After nearly a quarter-century of anticipation, we delivered a fortepiano to The Juilliard School. In the late ‘80s we made them a harpsichord, but that was for “early” music that wasn’t part of the “mainstream” curriculum. But any piano, even from the end of the 18th century, intruded on the classical repertoire, in the territory of Juilliard’s modern piano department. We were asked for a fortepiano proposal in 2000; by the time there was another serious request in 2016, a degree in Historical Performance had been funded, with its own faculty. Our price hadn’t quite doubled by then, but a donor had to be found, and by the time it was all approved, covid arrived to send everybody home. We started to catch up on shop work during covid, and Jacob proved he could work on keyboard instruments as well as basses. We all signed the keywell, and Zippi managed the pre-delivery photo session.
Less than two months later, we trekked to Ann Arbor for the biannual convention of the International Society of Bassists (ISB). It’s a good connection for the bass clientele when it’s driveable (different location each time), so we exhibited. Jacob had finished his second “personal” instrument (the Pallotta design) and entered it in the Maker’s Competition.
After ISB, Jacob recommended we establish a basic social media presence to promote the bass business. It would help showcase basses available on our website, and he’d get it started by the end of the summer. By Labor Day the first post appeared at Wolf Instruments, and Zippi’s fame was launched. After three years, it definitely makes a difference!
We also found ourselves with an inventory of “extras”: a neck from a 5-string bass turned into to a 4-string; a second back from a thick re-sawn piece; a top from a bass made two decades earlier. Just a bunch of leftovers. Jacob wanted to learn how to laminate ribs, so we went through the process and suddenly had all the parts for an unplanned bass! When finished, it was signed by Thomas Lupot: “Les Restes”.
