I wouldn't mind having Woody Woodpecker up there, but generally. That about that.)
if it's a different one I must say they are making better basses than they used to not all that long ago.
I was also under the impression that all Pöllmanns were quality instruments but nothing really special. That was until I got mine, which is from 1982, and I have played other 80's and 70's Pöllmanns of (almost!
) equal quality, but you do indeed have to be wary of some really boring basses out there. I am under the impression that Günther got lots of orders from orchestras and institutions which had to hold tight to their money, leaving him unable to use his best wood or put unlimited amounts of time on some basses, as well as not working in a (supposedly) inspiring relationship with a musician who's making the purchase of his life. His sons, on the other hand, seem to be able to make the most out of almost every bass they make.
Also, many of these basses owned by institutions have been terribly mistreated. I know of *quite* a lot of Pöllmanns (and basses in general) which just yearns for a little bit of love, and a proper restoration. All are mere shadows of themselves. You know that lovely Swedish bass at the Shoppe? I think the Academy that had it sold it for, like, USD2,000. After a detour to Eastern Europe and further violation of a wonderful bass, it is now on sale for about $90k. It's so UNNECESSARY you could cry (I almost do).
Now, I haven't yet tried a new Pöllmann, or any built by the sons. I REALLY want to, but it seems like there aren't many in Scandinavia; most are either conservatory basses or five-stringers owned by orchestras. Has anybody ever tried one of Günther's best ones, and how do they in that case compare to the new ones?