Speaking of Restorations...

[Joel Larsson]

Here's some pics of what is now passing as a c:a 100ys old German kids' bass, about a smallish 5/8 instrument. I thought it was cute, so I had it restored. It sounds nice, although of course is doesn't rattle your guts like a big, proper bass do. Worth the money? Nah. But it makes people talk in a way my much more flamboyant Pöllmann doesn't, plus, you can carry it around like a bass guitar (oh, the wonder!).

Here's what the luthier did, copied and pasted from her mail:
Take off table
3 straight edges
1/2 edge bottom block
diverse gluing
remove back braces
glue cracks, reiforce
new back braces
glue ribs to blocks where they have come away
redo rib repair upper treble
neck graft
retouch
bridge
sound post
regraduate table, remove integral bass rod
new bass rod


And no, that's not me on that pic.

[Ken Smith]

Nice looking Bass there. A Bass this size could have been offered either for Solo playing with Cello fingering back then (maybe even tuned in 5ths?) or possibly a smaller person.

I have has many nice Basses in various sizes. Even the smaller ones like 3/4 or 5/8ths (whatever that measures or smaller 3/4s) that have a nice and powerful sound are heard or felt more 'in the chest' that under your feet 'thru the floor'. My experience has been that the 'in the chest' basses often carry better than the 'in the floor' basses. Some better basses are floor to ceiling i n sound and carry power. Those are the ones I dream about.. lol

Still, I have had a few basses with questionable cost values between purchase and repairs that total greater than their value but then again, the reward in sound when played is more often personal for the most part.

Anyone own a Boat? Talk about a 'hole in the water that you pour money into'!..
Negative Value?
Bass critics should shift their eyes over to the Boat docks.. More there to see in the 'minus' range in my opinion..

Enjoy your new Bass..

I have a fantastic sounding/playing Blockless Bass that everyone including myself will say it's a 'negative value' project, but guess what? When the slot is open at the shop (I have a guy lined up), I am getting it fully restored. The sound is worth the effort and expense to me. I love reviving old 'lost' Basses.

[Joel Larsson]

Originally Posted by Ken Smith

I love reviving old 'lost' Basses.

My whole reason for doing it. A mistreated bass brings out my sentimental side...

I had time to use it twice on gigs before getting back to school. Five evenings with a small sort of cabaret troupe gigging around at minimal venues - a five-piece orchestra meant there was no real problem getting through - and here the size was a bliss, and one week in a small pro orchestra doing a very traditional New Year's Eve show, with tons of Johann Strauss stuff. The other bass player didn't want to use his own bass and played on the orchestra's, so I had to use my midget because my Pöllmann was 1500 kilometers to the north. And, it's not your ideal orchestral bass. You can produce volume if you're careful with your bowing, but it lacks any rumbling bass frequencies. That said, I think it'll make a nice chamber bass for smaller baroque ensembles when I get three more guts. The G I got from a friend sounded nice.

Oh, and also, there is ONE NOTE that sounds totally fab. Eb on the D-string. Don't know why, but here the bass starts rumbling like something three times bigger. The lowest notes on the E-string is surprisingly good for being a small, probably low end instrument, too. I'll take it to the most nearby luthier and see if some sound post adjustments would make more notes sound like this.

[Andreas Henningsson]

Originally Posted by Joel Larsson

And no, that's not me on that pic.

... Because it's me on the pic!

I can second that the Eb on the D was just amazing!

Joel, on your way to four guts I can offer you an wound A-string aswell...

[Joel Larsson]

And you look like a real piece of cake, too!!

What, don't try to sell me any more strings! I still haven't paid you for the Gamut G, remember?

Not too interested in a steel wound, actually. I like the bad sound you get with plain gut. After all, sounding like **** is what hardcore baroque playing is all about these days. I won't even need a better bass than this one.

Speaking of steel covered guts - and going helplessly off-topic, I know - the Eudoxa A I got last autumn has been played on for four weeks, at most, and the steel winding is loosening up, as if the gut got too extended underneath. It makes a sizzling noise, which is kind of cool actually, but I really ought to ask Pirastro for a replacement. They ARE kind of costly.

[Andreas Henningsson]

Well, well... It was worth a try

You say it seems to have extended? I've heard that this can occur if the core shrinks and therefore is too thin for the windings...


You can probably get a replacement. Give it a go!