1960s Suzuki 1/2 Double Bass

This cool old Suzuki is a 1/2-size instrument and, while most folks play a 3/4-size, I'm enamored of 1/2 and 1/4-size instruments myself, having grown sick of carting-around a 3/4 for a few years. For most situations in rural Vermont that you're playing acoustic, a smaller bass will carry just fine and if it won't, you're going to be plugged-in anyway.

This Suzuki is Japanese-made and probably dates to the '60s. They're not very common over here (but are, apparently, fairly common over there), and their all-ply construction and sturdy nature makes them roughly equivalent to the Kay or Engelhardt basses that we're all familiar with. The neck's on the bigger side, though, with a chunky, quite-retro profile. Its fingerboard appears to be rosewood with a painted surface and it could really use a good, heavy-handed planing/dressing job, but it still plays "plenty good enough" as it is.

My work was for a customer and I repaired a few seams, recut the bridge, and set it up with a fresh set of Corelli 380M strings for a lighter feel and better sound than what was coming from the strings that were on it.

If it remains here for a while, I will record a different video -- I didn't realize I was woofing the mic the whole time. Sorry!