Double bass “J.T.L.; Jérome Thibouville- Lamy”, Mirecourt ca.1890

You currently won’t find a more typical double bass representing the French violin making tradition at the turn of the century on our website.
At the beginning of the 20th century, all was still well in France, the economy was booming, the company Jerome Thibouville-Lamy from the provincial town of Mirecourt in the French Vosges won top awards at various world exhibitions, worked its way up as one of the world’s leading exporters of musical instruments and…had some of its employees build this wonderful instrument.

It is a picture-perfect double bass, “la grand-mère”, “the Grandma”, as it is affectionately called among the French. Large, proud, with those gentle curves of the viola da gamba shape, the dark reddish-brown, partially tending to burgundy varnish, typical of Mirecourt instruments of that time, which has nevertheless so much transparency that in the sunlight it lets the wood grain and the golden-yellow ground coat shine through.
The tonewoods used were of excellent quality, since at that time they came exclusively from the Vosges and the densely wooded hinterland of Lorraine, carefully stored for at least two decades, often much longer.
The almost 300-year-old local tradition of instrument making is also reflected in the quality of workmanship and sound of this rather unpretentious bass. The arching of the top, the cove, the purfling, the neck and the scroll are beautifully crafted, but also the back baring is proof of the excellent knowledge and efficiency of the bass builders in those days. The old single tuning machines made of cast iron and polished brass are also a testimony to the love of detail.
Acoustically, this double bass convinces with its radiance, its excellent response and its very well defined but still distinctly bassy sound (let’s just call it a “really fat bass sound”). Especially fast pizzicato passages are a real pleasure. But even when bowed, the sound is very balanced, both in the middle and high registers.

Our double basses, like all the instruments we offer, have been carefully examined, authenticated and professionally repaired by our bass builders and restorers before being sold.
As standard and for better comparison, all double basses at Finostri are fitted with French bridges and Thomastik-Infeld Belcanto strings. The latter can also be heard in the sound samples.
If you have different playing habits or are looking for a particular sound experience, our team will be happy to help you with advice and action to get your dream instrument ready to play and adjusted according to your personal wishes.