Guitar and Pear-Shaped

[Ken Smith]

Originally Posted by Mike Pecanic

ok,ok, so there is no corner blocks? Just the top and bottom?

Mike, I am so sorry. You posted that about 3 years ago while I was typing up my post on page one/1 of this thread about the same time. In reading back over it just now I noticed that you were never replied to. I don't think anyone intended to ignore you at all. It's just that I missed it and the subject direction was changed when they started talking here about making a new bass.

Yes, just top and bottom blocks to answer your question. No corner blocks at all. Also, the ribs are made from 2 pieces usually, one on each side.

I have since acquired a quasi-cornerless bass that is in restoration. The Ribs are 2 pieces but the top and back has corners but not like we are used to seeing. They hook a bit downwards instead of coming to an evenly shaped blunt corner. There are small scalloped blocks 'outside' on the ribs supporting the corners. A total of 8 of these mini scalloped blocks. This bass is nicknamed 'Scallopini'.

This bass does not look in shape or outline like the typical guitar-shaped double bass. It looks kind of normal for a handmade Italian bass. It has a round-back with an upper angle break and sloped shoulders. The back I think is Walnut, Italian/European and with some flame cut on the slab, not quartered. The ribs seem un-figured but might be Italian walnut as well.

[Ken Smith]

Today after another brief discussion with Arnold who is restoring the 'ex-Riccardi bass' I have decided to remove the Storioni attribution from the listing and change it officially to "Italian Guitar Model Bass, Italy, 18th Century".

When I first bought the Bass a well known historian that knew the Bass said it was not Storioni or even Cremona and most likely 19th century. When two prominent Bass Luthiers looked inside the bass their estimates were approximately mid-18th century, give or take a few decades.

Now that the Bass is opened up and getting worked on the 1750 or so estimate looks more likely than anything near the 19th century. Who actually made it? I don't really know, I wasn't there! Perhaps in the future something will come along and tell us more. I did see a slightly similar Scroll/pegbox on another Italian Bass but that had I think a replaced Back and was not cornerless. The FFs were different as well but, the Scroll was close and maybe not a match for the Bass it was on.

When I first heard of this Bass for sale about a year or two before getting it I was told it was a Rogeri. When I bought it the name was changed back to Storioni which it had been called before it was a Rogeri. Perhaps the Bass going to market was the reason for all the famous name calling.

This by no means in itself lessens the greatness of this Double Bass but it does relieve me in the 'burden of proof' if it were to be sold. Regardless, it will not change the asking price either!

[Ken McKay]

Chet atkins playing guitar in front of a cornerless player http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n-c66SJPuUI

And if you look close you can see Ken Smith in the background next to to girl with the poodle dress.

[Ken Smith]

Originally Posted by Ken McKay

Chet atkins playing guitar in front of a cornerless player http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n-c66SJPuUI

And if you look close you can see Ken Smith in the background next to to girl with the poodle dress.

Wow, who is that guy playing the Cornerless bass and where is that thing now. That bass is way way out of his league..

It looks a bit like my bass but I doubt that it is. I think..

Me next to a girl when I was 2 or 3 years old?

[Eric Swanson]

A couple years ago I was with my daughter, watching one of the first (earliest) "Concerts for Young People" DVDs that the NYPhil put out. I noticed that there was a cornerless bass near the far end of the section. This particular film was from the very late 50s or very early 60s.

I wrote the archivist at the orchestra, hoping to figure out who was playing that bass. While the (kind, patient, remarkably helpful) archivist provided a interesting, comprehensive list of all the section members (and the various orchestras that evolved into the NYPhil), he could not tell me anything about the instruments themselves.

So, the pear-shaped instrument that was in that section went somewhere. Anyone know who plays it now?

Whoever was playing it in the NYPhil was definitely not the same player in the Chet Atkins clip. If it was the same person, he dramatically changed his left hand technique for the other gig .

[Dave Martin]

Originally Posted by Ken Smith

Wow, who is that guy playing the Cornerless bass and where is that thing now. That bass is way way out of his league..

It looks a bit like my bass but I doubt that it is. I think..

Me next to a girl when I was 2 or 3 years old?

I've posted a link to the video to a group of the old Nashville recording industry folks, but I haven't had a response yet. One session drummer suggested that the clip might have been from a show called "Midwestern Hayride", which was broadcast from Cincinnati, but so far, I haven't had a good answer as to who the player was.

I know - I'll ask Bob Moore...

[Dave Martin]

That's Ernie Newton playing bass. I haven't yet found out more about his bass.

[Ken Smith]

Originally Posted by Dave Martin

if y'all don't know who Bob Moore is, you should do a search; you could make a pretty strong argument that Bob invented country bass. He started his session career in 1949 and played on something around 10,000 sessions, including the ones that gave us all of Patsy Cline's hits, all of Marty Robbins' hits and even the Elvis records that were recorded in Nashville, like "Teddy Bear". He also played on records by Jim Reeves, Johnny Horton, Roy Orbison, Ray Price, Brenda Lee, Paul Simon (that's him on The Boxer) and a zillion others. And by the way, he still plays great. But I digress...

According to Bob,that's Ernie Newton playing bass, Louis Ennis on rhythm guitar and Marvin Hughes on piano. Ernie played with (among others) Bill Monroe, Earl Scruggs, The Osborne Brothers and Kitty Wells. In other words, he's a more seasoned (and better) bassist than this video makes it appear. I'm trying to find out now if Ernie is still alive, and what happened to the bass.

Ok, but unless he was known for playing a Cornerless bass, this isn't the place to talk about him. Show me a picture of him with an Italian or Spanish Guitar shaped bass and then we are in business..

I don't think the population of Italian or Spanish basses has any familiarity at all with the names mentioned above, sorry.