Standing 11 feet 8 inches tall, the instrument was built by luthier Jean-Jacques Pagès and is now played by Eric Chappell of the Montreal Symphony Orchestra
Canimex has been loaning fine instruments to players for more than two decades. The Strad Calendar 2026 showcases twelve of these treasures, including five by Antonio Stradivari, two by Guarneri ‘del Gesù’, two by Giovanni Battista Guadagnini and – a first for the Calendar – a modern octobass.
2019 Octobass
Undoubtedly the largest instrument ever to be featured in The Strad Calendar is the octobass. The one shown here was made in 2019 and is part of a set of three, all used by the Montreal Symphony Orchestra (MSO). Luthier Jean-Jacques Pagès built his first octobass in 2010, an exact replica of one made by Jean-Baptiste Vuillaume.
For the other two, however, he adapted the design to make it easier to play: rather than including levers and pedals like an organ, these instruments incorporate a small keyboard with keys that can set a series of dampers in motion.
Activated by tiny motors, these dampers allow the player to stop the strings in the right places and obtain the desired notes with considerably greater ease than the original model. The octobass is played by MSO double bassist Eric Chappell, who has to stand on a stool in order to for his left hand to reach the neck.
Standing at 11 feet 8 inches high (356cm), the octobass has only three strings (A, E and B). In total it is made up of 237 separate parts. Its lowest note (a G) resonates at just 25Hz – the threshold of human hearing. It can be heard below:
Click here to purchase The Strad Calendar 2026
Read more lutherie articles here
Photos: Canimex
No comments yet