• TalkBass has been independent since 1998. Add your voice.
    Create a free account to reply to discussions, view embedded media, and browse with fewer display ads.
    Join freeLog in
    Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.

6 String Barker Build!!!

..... something tells me that if we met in person, we would instantly be friends.
Thanks Tom, that's nice of you to say .... however, much like everyone else that has ever met me, you'd likely want to smack me in the face in about 10 minutes :ninja:. I do believe that Lee has sent a flaming bag of dog poop to be set on Dwayne's front door step as retaliation for Dwayne having introduced me to the BVB world ...... :rolleyes:

:D. j/k, of course ... everyone in our expanding Barker family has been very supportive, informative and truely cool :cool:
 
... I do believe that Lee has sent a flaming bag of dog poop to be set on Dwayne's front door step as retaliation for Dwayne having introduced me to the BVB world ...
ROFLMAO!!! Nah, Lee's a glutton for punishment. If not, he'd be doing something safe like selling insurance!
Anyone in the Barker "family" already knows this, but it needs to be said again .... the customer service at Barker is nothing short of amazing ...
I've been in the music business a LONG time and over these years I've dealt with many people, but none have even come close to the level of service and professionalism that Lee Barker has shown me. If I wasn't 2,817 miles away I'd love to sit down with Lee over a beer and burger ...
Lee is an amazing guy -- one of the kindest, gentlest, most considerate human beings I've ever had the pleasure to know. As someone who has had a chance to have that "sit down over a meal' with Lee, trust me when I tell you, you'd really enjoy it. :cool:
 
Okay, things are getting VERY serious now ...... :)

Link Removed Link Removed Link Removed

The bass with the neck popped in, just to see the proportions (BTW, there is still a battle between Lee and the blue headstock .... I'm putting my money on Lee ... :D)

Link Removed

And, I found out some very interesting info about how Mr. Lee Barker runs his shop ..... more details to come .... :hiding:
 
All along we had the impression of Barker Vertical Bass being a small, woodsy, family type business ...... nonsense, I say :eek:. Here's some behind the scenes pictures of how many names are actually associated with the Barker Vertical Bass business ......
 

Attachments

  • press1.jpg
    press1.jpg
    4.7 KB · Views: 73
  • press2.jpg
    press2.jpg
    5.1 KB · Views: 82
You'd think that Sgt Pressdom, Harvey Boredom, Frank Boredom, Phyllis Driller, Brian Auger and Alexander Borodin would be enough, but no wayyyy, not for Lee Barker .... :ninja:. He has to enlist royalty ..... :rolleyes:
 

Attachments

  • press7.jpg
    press7.jpg
    5.8 KB · Views: 66
Okay, remember this?????


Link Removed Link Removed Link Removed

And this?????

Phalex said:
I'm not even involved in this in any way, and I'm kinda pissed off at you Ed!

And most recently, this ?????

pointbass said:
(BTW, there is still a battle between Lee and the blue headstock .... I'm putting my money on Lee ... :D)

welllll,







Link Removed

There was never a dount in my mind!! And now, I can hopefully have the coolio Barker logo on the headstock:bassist:

Nice work, Lee :D

BTW, a little bit closer look at the body ....

Link Removed

:cool:
 
In Lee's spare time, and since he did such a great job with the headstock, I wonder if he could strip the blue off the body where the neck came from, cut in the sides a little more, take about 1/4" off the entire back and then round the sides so that it doesn't look like a block of wood.

That would be my type of experiment....

Then I'd have to find a fretted neck....

Where's K-Frog.......

Z
 
Just updating some recently received info from Lee ...
(sorry, no pics this time)

The bass is in for finishing, getting a lacquer coat each day until she's all prettied up. The neck is getting a tint on the headstock to match the back of the neck (now that big blue is finally off of it :)) and then the slick laser Barker logo will be burned in.

Lee is putting black hardware onto the bass and a ToneStyler will be installed. Passive electronics only. It will be initially strung with the Rondo flatwound Indie strings (they appear to be a repackaged set of LaBella FM760's), if they don't work out or sound like cr*p I'll restring it.

Probably mid to late October for a finish date ..... :cool:
 
Just updating some recently received info from Lee ...
(sorry, no pics this time)

The bass is in for finishing, getting a lacquer coat each day until she's all prettied up. The neck is getting a tint on the headstock to match the back of the neck (now that big blue is finally off of it :)) and then the slick laser Barker logo will be burned in.

Lee is putting black hardware onto the bass and a ToneStyler will be installed. Passive electronics only. It will be initially strung with the Rondo flatwound Indie strings (they appear to be a repackaged set of LaBella FM760's), if they don't work out or sound like cr*p I'll restring it.

Probably mid to late October for a finish date ..... :cool:
Ahhh... no photos?!

By the way, I highly recommend trying Thomastik Infeld Jazz Flats. They are pricey, but they last a long time, get better with age, and have the most upright sounding tone for an electric bass that I have ever heard, while still doing an acceptable Jaco tone as well.
 
By the way, I highly recommend trying Thomastik Infeld Jazz Flats.
I think we've chatted about them before .... they're way too light tension for me. Truthfully, I grabbed the Indie's just to get something out to Lee for the interim. When I sent them, the LaBella FM760's were out of stock at JustStrings.com.

The LaBella's are a high tension string, especially the mediums. I've never been able to adapt to a lighter tension, even on my DB I use Pirastro Chromcor's which are heavy strings as well. I think the LaBella's and TI's are sort of priced the same .... and I only change out strings once every 5 or 6 years (some longer than that ;)).

Want to pay some serious money for strings? Check out the prices for a good set of DB's :eek:
 
Right, I remember now. Sorry.

If I wanted to pay serious money for strings, I'd go to the nearest university bookstore and tell them I need strings for a class. Judging by the rip off prices they charge for school books, they'd probably jack string prices up high enough that I'd need financing to get 'em. :-/
 
Just a quick post/update here, my schedule is darn cr*ppy over the next several days, so pardon the lack of detail .....

Actually, I believe that these will tell the story :D

Link Removed

Link Removed

Link Removed

Link Removed

Link Removed

Link Removed

More to come, I promise, but likely not until Monday ;)