Quote:
Originally Posted by Adrian Levi
I'm sure that there must be the exception ,for example a bass with an overly thick plate that sounds fantastic . Does anyone over here have such an instrument ? Also actual density of the top wood must be taken into account and may have been a valid reason for a luthier to keep a top a little thicker than usual.
I guess that the only reason to thin a top down must be in a last ditch attempt to improve on the sound of a poor sounding instrument after all else fails. And then what if (note I said 'if') a re-graduation actually makes an instrument sound worse , or introduces some other undesirable artifact to the sound  |
Things do not always work out for the best but to have a better chance of successful results a few things should be carefully considered first. You should know the sound of the bass as it is, know the species of wood, its strength and have experience with other similar type basses and/or woods in similar circumstances. Of two that I can recall that I knew the sound before I have seen one bass done (I didn't do them but owned them at one time or another) that had only slight but positive results and one that was improved quite a bit and continued to improve as other work was done as well. One of the problems in measuring this is all the other work you do within the same restoration.
The other factor is 'what is a good sounding bass to your ears' and how many great old classic basses have you heard in good or better condition that you compare a bass's sound to? A person's ears must be educated in my opinion in order to have a clue what he is shooting for at least.
I have seen people drool over plywood basses that to me sounded like a cardboard box. These same people might not know the difference in the quality of sound between a factory French bass and a master Italian Bass. It doesn't have that boom of a sound when slapped like that cardboard ply bass does.. So, you must be very familiar in the field in which you wish to improve the products of. If not, you may not be able to tell better from worse. Most people in life don't.
A few years ago before the laws changed here I walked into a Diner for breakfast and the teenage hostess said "smoking or non-smoking?".. I said "ask my kids, choking or no choking?". Then I lashed out and said "how can you even ask someone with two small children if they wanna kill their kids at the table with Smoke or not?... She had no clue and just didn't know the difference. It's not like the choice of juice is it?.. sorry for the off topic but from what I have seen, some Luthiers are no smarter or just don't care..