Today’s bassists have developed such sophisticated technique that they have challenged luthiers to respond with better, more sophisticated work. The string and electronics manufacturers have responded, as well. No longer do you have to accept poorly fit bridges, fingerboards that are scooped out so much that your left hand has to work twice as hard as necessary, or pickups that sound like (in Elvin Jones’s words) “a jar full of bees” when you bow the bass. Ideally, a bass repair should optimize an instrument structurally and acoustically, while keeping the bass as playable as possible in accordance with your playing style. That isn’t always a simple task—but the more you know about what to expect, the better.
When evaluating a repair shop, the cost is understandably important. Get a feel for the shops in your area; ask around and find out what shops charge for a specific job—for instance, for a bridge with adjusters and a new soundpost. Do they also work by the hour for, say, gluing work? I think you’ll find that most professional repair shops charge reasonably close to the same amount, with some exceptions. If you find an exception, it behooves you to ask why—there may be a good reason. Most important, get a feel for the shop’s work quality and its level of preparation. Is it actively engaged in work? Does its work area look complete, with supplies and tools to do everything that’s necessary? It’s also important to feel that the luthier wants to do the work and is interested in your input. If you do your homework, you’ll probably find a shop that does good work for reasonable prices.
Be clear as to what you do and do not want. Ask the luthier what the damaged area will look like after the repair is completed, and let him or her know what you don’t want touched. Jazz bassist Chip Jackson says, “One of my pet peeves is a repairman who does things to my instrument that I didn’t ask him to do.” A well-intentioned luthier cut down the nut on Chip’s bass, altering the string action’s feel. In this case I don’t think Chip should have to pay for the new nut that’s required to reestablish the original string heights. But on the other hand, he should ask himself: Am I confident that this luthier is qualified to do a good job? After all, if a luthier has done an unsatisfactory repair, who’s to say the correction will be done properly? Good prior experiences with a luthier may indicate that an unsuccessful repair could be rectified. On the other hand, I have seen players stay with the same luthier in spite of poor work, as things kept getting worse.
Carrying this idea over to purchasing a bass: What should you do if the bass you just bought starts to reveal a major structural problem, and the seller seems unable to correct it properly? It’s probably best to try to get back at least some of the money for the repair and have it repaired elsewhere. If the seller insists on doing the work “for free,” make sure to find out exactly what they intend to do—otherwise, you might be traveling further down the same slippery slope.
Like wine and beer, repairs can be divided into two categories: those that improve with age and those that don’t. While it is true that after major surgery (such as installing a new bassbar) a bass should sound good, it takes some time before an upright’s feel and tone fully develop. Many repairs are as good as they are going to get when you pick up your instrument from the shop. Fingerboard and bridge work fall under this category. Thomastik Spirocore strings sound bright and generally buzz a little when they are new—it may take a week before they start to mellow or play in—but buzzes that occur from not-well-dressed fingerboards, or from wolf tones (see December ’02), will not “play in.” So, if after fingerboard work, the luthier tells you to take the bass home and play it (or play differently) to get rid of buzzes, be skeptical—yet be open minded. Every well-dressed fingerboard will buzz if you play the strings hard enough.
Some repair work should have a guarantee; other work absolutely shouldn’t. For instance, a luthier shouldn’t guarantee that a glued seam between the ribs and the top or back won’t open again. These long, flat seams are best repaired with thinned out (weakened) hide glue. The large top and back plates change size as seasonal humidity changes, and when these plates are solidly glued to the ribs, they’re unable to move. Pressure builds up when this occurs, which can cause the plates to crack. We glue these seams with thinned-out hide glue so they will open under pressure and act as a safety valve. A player who doesn’t know this might complain that a seam opened up after having it glued only last year.
Many times, particularly in setup jobs, while improving one aspect of a bass you can sacrifice another. For example, if you move the soundpost to get more focus on the front of the sound, you’ll lose volume. Or, in order to eliminate buzzes when pulling the strings forcefully, the fingerboard’s end-to-end curve must be deepened—but that reduces sustain. These are the issues you and your luthier should consider together. If your luthier doesn’t want to talk about them, you’re not getting complete service.
Luthier to the brightest lights of upright bass, New York City’s David Gage invites your bass-buying questions at eppis@aol.com.