Choosing the 'right' Bass for you...

[Ken Smith]

Originally Posted by Ken McKay

I love a good http://contrabbassi.it/eng/archivio.html Martini.

That Martini was probably one of his last basses made as he died in 1957. I have seen in person another one like that (not quite as fancy) from around 1946 or so if I recall correctly. On this bass, he was 61 years old when it was made. On mine, he was only about 25-26 years old. He reportedly learned from the great Stefano Scarampella. This was before or around the same time that Gattano Gadda (his only 'recorded' pupil) began training with him. Martini's early basses look quite different than his later ones but look like his hand regardless. I have seen 3 or 4 basses from 1919-1926 and 2 from 1946-1954 as seen above in the link.

Martini was a stout man and a bass player as well, starting his training on the bass at age 14. This bass I have which is his oldest known bass may have been made for himself. The rear back/button carvings are more elaborate than the 1921 and 1926 models I have seen and the ff-eyes on top are wider spaced than another 1926 model that was played years before by a Philly orch. player. The wider eyes allows for a wider bridge and bassbar-soundpost placement resulting in greater depth. The bridge on the Martini is still only about a 155mm size but if it was only able to take a 150, the sound might not be as deep overall.

The Link you show is from Sergio Scaramelli who owned and restored MY Martini back in 1999. He came to the ISB and when looking at 'his' old Martini 10 years later remarked that this was a very early bass for Martini, perhaps the first one made.

I do know this however, if it gets sold anytime soon, it will be missed as I don't have another Bass that feels so comfortable. I do however own TWO cornerless basses, not just the one that you know, the Storioni. The 2nd one was about 42" SL or slightly bigger but a beautiful shape in the shoulders. That Bass could turn out even more comfortable than the Storioni as far as the note reach over the shoulders go. The Storioni has to be shortened from a 44.5" mensur to 42" or less. I haven't shown any pictures of this other bass because it was so far out on the schedule that I didn't want to be answering questions for 2 or 3 years on a bass I had little experience with. Regardless, besides the Martini, the Gilkes is the second most comfortable bass I currently have 'play-ready' but for different reasons. I would go to the Gilkes if the Martini was sold as far as it stands now.