Description
This ca. 1880s 3/4 flatback bass is a richly responsive instrument, typical of this era. The voice is very colorful in the lower midrange and bass. It has received a lot of repair work over the last 140 years or so. The spruce top featured bold grain lines throughout. The ribs and back have seem repairs and finish work. The back has a grain structure that may indicate poplar. The neck features a dense maple scroll graft. The C extension was fabricated using Anzellotti capos. The tuning machines still turn easily. The fingerboard is a recent replacement, installed at the time of the C extension fabrication. Dimensions are: Top length 42 1/8″, Upper bout width 19 1/2″, Middle bout width 13 3/4″, Lower bout width 25″, Rib depth at tail 7 7/8″, Rib depth at upper bout crease 7 3/8″, Rib depth at neck joint 5 3/4″, string length 42 1/4″. This bass has a very lush quality to the voice, whether in an orchestral section of a jazz bandstand. Currently strung with Pirastro Flexocore orchestra gauge C/E extension, and Pirastro Flexocore weich gauge A, D, and G. This bass offers a professional level orchestral voice with a C extension at a very attractive price. With cover.
