ok, ok..
Let me break the ice here. First off, I will limit my posting to more affordable type basses under the 30k mark just to make it a bit closer to the heart of the majority rather then a select few.
One bass I brought in awhile back was a modern English bass. It seemed ok but after the first winter it started to open up around the lower Top seam. This was a warning that the wood needed to acclimate here, not across the Pond. I took it to Arnold, he popped the Top off in my presence and then the bass sat for months, apart and drying out. Once all was clear the Back braces were removed and a single x/cross-brace was put in with another smaller lower angled bar shaped more like a mini bassbar. Bridge and fingerboard were needed as well so that was done after all else was handled. That bass sounded pretty good at the start but after a year of settling, it was even better.
Another bass I brought in around the same time was in need of a full set-up with Fingerboard and bridge etc.. Nick Lloyd was over here for a visit with Dr. Phil (Maneri) shopping for a bass to take home, the big German Orchestra bass I hosted for a friend here locally. I showed Nick an old Italian bass I had that needed a full restoration and agreed to take it on. Then he asked if I had a bass that needed less work like a set-up or something because he could take back 2 basses of mine in the car. I showed him this other modern Italian that needed the set-up work so he picked it up.
A half season later when winter hit, the Back started to give where it had been repaired before. Nick mentioned it needed to come off and be done. So, it ended up with the exact same brace system that Arnold did as Arnold sent him pics of the modern English bass of mine that he had restored earlier. When it came back it was mush smoother and deeper sounding than before. Now that it's been here a year of so it is sounding fantastic.
These two basses were repaired with a new method of Back bracing for flatbacks that is not the traditional way. It is not always the way to go but in the case of these two basses, it seems the right way. The proof is in the results.
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