Scallopini...

[Ken Smith]

Originally Posted by Ken Smith

The Label is old but that was a Lute maker. I don't know if the label is real or not but doubtful. Maybe the Label was faked when the bass was made about 200 years ago but not 420 years ago. That maker however DID produce Viola d'Gambas in Guitar Form as introduced a century earlier by Spain known as the Leg Viol. Perhaps he made this bass in the style of Brensio, his Italian name. He worked in Bologna.

On this Bass, one dealer said years ago that it looked similar to two other basses he had seen by the name of Lod Parisini. When I recently inquired about his assumption he told me about the two basses and who owned them. One of them is not far from me and when Arnold last visited me with the Storioni copy last December, he brought the Bass and owners husband with THAT very same bass to compare. The Bass has stamped on the tuner plates, Lod Parisini, Bologna 1813. It has the same body, shape, angled sloped shouldered roundback but more refined as far as the Violin shape.

About the writing on the label; http://dolcecano.blogspot.com/

I recently sent pictures of this bass to a very experienced and knowledgeable Bass maker/Dealer in Italy and he thinks it's from Bologna. So like the Parisini I examined from Bologna(1813) and the old label in the bass as well from Bologna (dated 1590) I think it is at least as possible that the Bass is from *Bologna so I will go with that for now. I still believe the bass is from 1790-1800 at the latest.

[Ken Smith]

Ok guys, look at these pics for comparison and tell me if the heads or bodies look at all similar. These are 3 different basses shown, 'borrowed' from 2 other websites on-line.

[Matthew Tucker]

Well ... I'll stick my neck out and say no, I don't see enough similarities between the photo pairs to think the basses are from the same model or form or maker's hand. Yes there are some similarities but enough differences as well to cancel them out, in my mind.

That long head is interesting; its length and line doesn't seem to match the body it is attached to! (and no I realise it's not attached to the cornerless below it!)

[Ken Smith]

Originally Posted by Matthew Tucker

Well ... I'll stick my neck out and say no, I don't see enough similarities between the photo pairs to think the basses are from the same model or form or maker's hand. Yes there are some similarities but enough differences as well to cancel them out, in my mind.

That long head is interesting; its length and line doesn't seem to match the body it is attached to! (and no I realize it's not attached to the cornerless below it!)

Both basses above, head and body are made by or attributed to members of the Marconcini family. I have pictures on file of another bass by a Marconcini as well, Giuseppe supposedly. Mainly they worked in Ferrara but one of them, Luigi, worked first in Bologna and then in Ferrara. I see only similarities myself but Luigi built lutes and Viols besides Violins and Basses. I was just on a hunt when I found these when looking for makers in Bologna that made Guitars and Basses as that's what my bass looks like, a combo of the two.

The Bass I examined that was stamped 'Lod Parisini' on the tuner plate is a puzzle as well. Was he the bass maker, the gear maker, an owner of the bass like with the name 'Dragonetti' we have seen on some plates? So, without confirmation on even Parisini being the maker of that bass, I am still looking. Bologna is what some thinks it resembles in style and the list of possible makers for style and period is short.

[Ken Smith]

Ok, we are working on the Page for the Scallopini. We have a basic page in the works but not yet linked for the public. Should be ready shortly. The Pictures did not come out as good as I would like in the color mainly. We will either work on the color of the pictures or take new pics and replace them.

In the mean time, Click here to see it. You will also notice that I have the bass attributed to the 'Marconcini School'. From all of my research to date including the pictures I have seen of Basses from Marconcini, I think this is a close match in the period of that Bologna/Ferrara style.

I welcome any comments from the readers here. I would love to know who really made this bass. It is a one-of-a-kind from what I have seen.

Here we go again, another 'Name that Bass' thread..