New Amati

ctregan · #1 09-06-2007, 02:03 AM

http://www.kensmithbasses.com/doublebasses/Amati/
Nice looking Bass from the KSB website.

**Matthew Tucker** · #2 09-06-2007, 05:23 AM

But ... but ... Amati never made any double basses, did he?

tobytimber · #3 09-06-2007, 06:13 AM

Apparently Nicolas Amati made at least one bass, it is played by Chi-chi Nwanokwu (http://www.chi-chinwanoku.com) at present.
I worked on it a few times while in London, and it's a great bass with at least as many cracks as it's years old.

drurb · #4 09-06-2007, 06:49 AM

Looks closely related to these. Check out scroll details, etc. Who knows? They sure are pretty, though. Anyone played one?

PaulCannon · #5 09-06-2007, 08:44 AM

Garry Karr played Koussevitzky's Amati for most of his career. You have to keep in mind that Amati was a family of instrument makers, not just one person.

Mr.Phil · #6 09-06-2007, 09:26 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by drurb

Looks closely related to these. Check out scroll details, etc. Who knows? They sure are pretty, though. Anyone played one?

mm... I fail to see the resemblance, but maybe thats just me.

drurb · #7 09-06-2007, 09:38 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mr.Phil

mm... I fail to see the resemblance, but maybe thats just me.

The neck button area is certainly different but the large flattened area of the last turn of the scroll volute looks pretty characteristic. Just wondering, that's all.

Silversorcerer · #8 09-06-2007, 09:38 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tobytimber

Apparently Nicolas Amati made at least one bass, it is played by Chi-chi Nwanokwu (http://www.chi-chinwanoku.com) at present.
I worked on it a few times while in London, and it's a great bass with at least as many cracks as it's years old.

So what took him so long on number two?

I know it takes time, but several hundred years?

Silversorcerer · #9 09-06-2007, 09:47 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by drurb

The neck button area is certainly different but the large flattened area of the last turn of the scroll volute looks pretty characteristic. Just wondering, that's all.

There are some similarities, but the back of the scrolls is carved very differently on the genuine Amati. Still, that Zhibin looks pretty sweet. Perhaps the wood is looted from the same forest?

Cfederle · #10 09-06-2007, 11:57 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by PaulCannon

Garry Karr played Koussevitzky's Amati for most of his career. You have to keep in mind that Amati was a family of instrument makers, not just one person.

From what I understand it has been decided that the Koussevitzky bass is not a Amati, but instead French.

Silversorcerer · #11 09-06-2007, 04:16 PM

But about the "Amati" model Ken is offering;- that is a pretty sweet looking bass even if it is just named after Amati. Perhaps he will get some similar Gamba shaped models. What would we guess he would call those?

Paul Warburton · #12 09-06-2007, 04:42 PM

Kenny-Boy insists that Amati never made a bass, yet Looking At The Double Bass, Elgar has Andrea , Girolamo, and Nicolo. There are pictures of one Nicolo and second picture of a different one that doesn't
give the name.

billyfalconer · #13 09-11-2007, 03:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cfederle

From what I understand it has been decided that the Koussevitzky bass is not a Amati, but instead French.

Right, that was discussed in the ISB magazine a couple of years ago.

bejoyous · #14 09-11-2007, 05:30 PM

At Ken's site right under the words"Amati Bass" is says Made in China, set up in USA

It's a brand new bass. Pretty though.

godoze · #15 09-12-2007, 04:47 PM

maybe he should have called it "Stradavari"

Anonymous75966 · #16 09-12-2007, 05:14 PM

IIRC the Amati bass that Peter Chandler copied is attributed to an English maker in Elgar's book; there was a scan from the book in an earlier thread. That bass has most likely been cut down a lot too, so maybe it's impossible to know for sure.

Bass · #17 09-13-2007, 09:08 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Silversorcerer

...Perhaps he will get some similar Gamba shaped models. What would we guess he would call those?

Gambatis.

Yeah, these look sweet, I wonder how much?

LouisF · #18 09-13-2007, 01:12 PM

Jacques Gagnon made (makes) an Amati supposedly based on the Karr-Koussevitsky non-Amati (which I've played, and I don't care what it is, it's amazing).

Jacques' basses are at http://www.cremonasia.com/bass_violin.htm.

Louis

KSB - Ken Smith · #19 09-18-2007, 02:29 PM

Hi guys, I just didn't know what to call it. Famous names are used for all string instruments from Models to Copies. Most of them have nothing to do with the original design. We know there are no real Strad Basses so that would be ignorant on my part to use Strad as a model. We see 1000s of Basses called 'copy of Strad' etc. all day long. I wonder, how did they do that with nothing to actually copy? We also see Trombones and Trumpets called Strad and Amati as well and they never made any Brass instruments at all to my knowledge.

Why did I pick Amati? Well, it was close in design to my Martini but how many of you know what a Martini is without an Olive and a toothpick sticking out the side of the glass?

Amati on the other hand is a family of makers that has had several Basses credited to them over the years. Most of them have been disproved by now but not all.

So, I thought it would be a good name for this new model as it is a nice sounding Bass, well made and pretty to look at.

I guess the only way to form a real opinion of your own is to come by and try one out.

rprowse · #20 09-19-2007, 06:27 PM

Sounds good to me.