Bob with finished bassetto

The chamber bass as mentioned in the entry for April 19, 2009. Its string length is that of a 1/8 size bass. Due to the alterations in geometry, it requires a special tailpiece.

bassetto with neck

The new "bassettino" (chamber bass) as it looked on March 1, 2009. The fingerboard was left extra long to aide in setting the neck and will be cut back later. The neck and heel are being carved. The fluting and chamfering of the scroll was done earlier.

bassetto scroll 1

bassetto scroll 2

Here in all its lo-res glory are two pictures of the scroll for the chamber bass I've been developing. The tuning gears are mounted while the scroll is under construction because it is easier than doing it later when the scroll is varnished. The hardware is then removed, and fluting and chamfering the scroll are the next steps.

Bob with chamber bass

This picture will give a better idea of the size of the chamber bass. It is close to a 1/8 size contrabass viol and quite similar to the old G-basses or "half-basses" of antiquity. Although adjustments have been made to the upper bout to improve playability, it is still very much a violin with violin corners and an arched back.

What's New?

April 18, 2009

The chamber bass has produced its first sounds! In the photo (left, you can see it in playing condition. It needs only a few final adjustments, retouching, and setup tweaks. The tuning in fifths (G-D-A-E low to high) has worked out fairly well, given that I had to use a set of strings for a standard bass and tune them up to pitches higher than the ones for which they were designed. Mr. John Cavanaugh of the Supersensitive String Company, is working with me to develop a set of strings specifically for this instrument. The bass is easy to play-- and fun, too.Shifting on such a short string length is a blast. The low G astonished me. It is robust and sounds like it's coming from a much larger instrument. I'm teaching myself how to play it using a pivoting thumb technique in the lowest postitons. Old habits die hard, if they die at all. The presentation of the bass at the ISB Convention is still a go, and later in the summer the bass will take its place in the Summer Strings orchestra of New Family instruments.

March 1, 2009

OK, bass fans, here's a snap of yours truly holding the chamber bass the day after the neck was set. This task on a bass can be exhausting, but so far the neck has not fallen out! The fingerboard is tack-glued to the neck to aid in alignment during the setting process. After the neck and heel are carved to final dimensions, the fingerboard will be removed so that the top can be varnished. I would hate to tell you how much that single piece of ebony cost. There's still an amazing number of little finishing operations to be done on the bass that seem to drag on forever. Racing the clock to June now.

February 20, 2009

Here's an update on my chamber bass project. The body is done in the white (see photos, left) and the scroll is complete as far as installing the tuning gears. It took a while to find a set that would fit an instrument this small. This bass should be complete and ready to play by the time the convention of the International Society of Bassists convenes June 8 at State College, Pennsylvania. I'm very excited about being invited to present a session on the design and development of small chamber basses at 10:00 a.m on Tuesday, June 10, 2009. The most exciting part of all will occur at the end of the session when this bass and four others, including three from the new family, will be heard in a quintet arrangement of Lensky's Aria from Tchaikovsky's opera, Eugene Onegin. The solo will be played on the original Hutchins/Blatter small bass by the incomparable bass virtuoso, Diana Gannett. The chamber "bassetto" will play the top line of the accompanying bass quartet, my second-generation small bass will carry the second part, a conventional contrabass will take the third line, while the fourth and lowest part will be performed on my second-generation sub-contrabass in low fourths tuning. Check back for further updates and information.

February 1, 2009

The latest shipment of octet violins is now mostly set up except for the altos. Bridge blanks from Despiau have mysteriously disappeared from the market, and this halts the process. There are no commercial bridges available for the alto, so I have to carve them completely by hand. I expect the wood soon on backorder. This shipment of instruments is even better than the one before. The two sopranos are exceptional, and the tenors are among the best I've ever played, even with the factory strings on them. The quality of the cases has also improved notably, and it has been a great relief to find a source for alto cases that really fit well and suspend the instrument in a very clever and effective way.

December 8, 2008

A shipment of eight octet instruments arrived late last month. There are now two sopranos, two mezzos, two altos, and two tenors awaiting setup. Quality of workmanship is quite high in all of them, and the back wood on a couple is as good as anything I have in my 30-year-old stash. I also have lightweight cases for all, including a nice oblong case for the alto (does not fit the larger Hutchins model alto) and a small, cello-style case for the tenors. Purfling is going into the small chamber bass and another experimental viola is at about the same stage of construction.

October 20, 2008

I've fixed a few errors on the site and added a FAQ under the "what's new" menu. I'm expecting sopranos and tenors in the next month, plus more mezzos and altos. I have a baritone to finish. The body's done but not the neck. I also have the small chamber bass underway at last. Even a small bass is a lot of work! The last of my violin geometry articles has just been published in American Lutherie #95 (Fall 2008). There are now audio clips of all the violas listed under the "for sale" menu. The links are in the left sidebar on the appropriate page. Give 'em a listen!