The Bass Bar

Where basses go for a drink after a long day in rehearsal.
Hahahahahaha!

I'm only halfway through a very long day in the shop.
I apologize for the attempt at a corny joke.

Setting a new bass bar into my Prescott project. I'll post some pictures in the next few days. This here is a picture of a bass bar that I put in an old Czech bass many years ago. That bass ended up sounding great! I'd like to write more about bass bars but that's going to have to happen later. Gotta get back to my project before I lose my light.

More to come!

New logo!

Alright! This gem was worth the wait. Thanks so much to Aaron Draplin from DDC for the fantastic logo. Just put an order in for t-shirts and other promo stuff today. I should have a whole bunch of nifty stuff for sale in the shop by the beginning of September.

More blogging soon. I PROMISE!

Look at my beautiful eyes....

At the request of a customer, I added mahogany "eyes" to the fingerboard of his bass. These eyes serve as markers for certain intervals or specific notes. Although this fingerboard modification would have Koussevitzky rolling over in his grave, a lot of kids are doing it these days. One of these "cool kids" being none other than the great Edgar Meyer. Although he gets a lot of criticism from his fellow Classical musicians, he proudly displays his "dots" with the thought that why not make things a little easier if you can. Although I tend to side more with the rigid traditionalism of the Classical music world, I think they look kinda pretty....

Sweet Cheeks

Here's an example of a quick repair I'm doing on yet another, older middle European instrument. It seems the scroll busted off many moons ago and was never repaired correctly. For a long time basses were commonly repaired by various woodworkers, but not by violinmakers. It is still quite common for violin shops to turn away basses at the door. I assume it's the sheer size of the instruments that is foreboding....the bigger they come, the more time they consume and the greater the cost of supplies needed to fix the darn thing. But, back to what I was saying.... Often times basses were "repaired" by boat builders, cabinet makers, and generally any other Joe Dude with a workbench in his garage. I've seen basses screwed together with wood screws and necks bolted to blocks. I've pulled numerous staples and nails out of scrolls and necks. I've seen basses held together with Elmer's, hot plastic "glue gun" glue, and even duct tape. Whenever I get a call about "Grandpa's old bass" that's been sitting in the hallway closet for 20 years, I never know what to expect. As is the case with old "sweet cheeks" here. After years of being held together by wood screws and putty, it was time to fix her up the right way. I soaked all the old glue and putty out of the fracture and re-glued with a nice, clean glue seam. Then, to reinforce the break AND to pretty up the outer "cheeks" of the peg box, I removed a 3mm layer of the original wood and replaced it with a new maple veneer. When doing a job like this, it is important to match the chevron of the new wood with that of the old. In this case, the chevron refers to the "V shaped" pattern in the flame of the maple. That way the two woods will move and age similarly and also absorb and reflect light in the same way. With precise varnish touch up, this repair can literally disappear.

Summer resolutions

Okay, so I keep telling myself I'm gonna get better at blogging more regularly but this time, I mean it. It will be the summer of the blog and website for me. I promise. I often forget that most people really rely on the web for their information. Just because my brain goes numb after 30 minutes of being on the computer doesn't mean all people suffer from the same "internet brain freak out". I swear to you, all 6 of you blog followers, you'll be hearing more from me.
So. What to blog about....
-I have a great story about another crappy bass I had to work on. I'll save that for a day when I really feel like complaining...
-I could talk about helping my good friend and customer Tim Gilson find a new (old) bass. What a fun time that was. More about that when I have a bit more time....
-I can tell you a bit about the next big project that's just got put on the bench, but I'll do that in a few days when I can get some pictures up alongside....

I KNOW! I'll just plug the website.


It's still under construction but it's on it's way. Thanks to Richard for the little extra "kick in the pants" this morning to remind me that I need to spend time behind the computer too...not just behind the bench. More to come but for now I'll leave you with this awesome little clip for your amusement. Enjoy.

Getting back to what I was saying.....

Wow. It's been some time. I wish I had some great story about how I was traveling through Europe searching out fine instruments hidden in old churches but I wasn't....and most of those "lost Strads" have been discovered so I'll just be honest.
I was busy. Working. I'm not complaining. Work is good and I do love it and 2010 is a big bold new year and my head is FULL of some new ideas but sometimes it's not the right time to blog. The reason being, my trusty, rusty ol' Dell desktop hit a little bump in the road. Understandable. It is 6 years old and I am no computer whiz. She needed a little TLC and I set out to fix her up. Now, here's where the complaining will start...
So, even though I'm not a big fan of citysearch.com and other websites like it, sometimes you gotta give things a chance. Found a local PC repairperson to come and help me out. Without getting into too much detail, or naming names, I was very disappointed with the service (or lack of) that I received. Flat out, the computer barely functioned when returned to me. I was then further disappointed when aforementioned repairperson said that there was no guarantee. Now, as I said before, I am no computer whiz. This is exactly the reason I trust a trained professional to provide me the work and service I pay for. My experience with this computer "situation" made me think very much about the service I provide to my customers. It is so important to me that you all are happy and comfortable with the work I do for you. The relationship between person and instrument is close one and I feel happy knowing I have the trust of so many wonderful people. So here's a huge THANK YOU to all the folks who have repeatedly given their business over the years. I strive to provide the service for you that I expect of someone doing a job for me and I appreciate your business.
On a less complainy note.... huge thanks to my friend David Sullivan who brought my computer back to life. Not only is he the real computer whiz, he's also a guitar maniac! Check him out...http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y3Vcoq-QRo4. Next time I'll call him first. Thanks to him there is lots more blogging for me to do.
And while I'm handing out compliments... thanks to Ron at Specialty Auto, http://www.specautocare.com/ for being a fantastic and really honest, down to earth mechanic. Thanks to him the bass-mobile is running better than ever. And last but not least, thanks to Tyler Bjerke for the above image. Check out more of his photos on display March 2010 at the Night Light Lounge, http://www.nightlightlounge.net/news/5-art/20-march-art-by-tyler-bjerke-a-seth-hollingsworth.html. Tyler, you're welcome to come back and take pictures anytime.
What does any of this have to to with basses, you ask? Nothing and everything. There are so many people who help make MDP Bass Works operate the way it does and I just wanted to give credit where credit was due.
More to come.....

Gary Karr in Seattle on Sunday November 15, 2pm Brechemin Auditorium

If you can make it, it will be well worth it. Gary Karr is one of the most prolific bassists of our time and is a joy of a person. Below is all the info you need reposted from Barry Lieberman of the University of Washington. I'll be there to check it out, I hope you can make it too.


Barry Lieberman and Friends
An Afternoon with Gary Karr, Part II

EVENT

Gary Karr, considered by many to be the most iconic double bassist of our time, returns to the School of Music for Part II of an extensive interview with Barry Lieberman. The interview format will employ historical recordings by Karr as well as performance by Karr and his musical partner, Harmon Lewis. Part I of the interview, conducted by Barry Lieberman in 2007 in Brechemin Auditorium, may be viewed at YouTube.com

DATE & TIME

Sunday, November 15, 2009

2:00 p.m.

LOCATION

Brechemin Auditorium, University of Washington, School of Music

Map

TICKETS

$10 (cash or check at the door 30 minutes prior to the performance)

206-685-8384
About Gary Karr

Although he comes from seven generations of bassists, he was not encouraged by them to go into music. In an interview with ActiveBass magazine he said that he has no contact with the professional bassists in his family.

His major teachers include Herman Reinshagen and Stuart Sankey, with whom he studied at the Aspen Music Festival and the Juilliard School. Karr's breakthrough came in 1962, when he was featured as a soloist in a nationally televised New York Philharmonic Young People's Concert, conducted by Leonard Bernstein. On that famous telecast, Karr performed "The Swan" from Carnival of the Animals by Camille Saint-Saëns. He has since appeared as a soloist with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, London Symphony Orchestra, London Philharmonic Orchestra, Montreal Symphony Orchestra, Hong Kong Philharmonic, Simon Bolivar Orchestra, Jerusalem Symphony, Oslo Philharmonic, Zurich Chamber Orchestra, and with all the major orchestras of Australia. He has premiered new works written for him by Gunther Schuller (Concerto for Double Bass), Hans Werner Henze (Concerto for Double Bass), Vittorio Giannini (Psalm CXX), Alec Wilder (Sonata for Double Bass and Piano and Suite for Double Bass and Guitar), John Downey (Concerto for Double Bass), Ketil Hvoslef (Concerto for Double Bass), and Robert Xavier Rodriguez (Ursa, Four Seasons for Double Bass and Orchestra.

He has taught double bass on the faculties of the Juilliard School, New England Conservatory, Yale University, Indiana University, and North Carolina School of the Arts and has published a number of instructional books for the double bass. He focuses on finding one's unique sound on the double bass and approaching one's playing with the lyrical emphasis of a singer.

After 40 years as a concert artist he retired in 2001 to Victoria, British Columbia, where he lives with his dog Shin-Ju.

Gary Karr website (with music samples)

Gary Karr YouTube channel