humm..
Well, just for conversation, what were the thicknesses of the Back measuring in the center on thru to the edges by the Lining and what are the numbers 'after' you re-graduated the Back? Also, what were the numbers of the Top as well?
In my opinion, numbers by themselves do not tell the whole story. The density of the wood plays a huge role as do the dimensions of the bass as far as the length and width of the plates and combined.
Harder wood can possibly go thinner than softer variations of the various species. Wider and/or longer pieces might need to be thicker than smaller ones like the difference between a Cello and a Bass but in a gradual sense. Arching and Bracing also add to the equation or subtract from it at times. A bigger arched Top by design is stronger but not necessarily better.
I have one English Bass with a very dense Top that someone thought from looking from the F cuts was too thin and his comment to a potential buyer helped to 'kill' a sale for me. When it was later 'gauged' and its extra density evaluated it was deemed 'graduated just right within itself'. 'Within itself' is the key phrase here. If the wood is soft and you go too thin, it will be weak and fail in one or more ways. If the wood is hard and left too thick, the sound will be suppressed to the degree that the plates are not graduated within its personal range.
How do I know all of this? I don't, and I admit it. I just happen to have owned many many basses or all ages and schools of making and have had most of them on a bench at one time or another for examination as well as seeing many other basses that I didn't own. After examining more basses than I can remember, I do know that more often than not, the bass is too thick or too thin somewhere on the plates. If we are not sure by just looking at the Bass, then the graduations are left alone. Only when we are totally certain that something is way off to I approve an action in regards to graduation or adding back in. 'We' meaning the Luthier and myself discussing the work to be done.
What to do? Evaluate every project thoroughly before cutting anything. Taking away is easy. Putting back is not. Adding breast patches to re-thicken and reinforce a thinned, depressed or sunken Top is very difficult and not all the Luthiers do such a great job of it. Many basses done in 'professional' shops have been repaired for profit rather then for quality and 5, 10 or 20 years down the road the truth will be told when the Bass itself speaks out from its human imposed illness!
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