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Double Bass Bromberg/Lemur

Paul Warburton

Paul Warburton

In Memoriam
Aug 17, 2003
9,424
663
84
Denver, Co.
#1
Got the latest Lemur bass catalog the other day. Apparently, Brian Bromberg has teamed up with Lemur to make a copy of his 300 year old Matteo Guersam double bass. I guess the copy will be Brians road bass, and other copies will be offered to the public with Brians set-up, or whatever personal set-up any player would want.
This is only my personal understanding that I read into the ad that is running in the Lemur catalog.
If any of you guys read this differently, please let us know.
There's a picture of Brian and the bass in the ad/article....there's sure alot of pick-ups on that sucker! I wonder if the copies have the spots of worn-off varnish?
 
#3
Strange, too, that Lemur would use ad copy like that in the marketing of this bass, since anyone who might be interesting in ordering it would most likely know that it doesn't work that way. It sounds more like something you might hear in an ad for a Fender replica or something.
 
#4
KSB - Ken Smith said:
http://www.talkbass.com/forum/showthread.php?t=244547&page=2&highlight=Matteo+Guersam

Paul, starting at post#22 above, you can see discussions about this as well as my viewpoint.

Maybe if I pour some 'Ragu' on my Shen it will sound more like a Gagliano. By the way, there is no refrence for that maker in any of my books. I don't doubt for a minute his Bass is 18th century Italian but it has been cut from the pics I see and duplicating anything other than the shape is just a dream or hype.

I have heard Brian play this Bass on recordings and saw the Bass once at a NAMM show. The first thing I said was, 'that's a nice lil Italian Bass you got there' or something similar to that. He's a great player but making claim to a new copy of a 300 year old Bass is being the next best thing to owning the original is far fetched. (Claim:"Lemur Music and Brian Bromberg teamed-up in October of 2005 to design a bass that would replicate the great tonal qualities and playability of Brian's 300-year-old Matteo Guersam. Soon bassists everywhere can have access to the same pallet as the Jazz virtuoso.")

I think they tried that with Strad a few times (violins). I wonder how it turned out? Anyone know?
Click to expand...


Ditto, I saw that ad and wondered how they were going to do that. Gee, if it were that easy, there'd be no reason to be jealous when viewing your collection, Ken!
 
#5
maybe they have some special vibrator for the wood to get all the molecules excited and then there is a release of tension (similar to hundreds of years of being played with but this all happens in a short moment) that leads to a better performing instrument......:D
 
#6
I've read interviews with Bromberg where he says the acoustic volume of the E-string on his bass is usually way too soft compared to the others, though he said for some reason that the problem went away when recording "Wood". Wonder if the copies will have a dead E for true vintage accuracy?:D
 
#8
That bass has a mic, a Realist and what looks like a Barbera-type bridge p/u but I think it's Rick Turner's. Apparently Brian doesn't want to miss any sound the instrument produces. I sat not 2 ft. from him playing it at a NAMM Show a few years ago. At that time I recall he had Underwood and/or Fishman on it then, plus the Realist to boot. Gee, do you think he's a pick-up nut?
 
#10
Paul Warburton said:
Got the latest Lemur bass catalog the other day. Apparently, Brian Bromberg has teamed up with Lemur to make a copy of his 300 year old Matteo Guersam double bass. I guess the copy will be Brians road bass, and other copies will be offered to the public with Brians set-up, or whatever personal set-up any player would want.
This is only my personal understanding that I read into the ad that is running in the Lemur catalog.
If any of you guys read this differently, please let us know.
There's a picture of Brian and the bass in the ad/article....there's sure alot of pick-ups on that sucker! I wonder if the copies have the spots of worn-off varnish?
Click to expand...
I thought this wasn't really a new catalog but more of a "spring sale" kinda thing.
 
#12
John Sprague said:
I'm with Nick. If they hit the graduations and the outline and the construction, and it's Pollmann, then indeed it is a hot bass. As for the ad copy, well, one must expect a bit of fluff in marketing.
Click to expand...
You're probably right. I wouldn't expect or desire to suddenly start sounding like Brian Bromberg, even though I owned a similar "palette". Just a little unusual in the DB world.
 
#13
KSB - Ken Smith said:
Let's not discount the value of an aged instrument here over the talent of a great player.
Click to expand...


Cart before the horse. My point is that Brian will sound great playing the new bass, or he wouldn't have his name on it. The player makes the instrument, not the other way around.

Anybody who buys one of these new basses hoping to sound like Brian as a result is bound for disappointment - but my money says the same disappointment would happen even if they had Brian's actual Italian bass, because they'd still sound like themselves.
 
#18
KSB - Ken Smith said:
Let's not discount the value of an aged instrument here over the talent of a great player.
Click to expand...

Sam Sherry said:
I'll discount that every chance I get.

Especially when I listen to Mr. Bromberg play!
Click to expand...

Here we go round and round again. "It's A not B, no it's B, not A." Obviously, it's both! Ken, of course you sound different on every bass you play. The instruments, and thus the physics, are different. The tonal qualities of the sound would be different bass-to-bass for Bromberg as well. On the other hand, Bromberg's characteristic, artisitic style will come through pretty much regardless of the instrument.

I gotta agree with Sam here regarding where the balance tips. Here's a simple question. You need a double bass and player for a jazz trio. You can choose me (or any other non-star-quality musician on this site) and combine me (or him/her) with any bass in the world or you can have any player you want but you have to go with a decent $1500-$2000 hybrid. Now, honestly, if you don't take the latter choice, then you live in a different musical world than do I!
 

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