Christiaan Mentens

February 2012

Double bassist and composer (Belgium)

“I found the double bass I currently play, a Barbé Père of almost 200 years old, in a shack in California where she’d been hanging out untouched for over a decade. It goes without saying that she was not in excellent condition. I entrusted its restoration to Jeroen Bruynooghe. Jeroen had already given me a lot of advice concerning my search for a double bass. He taught me a lot about building a bass and during these conversations I noticed that Jeroen had a good feeling for my particular needs. Once the Barbé was at home, I wanted to get it up and running quickly because I had concert dates in prospect, which also meant that there were strict time limits for restoration. I personally watched Jeroen work for whole days, finishing past midnight, to get the job done on time. I am very proud of my bass now and very happy with it. It’s very beautiful, with a beautiful sound and it’s very easy to play.”

www.chrismentens.be