ISB Rochester, June 2013

[Ken Smith]

Originally Posted by Ken Smith

I have all the basses packed and will be leaving the office soon. I will return on June 10th.

Ok, I am back, sort of. Not yet in the office but back. I hope to be back in full swing by Wednesday. I will be catching up on work Monday and Tuesday.

I have plenty of stories to tell as time allows.

For one, Leon Bosch gave a great concert/recital. In the audience was Stefano Sciascia, Enrico Fagone and Eugene Levinsion. I had dinner with Leon (and our wifes as well) and discussed his introduction. Usually they just mention the name and then they walk in. In Leon's case, some people don't know him and almost no one knows what he does with the discovery of music that has been hidden from the world or never performed on Double bass. From that discussion, we agreed that I would be the best person to introduce him. The announcer basically just introduced me to introduce him. The applause for my introduction was a bit more then I had expected, much more. When Leon and his Pianist entered, I said, "maybe they are just glad I stopped talking".. lol

Leon used the Bollbach Lion. The following day, I put Leon on the phone with Jeff Bollbach. Jeff was quite pleased as was Leon to meet the maker (by voice) of a bass he truly admires.

A few days before the show I received an email from Chris Brown, long time principal bassist with the Minnesota Chamber Orchestra (and just retired) and also the author of a book on historical bass bows. At the Penn State ISB in 2009, we ended up displaying in the same room with his collection of Bows and 6 of my basses. For this show, we both requested a shared display location as well. In that email, Chis asked me if I would like to play a part in his recital of a bass quartet. One piece by Charles Ives (the Indian) was arranged for 4 double basses, Voice and Piano. During the rehearsal a day before, he showed me another part we can do with 4 basses as well. Then, there was one more with for 2 basses (Vocal and piano). On all 3 pieces, I was the Pizz guy playing the continuo part but some bowing on one piece and more of a jazz part on one of the other three. So, I was playing at the convention as well. That was fun. Chris has a beautiful old Italian bass and two of the other players borrowed basses from my display, the Panormo school and Panormo copy basses. I played on the Hart. I received a great compliment from Stefano Sciascia who had his sound check right after ours the morning of the concert. The Hart cut thru the other three basses and I was not playing hard at all. One other bassist I know, a principal player of an orchestra down south said that the Hart sounded fantastic. So, I think after that, I have to hold on to it.

Also, Sciasica played my Italian Marconcini school bass in the beginning of the week and on the last day came and played it again. He loved the bass and told me "don't sell this bass!". He was quite impressed by the bass but the people watching him play, including me were quite impressed bu his touch and romantic trial of a bass which he seemed not able to stop playing for about 15-20 minutes. I missed his recital because I had to get back to the room right after packing up but having him play for a few of us just a few feet away was something that I considered better than a rehearsed program.

There were many great players there of all ages and just minutes before I started packing the basses to return home, in walks Steve Bailey and Vistor Wooten to play on some of the basses. That was a surprise..

[Shawn Charniga]

Chris Brown is a great guy; glad to hear he's doing well. He was very helpful to me when I was trying to find a more appropriate home for a period bow I ended up with.

[Ken Smith]

Originally I had listed the 6 Basses I was bringing to the show with a possibility of a few more coming via Luthier Mike Magee in Pittsburgh.

On Monday afternoon, the day before the opening of the exhibits, Magee drove up with 4 more basses;

1 - The Hofner with the neck re-set for easier playability, new bridge that's taller and some set-up tweaks. This 5er is a breeze to play on. Set-up for Orchestra playing with Pirastro Permanents with a low B (or C if one prefers) and tuned in 4ths up to G.

2 - The Uebel with the neck re-set as well to access the upper notes over the shoulders better as well as an added E capped C-Extension. The Top was also removed and some touch-up repairs done to clean up the restoration from about a year earlier. The set-up was also tweaked on this bass.

3 - The Panormo copy with a full set-up, neck re-set and a chromatic C-Extension. This bass looks and sounds like a Monster.

4 - A new acquisition from 2011 made by Mario Bandini in 1980. A beautiful looking and sounding Italian bass. This was also restored internally as well as a neck re-set and a chromatic C-Extension.

So, all of these basses are back at my shop now and awaiting visits from interested customers. Very few basses actually sell AT the Shows directly. In 2009 I brought 6 basses and sold 5 of them within a few months of the show. Most of them related in one way or another from being at the show. I sold some Bows as well from the last show and also this show as well. There seemed to be quite a bit of Bow traffic at the Show than bass traffic in the sales from what I saw and heard.

I do want to make a mention that I now have 3 new C-Extensions from the shop of Mike Magee in Pittsburgh and they are very nicely made. At the show, I had C-Extensions from 3 different Luthiers and they were all made in a similar manner but different with the personal touch and styles from each individual Luthier. They were each made for a different bass so no two extensions are alike, even from the same Luthier.

[Ken Smith]

I just got an Email from Leon Bosch showing a picture of me doing the introduction for his recital. I was explaining from the looks of my hands, his string height on his personal basses. 11mm/G to 13mm/E with orchestra strings and then tuned up a whole step for solo playing. The Bass he borrowed from me was only slightly raised to 6-7mm/G which he took a few days to get used to.

[Ken Smith]

Here's Leon talking to the audience in the middle of the recital.

[Ken Smith]

Here is Leon picking out his Bass for the recital.

From Leon Bosch's Facebook post.

[Ken Smith]

I just got a beautiful email from Stefano Sciascia, the great Italian bassist, soloist and professor with some pictures his wife Laura took of him with my Italian Marconcini school bass, nick named 'Scallopini' for its rare outer corner blocks.