a New Breed...

[carlopetro]

Yes, I have made my inquiry a little too broad I realize now.

Concerning current Canadian makers then; it seems that Canadians are creating very elaborate basses. With the adjustable necks of Jim Ham and Brock Radelet or the magifisicant scrolls of Mario Lamarre. I have never heard or played any of these basses but wondering how then would compare to instruments currently made in the USA or other parts of the world. Just how do Canadian basses rank among others? Of course I’m curious as I am a Canadian!


And although Jacques Gagnon no longer lives in Canada, it seems that his basses are among our most known. And yes Kai Avri is among our most known/popular as well.

How much experience do you have with Canadian basses?

Thx

[Ken Smith]

Originally Posted by carlopetro

Yes, I have made my inquiry a little too broad I realize now.

Concerning current Canadian makers then; it seems that Canadians are creating very elaborate basses. With the adjustable necks of Jim Ham and Brock Radelet or the magifisicant scrolls of Mario Lamarre. I have never heard or played any of these basses but wondering how then would compare to instruments currently made in the USA or other parts of the world. Just how do Canadian basses rank among others? Of course I’m curious as I am a Canadian!


And although Jacques Gagnon no longer lives in Canada, it seems that his basses are among our most known. And yes Kai Avri is among our most known/popular as well.

How much experience do you have with Canadian basses?

Thx

Well, I have heard/seen (maybe played one of them briefly) 2 Arvi basses and they were nice for a new sounding Bass, better than average. I also saw one of Hamm's basses at the VSA here in PA 2 years ago. A guy performed a solo on it in a small room. The Bass did not have a very big sound but was beautifully made. Maybe the sound was the room or the Bass or a bit of both.

My experience is limited to that unless others have slipped my mind, sorry.

[Eric Hochberg]

Peter Elias made a number of basses for the CSO (Chicago) I believe. I think he lives in Switzerland now. A friend of mine bought a Gagnon recently, beautiful sounding but developed a large rib crack that required a major repair. The ribs are pretty thin evidently. A bassist in the Lyric Opera of Chicago plays one also.

[Joel Larsson]

Elias' website: http://www.eliasnotes.com/
His stuff looks real nice. From what I've heard, they're real loud, and makes for very good orchestral instruments.

One of the European makers that's generated the most buzz is Krattenmacher. Check http://www.krattenmacher.com.

For some reason, neither of the two builders provide large enough porn pics, but you get an idea.

[Joel Larsson]

A few more links to some of the major makers of today:
http://www.poellmann-contrabass.de/
http://www.meyer-contrabass.de/eng/i...mo930taluh45h2
http://www.gruenert.com/
http://www.contrabbassi.it/eng/index-eng.html
Some of which are maybe not exactly new on the scene, but...

[Pete George]

Originally Posted by Joel Larsson

Elias' website: http://www.eliasnotes.com/
His stuff looks real nice. From what I've heard, they're real loud, and makes for very good orchestral instruments.

One of the European makers that's generated the most buzz is Krattenmacher. Check http://www.krattenmacher.com.

For some reason, neither of the two builders provide large enough porn pics, but you get an idea.

I've owned and played a Peter Elias 5-string for several years now, and I love it. I searched high and low for a good 5-string, and I've played many by top makers, both vintage and modern.

The Elias (with some nice, minor refinements by Mike Shank) is far and away the best 5-string I've ever played. My teacher wonders whether I don't have the best 5-string bass in the U.S. His words, not mine...