Quote:
Originally Posted by Anselm Hauke
i´ve often seen hawkes´ that were as dark as this one. the most seemed to be overvarnished to me.
ken, do you think the color is original?
edit: and i´ve seen many light brown/golden/red ones, that looked much better imho
edit2: nothing against this bass, sure it´s a great instrument
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Well, the Varnish on the Scroll looks 100% original. If the Scroll matches the Bass which most believe it does, then the color was dark to begin with. I was told that the Varnish was a mess already on the Bass when it reached the Restorer. He did his best to match it back up. I don't know how much of the Bass has original Varnish or if any of it is aside from the Scroll.
On the origin, we do not know where these were made or if they were made in different German shops over the years. The guesses of both Rubner and Hornsteiner could both be correct if the demand was there of if changes were made at different time periods. If I had to choose between these two sources providing they were correct then I would go with the Hornsteiner as that's what it resembles most as far as the varnish on the Scroll and the FFs. The Model is totally English with a mixture or Panormo which includes Maggini with the Flat Back. It is possible that several different shops produced these Basses over time using the patterns and Specs (inside and out) provided by Hawkes of London, hence the English look!