New Old Bass

The Bluegrass Widow's new bass has finally been delivered to its final destination - our living room! She's a beauty too.

There it is, pictured on the left. (Click on the picture for a larger view.) It's a model "C-1" with serial number 47452. According to Roger Stowers Kay Bass Information Page, that serial number would indicate it was manufactured in 1963.

Apparently, this bass has been in a closet for 20 years without a neck attached. Luthier George Barkhouse from Bedford, Nova Scotia carved a new neck for this bass, one that is wider than the original Kay neck. He also changed the dovetail joint that attaches the neck to the body, which, from what I understand was a problem on many Kay basses; the problem being that the joint would not release and break free in the event of a jolt to the bass, such as hitting a pothole while transporting or perhaps dropping the bass. Such a jolt would often break the neck rather than simply breaking the joint.

In addition to a new neck there is also a brand new solid ebony fingerboard and new strings. The tailpiece with the Kay logo is original as is the body and end-pin. According to George, the top-hat tuners are antique and at least 100 years old; a conversation piece if nothing else, especially among bass enthusiasts.

George left the action a little high until I had a chance to check it out for myself. I decided it was a little too high for my liking, so he took some measurements and proceeded to cut approximately 1/8 inch from the top of the bridge, made new string slots and sanded it to a smooth finish; it's almost as if he knew what he was doing!
Actually, from my first conversation with him in mid August of 2007, I got the impression that George Barkhouse was "the" bass setup and repair man in the Maritime provinces. He was recommended to me by Saint John bassist Peter Kindred and after visiting his shop and seeing him in action, I too feel very confident in recommending him for any bass repairs or adjustments you may need.

The two photos above are of George taking some initial measurements before cutting the bridge to adjust the action and sanding the bridge after cutting it on the bandsaw.

George Barkhouse isn't just a bass setup and repairman; he is a very accomplished bassist as well, having played for many years in Bluegrass, country and jazz bands. When he played a few licks and runs on the bass, Harvey and I just looked at each other with our best "deer in the headlight" looks, while I muttered "I'll never be able to do that." George assured me I would be able to do "that." We shall see. Thank you for the encouragement George.

George owns no less than seven basses of his own and this next photo is one of him showing us the bass he would be playing that very afternoon in a jazz ensemble; it's a 5-string bass. What a beautiful piece of equipment - immaculately finished and a pleasure to look at; I bet even more of a pleasure to hear in a full band setting.

Banjo players often speak of something called banjo acquisition syndrome (BAS) , but I dare say with seven bassess to his credit, George may very well suffer from another form of BAS, which of course is bass acquisition syndrome. I just want you to know George, there is help out there, but first, you must admit you have a problem. Suffering myself from a mild case of the general form of this disease, instrument acquisition syndrome, or IAS, that's all I'm going to say on the topic, but remember, we're all in this thing together.

Harvey Arbo sacrificed last Saturday to help me transport the bass from Bedford, NS to Saint John, NB where it is now adjusting to its new surroundings. Thank you Harvey for your help and friendship.

Harvey pulled into my driveway at 6:30 AM Saturday morning past, and for once in my life, I was ready and on time to leave; but that's only because I got confused. You see, I thought he said he was going to be there at 6:00 AM. According to the Bluegrass Widow however, I told her 6:30 AM. I am now looking in my Sent Items e-mail box and sure enough there is a message I sent to Helen stating "Harvey is going to pick me up at 6:30 AM tomorrow morning. We are going fishing for bass." Here's the thing. I was actually ready at 6:00 AM. Honest, I was! I know, it's a first, but it's true.

We played Bluegrass music from CDs and gabbed all the way down to Bedford. We stopped for gas, did the pee break thing and gabbed some more. When we were finished gabbing, we gabbed some more. I don't even know what we talked about. Mostly about nothing, I guess.

We arrived at George's house just before noon. Hey, those pee breaks take time and we weren't in a big rush anyway. We were having a great time; I think. Well, I was. To himself, Harvey was probably thinking "how do I get this guy to stop talking?!"

We spent close to 2 hours at George's place while he adjusted the bass, showed us several other basses he had in the shop and gave a few bass tips. That's Harvey in the photo near this text by the way, checking out the final adjustments made by George. Harvey approves!

On our way back home, we played Bluegrass music from CDs and gabbed. We stopped in Truro, NS for lunch. We tried Tim Hortons and discovered the small store was just a drive-thru. We decided Wendys would be okay, only to find out the store was closed for rennovations. We were 0 for 2. In the end, we settled on Pizza Delight.

So, we're back on the road headed toward Saint John, playing Bluegrass music from CDs and gabbing. Well what are we supposed to do?

Our last stop for gasoline was at the Magnetic Hill Esso in Moncton at which point Harvey asked me if I wanted to drive, so I did. We pulled into my driveway at 6:00 PM, unloaded the bass and Harvey was on his merry way. An enjoyable 12 hour day.

When Helen arrived home later that evening, she seemed quite excited; more than I thought she would be. After seeing the bass, I thought she might say something like "must we have that thing in our living room?" But no, quite the opposite. Instead, she remarked on its look of character and distinction and how nice it sounded.

I suppose if Helen starts playing Bluegrass music with us we might need to change her handle from Bluegrass Widow to something more appropriate, for she may no longer be a Bluegrass Widow. Let us see how it works out.

Things Are Not Always As They Appear

Me, Kenny Innis, Clay Johnson and the Bluegrass Widow (Helen) made a trip to North Lake to visit Ed & Becky Betts at their cottage for a Bluegrass weekend. Thank you very much Ed and Becky for your hospitality; as usual, first rate. Two nicer people I've never met.

Helen and I very much enjoyed our visit and I know Clay did as well. Unfortunately, our good friend Kenny Innis had to leave the jam early Saturday evening, but I know he enjoyed the time he was able to spend with us.

Bob and Inez Jones as well as Ed's Friend and Side Effects band mate, Dr. Gary Beatty joined the jam Saturday afternoon and evening. On Sunday afternoon Ed, Clay and I had a fine jam indeed while Helen and Becky endured the noise we were making. What I mean to say is "enjoyed." These words, endured and enjoyed are so easy to confuse in the context of jamming, plus they kind of sound the same. Yes, while Helen and Becky enjoyed the noise we were making is what I meant to say.

The photo at the top of this post was taken just before we left Ed and Becky's cottage at 3:00 PM Sunday afternoon. From left to right, that's Ed Betts, Helen Floyd on upright bass, Becky Betts and Clay Johnson. And that's where the title of this post comes in - Things Are Not Always As They Appear.

I know many of you are thinking - "Oh, isn't that nice? The Bluegrass Widow plays bass". Some of you are saying, "I didn't know Helen played bass." Well, things are not always as they appear are they? She doesn't play bass - yet! But doesn't she look like a natural the way she clutches that thing?

In fact, Harvey Arbo and I are planning to pick up the Bluegrass Widow's new bass this Saturday morning in Bedford, Nova Scotia. Actually it's not a new bass; it's an old 1940 something Kay bass with a brand new neck, new ebony fingerboard, new strings, 100 year old tuners and completely set up by George Barkhouse. From what I'm told, it's a beauty, just like the Bluegrass Widow - so hopefully, they'll be a good match for each other.

Hey, I told Hunny way back in August, "Merry Christmas," and then I ordered me up that fine bass. Of course if I recall, when I got my first banjo (the Deering Deluxe) I told her "happy birthday." When I ordered the second banjo (the Huber Jim Mills model) I think I told her "happy birthday" again. I'll let you come to your own conclusions about how all of that works but, if seeing me happy makes her happy, I'm very much looking forward to her next birthday!

I'm really looking forward to having the Widow, or should I say the wife (she hates it when a man refers to his spouse as "the wife"), take a stab at joining in with all of the Bluegrass fun we have. Who would ever have thought such a day would be upon us? I bet when she was growing up she never thought she would ever be listening to "hillbilly" music, let alone playing it. But, then she met me; hard-core Bluegrass hillbilly deluxe. Well Hunny, when we took our vows and said "for better or worse," I guess you got the "better."

I'm sure the Bluegrass Widow will have her own account of our visit with the Betts' shortly, so check her blog out if you're interested in some of her antics.

Not Much Banjo Playing Going On Around Here

The title of this post says it all - I haven't played either of my banjos for 3 ½ weeks, but it's not because mama don't allow no banjo pickin' 'round here! Truth be told, I'm almost afraid to start up again because I don't want to find out what I've forgotten. I'm not quite sure how the lapse happened in the first place, but it did. Worst of all, I just can't seem to get in the mood to start.

As of late, I have been spending a lot of time evaluating Adobe Audition®, a multi-track recording, mixing, editing, and mastering software program for professional audio production. After installing the software and starting it up for the first time, I was absolutely overwhelmed with the interface. I didn't know where to begin, so I began reading every single page of the help file, beginning at page 1. As I make my way through the help file, I'm trying most of the features out so as not to forget all of the things I have learned. I must say, this is one full-featured piece of software for audio production.

I have a few days left before my evaluation copy of Adobe Audition runs out, but those of you that know me will realize I won't stop at the evaluation process. I already ordered and received two professional broadcast quality sound cards for my computer which will give me a total of 8 balanced inputs and 8 balanced outputs; that's as technical as I'll get. Suffice it to say I intend on producing some low-noise recordings.

My intent is not to become the next recording studio in Saint John, at least not right now. Instead, I'm simply adding another page in the book of music fun with my musical friends.

Review - Blue Ridge at Historic Everett's Music Barn

Have you ever heard of a Bluegrass artist or group and failed to take notice, only to find out later that you had been missing out on some fantastic music? That's exactly the case for me when it comes to the now defunct Bluegrass band once known as Blue Ridge.

I recently stumbled on a web site called Bluegrass Roots TV and was delighted with high quality video samples from performances of various Bluegrass bands, including three videos from Blue Ridge that were recorded in October of 2005 at the Everett Brothers Music Barn.

It was the lead vocal singing of Junior Sisk that grabbed my immediate attention, emotionally charged with a soulful traditional sound that I can't get enough of. I had heard of Junior Sisk in the past but only in passing. Consequently, I paid no attention, and that was my loss. However, after viewing the video samples on the BGRTV web site, I didn't need much more convincing before I decided to contact Jack Poston from Bluegrass Roots TV to order a Blue Ridge DVD/CD set.

Junior is a very successful and accomplished songwriter, penning such songs as Game That I Can't Win and Tears Are Blinding Me, both which were recorded by the Lonesome River Band, and No Where Bound, which was recorded by Ronnie Bowman.

Since Blue Ridge has departed Junior has reformed his old band, Junior Sisk and Ramblers Choice. In addition to the great video samples at BGRTV.com, you can check Junior's myspace music page to hear some samples from this fine traditional Bluegrass performer.

The next attention getting aspect of Blue Ridge was the mandolin playing of Alan Bibey - this time, a name that I had heard quite a few times, but still failed to pay much attention to. After seeing the video samples I began to pay a little more attention. Alan Bibey is now part of Grasstowne. Alan also has a solo project available on his own web site and has an instructional DVD and tablature book available from Acutab Publications.

Next in the the Blue Ridge line is Alan Johnson on fiddle and bass vocals, now with Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver. A one-time member of Larry Cordle & Lonesome Standard Time, Alan has also played with several mainstream country artists, including Lorrie Morgan and Terri Clark.

Also on this DVD is Blue Ridge member Eddie Biggerstaff on bass and tenor vocals. Eddie has played and recorded with some of the top bluegrass and acoustic performers in the world before joining Blue Ridge including Larry Rice, Junior Sisk and Rambler’s Choice and Herschel Sizemore.

Last but not least on the Blue Ridge DVD is Joey Cox on banjo. At the ripe old age of 22 years Joey was already well on his way to becoming a seasoned pro on the banjo. He has appeared on both of the Huber banjo CD's, Team Flathead and 'Cuppa Jo, and is making quite a name for himself in the banjo world. Joey is currently playing with Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver.

DVD Quality
I was suitably impressed with both the video and audio quality of the Blue Ridge DVD, especially considering it was shot at a live performance in a small venue. During the second set of the performance, the upright bass appears to be on the verge of feedback which can be a bit distracting, and in fact, there are a few times where you hear a small amount of feedback during the performance, but nothing too serious. Regardless, this DVD is well worth $20.00 and if you desire, you can purchase a DVD/CD set for $25.00. You cannot purchase a CD by itself.

One thing I really like about the audio quality is that it has a raw sound - meaning the instruments are very natural sounding - you'd think you were standing right beside the performers. It is not over-produced.

There are several Bluegrass selections on this DVD that I had never heard until now. Any fan of traditional Bluegrass music should have a copy of this DVD. Contact Jack Poston at Bluegrass Roots TV to order a copy.

Other DVD/CD sets available from BGRTV include (descriptions provided by Jack Poston):

• David Parmley & Continental Divide: Three Cameras. Fabulous show, great singing and playing.
• Steep Canyon Rangers: Two Cameras (But they sing into one mic, so that's all that's necessary.) Quite entertaining, great original songs.
• James King: Three Cameras. Some classic James King and Kevin Prater songs.
• Aubrey Haynie: Premier fiddler backed by some great musicians including Barry Bales and Alan Bibey.