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.