casapete Posted April 4, 2023 Share Posted April 4, 2023 I’m hoping you knowledgeable folk on here may be able to help me identify / value this bass. (I’m looking to sell it soon, and have a subscription to BC so not after a cheap advert!) All I know is that it appears to be ply construction, and has some sort of pickup attached. The soundpost is in place, and overall condition is good. I’m no upright player ( or great electric player either TBH! ) but it seems to play okay. There is a bow with it too. So, any help greatly appreciated. Once I know more I’ll probably put a listing on here in the first instance. TIA, cheers. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mybass Posted April 4, 2023 Share Posted April 4, 2023 From your pictures…….It looks to be a ‘student’ bass made with cheaper wood content….body of ply, very possible, by the look of the neck to body join picture you may have a Beech wood neck and not a maple neck though you may be lucky with having a solid Macassar ebony fingerboard and not a soft white wood that has been stained (as my first student cheap bass was). The bridge is likely to be a maple one. I can’t comment on the tuners as I don’t know enough about them. If there is no visible makers sticker inside the body cavity (I’m told sometimes on the underside of the belly, requiring a mirror to view it but that’s maybe on old basses) it’s all difficult by pics to ascertain a value (from me that is) so a visit to a double bass repair/builder would be best. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beer of the Bass Posted April 4, 2023 Share Posted April 4, 2023 Beech necks are often a German or Central European thing, it looks like a mid 20th century fairly basic European plywood bass. These can be solid working basses if the condition and setup is OK. The way the top is a little lower on the inside of the bass side f-hole is something I'd want to check. While some basses do settle a little and remain stable, I'd want to be sure that the bass bar was still fully attached. Perhaps try and look inside with an inspection mirror, and tap on the top up and down the length of it to see if there's any loose "clack" sound rather than a solid sounding knock. The pickup is a bit of a historical curiosity, it looks like the old Polytone that a lot of players used in the 60s before newer designs came along. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
casapete Posted April 4, 2023 Author Share Posted April 4, 2023 Some great stuff so far, thank you! Do you think it’s just one off those things that you just stick a price on and hope someone agrees? I probably haven’t got the opportunity at the moment to take it anywhere to get a professional opinion, hence my post. Appreciate it’s not an easy thing to evaluate of course. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
keeponehandloose Posted April 4, 2023 Share Posted April 4, 2023 A typical East European bass from around 70s is my guess. Looks like its had a neck repair at the body joint. The Polytone pickup was popular back in the day, if it still works its a miracle, theres not much interest in them as disigns have improved now. You can see similar basses for anywhere between £500 - £1200 but I doubt the higher priced ones ever actually sell. A good workhorse bass. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
casapete Posted April 4, 2023 Author Share Posted April 4, 2023 14 minutes ago, keeponehandloose said: A typical East European bass from around 70s is my guess. Looks like its had a neck repair at the body joint. The Polytone pickup was popular back in the day, if it still works its a miracle, theres not much interest in them as disigns have improved now. You can see similar basses for anywhere between £500 - £1200 but I doubt the higher priced ones ever actually sell. A good workhorse bass. Great info, thanks. I wasn’t thinking of asking anything like those prices, was hoping for around £350/£400, so hopefully will sell. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mybass Posted April 4, 2023 Share Posted April 4, 2023 2 hours ago, casapete said: Great info, thanks. I wasn’t thinking of asking anything like those prices, was hoping for around £350/£400, so hopefully will sell. You may some luck selling to a local school if they have someone who can verify along with you, that it’s in playable condition. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beer of the Bass Posted April 4, 2023 Share Posted April 4, 2023 3 hours ago, casapete said: Great info, thanks. I wasn’t thinking of asking anything like those prices, was hoping for around £350/£400, so hopefully will sell. If it's all in good health (which is easier to tell seeing it in person), I'd think it would go quite quickly for that, and be either a good first bass or sturdy gigging bass for someone. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blartfactor10 Posted April 5, 2023 Share Posted April 5, 2023 Quote Looks a lot like my Boosey Hawkes Excelsior, Stripped of the brown finish and re-varnished. Only the machines differ. 🤷🏻♂️ 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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