PDA

View Full Version : Italian A, B, Cs..


Ken Smith
06-02-2007, 10:31 PM
Today, I had the pleasure of playing and listening to an extremely fine Italian Bass. A member/bassist (can't say who here) of one of the top Orchestras on the east coast paid a visit to my shop to try some Basses. To a/b them he brought his Bass to compare. The Cornerless Storioni (http://www.kensmithbasses.com/DoubleBasses/Storioni/Storioni.htm) attr. Bass was his main interest until I brought out my Loveri (http://www.kensmithbasses.com/DoubleBasses/Loveri/Loveri.htm). His Bass is a broad shouldered (un-cut) 18th century 7/8 Italian Bass (or British Bass) bearing a famous label but the Bass is not certified to that maker. Either way, the Bass is as good as if it had been. His Bass had a huge sound that was clear and deep at the same time. My Cornerless Bass had a deeper maybe more complex tone but not as much initial volume. His Bass is in excellent condition and needs no work that I could see. My Bass is in need of a massive complete restoration with several barely glued cracks as well as a host of other problems. The Loveri needs the Back restored as well at the least!

As he was trying the Loveri which actually sounded more on the lines of his Bass but with less sound overall I had to step into my office away from the hallway where he was playing to get something. Then I heard this beautiful deep loud Bass as I was getting up out of my chair. I had assumed he picked up the Cornerless Bass again but when I walked out of my office, there it was on the floor. This I thought to myself 'oh, that's his Bass he's playing now'. When I turned the corner I was just about shocked. He was playing the Loveri! It was going thru my office walls with a thick sweet sound. Then I thought, maybe that Bass is better than just the sound I hear when playing it myself as hearing him play it thru my office walls I gained a new affinity for the Loveri Bass that I've never had.

The A,B,Cs I mentioned in my title relates to the three different shapes of these Basses. One a large Violin Cornered Bass, then the cut-down Pear shaped Loveri Gamba and finally the Cornerless model Bass. The Violin model was the loudest, the Cornerless was the thickest sounding and the cut-Gamba was the punchiest sounding Bass.

Three flavors of 'sweet'..;);)

As he kept going back a last time trying and comparing which there were a few last times, he kept excusing himself for taking up my Saturday morning. Actually, it was one of my best days musically in a long time and Bass tasting as well as I got to watch a great player play some of the parts I have played recently and now have another person to consult on occasion if I need some fingerings..:)