Prescott 3 String Double Bass: Museum Object and Cultural History

The object in the museum catalogue

This Double Bass was made by Abraham Prescott in Concord, New Hampshire., around 1831-1833. It is a three-string instrument in pieces, not assembled. It has a four-piece table of pine, back of American maple in two pieces with a small wing in the upper left bout, bearing fine irregular horizontal figure, ribs of plain slab-cut maple inlaid into a channel cut in the table and back, neck, pegbox and scroll of plain maple, with three mechanical tuners, opaque reddish-brown varnish. This instrument has an original printed label:

MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS. ABRAHAM PRESCOTT MANUFACTURER AND DEALER IN MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS OF EVERY DESCRIPTION, NEARLY OPPOSITE THE AMERICAN HOTEL, Dickey, Print. CONCORD, N.H.

(and three mechanical tuners bearing the composite brand stamp):

This three-string instrument is unrepaired and retains all original features and fittings except the bottom block. The instrument is in viol shape with a flat back, sloping at the shoulder. The upper and lower f-hole wings are not completely cut out, so the ends of the wings remain connected to the table.

Abraham Prescott (1789-1858) was one of the most prolific of the bass viol makers. A self-taught instrument maker, he began his craft in Deerfield, New Hampshire, in 1809 and moved his business to Concord in 1831, where he continued to make violoncellos, bass viols, and double basses (and later reed organs and pianos) until about 1850. Prescott instruments are often fitted with machine-head tuning gears instead of more usual pegs.

Materials, dates and provenance

• date made: 1831-1833
• maker: Prescott, Abraham
• Object Name: Double Bass
• Physical Description: pine (overall material)
• Physical Description: maple (overall material)
• Physical Description: metal (overall material)
• Measurements: overall: 14 3/4 in x 25 in x 78 in; 37.465 cm x 63.5 cm x 198.12 cm
• place made: United States: New Hampshire, Concord
• ID Number: 1981.0866.01
• catalog number: 1981.0866.01
• accession number: 1981.0866
• Data Source: National Museum of American History

Sources and reuse

Catalogue descriptions and facts adapted from National Museum of American History through the Smithsonian's official Open Access dataset. This record explicitly marks its metadata CC0 1.0; formatting and selection have been changed.