Ken's Corner (Bass Forums Sponsored By KSB)

Go Back   Ken's Corner (Bass Forums Sponsored By KSB) > Double Basses > This Old Bass > French Bass School

Reply
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
  #1  
Old 06-01-2011, 03:17 AM
Ken Smith's Avatar
Ken Smith Ken Smith is offline
Bassist, Luthier & Admin
 
Join Date: 01-18-2007
Location: Perkasie, PA
Posts: 4,851
Ken Smith is on a distinguished road
Cool Paul Claudot (1805-1888) Mirecourt, France

Over the years I have seen several Basses by this maker. He was trained by his father Augustin Claudot (1776-1843) who was quite a famous maker as well. I have seen I think only flatback basses by P.Claudot in both Gamba and Violin model.

In the past few years I came across a two Claudot's that were for sale and made offers on them but they sold for a bit more than I was willing to pay, mainly because I needed some room for repairs and modifications. One was a Violin model with a long string length and a replaced Scroll and the other a Gamba in fair condition overall but had potential.

Last year while in the process of selling one my other basses, a P.Claudot bass was offered as a possible partial trade. After seeing the pictures of the bass, I was quite impressed with its condition. About 6 months ago when the deal was completed the Claudot was dropped off for me at Arnold's shop. Each time I visited there with basses going back and forth, I didn't have room in the car for the Claudot so I just left there on display in the rack.

Last week I was up at Arnold's shop and finally had room to bring her home. Earlier this evening I put the bass up on my bench and adjusted the C-Extension which is a model I have never seen before. I am not 100% sure on the make of the extension so until I confirm who made it, I wont mention any names. I also adjusted the Nut and Bridge slots to tweak the bass a bit to my personal taste.

The top wood is mixed fine to medium grained spruce and slightly wavy. The back and ribs are 'tight' strong washboard 'spaghetti' flamed maple. This bass seems quite old and has not had nearly as many repairs in its life as other basses its age. The single center brace, upper and lower blocks, the 4 corner blocks and internal linings all look original to the bass. All parts, top, back, ribs and scroll are original as well with a later flamed maple neck graft. This was a 3-string bass at birth and later converted to 4-string. Three of the gears match and the forth slightly different. All 4 worm brackets look the same and the worm handles look like they have been modified or repaired at one point. The gear worms all match so it was possibly converted to 4-string quite early on. I am estimating this bass to be c.1840-1850, somewhere in the first half of his work period.

The bass is stamped 'Paul Claudot' on the single center brace which is an interesting piece of wood in itself as well as how it's shaped.

As usual, I have to wait till my son Mike can take pics and put up a new page on the website. I might try taking some pics before then to post up here on the Forum like I did earlier with the Tarr bass.

I am quite impressed with the sound of this bass. It is currently strung with Original Flexocors G-A and a solo Spirocore Extension E/C (actually F#/D but tuned Orchestra pitch). The G and D are fine but the A feels heavy to me and always does. The Spiro/Solo E/C is beautiful.

I have a few gigs within the next month or so and I plan on taking this bass out for a personal road test.
Reply With Quote
  #2  
Old 06-01-2011, 07:05 AM
Eric Swanson's Avatar
Eric Swanson Eric Swanson is offline
Senior Posting Member
 
Join Date: 11-12-2007
Location: Boston, MA
Posts: 199
Eric Swanson is on a distinguished road
Default

It sounds lovely. I look forward to seeing the photos and measurements.

I would enjoy seeing photos of the back brace, too...
__________________


Last edited by Eric Swanson; 06-01-2011 at 07:15 AM.
Reply With Quote
  #3  
Old 06-01-2011, 10:47 AM
Ken Smith's Avatar
Ken Smith Ken Smith is offline
Bassist, Luthier & Admin
 
Join Date: 01-18-2007
Location: Perkasie, PA
Posts: 4,851
Ken Smith is on a distinguished road
Cool Measurements..

Quote:
Originally Posted by Eric Swanson View Post
It sounds lovely. I look forward to seeing the photos and measurements.

I would enjoy seeing photos of the back brace, too...
Measurements;
Top length to tip: 45 1/4"
Back length over button: 46"
Upper Bout width: 21 1/2"
Middle Bout width: 15"
Lower Bout width: 26 1/2"
Rib depth at bottom block: 7 3/4"
Rib taper at upper bout to Neck: 7 1/2" - 5 1/2" at Neck
Vibrating String Length: 41 3/4" (D-Neck Heel)

Did I miss anything Eric?
Reply With Quote
  #4  
Old 06-01-2011, 11:52 AM
Eric Swanson's Avatar
Eric Swanson Eric Swanson is offline
Senior Posting Member
 
Join Date: 11-12-2007
Location: Boston, MA
Posts: 199
Eric Swanson is on a distinguished road
Default

I would be surprised if you did.

All you have done, though, is whet my appetite for more...

__________________

Reply With Quote
  #5  
Old 06-02-2011, 08:19 AM
Ken Smith's Avatar
Ken Smith Ken Smith is offline
Bassist, Luthier & Admin
 
Join Date: 01-18-2007
Location: Perkasie, PA
Posts: 4,851
Ken Smith is on a distinguished road
Cool whet?

Quote:
Originally Posted by Eric Swanson View Post
I would be surprised if you did.

All you have done, though, is whet my appetite for more...

Just don't drool on the bass.. The varnish is all original still..
Reply With Quote
  #6  
Old 06-20-2011, 07:44 AM
Eric Swanson's Avatar
Eric Swanson Eric Swanson is offline
Senior Posting Member
 
Join Date: 11-12-2007
Location: Boston, MA
Posts: 199
Eric Swanson is on a distinguished road
Default

Any pics, yet?
__________________

Reply With Quote
  #7  
Old 06-20-2011, 09:12 AM
Ken Smith's Avatar
Ken Smith Ken Smith is offline
Bassist, Luthier & Admin
 
Join Date: 01-18-2007
Location: Perkasie, PA
Posts: 4,851
Ken Smith is on a distinguished road
Cool pics..

Quote:
Originally Posted by Eric Swanson View Post
Any pics, yet?
We started taking pics last week and then, the camera broke. My son made a call and his gf showed up with her camera. He didn't know how to work the camera so she took the pics of the Claudot, Tarr and two bows, a Lipkins and a Fuchs. When my son has time he will get the pages up and I will fill in the info and specs and then, it will get uploaded on to the 'site.

Last night after getting home from a Father's day dinner as a local Italian restaurant he hands me a small box as a gift. It was a new Camera. The old one that broke was a high grade 4.0 that I bought about 10 years ago. That was just after the 486 PC was replaced by the newer Pentium, or thereabouts.. lol

So, if the pics she took are good, they will stay. If not, when time allows, my Son Mike will replace them with new pics from the new camera he just bought me.
Reply With Quote
  #8  
Old 07-02-2011, 08:24 AM
Eric Swanson's Avatar
Eric Swanson Eric Swanson is offline
Senior Posting Member
 
Join Date: 11-12-2007
Location: Boston, MA
Posts: 199
Eric Swanson is on a distinguished road
Default

How do you like the new camera?
__________________

Reply With Quote
  #9  
Old 07-02-2011, 10:01 AM
Ken Smith's Avatar
Ken Smith Ken Smith is offline
Bassist, Luthier & Admin
 
Join Date: 01-18-2007
Location: Perkasie, PA
Posts: 4,851
Ken Smith is on a distinguished road
Cool

Quote:
Originally Posted by Eric Swanson View Post
How do you like the new camera?
Haven't used it yet. The video card (?) just came in and am waiting for my son Mike to get it set-up n show me how to work it. Not sure I have all the right cables for downloading either. Also, he bought a tri-pod which will help cut down on blurry shots.
Reply With Quote
  #10  
Old 07-02-2011, 01:02 PM
Drake Chan's Avatar
Drake Chan Drake Chan is offline
Posting Member
 
Join Date: 01-23-2007
Location: Fresh Meadows, NY
Posts: 31
Drake Chan is on a distinguished road
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by Ken Smith View Post
Haven't used it yet. The video card (?) just came in and am waiting for my son Mike to get it set-up n show me how to work it. Not sure I have all the right cables for downloading either. Also, he bought a tri-pod which will help cut down on blurry shots.
I would also reduce the use of flash on your pictures - it produces that annoying glare that prevents us from seeing your basses' true patina. I like your older pictures because they didn't use flash.
Reply With Quote
  #11  
Old 07-02-2011, 01:56 PM
Ken Smith's Avatar
Ken Smith Ken Smith is offline
Bassist, Luthier & Admin
 
Join Date: 01-18-2007
Location: Perkasie, PA
Posts: 4,851
Ken Smith is on a distinguished road
Cool

Quote:
Originally Posted by Drake Chan View Post
I would also reduce the use of flash on your pictures - it produces that annoying glare that prevents us from seeing your basses' true patina. I like your older pictures because they didn't use flash.
I will pass this along to Mike. We don't always use flash but some pictures are taken at night without any sunlight coming thru the window across the room. Without the flash, the pics are too dark. We do them both ways, with and without in that case.

Also, those that are interested in buying basses like this come by and play them. Our product is not an on-line picture book so this is the first complaint I have heard on the flash. Some of the basses with round-backs or shiny varnish are hard to capture without glare in spots, even without the flash.

The pictures are just basic examples of what they look like. You really have to play them to get the full value of the bass. I would say pics, 2%, playing, 98%..
Reply With Quote
  #12  
Old 07-03-2011, 09:27 PM
Eric Swanson's Avatar
Eric Swanson Eric Swanson is offline
Senior Posting Member
 
Join Date: 11-12-2007
Location: Boston, MA
Posts: 199
Eric Swanson is on a distinguished road
Default

Having visited Ken's shop, played, and listened to Ken play, several of his basses I would say that the photos capture more like .001% of his collection's magic...

Definitely worth a trip.

It is sort of the opposite of some things, where the marketing "buzz" and the photos are the best part...
__________________


Last edited by Eric Swanson; 07-04-2011 at 09:13 PM.
Reply With Quote
  #13  
Old 07-04-2011, 08:50 AM
Ken Smith's Avatar
Ken Smith Ken Smith is offline
Bassist, Luthier & Admin
 
Join Date: 01-18-2007
Location: Perkasie, PA
Posts: 4,851
Ken Smith is on a distinguished road
Lightbulb new pics

Quote:
Originally Posted by Eric Swanson View Post
Having visited Ken's shop, played, and listened to Ken play, several of his basses, I would say that the photos capture more like .001% of his collection's magic...

Definitely worth a trip.

It is sort of the opposite of some things, where the marketing "buzz" and the photos are the best part...
Mike and I took new pics yesterday with the new camera. We tried both flash and not flash, midday with the sun thru the back window and against the white wall instead of the mahogany door that we have used for the past several years. I prefer the door and Mike prefers the wall. The Camera does focus and mix color with the wall but I feel I can tell the contrast better by looking at the door color in the shot. Still, we used a plain white wall in the background.

Maybe in a day or so we will get the page up and published. We still have to do the Scroll thumbnail on the price tier page. It will be in the upper range page of the basses opposite the William Tarr Bass which we shot yesterday as well. I still have some page work to do on the Tarr so we will load them both together.

So, pics are coming so be patient.
Reply With Quote
  #14  
Old 07-04-2011, 10:08 AM
Ken Smith's Avatar
Ken Smith Ken Smith is offline
Bassist, Luthier & Admin
 
Join Date: 01-18-2007
Location: Perkasie, PA
Posts: 4,851
Ken Smith is on a distinguished road
Arrow ok..

Here's the Link to the new Claudot page;
http://www.kensmithbasses.com/doublebasses/claudot/
Reply With Quote
  #15  
Old 07-05-2011, 07:31 AM
Eric Swanson's Avatar
Eric Swanson Eric Swanson is offline
Senior Posting Member
 
Join Date: 11-12-2007
Location: Boston, MA
Posts: 199
Eric Swanson is on a distinguished road
Default

That is just lovely. I like the look of the back angle; it looks as if it would help getting into the upper register.

It really is in amazingly fine condition. Thank you very much for sharing these photos! What a beautiful bass...
__________________

Reply With Quote
  #16  
Old 07-05-2011, 08:28 PM
Pino Cazzaniga Pino Cazzaniga is offline
Posting Member
 
Join Date: 06-08-2009
Location: Italy, Baratti Tuscany
Posts: 57
Pino Cazzaniga is on a distinguished road
Default

Ken,
perhaps he made some Vuillaume-like instruments too?
This one has the Claudot stamp on the back, inside.
It is big, I didn't take body measurements, but the string length is a bit less than cm 112, despite the short neck graft (so short that I had to make an opposite extended nut)
It was a three stringer
Attached Thumbnails
Click image for larger version

Name:	DSCN1541.jpg
Views:	1238
Size:	30.5 KB
ID:	2132  Click image for larger version

Name:	DSCN1542.jpg
Views:	1212
Size:	29.7 KB
ID:	2133  Click image for larger version

Name:	DSCN1544.jpg
Views:	968
Size:	24.2 KB
ID:	2134  Click image for larger version

Name:	DSCN1545.jpg
Views:	951
Size:	25.5 KB
ID:	2135  Click image for larger version

Name:	DSCN1547.jpg
Views:	1050
Size:	32.7 KB
ID:	2136  

Click image for larger version

Name:	DSCN1548.jpg
Views:	1206
Size:	29.1 KB
ID:	2137  
Reply With Quote
  #17  
Old 07-05-2011, 08:32 PM
Pino Cazzaniga Pino Cazzaniga is offline
Posting Member
 
Join Date: 06-08-2009
Location: Italy, Baratti Tuscany
Posts: 57
Pino Cazzaniga is on a distinguished road
Default

more pics...
Attached Thumbnails
Click image for larger version

Name:	DSCN1549.jpg
Views:	1469
Size:	62.0 KB
ID:	2138  Click image for larger version

Name:	DSCN1550.jpg
Views:	1007
Size:	26.3 KB
ID:	2139  Click image for larger version

Name:	DSCN1551.jpg
Views:	891
Size:	27.6 KB
ID:	2140  Click image for larger version

Name:	DSCN1552.jpg
Views:	930
Size:	26.7 KB
ID:	2141  Click image for larger version

Name:	DSCN1553.jpg
Views:	876
Size:	23.1 KB
ID:	2142  

Reply With Quote
  #18  
Old 07-05-2011, 09:58 PM
Ken Smith's Avatar
Ken Smith Ken Smith is offline
Bassist, Luthier & Admin
 
Join Date: 01-18-2007
Location: Perkasie, PA
Posts: 4,851
Ken Smith is on a distinguished road
Cool Yes..

I have seen this model but only in flatback that I can recall. I do not doub't that he made Round backs as most French makers made both round and flat backs with Gamba and Violin shapes with either back. I was just stating that I can't recall any that had round backs.

Most of the Claudot's I have seen were long string lengths as well in the 109-110cm mensur range (+/- 43").
Reply With Quote
  #19  
Old 09-06-2011, 07:21 PM
Ken Smith's Avatar
Ken Smith Ken Smith is offline
Bassist, Luthier & Admin
 
Join Date: 01-18-2007
Location: Perkasie, PA
Posts: 4,851
Ken Smith is on a distinguished road
Thumbs up Page up, pics fixed..

Ok, we just published the Page and lightened up the pics a bit. Enjoy..

http://www.kensmithbasses.com/doublebasses/high.html

http://www.kensmithbasses.com/doublebasses/claudot/
Reply With Quote
  #20  
Old 09-09-2011, 09:09 AM
Eric Swanson's Avatar
Eric Swanson Eric Swanson is offline
Senior Posting Member
 
Join Date: 11-12-2007
Location: Boston, MA
Posts: 199
Eric Swanson is on a distinguished road
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by Ken Smith View Post
Ok, we just published the Page and lightened up the pics a bit. Enjoy..

http://www.kensmithbasses.com/doublebasses/high.html

http://www.kensmithbasses.com/doublebasses/claudot/
I gotta admit, I look at this bass' photos as some sort of pick-me-up.

When everything else feels sketchy, this bass' beauty shines through.

I like what you have done with the photos...very much.
__________________

Reply With Quote
Reply


Currently Active Users Viewing This Thread: 1 (0 members and 1 guests)
 
Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Forum Jump


All times are GMT -4. The time now is 06:33 AM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.7.2
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.
Copyright © 2007 - Ken Smith Basses, LTD. (All Rights Reserved)