George H. wrote:
Such is the ratio of interest in Masi vs. Herse. Certainly the fact that the Masi was built by Alberto Masi and the Herse was a posthumous production by another hand must had some influence in the outcome. It certainly influenced me--not to bid on the Herse. George George Hollenberg MD Westport, CT, USA
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It's worth noting that Rene Herse's son-in-law, Jean Desbois, was trained by Herse, and worked in the shop building Herse frames while Herse was still very much alive and supervising operations.
I don't know how long Desbois built frames in the shop. The usual dates are 1975-1985 (according to Jan Heine in the VBQ glossary)... I assume he was building frames even prior to 1975... Jan, what's the deal? Alex? How long did Desbois build frames with Herse?
And as I've noted before, Desbois frames are every bit as nice as Rene Herse's frames (to the extent even Rene Herse frames are Rene Herse frames and not Desbois frames!), and maybe even nicer.
I'm not looking for a racing frame, or I'd be thinking over the blue one now on ebay..
Charles Andrews
Los Angeles