Further Identifying Czech-Made Bass & Soundpost Repair

[Davino]

Acquired at the end of my teens in 1990, this double bass of Czech origin has been in the family since then but seldom played for many years. Found in the back of a music shop's storeroom missing a fingerboard and bridge, I paid $75usd — the store owners were merely interested in clearing space — then $120 for a rather nice ebony fingerboard mounted by a local luthier. It was occasionally thumped on rockabilly style for a time, then the soundpost became dislodged at some point and was eventually taken out, then, unfortunately, lost. Later, a frightful attempt was made to tune it up without one.

Photos attached, including an interior view and of the label; it reads "Copy of Antonius Stradivarius. Fecit anno 19[—?]. Made in Czechoslovakia."

Would be greatly appreciative of any information identifying the make and rough timeframe of production. Was told once that it may be from the 1940s. Damage from putting the strings under tension briefly without a post needs to be evaluated, and then steps to repair/reinstall a soundpost covered. Certainly a degree of sentimental value in this instrument, and a hope now to properly salvage and care for it.

 

 

 

Edited November 12, 2023 by Davino
tags, clarification

[NickA]

Don't think Stradivarius has access to plywood or ever made a double bass... so what it's a copy of is a mystery!

 

What's the damage from the strings on soundpost out incident?  I don't see any damage in the photos.

 

If it just needs a sound post then someone will fit one for (probably) £100 -£200 or so. I was charged £30 for putting one back up.  I have the tool to DIY now, but it's tricky and making a soundpost is quite hard as the ends need shaping and the length has to be exact.

 

If the front ( table) is cracked then it's a right off.  £1500 just to get the front off and any luthier will tell you it's not worth it as you'd be spending £2000 + on a bass that would then be worth < £1000 when fixed.

 

I've been through this with my orchestras bass.  One luthier refused to touch it and the other needed his arm twisted to do any work as he reckoned he could sell us a replacement for less than the repair cost.  That bass is now playable, but we did have the original sound post and the table didn't have to come off. It still needs a new bridge (£200 odd) and ideally a new fingerboard ...new neck even...not going to happen on my watch; even tho it's fully carved with a decent table.

 

Bass bags, my local bass shop, reckon they skip loads of laminate basses...simply because a new laminate made by Chinese slaves is cheaper for the insurers than even minor repairs by a UK luthier ☹️ awful situation.

[Burns-bass]

1 hour ago, NickA said:

Don't think Stradivarius has access to plywood or ever made a double bass... so what it's a copy of is a mystery!

 

What's the damage from the strings on soundpost out incident?  I don't see any damage in the photos.

 

If it just needs a sound post then someone will fit one for (probably) £100 -£200 or so. I was charged £30 for putting one back up.  I have the tool to DIY now, but it's tricky and making a soundpost is quite hard as the ends need shaping and the length has to be exact.

 

If the front ( table) is cracked then it's a right off.  £1500 just to get the front off and any luthier will tell you it's not worth it as you'd be spending £2000 + on a bass that would then be worth < £1000 when fixed.

 

I've been through this with my orchestras bass.  One luthier refused to touch it and the other needed his arm twisted to do any work as he reckoned he could sell us a replacement for less than the repair cost.  That bass is now playable, but we did have the original sound post and the table didn't have to come off. It still needs a new bridge (£200 odd) and ideally a new fingerboard ...new neck even...not going to happen on my watch; even tho it's fully carved with a decent table.

 

Bass bags, my local bass shop, reckon they skip loads of laminate basses...simply because a new laminate made by Chinese slaves is cheaper for the insurers than even minor repairs by a UK luthier ☹️ awful situation.

 

This is depressing, but reflects the truth.

[Davino]

There's some depression (to the table, not my state over it... yet) but I'm in Taiwan and the bass resides in California. I can't quite recall exactly how much indentation, but possibly 1 cm if memory serves at all. I'll be visiting the country for the winter holidays, so prepping possible plan of attack now. Though I'm not aware of any visible crack, at least from the outside, I wouldn't be surprised if it exists on the interior. Is that fatal? Sounds so. The bassbar is plywood — does this suggest the top, sides, and back are as well?

 

The irony of a Strad moose fiddle was never lost on us, but it's a shame the label's date doesn't have the latter two digits; at least we can infer that it's somewhere post-plywood invention, and pre-1993 production (end of the Czechoslovakian state). Any further signs as to what its actual date of manufacture might be? 

I've worked quite a bit on electric basses and other stringed instruments over the years, and have built a couple unique electric basses, but would not qualify as a professional luthier, and the luthier that oversaw me on those projects around 1991 is no longer working. Nonetheless, after watching this, I might be willing to give soundpost installation a go with the proper tools, mirrors, and a camera with illumination for the interior. I have a technique in mind to match the curvature of the table at the soundpost contact point. 

I'm not looking for a proper orchestra bass, just something basic for a bit of rockabilly root note thumping, at a minimum. 

 

Very appreciative of the input and suggestions. Greetings from Taipei. 

 

Edited November 21, 2023 by Davino
correction

[Davino]

Here's a collection of more photos to assist in evaluating the instrument. I'm curious if it's a ply bass and whether any other information about its condition or value can be gleaned with these images. 

Edited January 7 by Davino

[JoeEvans]

Looks like an all-plywood instrument, can't see any damage from the soundpost incident. I would suggest getting a professional to put in a new soundpost and get the tailpiece, bridge, strings etc on. I think it would give you good rockabilly thumping, especially with a pickup on, but I don't think it's worth much - if it was well set up with new strings, a cheap pickup and a case it might be worth £750 maybe? 

If you were interested in working on a double bass yourself for the fun and challenge, this would be a perfect one to have a go on - with ongoing incremental improvement it could end up sounding pretty good for the purpose you have in mind.

Edited January 7 by JoeEvans

[Beedster]

Following this with interest, I’ve an old bass in similar condition that I’m looking at restoring 👍