Bought this from David Gage in NYC in 1991. Built circa 1900. Had to change the horrible sticky finish it had on it, and the fingerboard and bridge, but then it became a great instrument. This work was done in Caracas by Jaime Nobre in 1992.
The scroll is warped to one side and this ruined the fingerboard job I had done, so 13 years later I had to have another fingerboard put on. This time it was done in NY by the guys down at Gage and they put a shim on one side of the fingerboard instead of trying to force the neck back straight. This worked, but also created some weird buzzing on the E string that could not be fixed. The board was worked on several times more and eventually it has settled (with a pretty deep curve) and plays well.
This bass is very comfortable to play and really sings! With just a fishman pickup glued to the bridge it always sounds wonderful and clear.
I have two bows. One was made for me by Jaime Nobre, a Portuguese Luthier who lived in Caracas for some 20 years and who was a good friend. He passed away several years ago and having his bow is special to me. My NYC bow is a less expensive model I bought at Ideal Music in NYC for about $400, but it is very easy to play with.
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Hi. I was also a friend of Jaime Nobre but I left Venezuela in 1993 and lost contact when he left to Portugal. He certainly was a great bow maker. He restored a violin for me and we develop a good friendship so I was used to spend lots of afternoons at his workshop between 1990 - 1992. He certainly left a good legacy in Venezuela. I have been searching in the web about or whether that was recognised but I am afraid no much apart from a small paragraph in a newspaper article.
Hi. I was also a friend of Jaime Nobre but I left Venezuela in 1993 and lost contact when he left to Portugal. He certainly was a great bow maker. He restored a violin for me and we develop a good friendship so I was used to spend lots of afternoons at his workshop between 1990 - 1992. He certainly left a good legacy in Venezuela. I have been searching in the web about or whether that was recognised but I am afraid no much apart from a small paragraph in a newspaper article.
Well, nice to meet you here! I'm still in touch with his son Nelson Nobre. Did you know him? He also works as a luthier here in Caracas, for the national orchestra system.
:-)
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