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Old 01-14-2011, 12:23 AM
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Steve Robinson Steve Robinson is offline
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Join Date: 01-13-2011
Location: Flint, MI
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Default Thanks!

Thanks so much, Ken, for all that great info! Yes, I don't imagine that the bass would have been made right after WWI--that's why I said the earliest it could have been made is in 1918, but probably later in the 20s. That said, I imagine the "Made in Czechoslovakia" label was put in by B&J in NYC, right? The label is in English after all. It's such a tiny piece of paper (and separate from the B&J label) that I had never seen it until this month! The guy who did my restoration was so sure it was from about 1911. I thought it was turning 100 this year until I found that damn label!

Thanks also for the info on purfling and shape. One thing I notice is the basses you show have the wider bouts that I have seen on other German/Czech factory basses. Mine is slimmer and always reminded me of the shape of the J. B. Gabrielli 1790 on page 94-95 of the Elgar book (I still have an old photocopy of that from the MSU library).



Not exactly the same geometry, but more similar. The Gabrielli is slimmer than mine by about an inch across all dimensions and the lower bout is much more round at the bottom. For posterity and the future utility of this post, here are my approx. measurements:

Upper Bout: 19 1/2"
Center Bout: 15"
Bottom Bout: 25 1/2"
Rib Depth: 8 1/4" (6 7/8" at Neck)
Belly Length: 43 1/2
String Length: 41" (bridge is high--should probably be 41 1/2")

So again, thanks a million! I hope uploading info about my bass adds to the collective info on this Czech bass thread. If anyone reading this now or in the future has had contact with a similar instrument, please post something here. Thanks!

Steve

P.S. I'm not sure if the tuning machines are of any help in dating/describing these basses, but mine are identical in every way to these (the photo, however, is from another bass).

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