Info needed re Bass Maker

[Major-Minor]

I've just found out that one of my basses may be a James William BRIGGS of Wakefield. I know he was making basses around 1880.
Does anyone have any more info about this maker. I'd never heard the name before.

The Major

Edited July 13, 2010 by Major-Minor

[douglas81]

[quote name='Major-Minor' post='795194' date='Apr 3 2010, 05:44 PM']I've just found out that one of my basses may be a James William BRIGGS of Wakefield. I know he was making basses around 1880.
Does anyone have any more info about this maker. I'd never heard the name before.

The Major[/quote]
Well, if it is a Briggs, you could be holding tens of thousands of pounds worth of bass in your hands! Give Tony Houska a bell at the Contrabass Shoppe, he'll soon fill in the details for you.

Edited April 3, 2010 by douglas81

[Major-Minor]

[quote name='douglas81' post='795331' date='Apr 3 2010, 09:45 PM']Well, if it is a Briggs, you could be holding tens of thousands of pounds worth of bass in your hands! Give Tony Houska a bell at the Contrabass Shoppe, he'll soon fill in the details for you.[/quote]
It was a comment from "a well respected bass maker" yesterday that made me look into the idea that it might be a Briggs. When I Googled this name, Tony Houska's Contrabassshoppe came up as he has a Briggs for sale. As it said "price on application" I have emailed for this info and am now waiting rather nervously for his reply.

I've been told before now that the bass may be a Tarr (I've used it professionally for 36 years), and I believe that Briggs was an employee at one time of the Tarr workshop.
This is all hearsay though, and I'd like to get some more authoritative info on Briggs if anyone has it.

The Major

[geoffbassist]

Mmm I would post some pics on ken smiths bass forum
[url="http://www.smithbassforums.com/index.php"]http://www.smithbassforums.com/index.php[/url]?
He has a section under 'Old Bass' for English instruments and they really know there stuff. Whoever the makers, both your basses have been a pleasure to hear. Fantastic instruments :-)

[Major-Minor]

Here's some pics of the "Briggs":

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[Bilbo]

Whatever it is, it is a little piece of history. You are a lucky man.....and deservedly so.

[Major-Minor]

[quote name='Bilbo' post='893722' date='Jul 13 2010, 01:56 PM']Whatever it is, it is a little piece of history. You are a lucky man.....and deservedly so.[/quote]
This bass is going in for major open heart surgery next week! Got my fingers (and everything else) crossed that she comes back sounding as good as she does now. This is the first time in my 35 years ownership of this beauty that I've had anything serious done to her. Lots of little nips and tucks over the years (she is getting on a bit after all) but now's the time for major restoration.

And hopefully I will get some proof that she is indeed a Briggs.

The Major

[TPJ]

Good luck with the resto. That's a lovely looking beast.

[thisnameistaken]

[quote name='Major-Minor' post='795194' date='Apr 3 2010, 06:44 PM']I've just found out that one of my basses may be a James William BRIGGS of Wakefield.[/quote]

Are you trying to say that something good once came out of Wakefield?

You should call the Wakefield Express, this will be front page news!

[quote name='douglas81' post='795331' date='Apr 3 2010, 09:45 PM']Well, if it is a Briggs, you could be holding tens of thousands of pounds worth of bass in your hands! Give Tony Houska a bell at the Contrabass Shoppe[/quote]

... and he'll try to sell it for double.

[Pete1967]

Can I suggest a chat/visit with Tom Martin?? Tom was good enough to put my father on the scent for one of his early basses which led all the way to Venice...

I suppose the difficulty is that unless there's an authoritative makers mark in the box, then it's only someone's opinion, but if you can get a good enough opinion then pinning the words 'attributed to' becomes an option. Hopefully opening her up will reveal a label. Fingers crossed for you and I'm sure a skilled surgeon will have her singing again in no time...

[Major-Minor]

[quote name='Pete1967' post='894762' date='Jul 14 2010, 03:05 PM']Can I suggest a chat/visit with Tom Martin?? Tom was good enough to put my father on the scent for one of his early basses which led all the way to Venice...

I suppose the difficulty is that unless there's an authoritative makers mark in the box, then it's only someone's opinion, but if you can get a good enough opinion then pinning the words 'attributed to' becomes an option. Hopefully opening her up will reveal a label. Fingers crossed for you and I'm sure a skilled surgeon will have her singing again in no time...[/quote]
Actually it was Tom who said "it's a Briggs" (with no hesitation) when i asked his opinion. And it's his son George who is doing the restoration. He's going to re-shape the the bottom bouts so it fits better. I've had constant problems with the bass opening up on the lower back seam.

Apparently Briggs signed his basses inside up near the neck joint. Fingers crossed .....

[Major-Minor]

Tony Houska has a Briggs for sale on his website. I daren't tell you how much he is asking for it ... but its twice my annual BBC salary !!

[Pete1967]

[quote name='Major-Minor' post='894924' date='Jul 14 2010, 06:25 PM']Actually it was Tom who said "it's a Briggs" (with no hesitation) when i asked his opinion. And it's his son George who is doing the restoration. He's going to re-shape the the bottom bouts so it fits better. I've had constant problems with the bass opening up on the lower back seam.

Apparently Briggs signed his basses inside up near the neck joint. Fingers crossed .....[/quote]

George rebuilt a badly damaged bottom bout on my Dad's Kennedy and did a stunning job - you're in safe hands. My old man's also got a copy of the very rare 'Encylopedia of Violin Makers' (I think it's called - it's in several volumes anyway) and all of the Raymond Elgar books, so I'll ask him to look Briggs up. He's now 85 (my Dad that is) and a complete technophobe so it will be a dictation over the phone job, but I'll get it as soon as I can for you and post or PM it...

P

[Major-Minor]

[quote name='Pete1967' post='895153' date='Jul 14 2010, 10:12 PM']George rebuilt a badly damaged bottom bout on my Dad's Kennedy and did a stunning job - you're in safe hands. My old man's also got a copy of the very rare 'Encylopedia of Violin Makers' (I think it's called - it's in several volumes anyway) and all of the Raymond Elgar books, so I'll ask him to look Briggs up. He's now 85 (my Dad that is) and a complete technophobe so it will be a dictation over the phone job, but I'll get it as soon as I can for you and post or PM it...

P[/quote]
Pete - this is great to hear. I know George builds great basses, but I know little about his repair skills. They are loaning me a brand new Martin bass while they work on my "Briggs". Should be an interesting few weeks.

Does your Dad still have the Kennedy ? They are stunning instruments. And worth a few bob too.

Thanks in advance for your research efforts.

The Major

[BigBeatNut]

Lovely looking bass, but it's the C extension that's caught my eye ... serious piece of technology that.

Looks like the action is going to be pretty high when fingering the E string near the nut. I'm guessing it might be possible to cope with that by using both keys and fingers to hold down the string, around F or F# at least.

I'd be interested in knowing more about what it's like to use that (apologies for taking this off-topic).

Andy

[Pete1967]

[quote name='Major-Minor' post='895325' date='Jul 15 2010, 08:18 AM']Pete - this is great to hear. I know George builds great basses, but I know little about his repair skills. They are loaning me a brand new Martin bass while they work on my "Briggs". Should be an interesting few weeks.

Does your Dad still have the Kennedy ? They are stunning instruments. And worth a few bob too.

Thanks in advance for your research efforts.

The Major[/quote]

Major, Sir - No issue on the research. As soon as I have something I'll let you know. I may wait until I visit my Dad and scan the pages.

Yes he still has his Kennedy - his pride and joy. Sadly he doesn't play it much because it's now too heavy for him, but I give it a scrape when I visit - it's truly amazing and even sounds good with me playing it! He used to collect basses (20+ at it's height) and sold several to Tony (Houska) some years ago, hmmmmmmm...... He also loaned a Neuner and Hornsteiner to Leon Bosch for several years. He has kept the cream of his collection which includes an early Italian bass that Stefano Pio attributes to a maker that I daren't mention in public (and still pinch myself about). It was bought locally before I was born, after seeing an advert in the village post office window for a 'Double Base'!

[Pete1967]

[quote name='BigBeatNut' post='895340' date='Jul 15 2010, 08:46 AM']Lovely looking bass, but it's the C extension that's caught my eye ... serious piece of technology that.

Looks like the action is going to be pretty high when fingering the E string near the nut. I'm guessing it might be possible to cope with that by using both keys and fingers to hold down the string, around F or F# at least.

I'd be interested in knowing more about what it's like to use that (apologies for taking this off-topic).

Andy[/quote]

Usually the the mechanical stop at the E locks in position to maintain normal action further up the fingerboard, but IIRC the advice is to rest the bass with it unlocked. I did visit Bob(??) Fawcett years ago but it's all a very hazy now... They're OK to use for the occasional low note IMHO but a bit clunky and you wouldn't be playing any sprightly passages on them.

Hope The Major agrees!

P

[Major-Minor]

[quote name='Pete1967' post='895420' date='Jul 15 2010, 10:31 AM']Usually the the mechanical stop at the E locks in position to maintain normal action further up the fingerboard, but IIRC the advice is to rest the bass with it unlocked. I did visit Bob(??) Fawcett years ago but it's all a very hazy now... They're OK to use for the occasional low note IMHO but a bit clunky and you wouldn't be playing any sprightly passages on them.

Hope The Major agrees!

P[/quote]
I had a George Fawcett ext on this bass since the mid 70's. As it was getting a bit rattly and looking rather ancient compared with the newer ones, I got the Beeb to pay for a new one ! George Martin put this one on about 2 months ago. I've tinkered a bit with it - you can adjust the position (tuning) of the "fingers" - but I'm leaving George to sort out the D key which is loose. You can see in the pics that I've jammed it at a wonky angle just to stop it twisting round when I play on it.

I tend to leave the ext in the open position, just locking off the E when there are a lot of E's to play. I feel the bass sounds better when the ext is open. It seems to resonate better.

It does look rather daunting when you see the C string so far off the fingerboard, but to be honest, I have no problem with it. It feels quite comfortable.

And actually with a bit of practice you can do some quite dextrous things with these exts. But if your finger slips off one of the keys accidentally, it can make quite a clunky sound, so one has to be very cautious especially in quiet passages. For instance, the start of stravinsky's Firebird suite start low and ppp, and I always approach this passage with great care, having previously clunked at this point in a live broadcast !

Pete - assuming you are going to inherit your Dad's wonderful bass collection one day, you are going to be very popular with the DB playing population !

The Major

[Major-Minor]

Latest update on my "Briggs" bass and also Evah Pirazzi strings:

George Martin has done a superb job on the bass. As well as sorting out some crack damage, he has shortened the bottom bouts so now the back fits properly at the bottom. He also put a new bass bar in. My initial impression was that the sound was bigger than ever, but a bit "tight". I couldn't quite put my finger on it (so to speak), but there was definitely more resistance than before and i was struggling to get a quiet sound consistently. After a week in the orchestra (Beethoven 5 amongst other stuff) I was getting quite frustrated about this. The famous scherzo quaver passage in C major was a joy to play, but the pianissimo opening of this movement, the C minor crotchet passage, was quite problematic. I just could not get a smooth and consistent sound no matter what i tried.

Then it occurred to me that maybe it was the strings causing the problem. I've had Evahs on this bass for about 6 months and have been loving them. But clearly something is amiss. So I emailed Pirastro and they have told me that sometimes these strings can suffer when taken off the bass and then subsequently replaced.

They are sending me a trial set of "Passione" strings - a new variety that they are keen to promote. I will let you all know how I get on with these.

The Major
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[geoffbassist]

I give it it 6 months till your back to flexicores on your classical bass and spiros on your jazz! :-)

[Major-Minor]

[quote name='geoffbassist' post='972161' date='Sep 29 2010, 10:31 PM']I give it it 6 months till your back to flexicores on your classical bass and spiros on your jazz! :-)[/quote]
mmm ... I'm beginning to wonder myself ...