So, at long last I’ve got my beloved old Lejeunne bass back after extensive repair/restoration work to the top by Tom Barrett. Maybe this belongs in the luthier or restoration sections, but since it’s the same bass as above it seems to make sense to post it here.
In a big nutshell, he re-arched the top in a cast, repaired a large number of cracks with patches (removing all the previous cleats and other cross-grain bits and pieces), removed and patched old woodworm damage which had previously been filled with epoxy
, replaced chest and sound post patches, and put in various other large and small patches to strengthen it. Almost all of the new wood is with the grain, and he was careful to remove as little original wood as possible (as you would expect). I’m probably forgetting some of it, but if anyone wants to know more specifically they’re probably best off getting it properly, and accurately, from Tom himself. He can be contacted via his website:
http://www.doublebassireland.com
I haven’t had a chance to play it much yet, but already it feels like the sound has improved from before, although it does also feel like it needs to be played in. I’m expecting it to take a while to settle, and thank you, Ken, for helping me to get my head around that.
Here’s before and after photos of the inside. They kind of speak for themselves…