Bass of the Week: Anastasio Fasanaro Contrabasso
This week we take a look at Italian luthier Anastasio Fasanaro’s Contrabasso model, but this is no ordinary double bass. The unique 1/4 size bass features low profile sides for a slim body and a highly figured, bookmatched curly Italian poplar top. Fasanaro gave it a dark finish for a smoky, elegant aesthetic.
The Contrabasso is fitted with K&K pickups attached to under the ebony fingerboard and on the bridge, which has aluminum adjusters to fix the height. Its modified f-holes give the bass a modern feel while maple accents set off the dark elements of the bass. Fasanaro’s logo is inlaid in maple on the back of the bass, which is finished in a transparent black.
Anastasio Fasanaro Contrabasso Photos:
Anastasio Fasanaro Contrabasso Specs:
| Size: | 1/4 |
| Top: | Two-piece Bookmatched Curly/Flamed Italian Poplar |
| Fingerboard: | Ebony |
| Tailpiece: | Ebony w/Maple |
| Bridge: | Maple w/Aluminum Adjuster Wheels |
| Tuners: | Single |
| Electronics: | K&K Pickups |
For more information check out Anastasio Fasanaro’s website.
How much and is there a hard or soft case?
It’s beautiful. There’s no price listed which means, although I’d love to have one, I can’t afford it.
Thanks for the news but it is spelled “contrabbasso” with a double “b” in Italian.
Damn – I speak italian and have played string bass for 30 years and never noticed the second “b” in the italian spelling. Now I’m trying to find out why. I’m sure the reason is not a matter of emphasizing the “b” pronunciation as one blog attempts to explain. In italian, everything is pronounced with emphasis, because it’s italian, baby! Bada bing…
basso forte!
An absolutely stunning instrument. But 1/4 size? I understand how that could appeal to electric bass players, but, being 6’2″, that’d feel like playing an upright cello. I outgrew that in elementary school. Hopefully they’ll offer 3/4 or even 4/4 versions.
Also, poplar? While I’m sure there’s some very good reasoning behind it, I’m curious how this would perform with a spruce top.
But still, a beautiful instrument. I can’t wait to see it in the wild.
Yeah, the 1/4 size thing is weird. You’d have to hold it like a regular electric bass. I wonder if it’s actually 3/4 because the tuning keys don’t look particularly small. Maybe they mean that it’s a 1/4 the volume or something.
At least one website lists the string length (nut to bridge) of a quarter size bass at around 35″, so indeed comparable to a bass guitar, or the instruments made by NS Designs, etc. I would definitely be curious how something so shallow would sound. Take a look at the New Violin Family bass instruments, the Posch bass by Kolstein, and the instruments of Bob Spears (http://www.playthe5bass.com/bob-spears-basses/) for smaller bass instruments that outperform traditional basses due to their scientific approach to acoustics.
Very beautiful! I wonder what it looks like when played, and what it sounds like plugged and unplugged.