J B Vuillaume

[Ken Smith]

Originally Posted by Brian Glassman

The museum says it's a JB Vuillaume. The Octobass is in the same museum a few feet away.

Which bass? The one with the red varnish and painted back 3-string or the golden varnish English looking bass above? I didn't see the English Bass on that website, only here.

[Ken Smith]

From the Back it looks 110% English to me.

My Theory? Well since it is believed for the most part that Vuillaume farmed out the Bass work and the fact that JF Lott Jnr. was his good friend I would say that this one was made in London and possibly by Lott Jnr or Snr. If 1860, Jnr. If 1850, either as the father died in 1853, Jnr. in 1871. Lott Snr. was famed for his DB's even in his own time in London.

[Anselm Hauke]

i remember reading an article about lott and vuillaume (regarding their correspondence/biograpghy/something else i can´t remember) that described vuillaumes visits in london and their trading with instruments (partially in the white).
so i would not be surprised if there is some confusion about who really made and who lacquerd/stamped/labeled which bass ...

[Martin Sheridan]

I don't know which Bernadel made this bass. It was ID'd by a very well know dealer in the southwest. To me it looks like the factory copies I've seen.
There's a picture of a Bergonzi cello shaped bass in Cremonese Double Basses by Duane Rosengard, and there might be a picture of the Bergonzi that Vuillaume reworked?
The Vuillaume I saw looked similar to the pictures above; a nice amber varnish (not all of Vuillaume's varnishes are as succesful) and it had the double button. The outline looks just like the pics of your bass.

The owner of this bass keeps saying she'd like to find something smaller, but that's the problem with many large basses including Panormo.

I have a 3/4 double bass that someone ID'd as an early Vuillaume and said he played on one like it in Russia. It has a nice amber oil varnish but no label. There's a shop in England (Contrabasse) showing a picture of a bass they attribute to Vuillaumes workshop that looks nearly identical.

Vuillaume is such an important maker, you'd think we'd know more about his basses.

[Ken Smith]

Originally Posted by Martin Sheridan

I don't know which Bernadel made this bass. It was ID'd by a very well know dealer in the southwest. To me it looks like the factory copies I've seen.
There's a picture of a Bergonzi cello shaped bass in Cremonese Double Basses by Duane Rosengard, and there might be a picture of the Bergonzi that Vuillaume reworked?
The Vuillaume I saw looked similar to the pictures above; a nice amber varnish (not all of Vuillaume's varnishes are as succesful) and it had the double button. The outline looks just like the pics of your bass.

The owner of this bass keeps saying she'd like to find something smaller, but that's the problem with many large basses including Panormo.

I have a 3/4 double bass that someone ID'd as an early Vuillaume and said he played on one like it in Russia. It has a nice amber oil varnish but no label. There's a shop in England (Contrabasse) showing a picture of a bass they attribute to Vuillaumes workshop that looks nearly identical.

Vuillaume is such an important maker, you'd think we'd know more about his basses.

The Bergonzi on pgs 114-117 in Duane's book I think is the one modified by Vuillaume. As far as us knowing more about Vuillaume's basses because he was an important maker look at his bows! He didn't make them either so why would a busy man like he was bother woth anything other than the Violin or an occassional Cello? What we do believe about him is that he didn't make the basses. The Lott looking Vuillaume was more than likely made in sold 'in the white' from London and varnished by 'someone' in Vuillaume's shop. On the Bass in the CB shop with the sloped shoulders called a Vuillaume, I highly doubt that bass, especially the period in which it's marked as. Just my opinion. It looks more to me like a later Mirecourt school bass.

[Martin Sheridan]

Ken,
Is that Vuillaume/Bergonzi a round back or flat?

[Ken Smith]

Originally Posted by Martin Sheridan

Ken,
Is that Vuillaume/Bergonzi a round back or flat?

From the pictures I would say Flat back of Poplar.