Another mystery bass?

[David Moss]

Originally Posted by Ken Smith

First off, on the Rib measurements, were they inside the Top and Back or including them?

8" is the rib measurements inside the top and back plates. Total depth of the instrument including the top and back is about 8 1/2".

On the wood of your Back and Ribs, again it looks like Slab or rolled cut Maple like you find in Veneer or Plywood. Maybe even Birch but the closeups are blurry and I can't see the grain clearly. Please, look with a flashlight and magnifier glass along the edges of the Bass and Rib-to-Rib joints and tell me if you see any hint of laminations there. I just can't see it well enough in these pictures.

Yes, the poor light was very frustrating. Thanks for your tip with the magnifying glass and flashlight, I'll do that and report. There are places at the edges of the back plate where I think I'm seeing wood grain running across the edge, indicating solid wood, but I really want to post pictures of that to get your opinion. I also want to get some good closeups of the purfling on the top and back plates, to see if you think they match. I'll try to deliver better pictures at the weekend.

On the origin, looking at the angle break side view with the outer rib linings it looks Germanic/Bohemian but even more so now than before. The Varnish also looks fairly new so I would guess it was re-finished not long ago.

Then the re-finish was presumably part of the major restoration in the mid-90s, commissioned by the previous owner when he acquired the bass.

The wood on the Back and Ribs are very unusual for a Bass from this region.

Do you mean unusual for Bohemia, or unusual for the entire German/Bohemian school?

The purfled design in the lower Back is similar (but not identical) to Basses made by Pfretzschner or rather Markneukirchen shop Basses.

Yes, very interesting - Markneukirchen was also my bass teacher's guess. There's a similar design on this one as well. Was this teardrop shape a Pfretzschner exclusive, or did other makers copy it?

[Ken Smith]

Originally Posted by David Moss

Then the re-finish was presumably part of the major restoration in the mid-90s, commissioned by the previous owner when he acquired the bass.

Restoration show mean restore, not alter. Old varnishes show be touched up, matched and clear coated at the most. Only in extreme cases of paint or damage should an old Bass be refinished.

Do you mean unusual for Bohemia, or unusual for the entire German/Bohemian school?

Yes, the entire region. Quartered Maple is what we usually see from that region.

Yes, very interesting - Markneukirchen was also my bass teacher's guess. There's a similar design on this one as well. Was this teardrop shape a Pfretzschner exclusive, or did other makers copy it?

The link you show is the same shop (I think) that made the Bass I showed which was an early import as well and labeled Morelli here in USA. I have seen various designs and No, they are not always the same shop unless it is identical in size and design. Even then, it could have been farmed out.[/quote]

I see the Tear Drop/Plum design on Imports labeled Morelli and G.A. Pfretzschner. G.A. was a famous Bow maker. C.F. was the family of 3 generations than made Violins thru Basses and the only non-Bow makers of the Pfretzschenrs. Most Basses by the last generation I would assume.

Other similar shaper Tear Drop designs are just a design but not necessarily a shop Bass. The same goes for the Horn/Crest design we have seen on all the Wilfer Bass, the Wilfer made Juzek imports, the Plywood made Lang/Juzek imports, Roth Basses, Hoffner Basses and other Bohemian Basses made way before Juzek or Wilfer like this Bass of mine.

[David Moss]

So, finally got some good daylight and some time to take pictures. The overviews now show the color correctly to my satisfaction, and I hope the close-ups are showing enough detail of the wood grain.



Below: two views showing the edge of the back plate. No signs of laminations to my inexpert eye, looks to me like wood grain all the way across the edge, so I guess this is a solid wood back.



Below left: Lower bout rib on the E side. Below center: No sign of a dovetail joint where the neck joins the top plate. Below right: Another shot of the teardrop purfling decoration.

[Arnold Schnitzer]

Bohemian, c.1900. Neck has been reset, much of the button lost.

[David Moss]

Originally Posted by Arnold Schnitzer

Bohemian, c.1900. Neck has been reset, much of the button lost.

Yes - my luthier thinks the neck was completely replaced.