I'm just back from visiting THE man himself, Gary Bartig of GEL BASS, Minneapolis, MN. Gary is an unbelievable cat (Luthier) that is the brain behind GEL Bass, Emminence Bass. I bought my Emminence from Gary around 10 years ago. My number is 103 and is signed by Gary inside the body. I wanted some work done on my bass and went to see Gary in person. It had been a long time since I first visited his shop. Well, I wanted some tweaks done that were very specific to my playing style and Gary came through like magic! I believe he is approaching bass no. 800 or so now, and as mine was one of the early basses off the line, there were some upgrades available. Man, let me tell you, Gary has my Emminence sounding so good it is playing exactly like I want it to!!! The bottom is so meaty, I have a full range of sound, the new G String that he recommends is awesome and he hooked me up with all the latest tweaks he could put on the bass without charging me ONE RED CENT! That's right! He did not charge me to tweak my bass to my liking. I literally just flew back home and it is about 3am and I am still flying high over my sound. Thanks Gary, you have made me a happy bass player. We bass players are always "looking for or to improve" our sound. For me, it has been a journey of 35 years and now, I feel that I have the sound I've been looking for in my Emminence 5 string acoustic bass. You've got to hear it to dig what I am saying. With the right set-up, the right gear, I'd put my Emminence up against ANY bass for tone, fatness, clarity, playability, portability, and general hipness. After 10 years, cats who can play still look at my Emminence and ask "what is that"? But when they hear it, all the questions get answered. Of course, everybody has their own sound, much of which emminates from the hands and the heart. I can't wait to play my next gig or jam session just to see the reactions I get. Even my long term friends, cats that have heard me play for years, still comment positively on the sound coming from my Emminence Bass. My Style is Jazz & Blues for the most part and the Emminence comes through for me like a charm. In addition to the tweaks I wanted, I also learned a lot from Gary about other intricate details to my quest for the perfect sound. I'd share them with you right now, but, right now, I keep them all to myself! At least for a little while. You'll have to talk with Gary Bartig at gelbass.com to get your own goods! I have attached a pic of me, Gary B and his wife Karen. Thanks again Gary!
Peace
Calvin Howell
CHKYO Jazz & Blues
www.chkyo.com
Emminence Bass 
