Old Bass spotted..

[Ken Smith]

While surfing TB I saw a thread about an interesting looking Bass. I knew about what it was age and origin wise and then read it was recently converted to 5-strings. While looking at the the Bass, it's wear, shoulder cut, repairs, FFs and knots on the Back I thought to myself, "could it be"?

Back around 1978 while working at the Westbury Music Fair I was hired to play for Gospel Singer/B'way star Linda Hopkins. She was the opener for Sammy Davis Jr. His bass player was Al McKibbon who has that beautiful attributed Stainer Bass. We worked side by side in the Pit for a week and one night I brought in my camera and took a few pics of us and our Basses. Mine with him, his with me, the basses side by side at a few angles etc. The camera however was one of those re-called instant Kodaks so there is no film, just a poor slightly faded pic, or rather a bunch of them.

Now, I pulled out the Pics and found all the exact same markings that were on my Bass. THAT is my old Bass which in the early 90s was sold thru Biase to a player in Europe. Like adoptions, he would not tell me who or where but somewhere over there..

This IS my old Bass that I bought in 1973, had it restored by Peter Eibert and later touched up by Biase and used it for 15 years day in and day out. Like a magnet, those pictures as seen below kept me awake at night this week.

Front
Back
Side
Head

The Gears my/that Bass were chrome or nickle and had skate key handles bent inwards as the center in a letter 'A' shape. Kolstein (Sam) dated the Gears on my Bass to about 1880. These are newer versions but who ever converted the Bass would know I'm telling the truth. I can also describe the Label and what was written on it. We never believed the label 100% and the Scroll although old may not match the Bass or maker either. It had about 4 graft scars that I recall. Now, it has 5!