The Great English Double Basses

[Ken Smith]

Laminated to the bottom Rib at the tail-block is a business card/label under the Varnish. This is actually a separate piece grafted/spliced wood to the bottom Ribs at the Block and looks to be a very old repair. The business card is under some very dark varnish and hard to read but seems to say;
__________________________________________________ _____

Messrs. Bird & Sons
56 Berwick St. 1 Door from Oxford St.
for instructions .............................
50 Double Basses on Sale from 8 to 100 guineas
The Double Bass and 40 Music Stands can be had on hire
Professional Gentlemen have a double bass at a moderate price
__________________________________________________ _____

When I told this news of the "J.HART" stamps to Duane Rosengard he responded by saying how rare a find this was. 'Olde' Bird as he was known had personally introduced Samuel Allen (19th century English Bow maker) to W.E. Hill himself! Allen actually set-up the Hill Bow making shop and was one of his top Bow makers. Bird was a 19th century dealer and connoisseur of fine Double Basses in the 19th century.

This Bass was apparently at one time in the possession of 'Bird & Son' as the outer laminated label suggests.

Some of the names we discussed in the old TB thread included; Forster, Hill, Panormo, Dodd, Fendt, Lott, Gilkes, Kennedy, Betts, Tarr, Cole, Devereaux, Baker, Furber, Smith, Allwood, Davies, Wilkins, Brown, Gough, Briggs, Corsby and maybe a few others.

Some of these I introduced and some by others looking for help with IDs on Basses they were looking at.

Please re-introduce those here with 'only' the most current info and get a few names and pics on record of these great English Basses.. Once known as 'The Poor Mans Italian'..