Double Bass About to buy this DB, my first. Thoughts?

[loukash]

Hi everyone, right now I have this bass for use at home:

It's not the first time to have "played" a DB, but my first time to actually having practiced on one.
String measure is 101 cm, action 6.5/8/8/9 mm.
No idea what kind of strings these are though.
I like its sound, I like its size, it feels quite comfortable considering my small hands and "baby fingers".
I intend to use it for blues, bossa and a bit of jazz (disclaimer: I don't consider myself a jazz musician). Oh, and my guitarist pushes me to learn some rockabilly slapping, hehe.
Having played a fretless AGB now for 25 years, so this bass now feels like a logical progress to me.

The owner would like to sell it, his asking price is CHF 2000 (USD ~2300) but it's negotiable. He bought it used about 20 years ago in Bavaria for €2300 (almost USD 4000 in today's $), being told it's probably a Czech bass. Eventually he invested about another CHF 2000 in two repairs, the last one 10 years ago. But he didn't actually play it since.

Now… there is a "problem part", and it looks like this:

Today I spoke to a luthier just around the corner who's doing violin repairs and who admitted that he doesn't know that much about basses. He thinks this split could become a problem in the future, nonetheless that the asking price for the bass is still OK in his opinion.

So, what do you think…?

Attaching more detailed photos below.

 

[LouisF]

It's going to have to be fixed professionally sooner than later (see link below). Having said that, it seems like a decent bass. Get bass luthier to look at it before you buy it. https://www.talkbass.com/threads/gluing-on-a-neck-on-a-palatino.1659611/

 

[loukash]

Get bass luthier to look at it before you buy it.

Thanks, I definitely will. Luckily, there should be several competent folks in my area. The violin guy around the corner also recommended to visit one of them.

I forgot to mention another – likely related – "problem part":

The fingerboard is not precisely centered, it's a bit slanted. Perhaps you can see it from the photos. I have moved the bridge a few mm to the treble side to have the strings centered over the fretboard. This has improved playability, especially on the E string as well as removed the string buzz on the G string, but it seems that it also lost a bit of the sound volume.

 

[LouisF]

That's probably related to the slippage in the cracked neck. It should get fixed at the same time

 

[salcott]

The seller should adjust the price to reflect the needed repair to the neck.

 

[Ed S]

Others more capable will check in, but basically what Louis said. Looks like it is pretty solid, but that neck will definitely require attention sooner or later. And my preference would be sooner.

Repaired and nicely set up it would likely be worth well over the asking price. But the key is how much over the asking price and how much the neck/fb repair will cost.

The neck crack seems odd, as the rest of the bass looks awfully clean. Did the owner have any idea how it happened?

 

[loukash]

The seller should adjust the price to reflect the needed repair to the neck.

This shouldn't be a problem, I think. He's a solid and trustworthy guy. He also still has all the receipts from the purchase and the repairs.

how much the neck/fb repair will cost

I'm just about to arrange an appointment with one of our local bass specialists.
The aforementioned violin luthier was guessing about CHF 2000 though. Well, that's the Swiss prices…

The neck crack seems odd, as the rest of the bass looks awfully clean. Did the owner have any idea how it happened?

We didn't talk about it in detail yet but I'll ask him.
I guess the crack was the main reason why he wasn't able to sell the bass yet.

Of course, I'd also be very interested to learn more about the actual origin and approximate age. The owner doesn't know more than what I have already posted here.
As a Czech myself, I'm in fact already quite biased in favor of owning a potentially Czech bass. (Could it be that I fell in love already? My wife seemed being so suspiciously jealous lately… )

 

[TroyK]

The strings are D'Addario Heliocore Hybrids. Decent choice for your needs.

The neck repair is a significant issue. Don't purchase it without fully understanding what it will require to *properly* repair it.

 

[LouisF]

The Swiss luthier, Pedrazzini, is first class. You'll be in good hands.

 

[Francois Blais]

If I were you, I'd slack the strings somewhat to reduce the pull on the neck.
Not too much, to prevent the soundpost from falling, which anyway could be put back on by the luthier.

 

[loukash]

If I were you, I'd slack the strings somewhat to reduce the pull on the neck.

Hehe, as a D-Standard Club member, the first thing I did while having a very first look at the owner's home, was to tune down to D-Standard…
The neck crack has likely been in this state for a year or two already. After 5 days of playing it, I haven't observed any change yet. The bass also stays in tune pretty well, although I have loosen the strings a few times already to adjust the bridge and to put the soundpost in correct place.

to prevent the soundpost from falling, which anyway could be put back on by the luthier.

The soundpost was initially a bit off. Thanks to my "baby fingers" though, I was able to adjust it easily just by hand. Perhaps not millimeter precise to get the best possible sound, but it is approximately in the correct position for the time being.

 

[TroyK]

I'm going to need to ask you to post a picture of these fingers.

 

[loukash]

a picture of these fingers

Hehe, here's Baby Fingers in action on a fretless MIM J-bass:

https://talkbass.com/threads/pics-of-you-playing-your-bass-part-3.1070591/page-276#post-28446258

 

[TroyK]

They just look like regular fingers to me. That's disappointing.

Are you sure that you want a fractional sized bass?

 

[loukash]

They just look like regular fingers to me. That's disappointing.

Er, let's stay on topic…

Are you sure that you want a fractional sized bass?

Definitely.
Last year I was jamming on a (probably) full size bass and it was a painful experience.
Today at the violin luthier's shop, for comparison I tried to play a used 5-string Czech orchestral bass that he has there for sale for CHF 8000. Awful! (Also the sound, but obviously it's optimized for arco.)

The most perfect bass I ever had the chance to play on was František Uhlíř's ~120 years old Czech bass:

františek uhlíř bass at DuckDuckGo

DuckDuckGo. Privacy, Simplified.

duckduckgo.com

I know František since many years, so a few years ago when he played in our town I asked him if I could check it out for a few minutes. Absolutely amazing instrument! I don't know what size it is, but he admitted that he had it modified so that it plays that easily.

 

[loukash]

Are you sure that you want a fractional sized bass?

There's also the transport factor. I never had a driving license, so it needs to be transportable by other means. Hence size matters.

 

[TroyK]

I'm going to need to ask you to post a picture of these fingers.

Er, let's stay on topic…

....

Hey, you brought it up, man!

...
considering my small hands and "baby fingers".
...

... Thanks to my "baby fingers" ...

 

[Wasnex]

AFAIK the green fracture is fairly common and not a huge deal.

Is there another fracture (red)? Would a split here be more of a concern?

 

[loukash]

Is there another fracture (red)?

Detail photo here:

Looks to me like it's been there before the paint came on it.

 

[loukash]

The Swiss luthier, Pedrazzini, is first class. You'll be in good hands.

And I was!

I just came back home, after Paul gave me almost an hour of his time to look at the bass and explain everything what he would recommend to do, and what it would cost. Really a very nice guy.

He found that the bass sounds pretty good, especially considering the short measure.

A full fix of the neck would be costly though, over the actual value of the bass itself.
There's also a couple other small issues that he thinks should be fixed, e.g. the saddle which is apparently being pulled off by the stiff tailpiece wire (see above IMG_2924.jpg).
So as a compromise, he could imagine to do a "first aid" repair instead, using a screw to fix the neck for good. He thinks that while a proper fix could make the bass sound even better, a screw fix shouldn't make it sound worse, at least. Which is good news, as he thinks it already sounds nice as is. With the other small fixes included, this scenario would also still fit my budget.

I also had a chance to test play his latest own creation (not yet posted on their website). With CHF 38,000 a bit over my budget…

Anyway… I haven't decided yet. The seller is not in a hurry either, I can "test drive" the bass for a couple more weeks. In the next few days I'm also going to have a look on a few more used basses in this price range that are currently for sale in my area, to have a bit more comparison. I also checked a used Hungarian plywood bass earlier today, available for under CHF 1000. The seller was a very nice guy, but the bass felt and sounded rather cheap.