Holmes Bass & Viol

[fmooney]

I had a fun and learning experience when I purchased an upright bass from Wayne Holmes (Holmes Bass Viol and other Stringed Instruments). It is one thing to purchase an instrument but quite another to have such personal service and a genuine desire from Wayne to get your instrument just the way you like it.

Half the battle with an acoustic bass is the set up, feel, and action of the instrument. Wayne has a way of making you feel very special and really listens to your needs and then sets up your bass just that way.

He really knows his stuff and can do just about any kind of repair or cosmetic adjustments or improvements. I was impressed also with the info he shared after the sale as to upkeep, care, and finger board tweaks to remove a buzz should it occur. He supplied me with assorted sand papers, steel wool, oils, polishes, and filler for the nut should it wear and need to be built up. I even received an appraisal for insurance purposes. He has many basses to choose from in various price ranges.

He sees customers by appointment, so you get all of his attention unlike any buying experience I have had in a typical music store. I never felt rushed and his wife and daughter were very friendly, helped to find accessories, and offered the home style comfort you would never receive at a dealer. Wayne also stands behind his work. He takes great pride in pleasing his customers making sure they are totally satisfied. I think you will be very impressed if you decide to make the trek to his business nestled in a wooded area of Milan, Tennessee.


Atoka, TN

[wayne holmes]

Thanks Freddie, with lots of bass love, Wayne

[Marcus Johnson]

Welcome to TalkBass, FMooney. Thanks for the review.

[wayne holmes]

Thank you Marcus!

with lots of bass love, wayne

[Sithian]

I would like to give a shout out to Wayne as well- I too have had a positive transaction with Wayne Holmes from Holmes Bass & Viol- I bought a beautiful Shen and Wayne really took a lot of time to work with me through a period of great indecision on my part- It took me a long time to come to a decision, and we discussed the finer points of at least a half a dozen basses prior to the me pulling the trigger, and Wayne was extremely patient throughout- The bass was shipped and arrived well packed and set up to my preference. Price point was also excellent- Highly recommended-

[wayne holmes]

Thanks Sithian, cool electric you are leaving behind to join the wonderful world of the double bassists. We should point out that the picture is not the beautiful Shen 190 that you are now playing. I commend you on your extensive search for your first double bass. I am really glad that your choice turned out to be the right one. The Shen 190 is a very impressive bass. Do you also like the Full Circle pick-up?

With lots of bass love, Wayne keep in touch

[Sithian]

Originally Posted by wayne holmes

Thanks Sithian, cool electric you are leaving behind to join the wonderful world of the double bassists. We should point out that the picture is not the beautiful Shen 190 that you are now playing. I commend you on your extensive search for your first double bass. I am really glad that your choice turned out to be the right one. The Shen 190 is a very impressive bass. Do you also like the Full Circle pick-up?

With lots of bass love, Wayne keep in touch

Leave behind? Who said I was leaving behind my MTD?

I am going to be a doubler!

[wayne holmes]

I should have known-my bad-I forgot that some actually get paid to play the bass-so, you are not a convert-just an add-on- anyway, I am happy that you are part of the double bass world now,too.

[chaseabner]

This is long overdue and quite frankly I don’t know where to begin. Perhaps this will suffice: Wayne Holmes is a good man and runs an excellent business. He is more passionate about music and helping players get good instruments than he is about making money.

I started looking for an upright bass in late summer. I’ve played electric bass for about 10 years, but wanted to branch out. I visited Wayne’s shop after hearing about it on this forum. He took a lot of time to show me his instruments, but more so, he was teaching me about what to look for in an upright bass. At that time, I wasn’t ready to buy, so we stayed in contact and he kept offering suggestions on what type of instrument would be good for the style I was pursuing.

Finally, in late August, Wayne offered me a great deal on either a new Romanian hybrid bass or one that had been damaged and reassembled with an Engelhardt top and a C-extension. He even sent his employee to meet me halfway so that I could play both basses before making my purchase. I ended up enjoying the Holmes’ special repair better!

Here she is:



I bought it and the very next day my wife knocked the thing over and it was cracked open real good. I let Wayne know and he immediately offered to repair it for an unbelievable price. Really, really, really good price. He even loaned me one of those cool Swanson basses that you can read about elsewhere on the forums. I went ahead and paid him to install the Fishman Full Circle pickup while he was at it since he’d been SO good to me. It sounds better than before.

I’ve been plugging along at it now for a few months and am very happy with the purchase. I cannot stress enough how thankful I am for connecting with Wayne. He’s a real musician and a real musicians’ friend. Forget the websites and catalogs.

Here I am playing it at the first gig of my new band, The Kindling Brothers.

[wayne holmes]

Cool Chase- I still feel badly about not telling you how to stow your bass , but I am glad that it all worked out. I can still here the sound of that bass. I was just thinking this morning that I have never heard a bass - (an old student German, or Romanian with a top in need of a massive restoration) that didn't sound great after putting an Engelhardt top on it. I hope that you will trade it back to me some day- but I'll understand if you don't want to.

Best of luck as you take up the upright after all those years with the electric. My best to your wife and your new baby. With lots of bass love, Wayne

[Marcus Johnson]

Originally Posted by chaseabner

The Kindling Brothers.

[/IMG]

Hey man.... just because that's the name of the band, doesn't mean you have to turn the bass into it on the first day!

Sorry, that was a little dark... Welcome to the dark side! It's cool that you have Wayne nearby to get you you going on the right track.

[chaseabner]

Marcus,

Ha! Good one. Ya know I thought the thing was done, but Wayne was able to resurrect it. He did great work and it sounded even better after he put it back together.

[Paul Warburton]

Man, that's really a small bass or you are one big mother.
If you're as big as you look, we should call you The Enforcer.

EDIT: Did you study end-pin adjustment with Ron Carter?

[chaseabner]

Paul,

I'm really a novice at upright and am learning in my spare time. I'm about 6'1.5'' and from what I've read the nut should be about eyebrow height. That's what I was shooting for. I don't know if the bass is small. I guess it could be. Wayne could tell you more about the specs.

Either way, I prefer the nickname Gigantore.

And to prove how novice I am, I had to google Ron Carter.

[LouisF]

But at least you did (look up Ron Carter - I refuse to use "google" as a verb). It's a step above many of the newbs here!

Louis

[wayne holmes]

good one Louis.