Hawkes & Son.. (The Official KSB Hawkes Bass Discussion Thread)

[Ken Smith]

See, my idea is correct. This looks to have a German Varnish or at least not the golden Varnish I have seen on other H or F models.

BUT, that seal that says Boosey & Hawkes is the latter company after Hawkes & Son. Founded in 1930..

This statement "Hawkes & Son (later Rivière & Hawkes),[2] a rival to Boosey & Company, was founded in 1865" Is actually incorrect according to my research. Hawkes & Son came after Riveire & Hawkes dissolved in 1889. Wiki pages are not 100% guaranteed to be accurate.

Oh and Matt, thanks for the labels. This is a great find. It is the first 'H' model I have seen with a German label. Perhaps this one was sold too quick before it could be re-labeled as English.

[Matthew Tucker]

Indeed.

This is a beautifully and neatly made bass with excellent wood. The maple has lovely flame under the rather sombre varnish. The two piece spruce top has very even and fine grain right across, if slightly wavy longways. The machines are ultra smooth.

It has almost certainly been sold to a military or touring band or orchestra and its last repair was done in the Phillipines.




This last open top repair, although reasonably effective and neat, resulted in a very tightly glued edge and rather weak wood underneath, and a bit of casein and/or white glue in there too, and a fair quantity of putty and brown paint to "clean up" the edges and corners.

The repair cleats are of some wood that i don't recognise. i think a casein glue has been used for these.

[Matthew Tucker]

This label is interesting.



I think it is what's left of a music shop's address at Cashmere Gate - in New Delhi!

Cashmere Gate was right near a major train station, and is now the name of a metro stop.

Boosey and Hawkes would obviously have had outlets in India following the war, and in fact Besson (acquired by B&H) had a bugle factory in Delhi. So instruments would have been bought and sold through into asia from here as well.

So it seems to me this bass has travelled quite a bit :-)

[Anselm Hauke]

hi matthew, very interesting, thanks for showing.

[Ken Smith]

I have this bass here in my rack now and it looks very English all around. Label printed with Hawkes & Son, London 1921.

[Matthew Tucker]

Neck graft and mensure shortened?

[Ken Smith]

Originally Posted by Matthew Tucker

Neck graft and mensure shortened?

Yes, at it's last restoration. The bass came into the shop with a broken neck and needed work so it all got restored there at Arnold's. The owner then decided to sell the bass rather than pay for the restoration directly. I recommended the bass to a friend of mine and he bought the bass. Now, the bass is up for sale again. String length is 42" now. I don't know what it was before. The bass plays great as it is now.