Guitar and Pear-Shaped

[Ken Smith]

Originally Posted by Arnold Schnitzer

I think cornerless is the best shape for bass sound. The instrument can vibrate more as a unit without stiff corners mucking things up. However, cornerless basses are very difficult to pick up and move around, and the long rib bouts are sitting ducks for long cracks. When I designed my "Ergonomic" bass I envisioned a cornerless, assymetrical blob of a bass. But I added the upper corners so the player could more easily transport the bass, and to help prevent those long cracks.

You know Arnold, I never thought of it that way. Your Ergo Basses have so many other things going on, I never viewed it much as a Cornerless Bass. Does making the upper part a Gamba take away any of the sound you think? Can the ribs be reinforced internally to help prevent long cracks or would that partly defeat the purpose? Could you put a cross strip on the outer Rib for lifting the Bass like moulding as it turns downwards and finish over it like the outer linings on German and some English Basses have?