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Old 01-13-2011, 08:24 PM
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Steve Robinson Steve Robinson is offline
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Default "Salvadore De Durro" / B&J New York

Hello everyone! Folks over at TalkBass directed me to this forum because of this specific thread on Czech shop/factory basses; looks like a fantastic place! I wanted to post some details about my early 20th c. Czech factory bass with two goals in mind:
  1. Provide details for others to compare their instruments and for general research
  2. See if forum members could provide me with additional info about my bass
The bass isn't for sale; I've owned it for nearly 20 years and I will probably keep it forever. It's a fully carved, round back bass with violin corners that underwent a complete restoration in 1998-2000. Here's a decent photo (details below the photo if you are still interested after seeing it):



Probable Origin
  • This bass was imported by Buegeleisen & Jacobson (B&J New York) in the late teens or early twenties of the 20th century. B&J was a music "jobber" with a mail order catalog for all kinds of instruments, including violin family instruments, guitars, banjos, ukes, etc.
  • Salvadore De Durro is a made-up name, not a real maker. It was the import brand of B&J, which sold all kinds of factory violin family instruments and strings under this label.
  • The bass was probably built in the Schönbach/Luby area on the border of modern-day Germany and the Czech Republic.
  • It was originally thought to date from 1911, but this cannot be correct. Because a label inside the bass says "Made in Czechoslovakia," it must post date the end of WWI, making its earliest date of manufacture 1918.
  • The mid-grade quality of the wood and the round back place it in the nicer-than-average category of "shop" or "factory" bass made for the American export market

Current Owner
  • I purchased this instrument during grad school from Elderly Instruments in Lansing, MI in 1992
  • The bass was in playable yet deplorable shape when I bought it; several amateur refinishing/repair attempts had been made. The top was deeply sunken in the upper bout, and the bass bar was broken. Open cracks were filled with globs of boat epoxy; dark, botched varnish attempts were dripped all over the top. The thing was ugly, so I got it for a song
  • I played the bass in an old-time string band for several years while I saved up for a full restoration.
  • A complete top-off restoration was performed by White Bros. String Shop in 1998-2000. Ribs were shortened, fill wood was added, the top was re-arched, all rib and top cracks were properly repaired, and a new reddish brown varnish was applied. The restoration was high quality, yet not top quality, and I have been very pleased with the work
  • It's been a very stable bass since the restoration; stays in tune very well and does not behave much differently from season to season
  • The action is fairly high (I play mostly string band music, though I do love and aspire to jazz pizzicato playing). I am considering bridge adjusters and a fingerboard planing job by a local luthier if I continue to think about jazz playing
  • I love this bass. It has a rich, dark tone and is plenty loud. It's not a "fine" or "spectacular" instrument by a famous maker, but it's the perfect bass for me and how I play. I can't imagine that I would become a good enough player to warrant anything better.
So, that's it. Again, my hope is that some of the info I have gleaned about this bass over the years may help someone trying to identify their instrument. I would also love to hear from anyone on the forum that may have additional information about my bass, B&J, or general shape/design/style of the instrument. Perhaps you've seen others like it, perhaps you have some additional insight about its origin, etc. A few additional photos of the bass and a couple of images regarding B&J appear below.

Also, someone on TalkBass mentioned that this bass has a French cello outline. What does that mean?

Thanks in advance,

Steve

Additional Photos


The label inside the bass.


A 1915-1916 B&J Catalog


A 1907 B&J ad from the Music Trade Review


Purfling on the back


Moderate flame on the back and sides

Before Photos (UGLY--you have been warned)


Only shot I have of the thing that shows what it looked like when I bought it. You can see the shiny boat epoxy all over the thing. Yeeeuch! That Scottie dog really needs a haircut, too!


Varnish removal


The carved back was in fairly decent shape


Close up of a newspaper photo. Ouch! The boat epoxy/varnish was nearly 1/4 thick in places. I can't believe I played it that way for nearly 6 years!
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