3 Cornerless for Sale
 

Have you seen these interesting basses on the ISB site?

http://www.isbworldoffice.com/bass-sell.asp

http://www.isbworldoffice.com/images...anea-Large.jpghttp://www.kensmithbasses.com/double...front-full.jpg

That bass is a short string langth (40.35", 102.5cm), where as my Scallopini is now 41 1/4" but was closer to 43" with the previous neck. The body length is also close to 44" on mine so despit the smaller look, its a regular 3/4 bass. Many of these Guitar basses are small in design but some of them are bigger full Orchestra sized basses.

I've seen the pictures but never had the bass in my hands. It's in Spain I think. I have seen pics of many Italian basses with outside corner blocks. These corners look rounded over and the outer corners probably glued on the one piece ribs. My Scallopini bass has tiny blocks outside and cornerless inside as well. I once had an old Italian bass in the shop to examine internally with outer glued on cornerblocks and it was all cornerless inside as well.

Nice idea but with the long single floating ribs on each side, besides the slight sound difference, I think it can pull more on the top and crack itself more easily than cornered basses. When the bass moves, something has to give. The ribs on my Scallopini bass (Marconcini school) hardly look their age. The top shows its age easily but the back is fairly healthy with mainly only a center seam repair within the last century.

Another way of thinking about it, is that without the stiffening corner blocks, the whole assembly is more flexible, so when the top or back moves with humidity, so does everything else, meaning the top and back is less likely to crack.

In a way Matt but the back woods if maple are more flexible than spruce or pine. Also, the pressure of the strings is directly on the top with some on the stronger back wood via the soundpost if a roundback without a center brace.

We don't know how the woods were aged in these old basses and with various thicknesses and designs, science is hard to apply here. I think 'in theory' is about as good as we can do. Then, hope for the best! ;)

my point, exactly! :-)

Any comments on these also for sale on the ISB site? I'm not sure if you saw them.

Yes, I know of both those basses and I think I played the Baldontoni in 2009. It is a fairly small bass. I think my Marconcini bass is much better and better priced than either of those regardless of the past owner of the other bass.

If you are looking for an old Italian guitar shaped bass for a great price, I have it. Just come and play it. My bass is perfectly shaped for playing and is not a small bass by average standards. The new neck graft with a D-Heel and deeper block set brought it 'down' to 41 1/4" mensur from closer to 43" with an Eb neck when I got the bass. I have played mine in the Orchestra next to a full sized '80s Pollmann Maggini roundback used in pro orchestras and there was no problem hearing me with or over him doing Mozart 36. The Violas and Cellos around me (as I was tucked in between their last chairs) keep looking over at the bass during rehearsal and commented how beautiful the tone was. In the distance, it's as loud as my Hart/Maggini model bass and that's a professional orchestra pedigee classic. Many of the other smaller guitar basses are only suitable for chamber or solo work as they were originally intended for. This one of mine is as long a body length as any of my other 3/4 basses or even longer than some.

When Stefano Sciascia played it at this last ISB, he commented to me, "don't sell this bass!". He played it the first day or the show and the last day as well when he came to try my Slaviero bow and picked the Marconcini model to try it in. With a smile on his face while playing it I asked, "so how is the Bow?".. He commented, "I am not listening to the Bow, I am listening to the bass". So in the end, he never told me anything about the bow I wanted him to test for me but did mesmerize us for about 15 minutes of ad-lib playing on the bass.

Hi there,

I thought I'd share that I recently bought this Guillami at Thomas Martin's shop.
This was the same 1767 Joan Guillami bass that Anton Torello used throughout his career for solo playing.

I was wondering if anyone has and photos of Gary Karr actually playing it.

While the link lasts:
http://www.thomasmartin.co.uk/instru.../joan-guillami

Why not just ask Gary Karr?

I think I will.