George J
Herefordshire member
To follow on and not disrupt the Double bass Question Thread, I'll start a little post about two basses I had back in the day.
IMG_8438 by George Johnson, on Flickr
The dark brown one once belonged to Gustav Holst and eventually was owned by the music department of Pates Grammar School in Cheltenham. With a shaky attribution to Simon Fendt the Elder [Father Fendt] it was over-sized compared to the modern 4/4 bass, and had a long string stop, which did not make it easier to play! The wood used indicated a period of roughly 1770 to 1780. It had a multi-piece front with thirteen different planks glued together and then carved. It was very thin compared to modern making and thus quite light. It was hugely sonorous and responsive. Plus it had a wonderful timbre, but it was terribly sensitive to changes in temperature and humidity. It could be a nightmare to play if the the ambient temperature went outside its comfortable range.
I acquired it in 1992 from my second bass teacher, and had it restored. It had become derelict, and not able too carry strings.
IMG_8441 by George Johnson, on Flickr
The second bass was one I had made for me by the late Ian Highfield in Rednal. It was made over a twelve month period, which is unusual, but had advantages over being made as quickly as possible. I first played it in the white [before varnishing] in late 1995, and was obvious that it was a fantastic instrument. Because of the Holst bass, I was determined to have a modern instrument designed for the baroque style strings. Thinner in the front and back, so more fragile, but more responsive ...
Being modelled on a Maggini of 1666, it had the width to carry five or even six strings, so was natural for a modern five string set-up. It had a standard modern string length, which made it easier than the Holst bass to play well in tune on the lowest positions on the finger-board. It was a slightly larger sized instrument than the modern 4/4, but because of its shape was a very comfortable instrument to play. It had a very deep rib, which tends to give the potential for a big sound when needed.
Best wishes from George
IMG_8438 by George Johnson, on Flickr
The dark brown one once belonged to Gustav Holst and eventually was owned by the music department of Pates Grammar School in Cheltenham. With a shaky attribution to Simon Fendt the Elder [Father Fendt] it was over-sized compared to the modern 4/4 bass, and had a long string stop, which did not make it easier to play! The wood used indicated a period of roughly 1770 to 1780. It had a multi-piece front with thirteen different planks glued together and then carved. It was very thin compared to modern making and thus quite light. It was hugely sonorous and responsive. Plus it had a wonderful timbre, but it was terribly sensitive to changes in temperature and humidity. It could be a nightmare to play if the the ambient temperature went outside its comfortable range.
I acquired it in 1992 from my second bass teacher, and had it restored. It had become derelict, and not able too carry strings.
IMG_8441 by George Johnson, on Flickr
The second bass was one I had made for me by the late Ian Highfield in Rednal. It was made over a twelve month period, which is unusual, but had advantages over being made as quickly as possible. I first played it in the white [before varnishing] in late 1995, and was obvious that it was a fantastic instrument. Because of the Holst bass, I was determined to have a modern instrument designed for the baroque style strings. Thinner in the front and back, so more fragile, but more responsive ...
Being modelled on a Maggini of 1666, it had the width to carry five or even six strings, so was natural for a modern five string set-up. It had a standard modern string length, which made it easier than the Holst bass to play well in tune on the lowest positions on the finger-board. It was a slightly larger sized instrument than the modern 4/4, but because of its shape was a very comfortable instrument to play. It had a very deep rib, which tends to give the potential for a big sound when needed.
Best wishes from George
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