Greetings from a Colorado Newbie

wander24 · #1 10-10-2007, 01:01 PM

Hi Folks,
I wanted to introduce myself as I am new here. My name is Andy, I live in Colorado, and I am a new upright player. I played electric bass in a number garage bands in the 80s, and then graduated to a few paying gigs with a few blues bands, and then pretty much stopped playing bass in favor of guitar. My musical tastes have evolved to the point where I now am ready to play bass again. I pretty much listen to acoustic music these days, I guess you could call it bluegrass, but I think Tony Rice defined it well enough when he coined the "New Acoustic Music" moniker a few (many) years ago. at any rate, a friend left his Johannes Widder upright at my place a few months back , and I have been playing it every day, learning by playing, as I can't read, and generally having a blast. I am on my way to check out a 1963 Kay M1 today, and I think I will buy it if it is decent shape. I have been lurking for a while, and using the invaluable newbie resources here to help me on my way to purchasing an instrument of my own. I will probably be looking for a teacher in the Denver Metro area, I live in the mountains outside of town, but get down the hill a few days a week, so if anybody has any suggestions.....
Ciao for now,
Andy

tbassist4 · #2 10-10-2007, 01:14 PM

Welcome! I'm a Colorado bassist myself, studying classical bass at CU in Boulder. If you're looking for a place to try basses and get some repairs done down the road, I highly recommend Robert Ross in Denver. He lives more outside of Denver and his address is on his website http://www.rossdoublebass.com/. I recently tried two nice basses. There's a plywood there that you might really like and I think it would be a fitting adversary to that Kay M1; lots of boom, haha. I haven't tried any Kays, but I would not be at all surprised if this plywood beat one out. I also just had a new bridge installed and fit on my bass. He does great work, and my bass is sounding better than it ever has. Give him a call. Once again, welcome to Talkbass!

wander24 · #3 10-10-2007, 01:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tbassist4

Welcome! If you're looking for a place to try basses and get some repairs done down the road, I highly recommend Robert Ross in Denver.

There's a plywood there that you might really like and I think it would be a fitting adversary to that Kay M1; lots of boom, haha.

I actually called him this morning to see if he would be willing to go over this kay, if I buy it. Of course he said that he would, and also mentioned that I might like to play some stuff that he has, before I pull the trigger on the Kay. I am leaning toward the kay, because it is a)in my budget, and b) Robert Ross thinks it "sounds" like a great bargain. Although that is based on an unseen description of the bass. I will probably go with my gut instinct on the Kay, if it is playable and I like it, then I will probably buy it. I don't want to jinx this deal, so I won't mention the price yet, but I think it is a fair price( or at least in my budget!).

tbassist4 · #4 10-10-2007, 04:56 PM

It's good that you've been in contact with him. I think it's best to try multiple basses before you buy. Is there any way that the person who wants to sell you the Kay would let you take it to Robert Ross first, so he can look it over and then you can try some of Robert's out before you buy anything? The price on the plywood I'm speaking of it also very competitive, very much so considering how it sounds. You wouldn't be disappointed trying it out.

**Damon Rondeau** · #5 10-10-2007, 08:04 PM

Welcome, wander24 -- nice to have you on board. Our stories sound very similar -- a friend of mine left his DB in our rehearsal hall and took off to do almost a year of cruise ship work. I started fiddling with it and the idea took hold -- "hey, you could do this too!" I thank him now whenever I see him...

I don't know him personally at all, but I can tell you from hanging around here soaking up DB info for about five years now that Bob Ross has one of the best reputations going, bar none. I think you'd be very, very well served by checking out whatever he's got in stock.

wander24 · #6 10-10-2007, 09:29 PM

Well, I pulled the trigger and bought the Kay, and I am very happy I did. I probably should have played some of what Robert Ross has available, but I went with my gut instinct because I thought, (and hope) I got a good deal. I paid 1150 for the Kay, and I am sure I will have a blast playing her ( I don't know why, but uprights always seem to have a feminie mystique, maybe because of Bryn's tattoos http://www.myspace.com/basslady). Anyway, now I need a reputable teacher, I have been hacking for few months on my friends Widder (anyone know anything about Johannes Widder basses, just curious, because this bass sounds and plays great), but now that I own one myself, I want to get a little more serious. I will play mostly Bluegrass, but I would love to dust off my jazz/blues chops as well. I do not read music, nor do I have the time or desire to do so. I live more or less in the Denver area ( about 45 miles away, in the mountains). Any help would be appreciated, as long as you don't berate me for buying an old Kay instead of a new Shen.

Steve Killingsworth · #7 10-10-2007, 09:48 PM

Contact Paul Warburton. If you have been lurking around here, I am sure you are familar with him and his playing.

wander24 · #8 10-10-2007, 09:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Steve Killingsworth

Contact Paul Warburton. If you have been lurking around here, I am sure you are familar with him and his playing.

I am familar with him, but for some reason I did not realize he teaches. I will contact him. thanks