Ken -
Sorry I can't be more exact. The height I measured last year, i measured along the back, just like you would size a viola. The original string height when I bought the bass was "standard" - though I never measured it, I would guess 8mm at the gstring to about 10 or 11 at the E. It played pretty well, but had some extreme variations over the course of the first year.
I don't know how much Arnold took off of the tailpiece, but he said he had set up a lot of these Willows, and it seemed to be all routine to him. I would have to guess he took off less than two inches - still a considerable amount. Then, the bridge was adjusted down toward the tailpiece. I haven't remeasured the mensure, and my bass is packed up as I'm taking the night off. But I'm sure the string length was a little bit longer - I had to "find" the notes again, especially above the octave.
I think the bass changed shape a lot over the last couple of years. It's playing much better after the recent surgery.
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