French Mirecourt Double Bass by Jean Lavello Paris 1953 – SOLD

This fine double bass was built for the workshop of the Parisian luthier Jean Lavello in 1953 in the town of Mirecourt, in the Vosges Mountains of the Lorraine region (France).
The two-piece top was made of the best local spruce, the neck, ribs and arched back of fine-pored maple and, in the style of the time, finished with a fine, transparent golden-brown spirit varnish.

With its low arching of the top, its narrow “shoulders” and its violin shape, it bears a close resemblance both structurally and tonally to the “René Quenoil basses” esteemed by Francois Rabbath, which were built in the same period. A special eye-catcher is the open worked peg box, which you can see through and which is supposed to make the instrument a little lighter. In addition, this optical special feature turns out to be quite practical when mounting new strings.

In the tradition of Vosgese violin making, the purfling and scroll are very clean and attractively crafted.
When played, this double bass impresses with its powerful, clear sound, its richness of harmony in the upper and middle registers, as well as its very easy response. Due to its relatively narrow construction and the 105cm D scale length, solo playing becomes truly fun again even for the smaller ones among us bassists. It is free of cracks and major repairs and is just waiting for you to play it extensively again.