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Double Bass Tell me about your multiple bass collection. Pics a plus!

#83
Presenting the Shen sisters: 7/8 Gemunder pattern, 41-42 in string length. The fiver has willow ribs and back; the four-string has maple. Each one is a whale of a bass and very fun to play. (Unfortunately I only have two hands, so I'm trying to sell the four-string w/ext.)

12802849_10153592899100326_6952806933025868925_n.jpg
IMG_4240.JPG
12802849_10153592899100326_6952806933025868925_n.jpg IMG_4240.JPG
 
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#95
#96
CaseyVancouver said:
Wow
Please remind us of it's impressive history.
Click to expand...
Sure,
It was Anton Torello's bass - I assume he brought it with him when he immigrated to the US. When he died in 1960, the bass passed to his son (William in the LA Phil). It was sold to Gary Karr in the 80's. Gary sold it to his student, Ermanno Ferrari. It was bought by another person who put it in the care of Tom Martin until the owner decided to sell it. I bought the bass in 2016.
The bass also has a homemade bass case made by Gary Karr's mom- PXL_20211006_051519563.jpg PXL_20211006_051655739.jpg


This is the certificate from Tom.PXL_20211006_050508753.jpgPXL_20211006_050525892.jpg

An email response from Gary Karr -PXL_20211006_050620727~2-01.jpeg
 
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#98
Inky13 said:
Has anyone here ever stored a bass long term? How much tension did you take out? 1-2 steps? I'm not too concerned but I don't want to overlook something stupid. I'm pretty good at that.
Click to expand...

I stored a German plywood bass for several years. My neglect and the resulting problems told me that the most important aspects in long-term storage are temperature and humidity control. If those two things are assured, you can leave the bass strung up at tension; after all, a bass that's played all the time doesn't need its strings slackened ever. I suppose you could just take the strings off, but why?
 
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#99
Jon Stefaniak said:
Sure,
It was Anton Torello's bass - I assume he brought it with him when he immigrated to the US. When he died in 1960, the bass passed to his son (William in the LA Phil). It was sold to Gary Karr in the 80's. Gary sold it to his student, Ermanno Ferrari. It was bought by another person who put it in the care of Tom Martin until the owner decided to sell it. I bought the bass in 2016.
The bass also has a homemade bass case made by Gary Karr's mom- View attachment 4428394 View attachment 4428395


This is the certificate from Tom.View attachment 4428392View attachment 4428393

An email response from Gary Karr -View attachment 4428391
Click to expand...
That is a beautiful bass! I attended the week-long masterclasses Gary did. at Hartt School in the mid-80s and I remember that bass sitting in his music room with his other basses. What blew me away was the length of decay on an open string. Gary pulled the D string and let it ring - it lasted for like 20-30 seconds, it just kept vibrating! He played it a little bit for us and it was such a beautiful sounding instrument. Congratulations! When I was in college in 2002 (as an older student) I did some research on Pedro Valls i Duran and I'm thinking that Valls sold or gave that bass to Torello. There are pictures of Valls playing on a pear-shaped bass which really resembles this one - and that Torello was a student of Valls, the possibility is pretty strong. Again, congratulations on owning a truly exceptional instrument!
 
#100
DuluthBassist said:
That is a beautiful bass! I attended the week-long masterclasses Gary did. at Hartt School in the mid-80s and I remember that bass sitting in his music room with his other basses. What blew me away was the length of decay on an open string. Gary pulled the D string and let it ring - it lasted for like 20-30 seconds, it just kept vibrating! He played it a little bit for us and it was such a beautiful sounding instrument. Congratulations! When I was in college in 2002 (as an older student) I did some research on Pedro Valls i Duran and I'm thinking that Valls sold or gave that bass to Torello. There are pictures of Valls playing on a pear-shaped bass which really resembles this one - and that Torello was a student of Valls, the possibility is pretty strong. Again, congratulations on owning a truly exceptional instrument!
Click to expand...

Thanks for sharing your story! Tom and Gary both mentioned that the bass was in the Torello family for around a hundred years, so I believe this is a different bass. Tom said that Guillaume made 3 of these basses. I believe one of them is in a museum in Barcelona.
I know this picture of Valls
image.jpg I can't say anything for sure, but the bass in this photo seems a little more smoothly rounded at the bottom where mine is a little more flat.
 

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