hi folks... i'm new to the forum but was intrigued by this thread. the subject of the "Spanish" photo above is most likely Catalan; though the list describes a "contrabajista en Madrid", my guess is that the player, the bass, or both are from these parts...
there is a relatively unknown tradition of pear-shaped bass luthiery in Catalonia which revolves around the instrument's presence in the "Cobla", or traditional dance orchestra that accompanies the "Sardana", a popular national folk dance one often sees in small towns on Sundays after mass. maybe someone is hip to these groups? the band consists of a flabiol (3-holed flute) player -- sort of a lead alto, if you will -- a few nasty traditional double reed instruments (tibles), a few more double reeds in a lower register (tenores), some trumpets, flugelhorns, valve trombones (or the like), and... the poor, overworked bassist, who pushes the whole thing uphill. with no help from anyone!
the typical instrument is (or was -- nowadays players tend to grab the cheapest, loudest Chinese plywood for the job), as the picture indicates, a slightly squatty pear-shaped bass with 3 gut strings, set up a yard off the fingerboard for maximum thumpage. the nickname for this style of bass is the "Berra" (Boar, a play on "Pera", for pear).
i've been told that there was something of a golden age in the construction of these instruments in the 19th century, esp. in the city of Tortosa, near Valencia. i've played a couple, plus some modern copies, and they're absolutely lovely. very special, a bit cantankerous but svelt. i would love to own one someday, though right now i'm happy with my little French bass, which i was told was imported as the Catalan market petered out.
another contrabassist who plays a beautiful Italian instrument is Stefano Scodaniddbio, new music virtuoso and former Grillo student. <http://www.stefanoscodanibbio.com/photos/gallery14.htm>
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