02-28-2016, 12:54 AM
We went to the orchestra tonight as part of my daughter being in the local youth symphony. We were in the second row right in front of the string base section and the front base was old as the hills and had seen some use.
After the show I asked the person playing it what woods it was made out of because it was not the usual maple or curly maple. She said she was not sure but she was told back was apple wood and sides were too, and the front was spruce. Looking at it closely I concurred that it indeed looked like those were the woods.
Then I asked about its history. She was it was made by a violin maker (forgot the name, some Italian dude) and she said he only made 2 bases and this was one of the two. It was made in 1650! 366 Years ago! She said it is owned by a collector and she gets to play it as part of keeping it active and "alive." Storing them without playing them is apparently bad. A guy I talked to assigned to make sure nobody got near the instruments said the base was insured for "multiple millions" and is kept in a vault backstage when not in use.
I cannot imagine making something out of wood and having it still working in 366 years!
After the show I asked the person playing it what woods it was made out of because it was not the usual maple or curly maple. She said she was not sure but she was told back was apple wood and sides were too, and the front was spruce. Looking at it closely I concurred that it indeed looked like those were the woods.
Then I asked about its history. She was it was made by a violin maker (forgot the name, some Italian dude) and she said he only made 2 bases and this was one of the two. It was made in 1650! 366 Years ago! She said it is owned by a collector and she gets to play it as part of keeping it active and "alive." Storing them without playing them is apparently bad. A guy I talked to assigned to make sure nobody got near the instruments said the base was insured for "multiple millions" and is kept in a vault backstage when not in use.
I cannot imagine making something out of wood and having it still working in 366 years!