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From: "Mr. Josh" <themanfromutopia@hotmail.com>
Subject: Balailikas
Date: Mon, 20 Dec 1999 06:29:42 GMT
Reply-To: contrabass@contrabass.comhow do I make a good bass Balailika? I don't know if I spelled it right and
I will only have the resources of a high school shop class______________________________________________________
Get Your Private, Free Email at http://www.hotmail.com---------------------------------------------------------
Date: Mon, 20 Dec 1999 09:58:30 GMT
From: mkilpatr@arm.com (Michael Kilpatrick)
Subject: For Christ's sake
Reply-To: contrabass@contrabass.comSHUT UP ABOUT THE MILLENNIUM, PLEASE!
You just go on, and on, and on.... It's such a bloody
pain in the neck!
---------------------------------------------------------Date: Mon, 20 Dec 1999 10:03:25 -0700
From: Grant Green <gdgreen@contrabass.com>
Subject: Bass sax FS
Reply-To: contrabass@contrabass.comHere's the latest from ebay: a gold-plated Conn bass sax, with high
F, at http://grass.ebay.com/go/101/11072133/221602988. The current
bid is *$10,000*, and the reserve still hasn't been met. I wonder if
that includes the shipping from Australia...There's also a "bass sax" listed at
http://grass.ebay.com/go/101/11072133/221819413, but a quick glance
at the pictures shows that it is really a *tenor*.Enjoy!
Grant
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Grant Green gdgreen@contrabass.com
http://www.contrabass.com
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
---------------------------------------------------------Date: Mon, 20 Dec 1999 13:22:23 -0800
Subject: Re: Bass sax FS
From: mgrogg@juno.com
Reply-To: contrabass@contrabass.com>Here's the latest from ebay: a gold-plated Conn bass sax, with high
>F, at http://grass.ebay.com/go/101/11072133/221602988. The current
>bid is *$10,000*, and the reserve still hasn't been met. I wonder if
>that includes the shipping from Australia...
Is that $10,000 US or Australian? The last time I was down under the
dollar AU was about .50 to the dollarUS.MG
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---------------------------------------------------------From: Opusnandy@aol.com
Date: Mon, 20 Dec 1999 15:57:41 EST
Subject: comments on some old strings
Reply-To: contrabass@contrabass.comI'm finally on winter break from my teaching job and mhave time to type out
some comments on some old discussions from the list.I just got back my contrabass sarrusophone from being repadded, etc. and
it plays quite wonderfully now. My repairman is quite a collector,
especially of saxophones, and provided me with a bunch of interesting
information. First of all, any debate as to whether or not the bari sax in F
exists can be put to rest now. I have held one in my own two hands. It was
in beautiful, silverplated shape and when compared to a standard Eb bari it
is definitely quite smaller. When played to a strobocon tuner it most
definitely is pitched in F. This is not one of the very early ophicliede
shaped saxes I've seen pictures of but a true, modern shaped (albeit keyed
only to hi Eb) bari in F. It is part of my repairman's complete quartet of F
and C saxes (oprano to bari).
Now, I would like to dredge up the old debate on the existance on a true
sub-contrabass sax in Bb (octave below the bass). According to my repairman,
two have been built by Orsi. He showed me a picture of a friend of his at
the Orsi factory standing next two the bell of one of them. It was easily
larger than the bells of any contrabasses I have seen, while not as absurdly
big as the "prop" subcontras built by Conn or by the Charles Ponte Music
Company. The other, he says, is somewhere in Paris and it's existance has
been confirmed to him by Dr. Fred Hemke, saxophone profesor (former?) at
Northwestern University. Dr. Hemke has supposedly seen the beast. Anyone
out there in touch with Dr. Hemke who could ask him?
Now, my only doubts about this are that Grant has been to the Orsi
factory and I don't remember any mention of the sub-contra bell. Was this
there, Grant?
Lastly, I just got back from the Mid-West Band and Orchestra convention
in Chicago and am happy to report that the original versions of Molly on the
Shore and Children's March by Grainger are now being republished complete
with the sarrusophone parts (and a bass oboe part to Children's March!). One
other Grainger piece also is being republished with it's sarrusophone part,
but I don't remeber the name of it. A discussion with Kieth Biron (sp?) who
was at the booth where these publications were being shown revealed two fun
things. Number one, he recently conducted a performance of the Children's
march complete with the sarrus part in San Jose (guess who the player was!
(small world, huh)) and two, while visiting Grainger's widow, he discovered
that Grainger had an entire collection of sarrusophones, sopranino to
contrabass, that his widow had GIVEN away just a few months earlier. Ouch.
I hope this hasn't been too long of a post, but I think the information
is cool!Jon Carreira
---------------------------------------------------------From: Opusnandy@aol.com
Date: Mon, 20 Dec 1999 16:01:09 EST
Subject: Re: Bass Sax FS
Reply-To: contrabass@contrabass.comOne last thing,
I see this current bass sax selling for $10,000 and I know that is a little
above average for bass saxes as this one is a rare model. I am needing to
know, does anyone rember what past bass saxes have been going for on ebay? I
know a lot have been sold in the past couple of years and I never really kept
track of the prices. Now I have the opportunity to put one up for sale and I
need to know what sort of price I could expect. (I know I haven't specified
a model, I'm just getting an idea for your average, good condition, used bass
sax from the early part of theis cenntury).Thanks!
Jon Carreira
---------------------------------------------------------Date: Mon, 20 Dec 1999 16:47:01 -0500
From: bulshevik <bulshevik@home.com>
Subject: Re: Bass sax FS
Reply-To: contrabass@contrabass.comThe second one is actually a tenor!
Grant Green wrote:
> Here's the latest from ebay: a gold-plated Conn bass sax, with high
> F, at http://grass.ebay.com/go/101/11072133/221602988. The current
> bid is *$10,000*, and the reserve still hasn't been met. I wonder if
> that includes the shipping from Australia...
>
> There's also a "bass sax" listed at
> http://grass.ebay.com/go/101/11072133/221819413, but a quick glance
> at the pictures shows that it is really a *tenor*.
>
> Enjoy!
>
> Grant---------------------------------------------------------
Date: Mon, 20 Dec 1999 14:10:44 -0700
From: Grant Green <gdgreen@contrabass.com>
Subject: Re: Bass Sax FS
Reply-To: contrabass@contrabass.com>I see this current bass sax selling for $10,000 and I know that is a little
>above average for bass saxes as this one is a rare model. I am needing to
>know, does anyone rember what past bass saxes have been going for on ebay? IIt appears that the price is in US$, as the default is US$ and this
auction doesn't list any alternative currency.Perhaps the sax is worth US$10K+. I think other basses have gone for
something in the $4-8K range. Normally, a helpful approach is to use
eBay's search function, and check out all the completed auctions to
see what the final bid was for similar items. This time, however, it
came up blank. They keep accessible records for a limited time (90
days?) - apparently there weren't any bass sax auctions during that
period.Grant
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Grant Green gdgreen@contrabass.com
http://www.contrabass.com
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
---------------------------------------------------------Date: Mon, 20 Dec 1999 06:34:09 -0500
Subject: Balailikas
From: michael c grogg <mgrogg@juno.com>
Reply-To: contrabass@contrabass.com>From: "Mr. Josh" <themanfromutopia@hotmail.com>
>how do I make a good bass Balailika? I don't know if I spelled it
>right and I will only have the resources of a high school shop classThe key elements are good plans, and good materials.
If you don't have a plan to work from, getting one would be a start.
Where you would find a Bass Balalaika plan I have no idea. It possible
you could scale an instrument up from an existing plan.*For materials, be sure to get a good piece of wood for the top. Spruce
is always the first choice for a string instrument, although White pine
(close grain) Western Red Cedar or Redwood can be used. Don't use
plywood for the top if you can at all help it. Since Birch is Endemic to
Russia, using Birch ply for the sides and back would probably be
acceptable. You will need a good peice of hardwood, preferebly Maple for
the neck. Other things like purfling, the small fittings, tuning pegs,
frets can be obtained from an instrument supply house.Two sources I have dealt with and can recommend are :
1. International Luthiers Supply, Inc.
P.O. Box 580397
Tulsa, Oklahoma 74158
(918) 835-3181
(918) 835-2106 FAXThey have a good selection of tools, books, *PLANS and tone woods, and
misc. fittings and stuff. I have been very happy with the purchases I
have made there for violin repairs, and I have also gotten some of their
plans which appear to be well drawn. They have a Balalaika plan number
BAP-010. As of my last catalog it was still $4.00.
2. Stewart MacDonald's Guitar Shop Supply
21 N. Shafer St.
Box 900
Athens, Ohio 45701
1-800-848-2273They have a large selection of tools, books and supplies. They also
manufacture a lot of replacement parts for Electric Guitars and Basses.
They often have odd items and seconds for sale in the storefront that are
not listed in the catalog. You should ask what they have available,
particularly in a Bass neck.The other thing I can think of would be sure to make your instrument to
use a standard fret scale. It would be much easier to adapt your plans
for the body of the instrument to a readily available fret scale, or even
a presawn bass neck, than to do all the math to make up your own fret
scale.
My .02
Michael Grogg
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