another puzzle

[Ken Smith]

Originally Posted by Sam Sherry

Two totally unrelated thoughts:

1) When a bass gets major restoration to every single component the bass you bring home is not the bass you started out with. Is somebody going to guaranty that back if they don't remove it, yank the braces, re-join the back plates, and replace the braces (with nice new ones)? Won't those bass-side cracks get fixed better if you remove and re-make the bass-bar? The neck is already out; it's a pure accident if it doesn't need a change of angle, right? How tight will the sides be if you don't address the popsicle-stick braces? New board, saddle, tailpiece, nut . . . How "french" will it be after that? Maybe that doesn't matter. Maybe it shouldn't.

2) Am I wrong that when you do that much work, it's gonna need to settle and you'll probably need to open it up again in a few years anyway?

Sam, this it 'totally' related if you ask me. The question now is 'are you willing to spend what it takes to fully restore this bass'?

A bass poorly or partially repaired is sometimes best left alone until all the needed work can be done properly. That is, IF you want the bass to have the best value possible! To me, poorly or partially repaired is worth no more or maybe less than if it had been left alone in the first place.

The Mougenot I bought not long ago was in need of a huge restoration by my standards. The seller disagreed with my but did give me a shorter list of what he would have done if it was up to him. My list includes the back center seam rejoined, the wide center brace replaced with about 3 braces in total, the Ribs re-repaired, the Bass bar removed and a plaster cast mold made to press out the top just a bit at the lower bar area, the Neck replaced with a new graft, the neck moved out and set deeper into the block slightly to reduce the string length to 42" or less and the heel from Eb to D.

Now, the Mougenot was playable when it came in and I did use it on at least one concert and it had been in that condition for some time. The bass above however is in much worse shape and needs just about everything. The Mirecout Gears that are missing were replaced with German hatpegs. Those should be also replaced with something more fitting but nothing that looks German.

Down the road if this bass comes to market again after this possible restoration, it will be much easier to sell if it looks French, like it was properly cared for and restored properly.