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Double Bass Andrea Spada Basses
- Thread starter flatback
- Start date
Here's another link on Machado's Spada bass:
That is so cool. Love that cat. Like a lot of modern luthiers but especially Andrea who has so many smaller designs, so much more focused energetic sound can come from a smaller bodied instrument with the right technical and artistic craftsmanship. I keep playing other bassists 3/4 size instruments that don't sound as good or as loud or as pretty acoustically as my Contrabassetto. And amplified it can sound huge.I've played so many gigs where some random bassist comes around the corner to see me playing this little bass and he says he heard it from afar and thought it was someone playing a full size instrument.
Ergonomically too they just fit a pizzicato style, being smaller they fit in closer to your body allowing a more relaxed less reaching and bending technique. I wish I couold have bought your 5/8ths Louis. I'll bet it sold instantly.
Ergonomically too they just fit a pizzicato style, being smaller they fit in closer to your body allowing a more relaxed less reaching and bending technique. I wish I couold have bought your 5/8ths Louis. I'll bet it sold instantly.
I have Louis' bass out on trial now. 
Also, I just found this clip of the Contrabassetto which sounds pretty darn good for a travel bass IMO.
Also, I just found this clip of the Contrabassetto which sounds pretty darn good for a travel bass IMO.
What an amazing sound, so even over the break and what a big low end.
Soon I’ll have my own Spada bass!
Can’t wait!!
It’s a new model called Serena. It’s a “copy” of dragonetti’s violone.
This one:
Invalid Link Removed
This one:
Invalid Link Removed
I had the pleasure of seeing Chi-Chi-Nwanoku with Cheneke at the ISB Convention last year, she is an exceptional virtuoso bassist, who spirited a revolution in Orchestral hiring practices.
Cheneke has two recordings out that are a revelation.
Cheneke has two recordings out that are a revelation.
I don’t but you can ask Spada directly, if you’re interested. It will be slightly bigger than a contrabasetto(bigger upper bout) and the string length will be 90cm.
From the first Chineke! Concert up until about this time last year I was Chi-chi’s desk partner for quite various projects. She’s quite the musician. As to a revolution in hiring practices, there isn’t any proof that bears out that assertion that I can see, at least on the UK scene as I am aware. One of the ways Chi-chi has described Chineke! Is as an inverse mirror of the makeup of the profession in terms of who is playing and what they look like. It certainly serves a purpose as a statement in that regard.
Listening to Marcos’ bass, I wonder if the reason it sounds as good as it does is something to do with proportions rather than flat out size. That bass looks beautifully sized in relation to itself. When I had my giant five stringer made the guy just scaled up everything about a normal sized bass and it seems to work, other than being a pain to carry round. These Spada basses seem to make a good case for scaling things the opposite way!
90cm?!?! That’s half an inch longer than a bass guitar.
Spada is really the master of small basses now. He has a way of making the very most out of the smallest bodied bass. His designs and his adaptation copying old instruments is just superb.
Agreed! He’s doing amazing work and I loved the bass he made for Marcos Machado. It sounds wonderful and has a full, even tone.
actually maybe this should be a two-part question. The first part being is he using a normal sized bridge on the small basses? Normal height? If he is using a normal height then the next question is is he using a raised saddle?
On my bass, which is 5/8th size with a 40" SL, everything is normal except the sound, which is superb.
