Valery Amador writes at the Bass Musician Magazine about the “house bass” of Ronnie Scott’s:
Few bass players travel with a bass these days and the idea was simple; Ronnie’s wanted to be able to offer visiting musicians the very best in-house equipment possible, in order to facilitate the very best performances possible. (…) Crucially, the instrument was modelled on the original Amati bass given to jazz legend Ray Brown (who performed at the club many times) by his one-time wife Ella Fitzgerald. (…) Ray Brown’s Amati bass was noted for its unique timbre and sound. That bass is still in existence today, currently belonging to David Longenecker who plays with the Toronto Philharmonic.
Ronnie Scott’s bespoke bass is no less of a work of art. Made from the very highest quality tonewood and covered in eight coats of varnish, the bass had taken over nine months to produce from scratch by renowned London-based instrument maker, Laurence Dixon. Laurence had been in regular contact with Longenecker to replicate key unique characteristics of the bass such as the ‘f’ holes, machine heads and the neck ‘scroll’.
