Origin or the outer Rib Linings/Moldings..

[Ken Smith]

Originally Posted by Arnold Schnitzer

1) Glue joint too wide; prevents seams opening, therefore more cracks.
2) Glue joint too wide, prevents de-coupling of the vibrating plates, therefore less sound.
3) Interior dimension is less (if the outside linings were not there, the corpus could be subsequently larger within the same plate size), therefore less depth of tone.
4) Looks wrong (no other member of the violin family has them).
5) When they come loose, buzzes occur.

But I think they are a good thing to have on psychobilly players' basses...

Well,

#1 makes sense.
#2 is understandable as this stiffens up the Bass.
#3 to me is the most obvious but most often not recognized. The same outer lip dimensions of the Top exposed with the Linings in place mean the Ribs themselves are that much further into the Plates therby reducing the internal air space of the 'sound-box'.
#4 is not a complete answer as no other member of the current family of 4 (excluding the Viols) has the Gamba Form in use or the angled Back bend we see on so many Basses. The Bass is the only one of the 4 that does not actually have a standard shape or design like the Violin, Viola or Cello has and has had for over 400 years. So, why not the Linings which may have been introduced to slow down 'twist' of the wider Rib depth used on Basses.

It is true that many of the old Italian Basses including Maggini and d'Salo have Rib depths approaching 9" but were made without the outer Moldings.

So, in this case, what is the oldest Bass you (anyone reading this) have seen with these outer moldings/Linings on the Ribs?

#5 is something I have never seen but then again, I am 'not' the person calls when they might come loose. I just haven't seen this happen, ever!

So, 2 questions remaining in my mind here;

1) What is the oldest example known of outer Linings/Molding on Bass Ribs.. and
2) What do you think the reasoning was behind this idea originally.

Arnold, tell them about the construction of the Ribs on my Cornerless Bass. Talk about something different entirely and the sound is something that's hard to come close to.

[Arnold Schnitzer]

Originally Posted by Ken Smith

Well,

2) What do you think the reasoning was behind this idea originally.

Maker #1 "I haff a goot ideah".

Maker #2 "Vaht?"

Maker #1 "Vee add linings on zee outside, too. Zen zee seams vill stay closed no mattah vaht!"

Maker #2 "You vill be known forever as genius!"

[Walt Jones]

Can you use the lack of moldings as a clue to the age of a bass?

[Ken Smith]

Originally Posted by Walt Jones

Can you use the lack of moldings as a clue to the age of a bass?

I think the Moldings started about 200 years ago or so. I have seen a few English Basses supposedly from the late 18th century and one Italian Bass with them. If their dates are correct then they precede the Germans. I haven't seen many German Basses with Moldings from before 1800 but then again, their Basses are rarely dated inside.

Basses from 400 years ago didn't have them and Chinese Basses made tomorrow don't either.

I don't think Moldings account for much when dating a Bass. I have seen one old German Bass where the Moldings looked to be added after the Bass was made.

The Germans I believe are the ones that have used outer Moldings most uniformly for the past 120 years or so. Prior to that, the usage of Moldings in Germanic Basses or lack of Moldings were kind of mixed as were the methods of making from Shops, to Factories to Individuals.

If it's a German 'thing' by nature as far as inception goes then maybe it was robust durability that they were after. One thing that can be said about German engineering overall is; 'they build them strong'. Basses, Doors, Tanks.. you get the picture..

Strong doesn't always equate to 'good' especially where sound is concerned.

[Ken Smith]

Originally Posted by Arnold Schnitzer

Maker #1 "I haff a goot ideah".

Maker #2 "Vaht?"

Maker #1 "Vee add linings on zee outside, too. Zen zee seams vill stay closed no mattah vaht!"

Maker #2 "You vill be known forever as genius!"

Whatsamatta you??