| A short story with a great ending….
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During May 2005 my wife accidentally discovered the website for Barker Vertical Basses (BVB). As a lifelong bass player, I was intrigued by the beauty of the instrument and wanted to learn more. So I e-mailed Lee Barker and asked if he would mind if I came to visit him and his basses when I had a chance. He said he welcomed guests and to come visit.
On July 8th I had the chance. Lee encouraged me to bring along my current instrument and amplifier so I could easily do a side-by-side comparison. I played for a couple of hours, switching back and forth between instruments, and found that the BVB had wonderful tones and evenness of response across the strings and frequencies. Many instruments seem to have “hot-notes” that are always louder than others – not so with the BVB. And it is a beautifully finished instrument.
So, I decided to buy one. Unfortunately I was between jobs and not in a position to spend the money. Nonetheless, I stayed in touch with Lee. I visited twice more, once with my wife, also a musician. I continued to be convinced I wanted to own and play one of these works of art. When my job search ended successfully, I asked Lee to build one for me. He invited me to select the body grain I liked and then he proceeded to complete it. Lee graciously worked with me and allowed me to have some custom work done to the neck before final assembly.
Well I got it home yesterday afternoon, March 11th, and didn’t put it down except to eat dinner. You know, until you listen to an instrument in familiar surroundings, you never know for sure how it compares and fits in. Well now I know. I love it! And it is a truly beautiful sculpture.
I just want to thank Lee for being patient with me, graciously letting me visit several times, choose the grain, and working with me on the custom neck work (and thanks to Todd at Portland Fret Works for the inlays).
Lee, it’s been a long time coming but it’s been worth it. Thanks!
Leonard | 
