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Ken Smith
04-25-2008, 05:59 PM
I recently bought a 1981 Guiseppe Lombardi Bass (http://www.kensmithbasses.com/doublebasses/lombardi/). The Top is slab cut as well as the Poplar Back and Ribs. If this Bass were 200 years old, you would call it a Testore or something similar. Lombardi's Basses (I have seen about 7 of them, 3 in person) have that old school look to them while his contemporary down in Naples the Sirleto Bros. (http://www.kensmithbasses.com/doublebasses/Sirleto/Sirleto.htm) make Basses with better looking materials like quarter cut wood.

Since about the 1970s there have been many new Italian Bass makers popping up and it has not been this strong in our lifetime.

Personally, I own several 20th century Italian Basses now and it's nice to know the 'Art' is still alive and thriving in our own time.

Matthew Tucker
06-03-2008, 09:40 AM
Is your Lombardi "antiqued" on the inside as well?

Ken Smith
06-03-2008, 11:25 AM
Is your Lombardi "antiqued" on the inside as well?

I don't see any signs of Antiquing at all. Just Italian workmanship, tool marks and all. Also, he uses stepped hardwood linings inside like those used by J.F. Lott Snr.

Matthew Tucker
06-04-2008, 05:30 PM
By stepped linings do you mean made with two laminations, one narrower than the other?

Ken Smith
06-04-2008, 05:55 PM
By stepped linings do you mean made with two laminations, one narrower than the other?

Without taking it apart I can't examine it perfectly but it appears to have a small strip of Lining and then even a smaller one up against it and they both appear to be Maple but might be Poplar like the Back and Ribs. I have only seen this one other time and it was on a J.F.Lott Bass but only in the C-Bout areas.

I am assuming that the rest of the Lining was replaced since Lott made the Bass about 180 years ago or so and has been repaired many times over.

My Loveri had something similar but the inner Lining strip was double wide and the outer overlay strip was normal. The outer strip was removed during its recent restoration and the inner strip trimmed back about 1/2 way as this was choking the Rib vibrations.

In the case of the Lombardy and the Lott the hardwood Lining width is reduced but has at least as much strength as a wider 'Fir' type species often used. The stepped Linings give more gluing surface for the Top and Back while the shallower depth of the wider (but still narrow) inner strip allows the Ribs to vibrate more freely while still having strength being some type of hardwood.

This is just my take on the 'why' they both did it.

Ken Smith
08-10-2012, 01:26 AM
When I first got this bass, it had some old Flat-Chromesteel strings on it. As I often do with basses when they come in if playable, I take them out to a rehearsal and see how it works and what it needs. This time, I had a last minute concert and thought it would be a good time to test the bass. At the end of the concert, the conductor complimented me on my sound. This is rare for him to do.

Shortly after, the bass went out for the needed set-up improvements which included a new fingerboard, nut, bridge and whatever else came up. As it turned out, an old back repair had opened during the first USA cold dry winter here after arriving from a more humid Italian climate. The Back came off and the traditional braces were replaces by a modified slant/x-brace system that had recently been put in another bass of mine and improved the sound as well as stabilize the flatback. The results on the Lombardi with this modification was no less.

After sitting in my rack at the shop and only being played on occasion, I decided it was time to take it out again and see for myself how the bass sounds in an orchestra since all the work as settled in.

Tonight I played the bass out for the first time in about 4 years doing about 5 Opera pieces at a rehearsal-only orchestra in Philadelphia. With Siprocore solo strings, the bass sounded great with power, deep tone and an extreme ease of playability. On some basses, solo Reds can sound thin, especially under the Bow. I have had tried some other sets on this bass including Belcantos briefly and a mixed set or Flex 92s with a Perm E which were very old strings that came off of 3 different basses at different times. The slightly used Belcantos sounded great but I needed them back on the other bass they came off of. The solo Reds were tried briefly on that same bass the Bel's came from so the Yellow/Red's went on the Lombardi and sounded great.

Now that I have tried this bass again after 4 years, I am pleasantly surprised how well it sounds comparatively to the other basses I have tried in that same orchestra this summer including the Hart, Marconcini school and the Bollbach Lion.

I think I have a new bass-friend here, the Lombardi. :cool: