This was the house bass to the famed Cincinnati (Pike’s) Opera house that burnt down in 1903. The bass was saved from the fire and kept in the same family as a keepsake of their bassist Great Grandfather. Nobody has played the bass for over 120 years! It still smelled heavily of smoke and had quite a bit of coal dust inside. Coal was used to heat most buildings and in the winters the smoke would get caught in the valley making it hard to see across the street. The bass was in horrible shape and we debated quite a while before we decided to repair the instrument. The repairs far outweighed the value of the bass… We decided the bass must be saved!!
Luckily the bass sounds and looks fantastic. This is a real players instrument, being hugely responsive and powerful. The bass went through what we estimate was a $35k restoration and complete set-up. Come play this Cincinnati treasure!
