Bass Oddity- Swanson DB.

[Brian Gencarelli]

Originally Posted by Jeff Bollbach

Wow, I had forgotten about this maker! I saw one at a place of previous employ and for a few weeks it was thought by the boss that it was Italian. Turned out to be plywood. Wonder if this one is. Authentic crudite.

From what I can tell, I think it is plywood (oak?) - it is so hard to tell with all the raised purfling and gunk. It is definitely NOT Italian. There is also some previous repair work that makes it more of a "crudite". Don't know if this was done by the maker or another.

I feel the same way about this bass as another classic cartoon, "Charlie Brown Christmas". It seems like the poor little tree that he picks out and tries to decorate.

I don't know whether to crack this baby open (morbid curiosity) or run away screaming. I am pretty confident in my abilities- I am no Arnold or Jeff, but I am not a complete "crudite" either. (Can you tell I like that word?) If I decide to approach this as a "Six million dollar bass" I plan on documenting the whole thing for all to see, ala Matthew Tucker.

Obviously, I don't plan on making any money on this bass... just a test of skill.

Any and all opinions are valued.

BG