The three little basses...Ruben, Little Maggie and Hoss

The workshop has been busy…busy.  Three projects at one time so here is the run down.

The 1941 Epiphone B-5 named Ruben is completed and being played weekly.  The bass has really come to life; his voice is loud and boomy.  Just what you would expect from an Epiphone.  The string combo of the Golden Spiral G&D and Spiro Med A&E are working well.  The Golden Spirals hold their own against a high quality gut string like a Gamut gut.  However, because the Golden Spirals are vintage and no longer made I won’t get too overly attached to them as who knows when I’ll ever find another new old stock pair of strings.  This Epiphone has so much character and charm it is a joy to play and look at.  As soon as our weather breaks and we can get good photos in natural light I will create a slide show and write the final chapter of Ruben's restoration.  He is a keeper and not being offered for sale at this time.

Next impromptu project on the workbench is a 1937 Kay M-4 named Little Maggie.  This is a very rare first year Kay bass and a sister bass to my “Polly Pretty Polly”, our other M-4 (do you sense a Ralph Stanley naming theme?).  Little Maggie has not hung around in the collection very long.  Before we could complete some cosmetic repairs she is already pre-sold and heading to California.  This Kay is in outstanding condition for a 1937 and required minimal edge repairs.  Kay M-4’s were the forerunner to 1940’s Kay S-9 blonde Swingmasters.  There were only 150 M-4’s made between 1937-1939 according to Roger Stowers Kay Bass website.  We have been lucky enough to see or play about six or seven Kay M-4’s so far in our travels.  We even did an on the spot sound post resetting at a festival last year for a gentleman that had a slight accident that caused the sound post to drop right before going on stage…YIKES!

One of  broken edges on Little Maggie before the repairs started

Mid-repair before sanding and color

All most finished.  The edge has been filled in, sanded and layers of matching color finish are being applied.

 As you can see by the photos Lonnie’s edge repairs on Little Maggie are coming along nicely.  The other minor improvement before she leaves our collection was a new end pin tip.  When we bought the bass it had no crutch tip on the end pin.  It had just the bare metal rod with a point.  For me that's an unacceptable problem, as soon as you stand the bass up it can scoot away on a hard floor like concrete much less the hole it will leave on a hardwood floor.  After some thinking and head scratching Lonnie had a eureka moment.  We have brand new ULSA end pins with the over size rubber tip that fit into a 10mm end pin rod…hummmmm.  We robbed the tip off a new uninstalled end pin and Lonnie re-threaded the bare metal tip with 10mm threads. 

Little Maggie's pointed 10 mm end pin rod with no threads.   It is a smooth shaft with a stop collar.

After Lonnie threaded the 10 mm metal tip to accept the new ULSA rubber  end pin tip

Completed and looking great.  The new ULSA rubber tip will last a long time and no scooting away while playing

Genius…the new end pin tip fits perfect on the 10mm end pin rod and is now completely replaceable.  Lonnie having a plethora of tools has the full tap and die set to re thread the metal rod.  Never again will we deal with a bare metal rod and a non-standard size rubber end pin tip.  Lonnie has the tooling to re thread just about any size metal rod of 8mm, 10mm and so on.  The end pin looks great with a fresh new tip and we can easily buy the ULSA replacement tips to keep on hand for future projects.  Sweet!

The third project is for a bluegrass jamming friend that owns a newer Engelhardt bass and wanted some upgrades installed.  Normally we don’t work on newer basses but in this case we made an exception.  Plus it was fun to have local visitors come to the workshop to see and play the collection of basses.  Murf fell in love with a 1937 American Standard we named Hoss’s.  He touched the American Standard bass and sighed with delight when he hit that big, round, PHAT booming E string…yep…that is the punch you get from a big ole vintage bass.  Sorry to tell him the Engel won’t sound like that American Standard bass, but we can sure try to make it sound better. 

The newer Engelhardt bass on left an EG-1 and Little Maggie the 1937 Kay M-4 on the right.  Kind of cool  in a weird  way

Yawl know I could go on a long rant about spending money (and more money) on a newer bass trying to get that vintage sound…it just does not happen.  As we discussed with Murf and Dancing Bear (Bill) vintage is vintage and demands a premium price for that sound.  Murf could care less what a bass looks like as long as it has that big fat sound…that is why he is a great musician...he has a great ear for tone. 

To quote Kent “Superman” Blanton the expert on American Standard basses and a former owner of Hoss’s, “A bass may be pretty but how does it sound…SON?”

Pretty don’t get it done…a bass needs to sound good.

Epiphone #623 finish line...

The Epiphone’s bass #623 is pretty much completed.  We took it out last Thursday and Friday to jams.  The D string is super strong; it will rattle the fillings in your teeth.  After two nights of playing I asked Lonnie to lower the string height just a bit.  I felt like I had to dig in too much to get the feel I like when playing (I have been told I play with gusto…that works for me).  My Gunner (Epi B1) plays like butter, I just love playing that bass.  It has the Gamut medium lights on the G&D with Spiro weich on the A&E…this set up on that bass works very well for my playing style.  

The bridge was removed for a bit of tweaking

 

This week Lonnie lowered the string height at the nut and bridge and brought it down to a really comfortable set up.  It took only a few millimeters to make a big difference.  Originally he left the string height higher because the fingerboard is scraped pretty flat with out much scoop.  We were not familiar with the vintage (no longer made) Golden Spirals and did not know how much “swing” the strings would need to clear the fingerboard.  After playing the strings they are no different then any other gut string.  They swing more then a steel strings but not super bouncy.  The don’t roll under your fingers like some of the non-gut strings do (Super Nils and Innovations). 

All back in place and ready to jam

Now that I have played the bass at two additional jams with the lowered string height it feels more like home.  I can dig in and get some real punch from the bass.  It seems as if the bass is opening up and responding with each hour of play time.  This bass sat dormant for many years, maybe decades with out playing.  The G&D are loud and I barely need to touch the strings.  If I had to make any change at all it would be to switch the Spirocore mittels A string with a Spirocore weich A string just to balance the tension between the D & A string.  I dig hard on the A&E and nearly fly off when I get back to the D string.  I just need to back off a bit and adapt to this set up.  The down side to a Spiro weich A string could be reduced volume, which I am not willing to compromise.  We play all acoustic jams with no amplification, volume is necessary to hold down the low end.

As soon as the weather breaks and we can get out side for a final photo opportunity I’ll finish the slide show on this bass.  Lonnie nailed the touch up color and really made the character marks blend in.  The bass has tons of character and gig wear, we just made it a bit more purdy to look at.

Stay tuned…more to come.  In the work shop right now is my Martin guitar for a set up and lowered action as well a Lonnie’s Stelling banjo for a new head and set up.  We are trying to get all the non-bass instruments playable for impromptu guest jams at the workshop.  

The Epiphone gets a lift...

Sometimes I just shake my head because I don’t want to know.  

Lonnie being the creative person he is, found a way to work on the front and back edges of the bass at the same time…by putting the bass on stilts.  Now I gasp (holy crap is what I thought!) when I first saw this contraption but upon a closer look, it is stable.  He tends to have crazy, non-traditional ideas but this one is pretty wild.  I don’t question why he does things the way he does because I know…if he screws up he will be the one fixing it.  I think a good future project will be to design and build a bass rotisserie so he can turn the bass around to work on all sides at the same time.  

The broken edges of the bass have been repaired and the first layers of color are drying.  Lonnie had hoped to have finished the bass this past weekend but a Momma squirrel in the attic had other plans for us.  Hearing scampering sounds at 4:00 a.m. tend to make for a short night and a long day of searching for holes in the attic. 

"Rough in" on the edge repairs

The edge all sanded down and first layer of color

Beautiful flamed neck.  The flame goes the entire way up into the scroll

Good shot of the serial number and placement

And another shot of the serial number...now you know where to look!

1941 Epiphone B-5

Putt…Putt…Putt

Lonnie’s chugging along.  Bit by bit the bass is getting closer to jamming.  The set up is mostly finished; the bass has a super strong E string.  The Golden Spirals and Spiro seem to be a great traditional combination.  The nut had to be completely reshaped because so much of the fingerboard was shaved away to remove the deep grooves in the fingerboard.  Lonnie is now working on the cosmetic details of rebuilding the chipped edges and adding color to blend in the surface flaws.  

Seam repairs and pushing out the dent from the inside out

Never enough clamps...

The pusher stick, heat and glue to repair the dent

Pushing the dent from the outside

The bass had a tiny quarter size punch mark on the upper bout.  It wasn’t enough to pop the back to get in with a clamp so in his ingenious way he figured out a way to push the dent out.  Not sure exactly what he did but the dent is popped out and smoothed over that you would not notice it.

The beginning of the edge repair and color matching

Edges are smooth as silk.  With layers of color touch up they will disappear

As always, we don’t want the bass to be to perfect. This one has lots of vintage character but we try to clean up the edges so they don't snag on the gig bag.

Putt…Putt…Putt

Harvey the 1939 American Standard Bass

A few months ago when visiting with Alan Bartram of the Del McCoury band he mentioned that Jerry McCoury (Del’s youngest brother) love his (Alan’s) 1939 American Standard Bass.  Jerry played the bass at the IBMA showcase in Nashville for “The Masters of Bluegrass”.  

The MOB has just completed their first show of the season and low and behold Jerry is center stage playing Alan’s American Standard bass.  

 I guess he really does love the bass!  And watch him pull those strings...WOW!

It gives us a warm fuzzy feeling to know Harvey was resurrected at our workshop.  It is flat out awesome to know this bass is back in circulation and making joyful music with some of the greatest living legends alive today in bluegrass.   

Way cool… http://bluegrasstoday.com/the-mob-claims-its-first-victims/

Inspiration...

Nothing inspires you like a visit from the 4 time and current IBMA bass player of the year Marshall Wilborn and a deadline!!!

We had the delightful pleasure of hosting a workshop visit with Marshall Wilborn and his lovely wife Lynn Morris this past Saturday.  What an absolute thrill to have Marshall and Lynn visits our workshop.  They looked over the entire herd…I mean collection…of basses while we got to see and hear Marshall play a little ditty on each one.  Lynn has an excellent ear, she knows what she likes and see’s when it comes to basses.  Marshall even brought his beloved American Standard #506 (his back up bass) for a little show and tell.  What a beautiful and pristine example of an American Standard.  After a full tour, dessert and coffee Marshall and Lynn moved along with their evening plans.  What a joy, what wonderful people…how blessed we are to know such fine people.

Working on carving the back side of the bridge to lighten the overall weight

Ruben and Lonnie taking in the evening news

This bass arrived with no Epiphone tail badge.  We have been hoarding a supply of vintage original "bikini badges" for accurate restorations.  This vintage tail badge is the crown jewel on an Epiphone bass.

With a self imposed deadline looming Lonnie has resumed his work on the 1941 Epiphone B-5 named Ruben, #623.  A new second bridge is underway as Lonnie was not happy with his first effort.  The fingerboard has been dressed and is as smooth as silk after much scraping and sanding.  This bass will retain the original wooden end pin collar and none adjustable wooden stick.  I plan on keeping this bass for a while so it is being set up to my playing preferences. 

The string combination is old school with Marshall approved Golden Spirals on top and medium Spirocore on bottom.  I have never tried the Golden Spirals so this will be new for me.  Marshall said they were his string of choice and he was introduced to them by Ed Ferris of the Country Gentleman many years ago…that is a mighty fine recommendation. 

Hopefully Lonnie will continue to be inspired and push on through to competition with this bass.  I would like to get a few hours of playing time before we take this big ole boy on vacation.  This bass has great character and colorful history.  I hope he booms with the best of them.  We have had some awesome jams the last three weeks; I learned a new tune, Newton’s Grove.  A Johnson Mountain Boys tune.  It’s a mighty small world…but gosh is it good.

Workshop updates and a Gibson...

Once again…where does the time go!?!

Though we have not been working on a bass restoration project we have been busy working on upgrades to the workshop. Lots of exciting things are coming. Having survived Hurricane Sandy with only minor damage we decided to make changes in the workshop while we were cleaning up. Lonnie has installed new UVC lamps to keep mold, mildew and smells out of the workshop. We have basses shipped from all over the USA, some have odors that are not pleasant. Some are musty smelling old wood, while others smell like smoke from a  1,000 bar room gigs. To improve our health (we both suffer from allergies) and the health of the basses the addition of air sterilizing light have been a great improvement.  All the basses are now getting daily light therapy, the workshop and house has never smelled better.

Both Lonnie and I are aging; our eyes are not what they used to be so Lonnie is in the process of installing all new lighting in the workshop. We were fortuitous to be the recipient of a dozen “free for the hauling” industrial overhead light fixtures. Lonnie has taken down all the previous track lighting which he called “French fry lights" and is installing the new florescence lights. They will be less expensive to use and the workshop is now extremely well light. Every bass will be viewable from any spot in the workshop. Lonnie has it so well lit you could perform surgery, no more working in his own shadow. As my Father used to say…”you can pick fly shit out of pepper” it is so well lit. Yeah…it is really; really bright…which is a good thing.

1941 Gibson B-135 upright bass

The other exciting news is I am motivated by a new bass acquisition to launch a Pre-war Gibson upright bass page for the website. We get questions from time to time about Pre-war Gibson basses because of their rivalry with Epiphone before WW2. Until now I had not given much thought to doing research on these basses because there are so few of them surviving. It is a small niche group of folks that are interested in the pre-war Gibson basses. That was until now; we are now the privileged owners of a rare 1941 Gibson B-135 upright bass, what a bass. 

The bass was purchased with a complete family history, full documentation and a Gruhn appraisal that confirms this bass is as pristine original as you will find. I am so pleased and inspired by this bass that I want to share the history and documentation. Look for a new page at our website that will feature this bass and the Gibson history. As in past I don’t feel qualified to post historical information unless I am confident in the accuracy. I am really confident about this beautiful Gibson bass that has been christening “Mother MayBelle”…she is a beauty!

Finally…we want to wish everyone a wonderful holiday season. This year has been good for us, we feel blessed in so many ways. We have enjoyed an increase of visitors to the workshop and acquired some really special basses for our collection. There is no place like our place and we are gratified to the folks that have shown their appreciation by traveling hundreds of thousands of miles to visit. In 2013 we will be hosting a visitor flying in from Australia to full fill a “bucket list” dream bass.

Merry Christmas yawl! 

May the best years be yet to come.