Quote:
Originally Posted by saxon  Hey all,
I want to share a Great experience with you.
I asked for a luthier to work with Garys old DB and you recomended Bob Ross in Denver.
Well Thank You all, He's been a prince.
Here's a tiny bit of his letters to us after we droped off the Bass. After all his help and work the Bass is fixed and Sold to a real Jazz enthusist.
"Hello Sandra,
Sorry that I haven't been in touch, but I was hoping to have really precise information about your bass next time we spoke. Still don't know precisely what your bass is other than it is almost certainly somehow related to extremely early Kays. I'm not sure if I told you, but the day after you dropped off your bass, a 1939 Kay came into the shop. The neck was out of the body and it needed a lot of work, but its dimensions and shape were for all practically purposes the same as your bass (the machines and the scroll were different). I made a template of the neck and the f hole of your bass and it matched the 1939 Kay.
Below is my first email reply from Roger Stowers. I've sent him a lot of pictures of your bass and also later of the now restored 1939 Kay. I've also sent Jerry Fretwell pictures and am waiting for a reply. I'll give him a call after I send you this email and let you know later in the day what he says. There are still some mysteries as to your bass. I had to cut another soundpost for the bass as `the one inside it was almost 2" to short! I thought perhaps that extra wooden piece we found inside the bass the day you dropped it off was used under the soundpost, but I wasn't able to see how that would work and it really doesn't make any sense either. Do you remember the last time the bass was strung up and played? When I strung up the bass I found that the neck was loose in the block. That's something I can probably correct by opening up the joint slightly and regluing it. The bridge needs some work - probably new feet and adjusters, and the strings need to be changed. I wanted to wait until I knew exactly what the bass was and its value before doing any work on it. I mentioned your bass to a bluegrass player who was in the shop last weekend and when I finally find out what the bass is I will make a greater effort to put the word out.
I'll call again or email after I talk to Mr. Fretwell.
Hope you're well,
Bob"
What a great good guy this is. 
Sandra & Gary. |
A TRIBUTE TO A LUTHIER
I had trouble sleeping last night.....I over played and ended up with a blood-blister on my index finger that resounded with my heartbeat. I ran across this thread that I, somehow, had missed.
Bob Ross is one of my dearest friends, staunch supporter of my work and my life in general. (He actually helped save my life)
I bumped this thread for a couple of reasons.....Bob, laughingly
credits AND blames me for the serious Jones that he has developed for our instrument. It has both enriched his life and, unfortunately, messed it up in some ways. The up-side's are: He's made some beautiful basses that have been played by some of our greatest players and will go on, through the ages, to enrich the musical lives of players and listeners. I even get a shot at being on board for some of that....A couple of his labels read: "Ross::Warburton". All I did was give him a suggestion of a Motagnana pattern that I liked.
Being a great music lover, it's given him the opportunity to hear some great music played by some of the best in a very intimate and personal setting.
Again, unfortunately, there are some down-sides:
This obsession has crippled Bob's social and personal life. He can no longer have a one-on-one, normal conversation with "normal" people. In a group of conversationalists, this really gets ugly. All he can talk about are basses. This is very sad for people close to him. I've seen tears in the eyes of his loved ones (Lois and Pharlain) as he takes over the evening dinner conversation, and starts ranting about the " cool " arching on a bass that he had worked on that day......
He has become very selfish. He goes to the extreme, and invites ME to gatherings where I just don't belong. This, actually, works pretty good for us both in the end. We can take over the entire group, enlightening everyone about all things bass. He'll even throw me a bone and mention my little gig with Bill Evans. That, in turn, gives me the chance to rant about my bass playing prowess. More than once, I remember certain individuals in the group whisper to each other, things like..." What's a double bass? " or...." Who's Bill Evans? "
And, of course,..."What the hell is arching?".
I could go on (thas' OK, I won't), but it goes straight down-hill from there....
What do we have left? A great bass luthier, someone who is honest and that we can trust with our beloved instruments. Someone with the passion, experience, and fine workmanship that our basses deserve.
A person who DOESN'T deserve to be left with one thing in this life: A bunch of demanding, Prima Dona, virtuostic, ass hole bass players.
I'm very proud of Bob and I love him very much.
www.rossdoublebass.com
Bob Ross Rocks ! Thank You 
