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:
- Provide details for others to compare their instruments and for general research
- 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!