one more !!!

[Adrian Levi]

At the risk of becoming a 'serial db freak'I'm posting another bass. Its a broadish 7/8 size (I think) and in need of an overhaul as its already seen enough "repairing" in its time !

I'm guessing its yet another bass of Germanic origin ???

[Ken Smith]

Originally Posted by Adrian Levi

At the risk of becoming a 'serial db freak'I'm posting another bass. Its a broadish 7/8 size (I think) and in need of an overhaul as its already seen enough "repairing" in its time !

I'm guessing its yet another bass of Germanic origin ???

Looks like it was refinished in a paint store. Terrible refinish and sanding job. I would suggest looking for a bass that if repairs are needed, wasn't repaired yet because what you are showing me are pics of irreversible butchery on an old bass.

This bass was maybe once German but now, it looks like something that came throught some high school carpentry class.

[Adrian Levi]

Originally Posted by Ken Smith

Looks like it was refinished in a paint store. Terrible refinish and sanding job. I would suggest looking for a bass that if repairs are needed, wasn't repaired yet because what you are showing me are pics of irreversible butchery on an old bass.

This bass was maybe once German but now, it looks like something that came throught some high school carpentry class.

Ok,Ok point taken I guess it will be too disturbing to post some pics of the repainted and 'repaired' original Grancino !

[Ken Smith]

Originally Posted by Adrian Levi

Ok,Ok point taken I guess it will be too disturbing to post some pics of the repainted and 'repaired' original Grancino !

Show it.. Whose bass is that? Why was a Grancino re-painted? That is criminal. An original finish on a bass should never be stripped unless it's already been done before and needs to be done again properly. Basses should be touched up, blended or feathered in with original looking textured varnish and then at most clear coated or french polished. Stripping and re-finishing is for automobiles, not Basses or Violins.

Taking off the original Varnish depending on the instrument can knock the re-sale value down by 20-40% on any gived day!

[Adrian Levi]

Originally Posted by Ken Smith

Show it.. Whose bass is that? Why was a Grancino re-painted? That is criminal. An original finish on a bass should never be stripped unless it's already been done before and needs to be done again properly. Basses should be touched up, blended or feathered in with original looking textured varnish and then at most clear coated or french polished. Stripping and re-finishing is for automobiles, not Basses or Violins.

Taking off the original Varnish depending on the instrument can knock the re-sale value down by 20-40% on any gived day!

Hi Ken , that was purely tongue in cheek , note the icon on my previous post !!
But on a more serious point , I have unearthed several basses and some that appear to be pretty old instruments , but most of the worthwhile instruments always seem to have been %$#$ed with , but I do believe that there may be certain gems around and I am hoping to locate them. Its just difficult to know real values seeing that I'm on the far side of the globe and that 'qualified' luthiers are a rarity here !

[Ken Smith]

Originally Posted by Adrian Levi

Hi Ken , that was purely tongue in cheek , note the icon on my previous post !!
But on a more serious point , I have unearthed several basses and some that appear to be pretty old instruments , but most of the worthwhile instruments always seem to have been %$#$ed with , but I do believe that there may be certain gems around and I am hoping to locate them. Its just difficult to know real values seeing that I'm on the far side of the globe and that 'qualified' luthiers are a rarity here !

Let me say this then so you understand the underlying problem here. In the mid to late 19th century some Lutheirs in London started developing better repair techniques as they started restoring the old Italian instruments coming into England to be re-marketed. This was done mainly on the Violins thru the Cellos. The basses have not had the same level of respect over the years and even today suffer at the hands of butcher type repairs. There are however a handful of purists in the repair business that hold high regards and respect for basses as do the violin dealers for Strads and the like.

The problem is finding someone to clean up a bass and bring it back to enjoy the rest of its life, whatever is left of it. I have some detailed experience in reviving old basses coupled with a few selected Luthiers and each bass is a special project to restore. Commercial shops do not do this well or truthfully in my opinion. It takes an artist in the field time and patience to do things right. One problem is undoing bad repairs. Once stripped and refinished thought, it is too late to put back what is already gone.

[Sam Sherry]

Originally Posted by Adrian Levi

At the risk of becoming a 'serial db freak'I'm posting another bass.

What Ken said.

Sez me:
a) Bad refinish. One step up from "tung oil"; two steps up from "spray can." Not just fair-to-poor varnish work but patently bad finish prep. Not that I can do better but we all aim for a much higher standard than that!

b) Bad finish does not even cover shabby work. Gotta like the Bond-O on the back -- mmm, Bond-O!

c) Open cracks.

In short:
1) A poor "investment"
2) A guaranteed money-pit
3) If it sounds good today it is unlikely to sound good in two months

[Calvin Marks]

Adrian, if you're serious about getting a nice bass you should consider a trip out of S. Africa to get one, or consider purchasing a brand new bass from a reputable maker overseas. The instruments you've shown us must have all been touched by "the varnisher". I actually found his contact information the other day.

[Adrian Levi]

Originally Posted by Calvin Marks

Adrian, if you're serious about getting a nice bass you should consider a trip out of S. Africa to get one, or consider purchasing a brand new bass from a reputable maker overseas. The instruments you've shown us must have all been touched by "the varnisher". I actually found his contact information the other day.

I'm going to do just that sometime in the next few months , good advice !
It would be great to try out a number of good basses all in the same room for a change ! Also a new bass may also be worth considering ...hmmm

[Calvin Marks]

Originally Posted by Adrian Levi

I'm going to do just that sometime in the next few months , good advice !
It would be great to try out a number of good basses all in the same room for a change ! Also a new bass may also be worth considering ...hmmm

I'm flying back to Johannesburg in April/May of 2010 to play with the symphony, perhaps by then you'll have a nice instrument!

[Adrian Levi]

Originally Posted by Calvin Marks

I'm flying back to Johannesburg in April/May of 2010 to play with the symphony, perhaps by then you'll have a nice instrument!

Is that a request?