Prizewinners Announced at the International Society of Bassists Maker's Competition

A bass made by Evan Davenport of Albuquerque was named Convention Favorite

Every second year, the International Society of Bassists (ISB) holds a Maker's Competition, with the tenth edition having recently come to a close. Held at the University of Michigan's School of Music, the competition attracted twenty-six entries from four different countries and was chaired by Dustin Williams.

In addition to the standard judging by an expert panel, in 2023 the competition pioneered a new "Sound-Off" event. In this category, judge Mark Morton demonstrated the tone of each instrument from behind a curtain, with the audience then voting for their favorite bass.

In 2023, the jury was comprised of Daniel Hachez, Antoine Nedelec, Peter Seman, Brian Casey, Mark Morton, and Derek Weller.

The full results of the competition are as follows:

Silver Medal for Workmanship

• Evan Davenport, Albuquerque, New Mexico
• Zachary Martin, Pawtucket, Rhode Island
• Mason Weedman, Albuquerque, New Mexico

Silver Medal for Tone

• Pete Lampe & Eric Marks, Portland, Oregon
• Robbie McIntosh and Helen McIntosh, Cambridge, New York
• Joey Naeger, Katy, Texas
• Aaron Reiley, Jenison, Michigan

Certificate for Workmanship

• David Briggs, Edgewood, New Mexico
• Trevor Davis, Austin, Texas
• William Lakeberg, Cincinnati, Ohio
• Sam Morel, Brooklyn, New York

Certificate for Tone

• William Lakeberg, Cincinnati, Ohio
• Zachary Martin, Pawtucket, Rhode Island
• Mitch Moehring, Kilgore, Texas

Convention Favorite

• Evan Davenport, Albuquerque, New Mexico

Convention Favorite Honorable Mention

• Trevor Davis, Austin, Texas
• Seth Kimmel, Eugene, Oregon
• Joey Naeger, Katy, Texas
• Aaron Reiley, Jenison, Michigan

Sound-Off Event Top 5 (Alpha by last name with one tie vote)

• Trevor Davis, Austin, Texas
• Mitch Moehring, Kilgore, Texas
• Joey Naeger, Katy, Texas
• Keiran O'Hara, Brewster, New York
• Aaron Reiley, Jenison, Michigan
• Tetsu Suzuki, Tokyo, Japan