My custom-made bass from start to finish

[Lord Larehip]

Dan asked if I would like him to carve the tailpiece to resemble a castle tower. I had no idea what he was talking about but it sounded cool so I said ok. Pretty neato-looking, eh?


Dan carves his own bridges. I had him fit one with a yamahiko pickup--considered generally to be best bass pickup on the market. It was $700 and I had to order it from Japan. I had to order the strings as well. These Helicore hybrid lights.


Dan studied how early violins were varnished and applied those techniques to the bass. I specified a varnish the color of a monk's tunic--sure, no problem, right? Nowadays, varnish is applied in a uniform coating that completely stains the wood. But the early varnish jobs were thin coats where the original color of the wood shows through. I've read that even on the old Strads, hairs from the brush and even small bugs could be found adhering to the wood. Notice here how the varnish near the edge has strokes following the outline of the body. That's how it was then.


The camera flash really makes the blonde of the wood glow.


Closeup of the f-hole. You can see the sound post inside.


The insane grain of the ribs.


Ebony bumpers were added to the treble side of the bass. Two shown here but there are four in all. That way, you can lay the bass on its side without the wood making contact.




Before leaving Muskegon, I had the artist pose with his masterpiece.


He's making a bow now but it's not done yet.