Today’s special episode is a round table discussion with over two dozen of the world’s top double bass luthiers. This discussion took place at the 2018 Violin Society of America Double Bass Workshop at Oberlin College and features the following luthiers:
- Jay VandeKopple
- Greg Smith
- Brian Gencarelli
- Joey Naeger
- Thomas Helton
- Robbie McIntosh
- Vince Jesse
- Andrew Stolfa
- Arnold Schnitzer
- Elinore Morris
- Andrew Hassel
- Sony Negreros
- Ray Ramirez
- Jacob Bradford
- Randy Hunt
- Mitch Moehring
- Ralph Alcala
- Jack Hill
- Jeff Mueller
- Gabriel Golden
- David Gage
- Mark Leue
- Alejandro Zapata
- Dustin Woodward
A big thanks to all of these folks for taking the time to chat, and thank you to Steve Rodby, Kristin Zoernig, Lloyd Goldstein, Grace Lewis, Sara Nelson, and all the others that contributed great questions for this discussion!
Some of the topics we covered include:
- How working on basses differs from working on other string instruments
- Alternate woods that luthiers are using
- How to season/dry wood
- How they got into the luthier field
- The “new” trend toward removable necks, and how it’s actually not new at all!
- When to get a regular check-up for your bass
- What they wish bassists knew about caring for their instruments
- Old basses vs. new basses
- What makes a great bass (it’s not what you might expect!)
Contrabass Conversations is sponsored by:
For more than four decades, Robertson & Sons has specialized in providing the highest quality stringed instruments and bows to collectors, professional musicians, music educators, and students of all ages. Their modern facility is equipped with three instrument showrooms as well as a beautiful Recital Hall available to our clients to in their search for the perfect instrument and/or bow.
Upton Bass String Instrument Company
Upton’s Karr Model Upton Double Bass represents an evolution of our popular first Karr model, refined and enhanced with further input from Gary Karr. Since its introduction, the Karr Model with its combination of comfort and tone has gained a loyal following with jazz and roots players. The slim, long “Karr neck” has even become a favorite of crossover electric players.
This episode is brought to you by D’Addario Strings! Check out their Zyex strings, which are synthetic core strings that produce an extremely warm, rich sound. Get the sound and feel of gut strings with more evenness, projection and stability than real gut.
An institution in the Roscoe Village neighborhood for over 20 years, A440‘s commitment to fairness and value means that we have many satisfied customers from the local, national, and international string playing communities. Our clients include major symphony orchestras, professional orchestra and chamber music players, aspiring students, amateur adult players, all kinds of fiddlers, jazz and commercial musicians, university music departments, and public schools.
Contrabass Conversations production team:
- Jason Heath, host
- Michael Cooper and Steve Hinchey, audio editing
- Mitch Moehring, audio engineer
- Trevor Jones, publication and promotion
- Krista Kopper, cataloging and archiving
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