Quote:
Originally Posted by Eric Rene Roy
It just never made sense to me to have a canted back, other than to gain playability (which I believe can be done other ways). I like to approach the bass like it's a giant cello...if I reduce my thoughts on this subject to the simplest comparison.
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In my opinion, it's the 'giant cello' syndrome of makers in the past that made necessary all of the cut down basses we have seen made all over Europe.
Eric, I do not know all of your personal experience of playing bass or of owning/playing old basses that were cut or should have been. I have owned quite a few that were cut, some that were not and some that could have been. I also have over 4 decades of playing the bass under my belt. Just ask Arnold how much that belt has had to be loosened over the years!
For me, you can take those 'giant cellos' of bass design and .. well.. you get my drift.
As far as a canted or angle bent back which is what I think you are referring to, I don't know of a single orchestra sized d'Salo, Maggini or English copy of one that has ever had to be cut down.
Currently, my Hart bass is one of the easiest to reach the upper register because of this cant/angle break despite its fairly wide upper bouts. That coupled with the rib depth that looks like a half sized bass sitting in the rack beside the 4/4 Panormo school bass I have. The Panormo having massive rib depth, massive top and back arch and wide upper bouts is still more playable with the canted round bent upper back then it would be at that size shaped like a cello.
I have played this monster in Concert and I was very comfortable on it. It was a bit of a stretch as compared to playing the Hart but still, it was playable.
The other alternative is gradually tapering the rib depth from the lower block to the upper corner and then sloping it more towards the neck with a gentle back bend getting the width as the neck block close to 6" or so. Two of my biggest basses that have/had their original shoulders (only a block cut for string length) have under 6" rib depth at the neck as does the Hart and Cornerless as well. A few others measured around 6 1/2" give or take an 1/8th".
Cello shaped shoulders and ribs combined make for a difficult time playing all the registers as needed in Orchestra bass playing and I don't mean solo playing.