Guitar and Pear-Shaped

[Ken Smith]

Originally Posted by Ken Smith

Yea, you can say is does. Wait till I post the pics. It's coming home tomorrow.

I just posted this on the d'Salo Thread. I will make a page for my website in the next day or so and then post the link or pics. It needs a huge restoration but it is playable now. If I don't play it as much as I can now, it could easily be a year before the Bass is fully restored not to mention settled back into its old sound again.

I have posted a new thread for this Bass under the Italian School titled Cornerless Italian Bass as this is a perfect example of how the Italians stood alone on making some of the greatest Basses ever.

[David Powell]

A very sweet aquisition indeed!! Now that you've got a bonafide one of these, I can't wait to get all the details on it. Thanks for posting the measurements. I'm so used to the gamba form it is hard for me to think of these as double basses. This is one with the sloping shoulders. One has to wonder why one shape dominated and the other is so much rarer.

Oh, by the way, I post sometimes somewhere's else as:

SILVERSORCERER


(gotta love that smilie!!!)

[Ken McKay]

Here is the start of a new cornerless bass that I am building.
www.upnorthstrings.com/cornerlessbass.html

[Bob Branstetter]

Originally Posted by Ken McKay

Here is the start of a new cornerless bass that I am building.
www.upnorthstrings.com/cornerlessbass.html

I had never thought about making a cornerless bass, but after seeing yours...

You mentioned that you acquired the wood from Fred Lyman about 10 years ago. What was the length of the ribs? I wonder if any of the usual suspects (wood suppliers) would be willing or are able to cut rib wood in the length required for cornerless bass?

I took the opportunity to look at the rest of your website. I love that bass photo with the Chicken!

[Ken McKay]

Hi Bob,

The rooster helps me with some finishing when he is not busy, he is very good with a gray pad.

As for the wood, I got the top wood from Fred Lyman with some other back and side wood. This top is from Fred but the back and sides are from Battenkill. I got a couple big slabs from him and sliced them into backs and sides. I have enough for a couple more basses.

It is an interesting project and I am going by the seat of the pants method. But that is the most fun, isn't it?

My plan was approved by Paul Warburton so I should be okay on that front.

[Mike Pecanic]

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

[Ken Smith]

Wood for ribs and back can be any length. I have had maple as long as 16' and walnut at 12' is not uncommon either. 8-10' is more of an average. I sold wood to Arnold for his Ergo II Bass and recently supplied him with some Claro Walnut for a Testore model he is making and some flamed Imbuia (brazillian walnut nick named) for a Bass he will make in the future.

[Bob Branstetter]

Originally Posted by Ken Smith

Wood for ribs and back can be any length. I have had maple as long as 16' and walnut at 12' is not uncommon either. 8-10' is more of an average. I sold wood to Arnold for his Ergo II Bass and recently supplied him with some Claro Walnut for a Testore model he is making and some flamed Imbuia (brazillian walnut nick named) for a Bass he will make in the future.

You probably can do long resawing in your shop, but the average guy needs to have someone do that before he buys it. Most of the places where I get big leaf maple from don't even like to resaw 48" long for 9-10" wide ribs. Even at that, I have to do the thicknessing myself.

[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!