Recent Italians..

[Ken Smith]

I recently bought a 1981 Guiseppe Lombardi Bass. The Top is slab cut as well as the Poplar Back and Ribs. If this Bass were 200 years old, you would call it a Testore or something similar. Lombardi's Basses (I have seen about 7 of them, 3 in person) have that old school look to them while his contemporary down in Naples the Sirleto Bros. make Basses with better looking materials like quarter cut wood.

Since about the 1970s there have been many new Italian Bass makers popping up and it has not been this strong in our lifetime.

Personally, I own several 20th century Italian Basses now and it's nice to know the 'Art' is still alive and thriving in our own time.