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Old 03-29-2007, 10:19 AM
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Exclamation The bass is only worth $10,000 if you pay $10k?

Quote:
Originally Posted by Brian Gencarelli View Post
The bass is only worth $10,000 if you pay $10k. My gut says, go with the Shen-but that is hard to say without seeing/hearing. You could spend that other 2K on a great bow. The other question is, how bad do you want a C-extension? You could spend the much just putting on the extension on the Shen...

Once again, do you have a teacher you can play them for? This will help tremendously.

Brian
Actually, a Bass is only worth 10k if it is salable for 10k on the general market. One newbie paying 10k for a Bass doesn't mean he can turn it over anytime soon and get his money back.

There are 100s and 1000s of Basses available for sale. It is a buyers market and not a sellers market unless you are talking about a rare and desirable pedigree that half the pro community waits for one to come available. With 'generic' Basses either Juzek, Shen or any other similar makes or brands you have plenty to choose from.

It takes a good eye, a lot of experience and a person with Luthier experience if not a top Luthier to judge the value of a Bass with existing repairs like the Juzek you mention. Just for the sake of discussion, if this Bass is 10k in the condition it is in now, what does the seller think it could sell for if fully restored to its best possible condition with graduations corrected and the Bass in its best possible tonal condition?

Heres a Bass of mine that I took in on trade broken and unplayable towards an Italian Bass. After about a 10k restoration, it was a great Bass. This is the same Bass before it was restored. This Bass was a large 7/8ths length wise and had a huge sound. Even the string length was shortened with a 'block cut'. The BassBar was actually part of the top which was typical for factory German Basses in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The wood was overly thick and both the Top and Back had to be re-graduated.

Most cracks can be judged from the outside of the Bass but until you open the Bass, you have no idea what other work will need to be done to restore the Bass properly. A Bass like a Juzek is often not worth the trouble. A newbie might be attracted by the older sound it has but a smart buyer can see thru its factory made style and keep looking for a cleaner or better repaired Bass. The person to judge the condition, cost to re-repair and overall value of the Bass is NOT always the shop you are buying it from.

Did you know that in the 1960s a carved Juzek Bass cost only $200. directly from the Juzek family in NY at Metropolitan Music. The Highest grade 7/8th Master Art Bass was still under $1000. How then on this planet is a poorly repaired Juzek worth 10k today? He would be lucky to get that if the Bass was in mint condition.

My money is on the Shen unless the older Bass you find is in much better condition.

On the Bow thing, the 2k is a good entry level Pro Bow as they run 4-15k for the best relics and new makers as well in that range. We have Bows that list for $200-$600 that would easily do. Other Shops I have seen sell similar grades of Bows from $600-$1200. The difference is usually the marketing.
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