Junior Bass John Lott

This double bass was made by John Lott junior around 1845. It was made for the London firm of Hart’s and has his stamp on the button. Harts themselves made very few basses. Most of their instruments were made by other manufacturers for them. This bass is almost identical to one that has the Lott stamp on the lower ribs. John Lott senior made a lot of wonderful basses, but he usually used pre-cut veneers for the ribs. This resulted in a mismatch between the ribs and the back. This bass and the patterned Lott have well-matched ribs and bottoms. John Lott senior was also known for making his own brass machines. The machines of this bass have a more typical Baker pattern. John Lott junior had an exceptionally interesting and well documented life. He was the subject of the novel “Jack of all trades” by Charles Reade. This was first published in 1858 and traces John Lott’s travels around England and the world in a variety of trades, including trainer, keeper and owner of elephants. Only when the elephant was killed after attacking a priest did John Lott return to England and take up instrument making. His violins have long been considered some of the best produced in England, being exceptional “copies” of Cremonese instruments. He passed off many of these as the genuine article, in part due to the beautifully aged varnish he used.

The bass has the wonderfully rich sound expected of quality English basses of this era, but it also has an exceptionally clear upper register which is highly unusual. In the past, it was owned by Walter Sutcliffe, who became Principal Bass with the Sydney Symphony Orchestra. It was then sold to Alan Shimmel who played it for many years in Halle before selling it to Tony Alcock who is currently Principal Bass with the BBC Welsh Orchestra.