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#1
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A restoration
I finished this restoration the last summer. I did not tell anything about it for the privacy of the customer, but as the work was done he allowed me to share the report.
Then, the translation took some time. As the document is huge, maybe too much, I split it in five pieces to post... |
#2
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Second part.
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#3
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third part, the top.
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#4
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Pino, that is absolutely amazing! Thanks for sharing. Can´t wait for part 4 and 5!
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#5
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Thanks, Anselm, I just realized that the part about the back is too heavy, so I split it in two (part 4a and part 4b).
Hope not to bore too much... |
#6
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And the part b of the part 4
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#7
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not at all, now i have something to read :-)
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#8
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Thanks for sharing your meticulous work with us! Do you know how many hours you put into the restoration?
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#9
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Ken, thank you so much for your consideration, this to me is important as you know how the work is.
About the wood, for what I can say is spruce, not larch or pine. The top is in three pieces, the outer ones with tighter grain then the center one, the winter lines well visible. A dendrocronological research would be helpful, even if not definitive, but this depends on the owner, and as the bass is not on the market I guess I will have to wait some times for it. Anyway, to give an attribution is always not easy, seem that any instrument with that shape or a similar one was labelled "Maggini" now or then. What was amazing while working on this bass was the workmanship of the maker, for what was left after wears, alterations and bad repairs. If it was made in England I must admire the forger. I have doubts about the head being original to the body, not only for the cleaner hand but also becouse it is so well preserved in comparison. Anselm, the first impression was that it is easy to play, very good on the treble, sweet but not loud on the bass. Also, there was a wolf tone on A, at the octave of the third string, not heavy. I would like to hear it with solo strings, but flexocore orchestra are quite a standard here for a first set up for arco playing. Eric, I did not count the hours, the bass was on a table in the workshop while I was doing my everyday work and I worked on it time by time. It was a presence. Thanks all. |
#10
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Tops..
Pino, my Hart has a 4-piece top of Pine, possibly from America. Another English bass attributed to Dodd (or Craske) had a 3-piece Spruce top. So, many Italian-like features like multi-piece tops and Italian style scrolls are to be found on old English basses from that period.
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#11
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Pino, outstanding restoration! One question; do you think the back bend is original? The extreme angle, as well as the high placement on the back are quite unusual; that, and the outline make me suspect England also. However, I have never encountered Cherry or Walnut in an English bass. And I agree with you that the scroll looks like it was made by a different person than the corpus.
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#12
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Yes, I agree with Arnold on the wood being rare for an English maker but the Scroll is not in question here with the Origin. It is the Cherry on the Back and Ribs. Also, those corner blocks look small like I have seen on Italian basses, rarely on an English bass. Do you guys agree?
Also, basses usually travel in one direction from Italy to either England and stay there or to America from Italy or from England and sometimes found in other parts of Europe. I have not heard of many Italian basses finding their way back to Italy. The fact that the bass is in Italy puzzles me. Also, the deep ribs and the sharp high bend is quite exaggerated looking at it. I wonder now if this IS something Italian after all. Anything is possible. The English were the great copyists of their time and Brescian style basses were common with many makers like Lott, Kennedy, Fendt, Hart/& Valentine and Betts/& crew and more. Ok, I got it now!! Pino, send ME the bass and I will solve the mystery. Free of charge! |
#13
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Pino,
WOW! Great work and fabulous documentation! I have learned so much about this process from your careful work. I have two basses in my shop that require the same amounts of work, and while they are not as valuable, I will strive to reach this level of mastery! What inspiration! Salut, Brian |
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