Alembic Guitars Club

Connecting => Miscellaneous => Topic started by: cknutson2 on July 23, 2010, 05:25:07 PM

Title: First Bass Denver
Post by: cknutson2 on July 23, 2010, 05:25:07 PM

Anybody remember Mike Hawkins and First Bass in Denver? You know who you are...

Title: First Bass Denver
Post by: edwin on July 23, 2010, 05:42:54 PM

Of course! Great place! It was pretty cool having Hawk right next door to Fat Willie (who's still there).

Title: First Bass Denver
Post by: jon_jackson on July 23, 2010, 06:29:50 PM

Great store.  One of my friends bought a tweed Super and stand-alone reverb tank there during one of my visits.  Great selection of interesting basses and stuff.  In the same area, there was also an excellent mexican restaurant and a comics store (two places, not one) that I liked as well.

Title: First Bass Denver
Post by: cknutson2 on July 24, 2010, 06:13:55 AM

Fat Willie! He's the man. As a young whelp I worked for Hawk briefly, and boy was that a formative experience. Taught me a great deal in that short time.  
We did inventory while I was there, I counted at the shop and he went home to count. Half way through the day he called to check on me, I had counted every bass in the shop and had started on the amp room. I asked him how he was doing, there was a pause and he says well, I'm halfway through the Fenders... he loved his Fenders. Anybody know what he's up to these days?

Title: First Bass Denver
Post by: richbass939 on July 24, 2010, 08:40:25 AM

I remember drooling over the $6,000 wall behind the counter.  I have no idea what Hawk or Willie are up to.
First Bass was in the same neighborhood as Kitty's South.  
Anybody remember Kitty's South?  You know who you are...
Rich

Title: First Bass Denver
Post by: edwin on July 24, 2010, 08:59:53 AM

I don't know about Hawk, but Willie is still doing what he's been doing although he's not so fat any more. I guess his blood pressure, cholesterol, etc. caught up with him. I was sort of hoping he'd go back to playing gigs at some point. He's a hell of a B3 player. He's also become amp tech to various notable guitarists, including Derek Trucks.
 
Kitty's South? Never heard of it. Sounds like a strip club.

Title: First Bass Denver
Post by: richbass939 on July 24, 2010, 09:22:46 AM

Very close, Edwin.  It was actually a movie house, a few blocks north of Evans on B'way.  The kind with a funky smell and sticky surfaces (not to be confused with popcorn and Pepsi stickiness).
Last time I drove by there it was an indoor climbing wall facility.  
Rich

Title: First Bass Denver
Post by: dadabass2001 on July 24, 2010, 11:40:21 AM

Rich, please don't say sticky surfaces and climbing wall in the same post. My mind starts to wander....
Mike

Title: First Bass Denver
Post by: richbass939 on July 24, 2010, 02:30:59 PM

Sorry to contribute to a wandering mind.  Don't know about you but mine doesn't need any help.
Rich

Title: First Bass Denver
Post by: smokinbear on July 25, 2010, 07:29:25 AM

Memory lane......Bought my first bass amp from Hawk. Always had a wall with sick Alembics, Ken Smiths, and Moduli(is that right?)Best bass store in Colorado possibly the U.S. at the time and still would be as good as Washington or Florida E.T.C.. Willie was always a no B.S. kinda guy ;-). Its a guitar shop still and when i go there i still try to walk out the old front door. Hope Hawk is doing well these days.

Title: First Bass Denver
Post by: benson_murrensun on July 28, 2010, 09:15:26 AM

I live in Denver; I have heard lots about Fat Willie, but have never been to his shop. I use Stubbyfex for my tube amp work. But I recently saw an ad on Craigslist placed by Fat Willie for 3 rebuilt-and-modded Fender Super Reverbs he has for sale. The name Derek Trucks came up a lot in that ad. Here's the link:
http://denver.craigslist.org/msg/1863836654.html (http://denver.craigslist.org/msg/1863836654.html)

Title: First Bass Denver
Post by: edwin on July 28, 2010, 09:30:06 AM

I suggest everyone visit Fat Willie at least once and I would never hesitate to get tubes from him. His tech work is spot on but he takes forever as he is always slammed. He really does know his business beyond anyone else I've met in Denver/Boulder and has helped me with countless projects and rebuilds. He used to send out a periodic tube list with his current stock and great descriptions of each one. He has bought up a huge inventory of weird old tube PA heads that he uses to burn in his tubes and they are all burned in for at least 48 hours before matching, which is way longer than most suppliers do.  Just don't bring up politics.  
 
Between Fat Willie and JB Saunders (surplus electronics shop), this is a great place to live if you work on your own tube gear!

Title: First Bass Denver
Post by: David Houck on July 28, 2010, 05:58:11 PM

Ben; that CL listing was an interesting read.