Workshop of Dodd

This fine British double-bass has been shown to have the table wood datable to the early 19th century. While the precise identity of the maker is still being researched, its intrinsic merits are many: the slab wood of the top recalls that used by the Italians, while the elegance of certain English violinmaking shops is apparent in the petite head (which was originally made with three strings), the fine purfling, and rich red-orange oil varnish. The somewhat long but narrow model yields a powerful orchestral sound while maintaining playability.

The Dodd shop was the largest and most prolific maker of violins, violas, cellos, basses and bows in London during the first decades of the nineteenth century and likely had something to do with the construction of this fine double-bass. The firm employed countless talented makers over its long history. Dodd advertised that he was the only possessor of the recipe for the original “Cremona Oil Varnish” of a beautiful red-orange color. England, circa 1830

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