Tyrol, bohemian , German?

[Ken Smith]

Originally Posted by Charles A Thomas

No, I don't claim to know anything about the history of this bass, I wish I did. I do know what a good stringbass sounds like. I have the bass in the shop of Robert Ross in Denver CO. I believe him to be a compitent repairman. He has sent me pictures of his progress, the ribs were shortend, and new block on lower bout, he has cleated some cracks on bass bar side of lower bout rib, he has leveled a sag in the top under g-string side of bridge, he has splined a open crack and it looks like all cleats have been replaced. The bass bar has been removed and some over thickness has been changed. The last time I talked to him he said he added some spruce to the area where the sag was. I went on his advice to do the work on this bass, I am hopefull on the outcome.

I think he means that he pushed the Top out with one of a few methods and added some wood 'inside' to a thin area and 'feather graduated' it in. Sounds like your bass is in good hands and being what I consider 'corrected'. Many of these basses were made thin or thick in area for whatever quick-make way they used.

On my Tirol bass the top will be put in a mold to be corrected and pushed out. The bassbar and cleats removed beforehand and then all re-repaired after the top is back to its correct arch. Wood will be added back to areas that were either made thin in the making originally or thinned by over zealous repairmen down the road. Either way, this is the normal and correct procedure for bringing a bass back to life. I have had many basses repaired in this way. The results were always positive. Give the bass 2-5 years to settle in. Then, it will improved little by little over time with its new wood inside. Like an organ transplant, it taked time for the body to accept its new component.

[Adrian Juras]

Originally Posted by Ken Smith

I think he means that he pushed the Top out with one of a few methods and added some wood 'inside' to a thin area and 'feather graduated' it in. Sounds like your bass is in good hands and being what I consider 'corrected'. Many of these basses were made thin or thick in area for whatever quick-make way they used.

On my Tirol bass the top will be put in a mold to be corrected and pushed out. The bassbar and cleats removed beforehand and then all re-repaired after the top is back to its correct arch. Wood will be added back to areas that were either made thin in the making originally or thinned by over zealous repairmen down the road. Either way, this is the normal and correct procedure for bringing a bass back to life. I have had many basses repaired in this way. The results were always positive. Give the bass 2-5 years to settle in. Then, it will improved little by little over time with its new wood inside. Like an organ transplant, it taked time for the body to accept its new component.

This is similar what will have to be done to my recently aquired bass. I am looking forward to it, however I am going to continue to play the bass in the short term in its present state(provided nothing changes). This is 2nd Tyrolean I have owned that had an incredibly sweet and dark tone to it. Both of them with thin tops, and the previous one having been restored. Some of these basses are just great!

[Ken Smith]

Originally Posted by Adrian Juras

This is similar what will have to be done to my recently acquired bass. I am looking forward to it, however I am going to continue to play the bass in the short term in its present state(provided nothing changes). This is 2nd Tyrolean I have owned that had an incredibly sweet and dark tone to it. Both of them with thin tops, and the previous one having been restored. Some of these basses are just great!

My Tirol Bass (or is it German?) has had so much work done to it in the past it's hard to say who did what when. Now that it's on the bench all of the sins of the past will be corrected as best as possible. In the end, it will be a nice professional grade bass. I was owned and used by another area professional for 20 years before I bought it. It will be ready for the next lifetime of profession use before long.

[Charles A Thomas]

Hey Ken, thanks for the info, the shape of the purfling on the back of my bass is exactly like bass no. 2, does this indicate a general date when it was made?

[Ken Smith]

Originally Posted by Charles A Thomas

Hey Ken, thanks for the info, the shape of the purfling on the back of my bass is exactly like bass no. 2, does this indicate a general date when it was made?

These were offered by Sears and one other US Distributor before and after WWI, the first war. They were made before as well before being discovered as a good affordable import bass. So.. from 1800 to 1930 or so? Just a guess!

[Charles A Thomas]

The shape of my purfling on the back of my bass is exactly like number two bass

[Ken Smith]

Originally Posted by Charles A Thomas

The shape of my purfling on the back of my bass is exactly like number two bass

My bass is apart and under the knife. The Luthier doing the work thinks its late 19th century (1880-1890), not earlier. So, compare it to mine to date yours. Sears advertised these as late as 1937 so I guess it ended when the war started.

Some were unpurfled. Woods varied from plain to fancy. Mine with all the flame and purfling I have to say was the top of the heap at that time but don't know what was being made when. Importing allows the buyer to choose and order the models desired. The older ones made and used in Europe were not necessarly the same as the models imported in the later pre-war era. Also, mine had Hatpegs on plates before the French gears were fitted. All the pics on the old ads from the 1920s and '30s show metal machines, not hatpegs.