Lutherie

Trade Secrets: Using Baker-style mechanics on a double bass

2022-09-28T09:36:00

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How to fit these brass pegs, gears and tuners, as used by English bass makers in times gone by

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By Stefan Krattenmacher

Double bass maker based in Ettenheim, Germany

Shortly after arriving in London, I started using copies of the old ‘Baker-style’ tuners for my basses. For me, it was inspiring to see how the English craftsmen of the 18th and 19th centuries were masters at working with brass.

Since my pegbox narrows quite a bit towards the scroll, the first three brackets with the worm gear are the same size, whereas the last one, for the A string, has a smaller worm gear. I start the fitting with the G-string tuner, because the G string has the smallest diameter of the four strings and it can run at a steeper angle from the upper saddle into the tuner’s string hole, more easily than the thicker E string…

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