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Old 07-07-2011, 09:31 PM
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Default Scallopini...

This Bass of mine is just coming out of restoration. It was nick named Scallopini after the 8 external scalloped corner blocks attached to the Guitar-type Ribs and joined to Top and Back Corners that overlap the Ribs. Next week I will pick up the Bass and bring it home, finally. Here are some shop pics I got thru email earlier.
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Old 07-08-2011, 09:47 AM
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The repair skills needed here were extensive. The Bass was un-playable when I acquired it and only played it for about 30 seconds before de-tuning it and putting it in the rack for repair. I have had this bass for about 3 1/2 years now. A good part of the restoration was un-doing the previous bad work done and re-repairing the Top which was in need of some serious surgery. The job took about 3 years to complete working on the slow side at first and then continuously after all things settled. The main problem was the Top which is usually the most fragile part of the bass.

The String length was longer before with the previous neck in the bass. It is now reduced to about 41" mensur with a D-neck heel. The back had some minor repairs done as well near the angle break and I also had a quasi small center 'sound-post' brace installed like on a Flatback bass. I prefer having this done on all roundbacks whenever possible. The Ribs needed some work as well. What ever work that was good was left intact but there wasn't much of that so most everything was re-done.

The Bass is now beautifully restored and I will be breaking it in daily over the Summer. I hope to play it in Orchestra next season. For now, without a C-Extension. That might be added in the future but if this looks to be ideal for a soloist, I might just leave it as-is.
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Old 07-08-2011, 10:51 AM
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what do you think about that old "bononiensis" label?
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Old 07-08-2011, 11:42 AM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Anselm Hauke View Post
what do you think about that old "bononiensis" label?
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/
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Old 07-08-2011, 12:17 PM
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thanks for the info ken, very interesting!
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Old 07-08-2011, 10:55 PM
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Lightbulb also..

Quote:
Originally Posted by Anselm Hauke View Post
thanks for the info ken, very interesting!
I just found this as well;

ANTONIO OF BOLOGNA (Antonius Bononiensis). There is a Viol da Gamba by this maker at the Academy of Music, Bologna.

BRENSIO, Girolamo (BRENSIUS, Hieronymus), Bologna. Reference has been made to the Viols of this maker in the first section of this work.


The second I think is related as well.

I also found these;

Viole rinascimentali soprano e tenore, copie di Fabrizio Reginato.
Dal modello originale della viola di Antonius Bononiensis (XVI–XVII secolo) conservata presso il Museo Internazionale e Biblioteca della Musica di Bologna.


Viole rinascimentali basso e contrabbasso, copie di Fabrizio Reginato.
Dal modello originale della viola di Antonius Bononiensis (XVI–XVII secolo) conservata presso il Museo Internazionale e Biblioteca della Musica di Bologna.


These are copies of instruments by the above named maker. I show this so you can see the primitive difference and the similarities between the old Guitar model Gambas and the cornerless Double Bass which came a bit later in time.
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Old 08-17-2011, 05:50 PM
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Lightbulb attribution moved to Bologna..

Quote:
Originally Posted by Ken Smith View Post
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.
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  #8  
Old 08-20-2011, 06:22 PM
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Question Calling all "Eagle Eyes"

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.



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