Hi from the Montreal suburbs!

[Neill Graham]

Hello everyone.

Just responding to Paul Determan's email to me on joining yesterday.

I'm in the Montreal suburb of Dorval (Oh! There goes another jet taking off from PET airport!) I retired 2 years ago after 48 years working as a counsellor and employee assistance program consultant in this area. It took over a year for my mind to slow down as I started in on some wood working projects for post retirement therapy. I had taught myself violin over the past 40 years and bought a trumpet and an Artiphon Instrument 1 before I retired but last year succumbed to a secret yearning I've had since my young adult days frequenting jazz clubs like Biddle's and classical concerts: the double bass.

I could never justify getting into one as my profession was all consuming for half a century (except for recreational gliding that was my relief during working years). But these past 7 months I have been building an electric upright bass from scratch which I copied roughly from a commercially available design. (Photo attached.) I just finished it and call it "Charlie Brown" named after Charles Mingus, Charlie Haden, Charlie Biddle and Ray Brown. It sounds pretty good (Fishman BP-100 piezo pickup, Prelude strings and an Ampeg 110 amp) and I am beginning to practice a little every day as I fine tune it. (I just adjusted the bridge to place the strings exactly 9mm over the end of the fingerboard. They were too high before.)

So I just bought the "Got Bass?" T-shirt to play in with my new cap (another photo attached) and just wanted to say hi to all you good people at TalkBass!
Cheers
Neill Graham

 

[bass12]

Hi Neill - great job on the bass! I have absolutely zero woodworking skills and have always been impressed by people who do have. What kind of wood did you use for the “body”?

 

[Neill Graham]

Hi there bass12! Thanks for your cheerful post. I used hard maple for the body and neck, Indian Rosewood for the fingerboard and ebony for the bridge and nut. Are you playing Afro Cuban on a bass?

 

[bass12]

Hi there bass12! Thanks for your cheerful post. I used hard maple for the body and neck, Indian Rosewood for the fingerboard and ebony for the bridge and nut. Are you playing Afro Cuban on a bass?

No real Afro-Cuban, just some Afro-Cuban inspired stuff once-in-awhile (pretty rarely these days). I do have a reggae-jazz band where I play upright (Ernest Ranglin/Monty Alexander type stuff). Are you into Afro-Cuban music?

 

[StyleOverShow]

Impressive build. Welcome to TB.

 

[Neill Graham]

No real Afro-Cuban, just some Afro-Cuban inspired stuff once-in-awhile (pretty rarely these days). I do have a reggae-jazz band where I play upright (Ernest Ranglin/Monty Alexander type stuff). Are you into Afro-Cuban music?

I have only heard a little lately on the radio but I like it so I'll search out more of it now. Good luck with your band! I think it is great that you play the upright in it!

 

[Neill Graham]

Impressive build. Welcome to TB.

Double thank you.