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.

Road Trip Realized, Banjo Home Sweet Home

Photo: Ed Betts, Kenny Innis, Harvey Arbo

This is my account of how the big road trip to pick up my new Huber banjo went down. The characters in this story are real.

The Lead-Up
Ed Betts receives a telephone call from his friend in the USA at approximately 1:30 in the afternoon on Wednesday, May 16. His friend informs him "a banjo has arrived from Tennessee" and he sounds quite excited about it. Ed calls me and we make plans to leave at 8:00 the next morning. I called Harvey Arbo and Kenny Innis, who are coming along for the road trip, and tell them of the planned departure time. All is good - the trip is planned and I can't believe it's actually time to take posession of that new Huber Jim Mills banjo after a wait of over ten months.

At 9:00 PM that same day, my wife, Helen and I were driving back from the Fredericton hospital after having a visit with her mother when my cell phone rang. It was Ed. "Things aren't looking up," he said. His friend, who now has the banjo in his posession, has been admitted to the hospital with heart troubles. "Well, there's not much we can do, we'll have to wait and see what happens," I said. "Maybe we'll have to get it Friday, or maybe we won't be getting it until after the Ricky Skaggs concert." At this point, I'm truly hoping Ed's friend is okay, but I'm also wondering how we're going to get that banjo. As it turned out, Ed made an arrangement with his friend's sister the next day and she agreed to meet us at noon on Thursday.

Our original plan was only pushed back two hours and we headed out at 10:00 on Thursday morning. The big road trip to pick up my new banjo is actually going to happen! It's a little exciting to think about - four guys that share a common interest in Bluegrass music - and three friends that want to help make my day special!

It was Ed's idea to do the road trip thing and I'm sure he was every bit as excited as I was, maybe more. Both Harvey and Kenny said they wouldn't miss it for the world and I'm real happy all three of them wanted to be a part of this time in my life. Thank you Ed, Harvey and Kenny, I really appreciate you as friends.

The Road Trip
After driving a little over two hours we arrived at the Houlton, Maine, USA border crossing. The guard on duty was very friendly but asked us several questions - you know, all the normal stuff. He decided to have a look in Kenny's suspicious looking fur-covered mandolin case and left the rest of our instruments alone. I think he felt sorry for us when we told him we were going to a friend's house to pick up a new banjo. Off we went.

We arrived at the home of Ed's friend some 30 minutes later and knocked on the door. We were welcomed into the kitchen and there it was - a cardboard box from Huber Banjos. Wanting to record the history of the entire trip, I took a picture of the unopened cardboard box. I opened the box to find quite a bit of bubble wrap and newsprint acting as shock absorbers to protect the banjo. The bubble wrap was removed and we pulled the banjo out, which was protected in a TKL brand instrument case - made in Canada no less. Inside the banjo case was more protective material holding the banjo securely in place. Another picture was taken with the banjo still in its case.

I took the banjo out of its case and we all inspected it for damage and admired its beauty. The workmanship of this banjo is flawless and the fit of the neck to the rim is superb. On the peghead is the Huber logo and at the 20th fret there it is, the inlay with Jim Mills name on it.

The Huber Jim Mills model banjo is an exact replica of one of Jim Mills' banjos; a one-of-kind Gibson RB-75 made in 1939. Steve Huber is an extemist when it comes to detail. As Jim Mills says, it's all there from the satin finish, engraving pattern, gold plating, fit and feel. The banjo features a V-neck profile, something that wasn't common on an RB-75 back in the day. Steve even used hide glue just like they did in 1939, and had special screws made to hold the resonator L-brackets in place, just like the ones used in 1939. You couldn't get a more exact replica if you tried!

Okay, it's time for a tune. I had stated in an earlier post that I was going to let Harvey Arbo play the first notes on this banjo, and he did just that, but you know what? I don't remember what tune he played first. The banjo was pretty much in tune right out of the box. Harvey fooled around a bit, getting used to the feel of the V-neck and checking out how true and clear the sounds were up the neck. We were all impressed with the tone coming out of this monster banjo!

There's always a little bit of apprehension when you order an expensive instrument sight unseen. Questions arise. What if I don't like it? Will I be able to get used to the V-neck? What if it doesn't sound the way I'm expecting it to? Is the quality that Steve Huber has buit his reputaion on really there or is it just hype? Am I going to get that one lemon in the lot?

Harvey played a few more tunes on the banjo while Ed, Kenny and I took pictures. We thanked Ed's friend and said good-bye.

Flatt & Scuggs Experience

Our plans for the day included stopping at Ed and Becky's cottage "for a tune" before heading home. We came back into New Brunswick at a Canada Customs border crossing out in the middle of the sticks. I wouldn't describe it as the busiest border crossing I've ever seen. There was only one guard on duty and for the duration of our stay at the crossing, which was about 30 minutes, not a single other vehicle pulled up.

You know how in the Beverly Hillbillies television show, Lester and Earl dropped in on a couple episodes, and they just happened to have their instruments with them? Well, we had one of those experiences. Ed knew the lady at the Canada Customs crossing and I think he suggested I play a tune for her, knowing that she liked music and would get a kick out of it.

I paid the HST on the new banjo and got a registration card for it. While I was at it, I registered my Deering banjo as well. I didn't play a tune, but Harvey did. It really felt like one of those Beverly Hillbillies episodes. Ed brought his camera out for a picture and I took off running. The customs officer thanked us and we were off to Ed's second home to "have a tune."

I'm not sure of the exact times, but I think we got to Ed's place at 2:00 PM or so and left at about 6:00 PM. While we were there, we played a good number of tunes. Harvey even let me play the banjo! I'm just kidding. Harvey did play the banjo for a bit and then handed it over to me. He's always encouraging. It doesn't matter if you're tripping all the way through a tune or picking it like a pro, Harvey is always there for you. Kenny and Ed are the same way as are some other folks I know.

Earlier in the week I had sent Kenny a version of a tune called Train 45. It has this little bendy note played by the mandolin at the beginning of the tune to intro it. He must have wanted my attention and he got it, because as I was walking away from him he played this bendy note I speak of. My ears perked up and I stopped dead in my tracks. I just love strings being choked - that's what those bendy things are called. We played Train 45 two or three times and I had a ball with it! That has got to be one of the most fun tunes to play and its got amazing Bluegrass drive. As of late, I'm especially drawn to the sounds produced by choking the strings and I try to throw them in on the banjo when I can. Ron Block, the banjo player for Alison Krauss & Union Station is the person who coined the phrase "those bendy things I do."

The day wasn't over yet. We decided since nobody had to be home by a particular time that we would stop at the Irving Big Stop in Lincoln. We had a good chat with each other and learned that our waitress was a rednceck (she said it first) who has a brother that plays 5-string Bluegrass banjo, and is currently serving in Afghanistan.

We left the restaurant somewhere in the vicinity of 9:15 PM and were home within an hour. It was a good day indeed.

About the Banjo

The new Huber Jim Mills signature series banjo has met all of my expectations and more. It has absolute "killer" tone and the playability is excellent. It's also a very pretty banjo to boot. It's got beautiful clear tones all the way up the neck, something Huber banjos are noted for, and a nice growl in the lower positions. I'm tickled to death with it and think it's worth every penny paid. I called Steve Huber on the telephone yesterday to let him know how pleased I was.

Pictures

There are 40 pictures of the road trip on the Bluegrass Friends web site at http://bluegrassfriends.com/images/road_trip/index.html.