Quote:
Originally Posted by Ken Smith
Brian, the 3-stringer is a Prescott. The Linings have zero to do with the ID process. the FFs and Scroll is the main focus here as far as I am concerned. We see linings on Allen and Bates Basses as well as other Olde Yanks!
If a dealer claims Prescott, he can charge more money tan if he says 'Prescott School'. Please sit back a moment and look at the possibility of those other Basses NOT being Prescott. The 'NOT' factor benefits the Dealer/seller and owner much less than the 'YES' factor. I don't care so much about the $ factor as I prefer the truth who the actual maker might be. I have looked at several 'claimed' Prescotts over the last couple of years including some with famous Jazzers as owners past and present. I am sorry to say that in the case of this Pedigree I am often the bearer of Bad News!
This means nothing to the credibility of the actual Bass or the sound of it. It just means that there were other good makers making Basses at the same time that also used outer Linings and Busetto corners. If the Scroll and especially the FFs are different, then I suspect the Bass may be not be from the head of the School but rather one of the followers.
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Ken, I'm not saying you're wrong about that. I can see that there were other Prescott inflenced makers from New England in 19th Cent. that present day dealers are too quick to tag as Prescotts.
I wish there was a way to see those pics of the Big Blond Busetto bass that Barrie had on his free site a few years ago. He was calling it a Prescott and it did have many Prescott features including the scroll more similar to Nahrmann's 3 stringer, but it also had the the long, narrow swoopy f's like on the Church basses. It is this bass and the curious scroll on my bass that makes me believe that there may be more variation to actual Prescotts that we may have to take into account. Probably due to the different periods, and workers (Concord, early Deerfield, Dearborn Bros. etc.) involved in their manufacture.
Whoever the maker, I know musicians that worked w/ Arvel Shaw that have said that bass sounds fantastic. You have to admit that the side veiw and the wood on the back of that bass is similar to Nahrmann's, but the button, scroll and f's are very different. To me the f's on yours, mine, Don C.'s, the Wright Prescott all have a similar feeling to them not found on the Shaw bass. It's my memory of Barrie's Big Blond Busetto
that has me thinkin'. Before he posted the Shaw bass I thought maybe they were one and the same, but BBBB was different. He must have sold it and now is only veiwable on his pay site. Anyone have access to that?
BG