History of the American Bass

[Ken Smith]

Originally Posted by Brian Glassman

Nando, Much earlier in this thread Ken has said that the scroll on my Prescott Gamba may not be original because it is not typical of a Prescott scroll. However it does appear to be very old and although the brass cheek plates are wider than on most Prescotts it does have the typical Prescott-like Bee Sting shape at the top which are on your Bryant as well.
In fact it looks much like the brass cheek plates on your Bryant! Tuners looks similar as well.

Perhaps it's a Bryant scroll? What do you think Ken?

The back of the two scrolls are not as similar, however. I'll have to post a pic of the back of the scroll to compare.

I have no idea who made that Scroll. I just don't think it's a Prescott Scroll. Old Yankee basses from Prescott's time were 3-string. Many Basses get their heads chopped off. Back then I am sure the Luthiers preferred replacing the entire neck/scroll over doing a neck graft and saving the original.

Nice basses though, both of them.

[Ken Smith]

I don't know why this Bass has never been pictured here. I must have over looked it somehow. Here are a few temporary pics of the J.B. Allen.

Someday before long, as time allows, I will get a full set of pics of this bass up on my DB web page.

The workmanship, condition and masterful *restoration (*by Robert McIntosh, 1999) of this Yankee Bass has to be one of the finest specimens ever seen in the combined categories. The sound of this beauty matches its other attributes as well.

[Mike Karn]

Ken - Seeing that picture of Arnold's JB Allen made me think of Phil Palombi's Allen. Here are a couple of pictures i found, hopefully they're not too small



Ok, for some reason the picture of the labels doesn't enlarge, but this page has several larger pictures, just scroll down

[Ken Smith]

Originally Posted by Mike Karn

Ken - Seeing that picture of Arnold's JB Allen made me think of Phil Palombi's Allen. Here are a couple of pictures i found, hopefully they're not too small
Attachment 2218
Attachment 2220

Ok, for some reason the picture of the labels doesn't enlarge, but this page has several larger pictures, just scroll down

Yes, I know of that bass and one other JB Allen as well. Thanks for posting it here. I have to say though that the one I just posted looks to be in better overall condition that the other two, this one included. Mine has its original varnish cleaned and polished, the original tuners and plates with a 4th tuner for the 'D' added parallel to the 'A' tuner and sharing a split shaft as well. The Back crossbars were replaced with similar sized ones as the original. Plus, it is the one written up in ISB's Bass World in 2004. The strings on the bass here are 12 year old Flexocor 92s so not the best sound it can have but the strings were barely played on in those 12 years.

[Anselm Hauke]

@Ken: The scroll is a new one?

[Ken Smith]

Originally Posted by Anselm Hauke

@Ken: The scroll is a new one?

The Scroll, Tuners (3 of 4), Plates and Varnish and everything else except the endpin, soundpost, braces, bridge, fingerboard, tailpiece saddle and strings are original. I have the original endpin, saddle, fingerboard, and bridge. The past owner kept the 3-string tailpiece.

For the scrolls, here are 3 to compare from JB Allen, the only 3 basses I know by him. The two with the unusual Gears are from 1841 (mine and David Oberg's). The one with German quarter plates (Phil Palombi's) is from 1842.


Any Photoshopper's care to size these and post them side by side to compare better?

[Eric Swanson]

Not that the rest of the renovated Allen bass isn't just lovely, but I really dig those custom-made machines. Who did that lovely machining? Who designed the detailing?