George and August Gemunder Question

[Ken Smith]

Originally Posted by Arnold Schnitzer

Has anybody here read George Gemunder's booklet? I got it as a free Kindle download from Amazon. Quite a diatribe against just about every one else in the violin business, especially his ex-boss Vuillaume. The man had an ego the size of an octobass.

http://www.archive.org/stream/georgg...uiala_djvu.txt

[Ken Smith]

Towards the end of 1847, when Gemünder had been four years at Vuillaume's, his two[11] brothers, who were in America, invited him to go there, as the interest in and taste for music was improving and they intended to give concerts. Gemünder therefore determined to accept this invitation and left Paris. He arrived in November, at Springfield, Mass., and, meeting his brothers, arrangements for concerts were made with an agent, who engaged several other artists to make up the company. The instrumental quartet consisted of a clarinet, violin, flute and bass guitar. This music made quite a sensation, and the houses were always crowded, yet the Gemünder brothers did not receive anything from the proceeds. They soon comprehended that they had had too much confidence in their agent, and after the lapse of a week they gave up the speculation.

Bass Guitar? in 1847?

http://www.gutenberg.org/dirs/3/6/1/...-h/36147-h.htm

[Ken Smith]

I have an August Sr. bass that I bought in severe dis-repair nearly 9 years ago. It is near its restoration completion that has taken over 8 years. I will post pictures when I get it hopefully soon.

The Scroll and most of the pegbox is original as well as the top, back and ribs. The back has had a button repair in the back which was re-repaired as well. The Bass looks more like a Neapolitan/German bass. This is an Early USA Gemunder. A twin to this bass is around Boston. The back wood I am told (and maybe the ribs) look like twins between the two basses. The twin that had also been worked on by the same Luthier used the button design to match for this on that had been damaged in earlier repair grafts. These early basses are often un-purfled but the Luther (Jed Kriegel), insisted on Purfling the bass. One of the improvements over the original make this bass has.