I've slapped on the world's most expensive bass!

[Ken Smith]

Originally Posted by Joel Larsson

Martin, I hope I was clear on that this bass is the one currently INSURED to the largest amount of money, which isn't exactly the same thing. Bottesini's Testore would also be up there but it's in Japan now and I don't know how they decided on insuring that one... and if Dragonetti's monastery d'Salo was to hit the market, people would go crazy. And yes, the "Amati" will probably sell for quite a neat little sum, being Amati or no...

Speaking of Maggini, how many confirmed are there out there? I only know of two, one in the Stockholm Royal Opera and one which is actually passing through the last stages of restoration in order to be sold by Thomas Martin. Quarrington is said to have one, but I think that is a "Maggini."

*Joel's Bass was appraised a few times as a 'Pietro Santo Maggini' by reputable shops, 3 of 4 appraisals and one of them attributes his bass to Giovanni Paulo Maggini, the real Maggini. I say real because it is believed that Pietro Santo attached the Maggini name to his own after G.P.'s death. Santo (aka Zanetto, the 17th century maker not the 16th century master) worked in Brescia as well but from about 1630-1680. G.P. Maggini died about 1631/2 of the Plague that swept Northern Italy from about 1630. It was believed about a century ago that Pietro Santo was the son or Giovanni Paolo M. but this has since been disproved. I did state before that Joel's Bass is possibly British but that was from a conversation we had by Email and I must go with todays message received by him. I think Joel tried posting this information but had just signed in to the Forum and was not yet approved which we have to do manually. Then I guess he just emailed us thru the Forum because he couldn't post yet. For this I say 'Sorry Joel', I was only posting information I though was accurate.

The one Tom Martin has now may be one I played that was once owned by Walter Botti, NY Phil in the 1960's then it was Dave Pearlman's, Cleve. Orch. and then in Minnesota Orch. and now a wealthy banker/Amatuer friend of Tom who also deals in Basses. That bass is believed by at least one person as old German and others say not Maggini but similar from a later period. Nice deep sounding bass of about 300 years old with very deep ribs.

There was a fair recently and some of it Published in the ISB magazine with a few Maggini's and a 'd'Salo. One Maggini is in the National Symphony as well. Robertson's has or had one as well. I am not 100% sure but might be the same as in the National or maybe another one.

*On Maggini it is also important to take a few actual facts into consideration when trying to ID a genuine Maggini or disclaim one. The FFs on the Maggini have two distinct features or actually three if you take into account the bevel of the cut which is not easily noticed at a glance. What is easy to see are the f-hole eyes, their related diameter between the upper and lower and the narrow width itself which Maggini did for tonal reasons. The upper f-eyes on the average string instrument are smaller than the lower eyes. On a Maggini, the upper eyes are either the same or slightly larger diameter then the lower. This is the smoking gun on Joel's Bass. No tests are needed to see that.

In closing this edited Post I say "hello Joel Quarrington and welcome to the Forum". Hey, if this is how you get someone to join I should continue to mis-attribute a few other famous bass players basses. For those of you not familiar with him let me say that Joel is one of the living greats on the DB. He also is just about the top 5ths tuning master in the DB in the world. Joel is the former Principal of the Toronto Symphony.

I hope this error in Bass attribution turns our meeting here on the forum into something positive with Joel answering a few questions from time to time.

Now Joel, we need pictures of your wonderful bass posted here. There just isn't enough to see of it on your website or anywhere else on the web. We welcome a closer look at your Italian classic.