• TalkBass has been independent since 1998. Add your voice.
    Create a free account to reply to discussions, view embedded media, and browse with fewer display ads.
    Join free Log in
    Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.

Double Bass Andrea Spada Basses

#42
My bass did not come with a raised saddle, but I put one on (a very cool one made by F. Mosure (sp?) that allows for adjustment of the height and has a cool titanium bar that acts as the fulcrum. It immediately made a huge difference in the open breadth of the sound. It sounded good before but with the raised saddle it sounded great. I told Andrea and I believe he started putting raised saddles on the CB's. Not sure of the other larger basses. My bridge is a standard 1/2 size bridge.
 
#43
Cool thanks, yeah with the shorter distance between the bridge and the saddle, that could make for a steeper break angle over the bridge, especially if the bridge is on the high side resulting in huge pressure downward on the top. A raised saddle could alleviate that and perhaps open the sound.
 
#45
Kristian said:
yes!! :)
I’ve been playing 1/4 size basses for almost three years now and I’m never going back. A “normal” bass now feels extremely clumsy to me. I’m playing in fifths tuning and the shorter string length really helps with shifting!
Click to expand...

That's fair - I'm not one to dissuade someone else from playing a small bass. I won a big audition on a bass with a 38" string length and then moved on to playing basses that were ~42" in length and it impacted my musicality and probably career, to be entirely honest!
 
  • Like
Reactions: Kristian
#46
Calvin Marks said:
That's fair - I'm not one to dissuade someone else from playing a small bass. I won a big audition on a bass with a 38" string length and then moved on to playing basses that were ~42" in length and it impacted my musicality and probably career, to be entirely honest!
Click to expand...

i don't play in orchestra any longer so I don’t need a huge acoustic sound with a lot of volume and low end. For me, it’s more important to have a clear and focused sound. The biggest reason to play on a shorter scale though was that my high e( I play with a high e-string) didn’t sound good on normal scale basses.
 
  • Like
Reactions: piggywiddle
#48
Yes, Andrea understands proportion, and aesthetics. He also has both the ability to carve out the instrument to maximize the sound potential and to design for maximum resonance. I am floored daily by not only the amount of sound that comes from my small bass but the quality of the sound: It resonates and sings and thumps and it is just a wee thing.
I am going to commission another bass from him (when I get some bread) not because I need it (my little bass kicks it) but because since he made mine in '15 he has made some of the most incredible hybrid smaller basses. Between a contrabassetto and a full 3/4 he now has basses and designs that are sick (Kristian's, the Machado, Louis' guitar 5/8ths etc) There are times when I want more heft to the sound but not much more. My old Tyrolean had so many bass frequencies competing that it was often muddy and indistinct leaving me fighting for clarity and my space in the bands sonic spectrum. I am hoping to commission a larger but still not 3/4 bass from Andrea sometime in the next few years.
I just cleaned my CB yesterday and it gave me the opportunity to take another moment to really appreciate what a fine artist Andrea is. Man can that cat carve wood.
Pete what are you getting from Andrea?
 
#49
flatback said:
Yes, Andrea understands proportion, and aesthetics. He also has both the ability to carve out the instrument to maximize the sound potential and to design for maximum resonance. I am floored daily by not only the amount of sound that comes from my small bass but the quality of the sound: It resonates and sings and thumps and it is just a wee thing.
I am going to commission another bass from him (when I get some bread) not because I need it (my little bass kicks it) but because since he made mine in '15 he has made some of the most incredible hybrid smaller basses. Between a contrabassetto and a full 3/4 he now has basses and designs that are sick (Kristian's, the Machado, Louis' guitar 5/8ths etc) There are times when I want more heft to the sound but not much more. My old Tyrolean had so many bass frequencies competing that it was often muddy and indistinct leaving me fighting for clarity and my space in the bands sonic spectrum. I am hoping to commission a larger but still not 3/4 bass from Andrea sometime in the next few years.
I just cleaned my CB yesterday and it gave me the opportunity to take another moment to really appreciate what a fine artist Andrea is. Man can that cat carve wood.
Pete what are you getting from Andrea?
Click to expand...
Similar to his latest one... hybrid between traditional violin corners on top and pear shape on the bottom... best of both worlds
 
  • Like
Reactions: flatback
#55
Her small gamba is a thing of real beauty. I believe John Goldsby plays one
 

Attachments

  • Hannah-Mayne-Mayne-Basses-3.jpg
    Hannah-Mayne-Mayne-Basses-3.jpg
    68.6 KB · Views: 132
#57
When she was out here in the Bay Area, I photographed her basses in exchange for luthier work. I remember the first time I saw that shape and the F holes I thought she really has a gift and I'm glad she makes basses.
 

Latest posts

Top Bottom
Back