"Ode to Sartory"

[Anselm Hauke]

Originally Posted by Ken Smith

If you wanna see some pics, I can post them in a day or so as soon as I find some time.

Sure, if you don't mind!

[Ken Smith]

Ok, first off this is my personal Bow and not for sale. Also, this is not an ad for Sue. She doesn't need the attention. She's booked I'm sure for longer than she can estimate.

Presenting the Lipkins Sartory;

[David Powell]

That sure looks sweet there Ken. One of these days you are going to post a piece of gear that will get me driving to Pennsylvania so I can hear what I am looking at.

[Ken Smith]

Originally Posted by David Powell

That sure looks sweet there Ken. One of these days you are going to post a piece of gear that will get me driving to Pennsylvania so I can hear what I am looking at.

Ok, so what is it that would get you on the road that I haven't already posted. For me, the Basses that move my bones that I have acquired include the Prescott (amazing condition and sound, sold it), the Dodd (thick and powerful, sold it..), the Gilkes (a powerhouse and one of the most beautiful Basses you will ever see, out for sale as we speak), the Hart (just out of restoration, an awesome Bass and it's mine!) and the Cornerless Bass attributed to Storioni (a sound to just die for). Also, 5 Lipkins Bows and 2 killer Bultitudes (most of them sold..).

I have other better than average good Basses and Bows besides the ones listed above but if my 'A list' hasn't gotten you on the road yet, I don't think anything else will..

[David Powell]

I'm holding out for the restored "Mystery Bass"

[Ken Smith]

Originally Posted by David Powell

I'm holding out for the restored "Mystery Bass"

Lol.. Ok, but breathe normally in the mean time...

Today I had the pleasure of playing a beautiful 18th-19th Century Italian Bass. It was formerly played by the Principal of the Hong Kong Philharmonic. He retired from music and sold his Bass several years ago. He has 4 young daughters that all play Violin and have each won many competitions to perform with various Orchestras as soloists. I have had the pleasure of playing behind each of his daughters in the last 3 years in one of the Orchestras I play in. At the last concert with his youngest which was on the day of the Homer Mensch Gagliano auction, I went up to him on the way out and asked if he had known Homer. In the conversation he told me who now owns his Italian Bass which was once called a Maggini but is not however. Today that person walked in here by invitation and showed me the Bass. We got to compare it to my Storioni, Hart, Martini and Gilkes all side by side.

The current owner allowed me to photograph and measure his Bass so that I can present it on my Double Bass Page for display purposes only. It will be up in a few days when we find the time to get the page made. I will post some pics here as well in the Italian Bass section.

On the Sartory thing I let him try a blind fold test on all of my good Bows. When he played the Lipkins Sartoy his guess was Peccatte as the maker. He had never played a Sartory before but Sartory worked in Paris for Charles Peccatte before setting up his own shop in 1893. Good guess he made guessing the Bow was from Sartory's master. I believe his Bass teacher in the NY Phil. played a Peccatte Bass Bow as well and that's the impression the Lipkins gave him. He was playing the Hart Bass. I told him the strings were older than the Bow and he looks very surprised. We had 3 Lipkins Bows out and he only knew about one of them. Talk about a 'blindfold test' huh?

Ode to Sartory? Well, Ode right back to Sue Lipkins!

Oh and his Bow was a Fetique who worked in Paris with Charles-Nicolas Bazin. Of all my Bows he liked my Bazin the best maybe because it was made by the master of his Bow's maker and liked the feel.

Today was a GOOD Day for me Bass-wise..

[Charles Federle]

Every time I see and hear about Lipkin's bows I feel more and more inclined that I should try one out and seriously think about getting a new primary bow.

[Ken Smith]

Originally Posted by Ken Smith

Today I had the pleasure of playing a beautiful 18th-19th Century Italian Bass. It was formerly played by the Principal of the Hong Kong Philharmonic. He retired from music and sold his Bass several years ago. He has 4 young daughters that all play Violin and have each won many competitions to perform with various Orchestras as soloists. I have had the pleasure of playing behind each of his daughters in the last 3 years in one of the Orchestras I play in. At the last concert with his youngest which was on the day of the Homer Mensch Gagliano auction, I went up to him on the way out and asked if he had known Homer. In the conversation he told me who now owns his Italian Bass which was once called a Maggini but is not however. Today that person walked in here by invitation and showed me the Bass. We got to compare it to my Storioni, Hart, Martini and Gilkes all side by side.

The current owner allowed me to photograph and measure his Bass so that I can present it on my Double Bass Page for display purposes only. It will be up in a few days when we find the time to get the page made. I will post some pics here as well in the Italian Bass section.

Ok, that great Italian Bass I mentioned is not up and listed..

[Ken Smith]

Originally Posted by David Powell

I'm holding out for the restored "Mystery Bass"

Come and gone my friend. In the hands of an Orchestra professional now.

On the topic at hand, I have been playing this bow daily now and like a new bass, it has been breaking in and improving the more I play it. The balance was perfect from day one. The sound and smoothness has been maturing the more I play it. Now it needs a re-hair but I can't let it out of my hands.

[Eric Swanson]

What a lovely instrument! That design at the heel reminds me of pictures of the solar system. How many circles are in that oval? Are they in any sort of pattern?

Thanks for sharing this bass, Ken...