Panormo Puglisi Double Bass 2010

“The Herrod” As the varnish dries on Benedict’s Double Bass, Benedict reflects on some of the inspiration that has helped create this instrument, “This instrument was conceived some five years ago when I was fortunate enough to meet with Bill Herrod. Bill, a proud, tall and statuesque man owned his bass for more than forty years and was reluctantly arranging to part with it. He was terminally ill with Mesothelioma but he still managed to play a short piece of music for me and share some memories of his time playing this wonderful bass with the Zelman Symphony Orchestra.

I spent the next three years restoring the instrument which had suffered years of neglect and poor repair work going back more than a hundred years. During this time, my admiration for the maker’s work, choice of timbre and overall design inspired me to copy the instrument as close as possible. My suspicions were founded when the Bass was confirmed to be English and probably made in the Lott workshop in early 1800s.

This instrument, which is now playing in London with an expatriate Australian, sounds every bit as good as it’s workmanship. I took a number of years to source timbre that was as close as the original and managed to reproduce as faithfully as I could, the varnish and texture of this majestic instrument. Unfortunately, Bill who was a major inspiration for this instrument will not be here to see the results but I sincerely hope his family and Grandson (who has started to play Double Bass) will appreciate the work I have done.”