[Brian Casey]

Hi David. I've got a bass very much like yours down here in Portland, although it hasn't seen quite the same treatment and is in fully repaired (although unlikely Ken Smith-Style) condition. It too, I think, is a honey of a bass, although I am kind of wishing I had an excuse to pop the top and have it re-graduated. It is a little thick in the wood, which seems to stiffle it a little. That said, it's a fabulous bass, and was suggested to me by Glen Moore, who said that this bass would teach me many things about tone and basses in general. I feel like it has, and continues to do so.

Ken's the right guy to ask about all of this. He's been instrumental in my last couple of bass acquisitions, and his advice is always sound and well-informed. As a point of reference and getting back to your initial question, my bass, which is very similar to yours (as Ken says, Same Bass, and in our case, even the same stamp inside) was purchased here in Portland for $7K, and appraised for $9K by D. Scott Henrie, a respected Luthier in Chicago. My position would be that if you feel right with the instrument, and like the core tone enough to think that if it's solid and healthy it could be your 'lifetime' instrument, it is worth the repair. If you're looking to fix it and turn it over, I doubt you'll do any better than break even. Don't get me wrong - I'm all in favor of saving any bass worthy of significant repairs, and if mine in good health is any indication, I think yours will be a sweetheart of a bass once restored. It might take years for the market to catch up with the amount you've put into it.

For the record, I found that my Pfretschner is much more suited to jazz playing (I've got Olivs on top and Spiro Mittles on the bottom) than orchestral playing. Because the top is thick, it doesn't project and I never felt like I could lead or even be heard in a section, so I found another 1930's German bass (which happened to have been regraduated in 1940) that seems to me to do a much better job in an orchestra with orchestral strings.

If you look at older posted in the This New Bass section of this forum, you'll see pics of both of my basses. Check out my Pfretschner and tell me that it doesn't look like the younger sister of yours. (There is a single '5' carved into the upper bout on the G string side, which is the only purposeful carving. I'm assuming it was bass #5 in whatever Chicago school it was from.)

If you're in Portland, you're welcome to get in touch and we'll share bass stories and you can have a closer inspection of my Pfrestschner.

As for luthiers capable of complete restorations, I don't know of anybody personally in Seattle, but I think that Glen Moore has someone near Vanvouver BC that he highly recommends. Phil Baker here in Portland also uses a guy in Southern Washington who he trusts to restore old basses. Of course, if you are interested in talking to people in Portland who restore basses, I'm happy to give you a couple referrals.

Best of luck, and let us know which path you ultimately choose to take.

b