• 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 free Log in
    Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.

South Florida Luthier?????

#21
dont think you,ll be disappointed, these guys know there stuff. Kevins a pretty fine bass player himself. If he,s not too busy he might tell you a jaco story or two if you ask him, he told me a few some years ago when I lived down there.
 
#23
Kevin told me a Jaco story over the phone. I felt so honored, like I was getting the first inside scoop on big news. It was very exciting to meet him. You could tell by Kevin's story that Jaco was a skilled musician but a really flawed person. It was also so mind blowing how he told me how Fender would communicate back and forth with him when they decided to begin production on the Jaco custom shop relic basses. I was starstruck and very humbled.
Can't wait to see what he does to my bass.

bluesblaster said:
dont think you,ll be disappointed, these guys know there stuff. Kevins a pretty fine bass player himself. If he,s not too busy he might tell you a jaco story or two if you ask him, he told me a few some years ago when I lived down there.
Click to expand...
 
#24
Dude!
I finally got my bass back from Kevin Kaufman. I brought him an old crappy Squire P Bass. It was DOA, and I was not expecting any sort of drastic positive improvement. OMG! The action and feel now rivals my EB Sterlings! In fact, I shudder to think what he could do to my Sterlings. If you can part with your bass for a week, and you can get a hold of him, Kevin Kaufman is hands down the finest luthier I have ever used. Not only did he fix my bass, but he gave me a thorough explanation of my neck's topography, and what he had to do.

Also, we chatted for like 20 mins about when he put Jaco's Bass of Doom back together when it was smashed into pieces back in 1986.

Such a nice guy. I can't say enough about Kaufman Daenzer.
:hyper:
 
#25
+1 with Kaufman Danzer, I just worked with them recently with a Jazz bass that had a ton of QC issues, and they did a great job fixing it. Chris is a great guy and Kevin was an absolute joy to work with, very friendly and very knowledgeable. I did have problems reaching them, but Fridays and Mondays seem to be hit or miss, I always reach them during the midpart of the week tho. I am definitely doing business with them again!

I went to MAE and had the worst experience of my life, Ralph is a real piece of work. I had problems with my first Fender neck, the trussrod wouldn't stay, and he fought me tooth and nail over the cause of it. (I used to tech for a store, and I wanted a new neck thru Fender so I had to take it to an authorized tech) Well low and behold I was right, after 2 weeks of disagreement, and he ordered the new neck. This was all done thru fender warranty, and when the new neck came he slapped it on the bass and refused to do a set up or any work other than slapping the neck on. He wanted to charge me extra for the set up, not to mention I bought a new set of strings that were ruined because he constantly unstrung and restrung the bass trying to prove me wrong. Horrible experience and a horrible tech, save your money and your time.
 
#26
Big Mike Ipp said:
+1 with Kaufman Danzer, I just worked with them recently with a Jazz bass that had a ton of QC issues, and they did a great job fixing it. Chris is a great guy and Kevin was an absolute joy to work with, very friendly and very knowledgeable. I did have problems reaching them, but Fridays and Mondays seem to be hit or miss, I always reach them during the midpart of the week tho. I am definitely doing business with them again!

I went to MAE and had the worst experience of my life, Ralph is a real piece of work. I had problems with my first Fender neck, the trussrod wouldn't stay, and he fought me tooth and nail over the cause of it. (I used to tech for a store, and I wanted a new neck thru Fender so I had to take it to an authorized tech) Well low and behold I was right, after 2 weeks of disagreement, and he ordered the new neck. This was all done thru fender warranty, and when the new neck came he slapped it on the bass and refused to do a set up or any work other than slapping the neck on. He wanted to charge me extra for the set up, not to mention I bought a new set of strings that were ruined because he constantly unstrung and restrung the bass trying to prove me wrong. Horrible experience and a horrible tech, save your money and your time.
Click to expand...

I dealt with Ralph years ago, and I felt the disgruntled vibe from him, like I was puting him out for bringing him work ($). One of those guys who gives you one word answers and couldn't be bothered with any sort of human interaction. While Ralph's work was fine, I just didn't want to go back there, again. I'm glad I held out for Kaufman-Daenzer. I'm still floored that Kevin breathed life into my POS Squire. Totally amazed.
 
#27
Glad to hear you had a positive experience with Kevin, I remember him as being just a really mellow easy going dude and very knowledgable. I see your from Delray Beach, I had a house gig down there in the eighty-somethings, A place called the Irish Drafthorse pub, It was a converted service/gas station, The Guiness and Bass flowed freely... good times.
 
#28
bassgod76 said:
Dude!
I finally got my bass back from Kevin Kaufman. I brought him an old crappy Squire P Bass. It was DOA, and I was not expecting any sort of drastic positive improvement. OMG! The action and feel now rivals my EB Sterlings! In fact, I shudder to think what he could do to my Sterlings. If you can part with your bass for a week, and you can get a hold of him, Kevin Kaufman is hands down the finest luthier I have ever used. Not only did he fix my bass, but he gave me a thorough explanation of my neck's topography, and what he had to do.

Also, we chatted for like 20 mins about when he put Jaco's Bass of Doom back together when it was smashed into pieces back in 1986.

Such a nice guy. I can't say enough about Kaufman Daenzer.
:hyper:
Click to expand...

I spend alot of time down in Miami which is quite a ways from Kaufman Daenzer, so I never got to try them out. But I did have a conversation between sets with a top upright player during a gig in Miami Beach who was using a fretless, beat up Peavey Fury. He let me try it and the action was unbelievable, very easy to play and I don't play fretless.
It was the first time I played a bass with super low tension.

He told me Kevin did the work and recommended them. He then proceeded to solo on it making it sound like an upright.
 
#29
lmfreeman9 said:
I spend alot of time down in Miami which is quite a ways from Kaufman Daenzer, so I never got to try them out. But I did have a conversation between sets with a top upright player during a gig in Miami Beach who was using a fretless, beat up Peavey Fury. He let me try it and the action was unbelievable, very easy to play and I don't play fretless.
It was the first time I played a bass with super low tension.

He told me Kevin did the work and recommended them. He then proceeded to solo on it making it sound like an upright.
Click to expand...

Well, if you ever get a chance, he's worth the drive. If he was in Miami, I'd make the drive. Not only is he good a what he does, but he doesn't have that, "I'm billy badass" attitude that I've experienced in the past.

Bluesblaster, Delray has changed so much since the 80's. Back then, walking around Atlantic Ave, west of US1 was a no no. Nowadays, it is so developed, that it is relatively safe. I've played a lot of the venues on the Ave, and it's pretty good for Palm Beach County.
 
#30
bluesblaster said:
Glad to hear you had a positive experience with Kevin, I remember him as being just a really mellow easy going dude and very knowledgable. I see your from Delray Beach, I had a house gig down there in the eighty-somethings, A place called the Irish Drafthorse pub, It was a converted service/gas station, The Guiness and Bass flowed freely... good times.
Click to expand...

On the corner of Atlantic and the train tracks! Up until recently it was called Elwoods. They had a good jam there every Tuesday night. Well Elwood just sold it after many years. It is now going through a whole new renovation. Not sure what the new place will be.
 
#31
bassgod76 said:
I've played a lot of the venues on the Ave, and it's pretty good for Palm Beach County.
Click to expand...

I play every month pretty much at the Arts and Jazz on the Ave festival. In fact will be playing this month on the 20th with my R&B band Strictly Business.

The poster from June, that be me playing bass in the background there!

artandjazz.jpg
 
#34
Thanks for the update on the greater Delray Beach area, I remember it being somewhat funky but not really all that dangerous. We played the Drafthorse pub nearly every weekend for about a year, I expect its been through many changes since, as has the city its self. I lived in north palm beach and saw the beach area between there and jupiter developed from mom and pop beachside motels and taco stands to nothing but high rise condos and strip malls in a matter of a few years.
 
#38
SLaPiNFuNK said:
is Paris Banchetti still around?
Click to expand...

Wow- I used to go into his shop in Coconut Grove FL when I was a young upstart. I was at Berklee when he showed up with his "Practcal Bass", and early effort at the electric upright idea. Ed friedland and a few other guys were playing it in Rich Appleman's office one day while Paris stood by for the review. He remembered me from the old Coconut Grove days... pretty cool I thought.
 
#39
Delray (IMO) has replaced Clematis as a good night spot in PB County for live music. The parking is way better, and it just seems safer. I used to play DADA, on Swinton, all the time. Miss those days. Jazz on the ave during the holidays is also good times.

On a quasi-related note... I've been playing with active pickups since 1997. This bass I acquired and had set up by Kevin was passive. I forgot how wonderful passive pickups sound. That growl and lack of sterility really appealed to me. I forsee future passive additions being added to my lineup.
 

Latest posts

Top Bottom
Back