Wanting info on old bass

[Ken Smith]

Originally Posted by Marianne Drabek

Best guess as to the probable age? Pre- World War II?

Possibly. Hard to tell by style alone. Seeing it in person is best. It could be any age from 60-100 years old. The outer distress is partially gone due to the re-finish so looking inside in person would tell more.

[Marianne Drabek]

Thank you for your previous assistance. I did buy the bass. It has a very even tone across the strings and up and down the fingerboard. It's easy to play and the price was excellent. I polished it with Orange oil and took some more pictures hoping that would help you in better determining the probable age and place of origin. These pictures show the back and front finish. I notice that there are dings in the wood that seem to have finish in them. The back is particularly that way. Would that indicate the current finish is newer?

[Marianne Drabek]

These are pictures of the scroll, the button which has the number 7 in it, and a not so good picture of the inside. I was wondering if the diamond shaped pieces which appear to be there to strengthen the two back pieces are indicative of any place of origin.

[Ken Smith]

Be careful using any kind of polish on an old bass with cracks. Pushing oils into the bass will make it harder to close the cracks when they re-open in the future and they will open some day.

Diamonds? Oh, inside the back center. They are just to cover the joint there. Different makers do it different ways but usually something is there on the joint. I don't think it prevents all the much but it might be better to have them than not.

The bass itself looks like a quality bass of its time. My first impressions are about what I see. The number 7 might be from a School that marked its instruments or a dealers stock.

[Marianne Drabek]

Again, thank you for your coments, No more oil for the finish. But, what do people use to keep the finish looking nice. I didn't want to use a wax fearing that wouldn't be good for the tone?

[Ken Smith]

Originally Posted by Marianne Drabek

Again, thank you for your coments, No more oil for the finish. But, what do people use to keep the finish looking nice? I didn't want to use a wax fearing that wouldn't be good for the tone?

To keep the finish looking nice, keep it covered in the closet!.. lol

To maintain the bass, just wipe with a slightly damp cloth when it gets dusty.