Just a quick plug for luthier David Graham. When my unattended Solano Klotz met with a bandstand accident that I didn't catch on Mother's Day (no idea what happened), I opened the case to find a broken tuner key and scroll damage. I think someone banged a chair into it after my brunch gig.
At any rate, I never could get in touch with my local luthier Rocky Werning, which really worries me.
I called David, as I had been in his shop before to check out basses while on gigs in Dallas.
The coolest thing is that he has a retired aircraft machinist working with him. His machinist was able to drill out the screw from the tuner and machine a new one (check the pic I attach to see the damage). The tuner is stronger than before it was broken.
David fixed the scroll damage and you can't even tell it was there. He also readjusted the bridge while it was in.
If you're ever in Texas, stop in. He has some good basses, and he is just a nice guy than can talk about basses all day. He and his dad have played around DFW for years (apparently his dad was on almost every commercial jingle ever done in that area for decades). I played his dad's OLD Juzek, which David said is the oldest one he has personally seen (a 1912). Set up with old gut strings, it was a cannon.
He also has a bass in there on consignment that could have won the A.S.S.E.S. on fire ugliness contest. It is a 100 yr old+ Bohemian/ Tyrolean bass owned since 1951 by a local jazz player who is retiring and no longer playing. What it lacked in looks it made up for in amazing sound.
David's machinist is also coming up with his own inventive bass products. He showed me some adjusters made of a polycarbonate material that was used to reduce high-freq. vibrations on jets. He swore to David that it would get rid of wolfs. David was skeptical on how he could know that, but it has been successful 4 of 4 times he has tried it on basses with bad wolfs. It is a nice looking black and turns very easily.
He will be working on a new endpin/ wheel design, as well as some other stuff.
Cool place, good workmanship, and I'm a very happy customer.
At any rate, I never could get in touch with my local luthier Rocky Werning, which really worries me.
I called David, as I had been in his shop before to check out basses while on gigs in Dallas.
The coolest thing is that he has a retired aircraft machinist working with him. His machinist was able to drill out the screw from the tuner and machine a new one (check the pic I attach to see the damage). The tuner is stronger than before it was broken.
David fixed the scroll damage and you can't even tell it was there. He also readjusted the bridge while it was in.
If you're ever in Texas, stop in. He has some good basses, and he is just a nice guy than can talk about basses all day. He and his dad have played around DFW for years (apparently his dad was on almost every commercial jingle ever done in that area for decades). I played his dad's OLD Juzek, which David said is the oldest one he has personally seen (a 1912). Set up with old gut strings, it was a cannon.
He also has a bass in there on consignment that could have won the A.S.S.E.S. on fire ugliness contest. It is a 100 yr old+ Bohemian/ Tyrolean bass owned since 1951 by a local jazz player who is retiring and no longer playing. What it lacked in looks it made up for in amazing sound.
David's machinist is also coming up with his own inventive bass products. He showed me some adjusters made of a polycarbonate material that was used to reduce high-freq. vibrations on jets. He swore to David that it would get rid of wolfs. David was skeptical on how he could know that, but it has been successful 4 of 4 times he has tried it on basses with bad wolfs. It is a nice looking black and turns very easily.
He will be working on a new endpin/ wheel design, as well as some other stuff.
Cool place, good workmanship, and I'm a very happy customer.
