History of the American Bass

[Arnold Schnitzer]

According to the article on Joe Byrd, his bass is labeled 1875. The one in my shop is 1852. I think the model is the same, but I see differences in the shading. Also, the history of ownership is different.

[Ken Smith]

Originally Posted by Arnold Schnitzer

According to the article on Joe Byrd, his bass is labeled 1875. The one in my shop is 1852. I think the model is the same, but I see differences in the shading. Also, the history of ownership is different.

Then that must be the 2nd Bass George Snr. made. If not, the book is wrong about him making only 2 Basses in his time.

[Ken Smith]

I have seen many Basses called a Prescott and have disagreed with several of them. Mainly because of the FFs and Scroll. They shapes were all similar (Either Gamba or Busetto) but only the general shape.

The two FFs I know of are the sweeping curling ones seen on his early Church Basses and a few Cello model Basses he made early on. The scrolls on the early Basses although similar on top, differ slightly at the bottom of the pegbox. The other style had the shorter wide FFs like on the majority we have seen including Don C's (cut shoulders and replaced Scroll) and my Prescott (cut shoulders and C-bouts).

My question is this and I do say question because having not been there in person 180-190 years ago, how can we really know? Ok, my question is, is there possible a period between the early Deerfield Basses and the lated Concord Basses where the FFs were somewhat different than either of the two model mentioned above? Could there also be a few Scrolls made that differ too?

There are a few basses that I have seen in person that I did not agree with because of these different FFs so I must question myself here. Two of them were personally repaired by Jeff Bollbach so he has seen the insides of these two as well as many others that are within the regular modeling most of us agree with as being 'real' Prescott.

The Basses that I am referring to belonged to Lafaro, Shaw and one still owned by Reggie Workman (one of my former teachers) as well as one other owned by a NY State dealer/player.

It was the last one mentioned above of which had to have its Back replaced during restoration that I played most recently and considered at the least 'Prescott School'. That Bass according to Jeff looked very Prescottish internally, where it counts. The FFs and Scroll are different than the typical ones used but still, is it possible that there were Basses made between the periods that had different FFs and Scrolls? The LaFaro bass now has a replaced Scroll made in the Kolstein shop that resembles a Prescott but it's not like the original one that was on there before which I have seen a picture of with Scotty. This possible 'middle' period of Prescott (if such a thing exists) had variations in the FFs and Scrolls from Bass to Bass unlike his earlier period and later period both of which were fairly consistent.

I say this with as mush doubt as I do possibility that these four basses or any others that are similar can be or not be actual Prescotts. I have seen 3 different J.B. Allen basses who worked in Springfield, Mass. and I must say that without better knowledge, these too would be called Prescott basses. I have not seen many Basses by Dearborn who worked for and bought the Prescott shop in the end (operated it only 5 more years or so) and I have not seen but maybe one Tewkesbury Bass so I can't point to them that easily.

I am just mentioning this to keep your minds open. I recently bought a 3rd Bultitude bass bow that was so different I had to send pictures to England to see if anyone could confirm it. Luckily I heard back thru another dealer from a Bow maker still alive today that knew Bultitude personally. He mentioned a remark by him like "I will leave something for the historians to figure out". This late Bow of his is just that. Sue Lipkins who is restoring it sees Bultitude all over it but nothing like any other Bass bow we have seen.

Our own Electric Basses have evolved as well since the late 1970s but I was there and can attest to them and with reason why each model and design change was made. Is there someone here alive today that worked for Prescott between 1820 and 1835 that could bear witness? For this reason we must speculate that if the internal work is similar but the design is not exact like the other then the possibility may be there that the maker experimented. It just doesn't follow his consistent pattern of work in my mind between the first and last Basses. This fact is blinding me!

If those other basses are actually Prescott's then they were made after the Cello models and before the Gamba and Busetto patterns with the shorter wide FFs. Either that or he made one off's on occasion which I highly doubt.

Dating them as the in between models would push back the dates of all of the others with the wider FFs, no?

[Ken Smith]

Jason Sypher just found this and sent it over. An early Deerfield Prescott. This is rare because it has the Cello FFs he used and I have only seen them on the 4/4 cello model Basses. This is a Busetto with the Cello FFs.. A first for me..



With this info from the Met Museum;

This information may change as the result of ongoing research.
* This database record may be in completed or unedited.

Attributed to Abraham Prescott
Object Name Bass Viol
Date ca. 1820
Geography Deerfield, New Hampshire, United States
Medium Wood
Dimensions Total L. 200 cm (78-3/4 in.); Body L. 120.6 cm (47-7/16 in.); String L. 109.6 cm (43-3/16 in.); Upper bouts 52.7 cm (20-3/4 in.); Center bouts 28 cm (11-1/16 in.); Lower bouts 72.9 cm (28-11/16 in.)
Credit Line Purchase, Rogers Fund, 1980
Accession Number1980.492

Thanks Jason..

[Brian Glassman]

Hey Ken, this relates back to our discussion in posts 20-24 of this thread. I did see a light colored, large busetto w/ cello f's and a Prescott-like scroll, like this bass, at Barrie's once about 5 yrs ago. Perhaps they were the same model, that would make two.

BG

[Ken Smith]

Originally Posted by Brian Glassman

Hey Ken, this relates back to our discussion in posts 20-24 of this thread. I did see a light colored, large busetto w/ cello f's and a Prescott-like scroll, like this bass, at Barrie's once about 5 yrs ago. Perhaps they were the same model, that would make two.

BG

But, not all sweeping FFs with Busetto corners are Prescott either. The other Yankee makers copied just about every part of Prescott in one way or another. The Scrolls of Prescott are quite consistent from what I have seen with only 2 slight variations. If the Scroll is original to that bass and its not a Prescott Scroll, chances are it's one of the other makers. Just my opinion here.

[Ken Smith]

This was posted in another thread but thought it would be valuable as well to copy over to this one.

As I've mentioned on that "other" bass site, I believe the rounded lower corners and f-hole designs on that instrument are derived from the viola d'amore family. Another thread here showed a bass by Woodbury and Burditt that also shows some of these more exaggerated viola d'amore type features (for example, compare it to this viola d'amore), but with standard f-holes. This bass makes me wonder if at least part of the inspiration for the rounded lower corners on many early American basses came from true viola d'amore style instruments, rather than simply Mittenwald basses with rounded lower corners. Here is a modern reproduction of a violone made in Nuremberg in 1640 with strong viola d'amore features as another comparison to the Woodbury and Burditt instrument.

Incidentally, while looking up some stuff on Woodbury and Burditt (and it seems their basses may have been actually made by William Conant) I found this interesting notice from the "Fourth Exhibition of the Massachusetts Charitable Mechanic Association" in 1844, mentioning a musicial instrument competition that included instruments from Woodbury and Burditt, Prescott, Dearborn and others. This notice from their first exhibition in 1837 mentions basses and cellos by Prescott, the Dearborns, J.B. Allen, and Henry Prentiss. It also mentions that, regarding the basses and cellos:

"They have been constructed upon such models of instruments of foreign manufacture, as the makers chanced to meet with; and, where these models have been departed from, the changes have all been made without reference to any other use of the instrument, than as mere accompaniment to the voices in common psalmody."

[Craig Regan]

Originally Posted by Brian Glassman

Hey Ken, this relates back to our discussion in posts 20-24 of this thread. I did see a light colored, large busetto w/ cello f's and a Prescott-like scroll, like this bass, at Barrie's once about 5 yrs ago. Perhaps they were the same model, that would make two.

BG

Brian, this could be the bass you were talking about:

http://www.basscellar.com/inventory.html

They have three Prescotts in their inventory, scroll through and you will find it.

[Ken Smith]

Originally Posted by Craig Regan

Brian, this could be the bass you were talking about:

http://www.basscellar.com/inventory.html

They have three Prescotts in their inventory, scroll through and you will find it.

Not at all and for many reasons. That is not a busetto, not a large model and not the sweeping 'Prescott' Cello FFs.

I think another one (Prescott) just came up for sale recently and is up at Arnold's. Right now there are at least 9 Prescott/Prescott school basses around for sale. Some in my opinion are not actual Prescotts but similar period Yankee made basses.