Unidentified Upright Bass

albowlly

Super Member
I recently saved/salvaged this from a derelict building. It obviously had come into contact with a bit of moisture. It is a plywood bass with no markings other than a label on the inside of the back with "No. 211" as best as I can make out through a magnifying glass. I wouldn't have bothered if the back, neck, and top had not been in such good shape. At this point I'm trying to decide whether to reglue the delaminated sides or replace them. The mold is a definite consideration. Does anyone recognize the V joint at the heel/back connection?

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It's hard to tell scale from the picture -- are you sure it's a bass and not a 'cello?
 
I recently saved/salvaged this from a derelict building. It obviously had come into contact with a bit of moisture. It is a plywood bass with no markings other than a label on the inside of the back with "No. 211" as best as I can make out through a magnifying glass. I wouldn't have bothered if the back, neck, and front had not been in such good shape. At this point I'm trying to decide whether to reglue the delaminated sides or replace them. The mold is a definite consideration. Does anyone recognize the V joint at the heel/back connection?

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I haven't scrape tested it yet but I believe it is.
 
Tough call on the sides. They've lost shape, so either way you'll probably have to make a form to re-laminate. Spray some bleach on the works to kill the mold, make a lamination form using the front and back as a pattern, and if possible re-use what's already there.
Even cheap uprights can fetch a pretty penny, if you're looking that way.
 
Yeah, that piece of mdf it's sitting on is for the forms. Some pieces may be salvageable but others are going to have to be replaced.

I just finished a restoration on a '47 Kay M-1 that wasn't nearly as bad as this one.
 
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