What players say about my Basses...

"For a number of years, I have been following with great interest the work of S.J. Krattenmacher. His instruments are based on their extraordinary sound properties as well as beautiful design and excellence of craftsmanship.
I am also totally convinced by his rare gift in the field of restoration.
His perfectionism, his attention to detail, as well as his esthetic intuition are exemplary, and I would warmly recommend any bassist to trust the capable hands of this violinmaker."
Michael Rieber (Principal Bass, Bayerischen Staatsoper, München)

“Stefan has made a wonderful copy of my Thomas Dodd bass. It was fascinating watching Stefan tackle such an ambitious task, and the outcome exceeded all expectation. I can now leave the original Dodd at home whilst travelling abroad and still be playing on an instrument that feels familiar. Stefan’s ongoing interest in the instrument’s development and his continual tweaking of the set-up is a huge bonus.”
Paul Sherman (Co-Principal Bass, English Chamber Orchestra)

Stefan has made a wonderful bass for me.  It is small but big sounding , sings beautifully and even looks like a real piece of art! Some of the best basses I have ever played  have been made by Stefan Krattenmacher. This can not be  pure coincidence - he  definitely has an exceptional talent for bass making.
Kati Harjanne (Solo Bassist, Finnish Radio Orchestra)

“In the orchestra I play a big, old, Italian 5-stringer. For my solo, chamber and jazz activities I tried to find something similar, but couldn’t find anything for many years, until now. The bass made by Stefan is visually beautiful, shows a real master at work, has a rich timbre and is very easy to play. Well, I love it!”
Janne Saksala (1. Solo bassist, Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra)

Stefan, your Bass sounds really easy in the Orchestra, so much so that colleagues have asked during the break why I sound so good today, before realizing I have a new instrument.
It gives me the tonal security that a Bassist so much needs and rarely finds, and the tonal spectrum is so rich that there are no unfulfiled wishes left.
I have shown my new Bass to a Luthier whose comment was that he had never seen such a beautiful and well built new instrument: The all workshop scrutinized the instrument, played it, measured it, as if it was a miracle. What for an Instrument!

Korneel Lecompte (Principal Bass, Brussels Opera House)

"Stefan’s work combines a meticulous attention to detail with outstanding aesthetic judgment and a rare instinctive touch. He is unquestionably one of the foremost luthiers and specialists of the double bass in Europe and inspires the utmost confidence.”
Leon Bosch (Solo Bassist & Academy of St Martin in the Fields)

"I have had many smaller repairs done by on my instruments, always to my full satisfaction. I eventually decided- not without fear- to ask Stefan to restore my Giovanni Battista Grancino, which was in a very bad shape. I trusted his expertise as a violinmaker, a restorer, but also as a bassist.
The huge amount of cracks meant the work was a real puzzle. All along the patient work, I could witness Stefan' s love for detail and exceptional care. The result is better than I could have hoped for. The bass sounds in all registers bigger, more equal and free. It has however kept its wonderful character. No one could have done better! Thank you, Stefan!"
Ulrich Wolff (Bassist, Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra)

"I had the great pleasure and fun to play concerts on 2 of Stefan's basses. I enjoyed them both very very much. Stefan's basses sound just great. You can't say if they are old or new. The 2 weeks old bass which I played on lately sounds as if it has already been played a lot. They are beautiful to look at. Great art work. They are very solid and strong. They have a lot of power with big, fat, round sound. They are great fun to play and the most important - They got charcter and sound fantastic. I thank him for that."
Yaron Stavi (Jazz, Classical, World Music and Rock musician. Double Bass and Bass Guitar Player)

“Stefan’s family background of fine craftsmen, his joy in working with wood, love of playing the bass and listening to music add up to the best possible understanding of how a double bass should be, how it should sound and feel. And I’ve got one - Wicked!”
Neil Tarlton (Principal Bass, Philharmonia Orchestra, London)

“This instrument doesn’t sound like a new bass and has a fantastic range of sound colours. Stefan was recommended to me by a musician I know in Paris, and this guy was definitely not mistaken. I am really impressed with his work!”
Axel Bouchaux (Principal Bass, London Symphony Orchestra and Orchestre des Champs Elysées)

“I had the chance to play Stefan’s bass in the famous Paris exhibition “Musicora”. I just had a sound impression - round, full bodied and brilliant too. Then I organised to play the same phrases with two other so-called “great names”. As in a blindfold test for wine, everybody there could hear and feel the projection and the balance of the sound, no matter if it was in the lower or higher registers. I tested arco playing as well as real-true pizzicato, being a jazz basslines walker. That model I would recommend for orchestral playing, chamber music as well as jazz combo performing. Added to that, I would say that us musicians are too much mentally locked onto old instruments. Stefan is one of the very few today who is very conscious of the magnificent art of violin making, but at the same time is a man living in the present. Keep doing it!”
Pierre Boussaguet (Pupil of Ray Brown and Bassist with Cedar Walton and Diana Krall)

“This man has produced some of the finest basses I have ever played.
The only problem is that the instruments are only around for a couple of weeks before being snapped up by some of the world’s finest players.
It is rare to find self determination and human ambition pushed at that level…”
Roy Babbington (Jazz Bassist, BBC Big Band, Soft Machine…)

“Each of Stefan’s basses that I have tried have instantly felt ready to go! They are comfortable and accessible (even for small people like me) and have great projection. I used one of Stefan’s basses for a solo debut at the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam and had to be reminded that I was not playing in Wembley Football Stadium! He clearly has an instinct for the player, as his basses are ‘players instruments’ “.
Chi-Chi Nwanoku (Principal Bass, Orchestra of the Age
of Enlightenment and internationally renowned soloist)

“I have had the pleasure of using a Krattenmacher Bass whilst performing in London on several occasions, set up with both steel and gut strings, and I can say that it is the most evenly responsive, clear, warm and powerful modern instrument that I have ever played. The calibre of the players placing orders speaks for itself. These are excellent basses!”
Robert Nairn (Bassist with the Florilegium and Professor for Double Bass, Penn State University, USA)

“Stefan’s basses display rare craftsmanship matched with superb tonal quality”.
Iain Crawford (Co-Principal, BBC Scottish Orchestra)

“Stefan’s basses produce a big and powerful sound. I was surprised to have new instrument which I could use straight away in a way in a gig. Everybody commented on its quality!”
Dave Green (Jazz Bass player)

“Stefan is a very fine maker and I enjoyed very much playing his instruments. Last but not least, he is a helpful and patient person - which is a pretty important quality in the field of restoration.”
Corrado Canonici (Contemporary Music Bassist)

“Stefan did a masterful job on the restoration of my original Fendt. It actually sounds better and has acquired greater balance and quality of tone since undergoing extensive operations and now projects sublimely. One would hardly know that the instrument has been repaired, such is Stefan’s expertise in the art of restoration. I am simply overjoyed to have my Fendt back and to be playing it once again on a daily basis.”
John Law (Principal Bass, Welsh National Opera)

What players say about my Celli...

““It is really exciting playing such a fine new instrument and hearing it change and develop all the time. The cello has a striking sound, its tone is warm and extremely clear. The upper registers are very even and the strings are quick to respond.”
Pauline Dowse (Principal Cellist, Scottish National Orchestra)

My cello made by Stefan has got a warm and powerful sound. It is simply really fun to play.”
Clemens Hagen (Hagen Quartet, Salzburg and internationally renowned soloist)

“Stefan’s instruments are beautifully made, have a refined sound and are capable of a good variety of sound colour. I enjoy playing this cello and recommend it to every serious professional and student.”
Nicholas Jones (Head of Strings, Chetham School of Music and Cellist)

“I used to play a late 18th century Milanese Cello, but now I play a Krattenmacher which provides me with everything I was always looking for; warmth, depth, a rich sound spectrum and projection. I simply love it and I am proud to play a contemporary instrument.”
Detlev Mielke (Principal Cellist, Salzburg Chamber Soloists and Camerata Academica, Salzburg)

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