We are listing again an 1844 Moses Tewkesbury double bass, an instrument clearly akin to our 1845 Abraham Prescott. Beautifully restored with a low B-extension, this bass also has the low pipe-organ authority that has made Prescott basses famous.
By the mid 1840’s Abraham Prescott had a thriving shop in Concord, New Hampshire with 13 employees. These builders worked in assembly-line fashion, with specialists bending ribs, carving tops, carving scrolls, assembling and varnishing. Prescott also owned his own sawmill to source instrument-grade wood for his instruments.
Moses Tewkesbury had worked for years in Prescott’s shop and began building instruments in his Chester, New Hampshire shop 30 miles to the south. This bass bears signature Prescott details. Striking out on his own, he clearly had knowledge of building an entire bass – but one can’t help but wonder how much he also leaned on his former employer for tonewood and parts?
