Adjustments and repairs to upright bass acquisition

[ShergoldSnickers]

Incidentally, she's been dubbed 'Matilda', and is equipped with a low B rather than the high C that I originally thought.

OK, first thing - bridge warp. I can sort this by careful steaming on both sides so it seems. Is this warp bad enough to require immediate string loosening? The focus is a bit awry, but you get the picture. The bridge also looks to be positioned too close to the fingerboard.



Sprung seam. There is a gap in the bass side C bout where it meets the back. I understand any repairs must be done using hide glue. Is this a mandatory luthier repair, or something I could do? It's a 2mm gap at the maximum.



The winding on the low B peg looks to be creating a nasty angle for the string, so should I rewind it? That leads me onto the string condition. Should they be replaced? The low B looks to have deteriorated where it bends over the bridge.





The action at the nut is 3mm across all strings, and is 11mm at the fingerboard end on the low B, 13mm on the E, 15mm on the A, 12mm on the D and 10mm on the G. I'm confident in being able to file the nut and cut and file the bridge, but taking the bridge off risks the soundpost falling. Is there a knack to stop this?

In general, the sound is quite powerful and projects well, and it holds tuning well. Once it's properly set up and repaired I'll see if I can post some sound clips.

[stingrayPete1977]

I did see the wonky bridge in your original thread, I thought it might have been a special thing for the B string, it appears not. I have had my bridge on and of a few times now, just lay the bass on it's back on the bed but I guess it depends how snug it is fitted? I can't see any other way though just don't bump it with the bridge off I'd say. I'd try rewinding the B string to the left and see if it helps but you can't really do much more can you? Seam repair advice I will leave to the knowledgeable ones here but I see no reason why a bead of hide glue and a sash clamp over night won't hurt it's a cool bass that's for sure, well worth sorting.

Edited August 16, 2013 by stingrayPete1977

[Old Horse Murphy]

Looks like a Kenneth Williams Signature Model from that angle

[stingrayPete1977]

Owwwww

[ShergoldSnickers]

[quote name='Old Horse Murphy' timestamp='1376656308' post='2177447']
Looks like a Kenneth Williams Signature Model from that angle
[/quote]

Changes name from 'Matilda' to 'Matron'.

[TPJ]

Looks like a cool bass . If you are taking your bridge off, lay the bass on it's back and locate the sound post. Stack some heavy books on the front over the sound post to keep the pressure on it. That should keep it from falling.

If you have worked with hide glue and have a bunch of clamps then maybe have a go. I'd take it to a luthier. That kind of fix is usually very cheap (£10?) and they can have a look over the bass for you. They might spot something you don't.

[Old Horse Murphy]

[quote name='ShergoldSnickers' timestamp='1376658280' post='2177498']


Changes name from 'Matilda' to 'Matron'.
[/quote]

[FLoydElgar]

If I was you I would just take it the shop and have them sort it out...
Do not let the sound post drop and do not play around with taking the bridge off yourself... Be Carefull you have 5 steel strings holding all that tension together if your sound post is in the wrong place from the bridge.... add some serious damage to dat bass
I
As you don't know what you're doing... Be safe and spend ££ if you have it... And goodluck welcome to the dark side!

Edited August 16, 2013 by FLoydElgar

[ShergoldSnickers]

Added some graphite to the string grooves on the bridge and nut. Helped restringing the B. Less of the creaking ship sound as the string passes over the bridge on tensioning.

I'll get someone qualified to look at the bridge and seam repair, then I can ask them loads of annoying questions as well.

Thanks for the advice everyone.

[oggiesnr]

Peter Elliott at Beverley Music is the guy to talk to. I've got his mobile number if you want it.

Steve

[ShergoldSnickers]

[quote name='oggiesnr' timestamp='1376676405' post='2177980']
Peter Elliott at Beverley Music is the guy to talk to. I've got his mobile number if you want it.

Steve
[/quote]

That would be dead useful Steve - thanks!

[ubassman]

The seam repair will probably open up again in time. It can be tricky to get a good bond without removing the original brittle hide glue back to wood. In essence you would be gluing brittle glued surfaces back together but its a cheap repair but would cost you more to buy clamps and hide rule than it would to take to a luthier ( don't let anyone near your bass who suggests using white woodworking glue ! ).

[ubassman]

Most likely solution for the bridge ...is to bin it !

The grain on the side of the bridge is probably sloping and will be sloping the wrong way (i.e with the grain sloping high from the tailpiece side downwards towards the side of the bridge facing the fingerboard !) You can have a ago at steaming it but that will most likely again only be a temporary fix. All in all though thats DBs all over - theres always something that needs tweaking - you have got a lovely bass by anyones standards and its well worth spending a couple of hundred pounds on as a best a bridge as you can get - it is the powerhouse of the bass transmitting the vibrations to the top !

[Mr Bassman]

Do you need the low B string?

I'd think about converting it to four strings while you're messing with bridges and nuts

[Mr Bassman]

Clamps can easily be made from threaded rod, nuts, washers and some scraps of wood, you'd only need a couple for that C bout

[url="http://www.axminster.co.uk/titebond-titebond-liquid-hide-glue-prod22595/"]Hide glue[/url] isn't expensive

[ShergoldSnickers]

[quote name='Mr Bassman' timestamp='1376784989' post='2179195']
Do you need the low B string?

I'd think about converting it to four strings while you're messing with bridges and nuts
[/quote]

I don't [i][b]need[/b][/i] the low B - but it matches the tuning of my electric bass, so I'd like to keep it. Having it there is reassuring. I'll be taking the bass into Beverley Music Centre which comes highly recommended, and they can repair and set it up as they advise is best.

[Apprenti L'Artisan]

I agree with everything ubassman said. The bridge looks like it'll just rewarp.

Make sure the seam is cleaned of all hide glue before gluing. What some luthiers do is heat the original glue, then mix the new hide glue with it. I'd get a luthier to work on it though.

[ShergoldSnickers]

Just been in contact with the maker... it's based on a John Frederick Lott Jnr bass design. If it has a mere fraction of the character of one of Lott's basses I'll be well chuffed. More on the Design it's based on here:

http://www.contrabass.co.uk/2822.htm

[ubassman]

Heres the very plan thats its most likely based on https://www.violins.ca/books/bass_making_plans.html

[ShergoldSnickers]

[quote name='ubassman' timestamp='1376906471' post='2180511']
Heres the very plan thats its most likely based on [url="https://www.violins.ca/books/bass_making_plans.html"]https://www.violins....king_plans.html[/url]
[/quote]

Very interesting ubassman - thanks. The maker mentioned a model in the Royal Academy upon which it is specifically based - apart from having the extra string! The only reference to any Academy and a Lott bass is the Royal Military Academy mentioned in the link I posted above. I assume he must have meant that one, as I think it was held in their museum collection at the time the bass was made - 1995.

[ubassman]

...looks to be a maple body and neck with a sitka spruce top ?

[ShergoldSnickers]

[quote name='ubassman' timestamp='1376915800' post='2180735']
...looks to be a maple body and neck with a sitka spruce top ?
[/quote]

I've just asked the maker and you are almost spot on ubassman. "The back and ribs are Canadian fiddle-back maple, the front is sitka spruce, the neck is quarter-sawn English sycamore and the fingerboard is rosewood".