Tarisio, an auctioneer spezialized in old string instruments and bows, announces the upcoming auction of an rare Maggini bass. The ‘Delmas’ double bass by Giovanni Paolo Maggini is the first Maggini bass to be offered at auction for over a century.The Tarisio website features detailed photographs and an article by Duane Rosengard about this old italian instrument: “Of the approximately dozen surviving bass-register instruments by the Brescian master, the ‘Delmas’ is the most complete and pure example of Maggini’s medium-sized bass form, and is the only one to retain its original head. It is made on a virtually identical form to the ‘Dumas’ (the best-known medium-sized Maggini bass) but is more carefully finished. For the front Maggini used a dense spruce, while the back and ribs feature a delicately figured maple.The bass is named after Alphonse-Joseph Delmas ‘dit Boussagol’ (1891-1958), one of the leading French bassists and pedagogues of the 20th century. (…) To judge from his surviving works, Maggini devoted particular care and attention to bass and contrabass instruments of three distinct types. Before describing each type, some general observations may be made about the entire group. They were strung with either five or six strings and were mounted with fingerboards that were far shorter than those in use today. The necks were wrapped with gut frets at the first seven semitones. The ranges and tunings of these instruments are subject to some debate though the compass was narrow by modern standards. And as difficult as it may be to imagine today, technological improvements in the winding of gut strings probably influenced the design and size of bass instruments as players and makers sought greater power and clarity.” Estimates: $200,000-$300,000

photo: © Tarisio