Double Bass Tony Garnier's bass?

[MR PC]

Sounds like a Faustian bargain to me.

Early on, I always though he sounded like a dog caught in a barbwire fence. After the motorcycle accident, he crooned a bit like Eddy Arnold. These days (after another hospital stay a few years ago) he seems to have perfected Darth Vader's wheeze.

Dylan is a survivor..... and I understand that Tony knows the lyrics to ALL of his songs.

 

[Treyzer]

They already have a name. They call themselves The Rolling Stones.

Man, who is your writer? You sir have a gift!

 

[ChuckCorbis]

Early on, I always though he sounded like a dog caught in a barbwire fence. After the motorcycle accident, he crooned a bit like Eddy Arnold. These days (after another hospital stay a few years ago) he seems to have perfected Darth Vader's wheeze.

Dylan is a survivor..... and I understand that Tony knows the lyrics to ALL of his songs.

Bro. Eddy was my boss for ten years from '82 to '92. Please leave the old man out of this. God rest his soul. He would not like the comparison at all. I was a staff musician for Gerry Purcell Ltd. Don Sturock, Eddy's musical director,was a conductor who I worked for out of N.Y., so the rhythm section was all 802 guys except for Jim Lance who was out of Nashville. Well one of the funniest memories was when he tried to convince me to buy land with him off the Colorado river in Nevada near a town called Laughlin back in the early 80's. It was $5000 an acre. I thought he was nuts. Now an acre on the river is around $400,000. He was no country bumpkin. He was a shrewd business man but a sweetheart of a guy. By the way. He said that when he appeared on the Sullivan show with Mick and the boys that, "they all looked tired for such young men but they were all fine young gentlemen."

 

[luthierdavies]

Hi all, I am new here and thought I should come out and finally let people know that I made Tony Garniers' bass seeing as how so many people are asking. There is quite a story behind it if any one is interested. This seems like a great site and I am glad I have joined up. Paul.

 

[TPugh]

Hi Paul. I'm interested. That's a gorgeous bass! Welcome to TB.

Thanks,
Thomas

 

[Damon Rondeau]

Hi all, I am new here and thought I should come out and finally let people know that I made Tony Garniers' bass seeing as how so many people are asking. There is quite a story behind it if any one is interested. This seems like a great site and I am glad I have joined up. Paul.

Welcome, Paul! Don't be teasing us, now -- let's have the story.

 

[Kai Sanchez]

 

[luthierdavies]

Oh no! Now I feel under a bit of pressure. After my post yesterday I started thinking that all instruments have a story and perhaps I had overestimated the TG bass story. Any way here goes...
... " I first met Tony quite some time ago when he had just joined the Never Ending Tour. We knind of hit it off and Tony bought a big old Hawkes from me, the one in Unplugged, you needed a ladder and some scaffolding to get around it but it really did move some air. After this we continued to keep in touch and I grew to understand and appreciate Tony's tone and playing ( I relly think of him as the Swing/Groove King). I made my first semi-acoustic bass for him some time later and then we started taliking about making a DB. I had recently been using slab cut timber to make a number of violins, first maple for the back (not so controversial) but then slab cut for the tops. I know this is looked down upon by much of the establishment but I was getting an excellent response both tone wise and aesthetically also. People who don't know about instruments are often unbiased with their opinions and many such people loved the look of these instruments. I can't really remember but I think Tony saw one of these fiddles or maybe he had seen an old Italian Bass with a slab cut top and we started talking (emails, phone calls etc) about this new bass." Glues ready I will have to continue later!

 

[luthierdavies]

After much correspondence we were able to identify the main features of the Bass, including the materials, dimensions, string length, varnish, violin shape, no binding etc. In particular we focussed on the width of the upper and lower bouts so it was quite comfortable. During this process I don't remember talking about tone, I think we just both knew what it had to sound like. One of the resons I like making basses is that they offer the maker so much creative freedom and bass players often seem more "in tune" with what they want. I marked out the dimensions with chalk on the workshop floor so I could draw 1:1 scale and not just a half model drawing but the whole instrument. I would draw and rub out lines with my foot then redraw, leave it and come back the next day and start again, I had never done this before. Generally I don't like commissions because you can end up making an instrument that someone else wants and not necassarily what you want to make and sometimes I feel this can create tension, I never once felt under any pressure with this bass and I am sure that is because of how Tony is regardless of who he is.
More later...