Living in Austin definitely has its perks. For example, we have access to almost every boutique bass builder in the biz, some of the most highly respected amp gurus, vintage dealers out the wazoo, etc, etc.. Not to mention, if you're feeling down on your abilities as a musician, you can walk down 6th street any night of the week and hear 20 or 30 bassists who suck worse than you do. It's great.
I've lived in Austin for 6 years now, and have come across some really cool people. But Chip is one of my favorite people on earth. I went by his place yesterday evening to see his recently relocated shop, to check out a few pieces of gear, but mainly, just to catch up. I've got lots of pictures, but they're all cell phone pics.. Bear with me
Here we go!
For those of you who don't know, Chip had a big impact on the way electric guitars and basses are manufactured. He was so effective at Peavey, that Fender lured him away to refine their manufacturing process. He built them a machine that enabled Fender to fret a complete neck in 17 seconds. Before he came along, it took them 30 minutes.
Even though he's technically "retired", his work is in high demand by local players, high profile musicians, and Peavey fanatics all over the world. Pretty much every room of his house is full of bodies, necks, cases, pickups, and pretty pieces of wood.
Custom Bass body with spalted maple top.
The Logo
More Necks and whatnot. They're everywhere!
One of the fabled lightened bodies. This one is a T-60, but you get the idea... Chip calls these "Skeleton Bodies".
Here, Chip demonstrates how to ride a Segway in his living room. I wasn't brave enough, so I took it for a spin outside. Lemme tell ya, 12 miles per hour feels FAST when you're standing on a magical moving platform!
A very very early T-40 in very nice condition (truss rod cover removed). I didn't plug this one in, but acoustically, it's amazing.
I would post a pic of the #3 prototype T-60 that was hanging next to it, but this is a bass forum!
More to come in the next post!
I've lived in Austin for 6 years now, and have come across some really cool people. But Chip is one of my favorite people on earth. I went by his place yesterday evening to see his recently relocated shop, to check out a few pieces of gear, but mainly, just to catch up. I've got lots of pictures, but they're all cell phone pics.. Bear with me
Here we go!
For those of you who don't know, Chip had a big impact on the way electric guitars and basses are manufactured. He was so effective at Peavey, that Fender lured him away to refine their manufacturing process. He built them a machine that enabled Fender to fret a complete neck in 17 seconds. Before he came along, it took them 30 minutes.
Even though he's technically "retired", his work is in high demand by local players, high profile musicians, and Peavey fanatics all over the world. Pretty much every room of his house is full of bodies, necks, cases, pickups, and pretty pieces of wood.
Custom Bass body with spalted maple top.
The Logo
More Necks and whatnot. They're everywhere!
One of the fabled lightened bodies. This one is a T-60, but you get the idea... Chip calls these "Skeleton Bodies".
Here, Chip demonstrates how to ride a Segway in his living room. I wasn't brave enough, so I took it for a spin outside. Lemme tell ya, 12 miles per hour feels FAST when you're standing on a magical moving platform!
A very very early T-40 in very nice condition (truss rod cover removed). I didn't plug this one in, but acoustically, it's amazing.
I would post a pic of the #3 prototype T-60 that was hanging next to it, but this is a bass forum!
More to come in the next post!
