Alembic Guitars Club

Connecting => Community => Gatherings => Topic started by: malthumb on August 12, 2012, 04:11:40 PM

Title: Detroit Bass Players GTG and Photo Shoot
Post by: malthumb on August 12, 2012, 04:11:40 PM
Yesterday (Saturday, Aug 11, 2012) the 2nd Annual Detroit Bass Players Photo Shoot took place in front of the Motown Museum.  
 
The event sprang from a Facebook group for Detroit bassists.  Last year someone had the idea to recreate the famous photo of Harlem Renaissance era jazz musicians photographed in front of a Harlem brownstone.  The idea was, let's all meet at the Motown Museum, bring your favorite bass and we';ll take the photo.  It went over so well that now it will be an annual event.  I missed it last year, but this year I attended with my two kids.  And of course, I just happened to take an Alembic with me.
 
Mica may even have some recollection of the Music Man bass my oldest son is showing.
 
(http://club.alembic.com/Images/65124/137474.jpg)
Title: Detroit Bass Players GTG and Photo Shoot
Post by: pauldo on August 12, 2012, 05:38:44 PM
very cool James!
Title: Detroit Bass Players GTG and Photo Shoot
Post by: David Houck on August 12, 2012, 07:02:53 PM
That's a great picture!
Title: Detroit Bass Players GTG and Photo Shoot
Post by: funkyjazzjunky on August 13, 2012, 08:39:38 AM
James,
 
Will you adopt me and give me a great bass to play?
 
VMG
Title: Detroit Bass Players GTG and Photo Shoot
Post by: billostech on August 19, 2012, 06:27:59 AM
Great picture, James. My daughters and I were there, but could not stick around for the photo shoot. Here is another picture that was emailed to me.(http://club.alembic.com/Images/65124/137816.jpg)
Title: Detroit Bass Players GTG and Photo Shoot
Post by: artswork99 on August 19, 2012, 11:03:50 AM
Nice!
Title: Detroit Bass Players GTG and Photo Shoot
Post by: David Houck on August 19, 2012, 03:58:37 PM
That's a lot of bass players!  Cool picture!
Title: Detroit Bass Players GTG and Photo Shoot
Post by: eligilam on August 19, 2012, 06:20:46 PM
Great pic...like a Where's Waldo of bass.
 
I see some of the usual suspects (Fenders, MusicMans [two Bongos, actually], Ibanezes)--and a few nontypical axes in there.  Can someone ID the round green one (second row to right of middle) and angular white one (second row far right)?
Title: Detroit Bass Players GTG and Photo Shoot
Post by: billostech on August 19, 2012, 08:32:05 PM
The Green bass belongs to Emily Rogers.  
(http://club.alembic.com/Images/65124/137859.jpg)
 
(Message edited by billostech on August 19, 2012)
 
(Message edited by davehouck on August 20, 2012)
Title: Detroit Bass Players GTG and Photo Shoot
Post by: billostech on August 19, 2012, 08:33:31 PM
The White bass belongs to Michael Rich. Both are local artist:
(http://club.alembic.com/Images/65124/137862.jpg)
 
(Message edited by billostech on August 19, 2012)
Title: Detroit Bass Players GTG and Photo Shoot
Post by: sonicus on August 19, 2012, 08:44:51 PM
Cool !
Title: Detroit Bass Players GTG and Photo Shoot
Post by: billostech on August 20, 2012, 10:39:07 AM
Here is a link to where Emily discusses her bass build:
 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7LlU7GX1FmU&feature=youtube_gdata_player (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7LlU7GX1FmU&feature=youtube_gdata_player)
Title: Detroit Bass Players GTG and Photo Shoot
Post by: funkyjazzjunky on August 20, 2012, 12:42:23 PM
I love Emily's build.  Her bass is nice too
Title: Detroit Bass Players GTG and Photo Shoot
Post by: pauldo on August 21, 2012, 08:04:31 AM
I agree, that is a nice body shape which seems like it would balance well . . .
Title: Detroit Bass Players GTG and Photo Shoot
Post by: eligilam on August 22, 2012, 07:00:38 AM
Okay, now I'm also curious about the orange bass with the interesting cutout areas as well.
 
The headstock on the white one looks like a Travis Bean or possibly Kramer.  
 
Are both of these custom jobs?
Title: Detroit Bass Players GTG and Photo Shoot
Post by: billostech on August 22, 2012, 07:30:12 AM
Yes. The Orange one belongs to Mr. William Pope.  
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AVvPTIw7Ntw&sns=em (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AVvPTIw7Ntw&sns=em)
Title: Detroit Bass Players GTG and Photo Shoot
Post by: lbpesq on August 22, 2012, 08:40:19 AM
Definitely Kramer.  Travis Bean had a closed headstock with a T shaped hole in it.  The two prong open headstock is Kramer.
 
Bill, tgo
Title: Detroit Bass Players GTG and Photo Shoot
Post by: fmm on August 22, 2012, 10:12:46 AM
Could be a Vaccaro, who bought the Kramer neck design when Kramer folded.
Title: Detroit Bass Players GTG and Photo Shoot
Post by: billostech on August 27, 2012, 05:30:28 AM
Vaccaro confirmed on Mike's facebook post
Title: Detroit Bass Players GTG and Photo Shoot
Post by: billostech on September 10, 2012, 07:53:02 AM
Here is a message Mike sent me about hIs bass:
   
Michael Rich    8:20pm Sep 9
you asked me about my bass so let me tell you my story. Vaccaro took over kramer and designed a new neck. I was on disablilty (due to a broken arm) at the time and I found out they had open shop in NJ. I called them and asked if I could get a tour and if i could buy a finished neck. years before i designed and copywrote the body design and i decided to marry the two. we had an awsome day and he told me all od the storys including the michael jackson drama way before it happened. well before i could finish the company closed shop. I at the the time was an electronic techinican so i knew guitar electronics. I studied with anderson howard who was a student of lamont johnson so I understood bass construction. the body is my answer to fender's model. everything about it is based on a jazz / musicman... but with a twist. It has G&L passive pickups to give it the musicman kick but it has an active 3 band parametric eq preamp that I found in germany. the bridge used ibanez monorail detuner on each string but i found out you can't do that because the calibration was too sensitive. i installed a badass to compenstate. the next model will have a warwick bridge. just for show there is a programable led readout that will scroll a message while i am playing. i thought it would give the viewer a spaceage experiance. this model is made of basswood but i am using swamp ash for the next model. the paint job is a custom car paint with sparkles but the next model will be chrome to match the head stock.
Title: Detroit Bass Players GTG and Photo Shoot
Post by: wylie_j on September 10, 2012, 03:44:04 PM
Luv the pictures! where is the girl in the green from? she's a cutie!
Title: Detroit Bass Players GTG and Photo Shoot
Post by: wylie_j on September 10, 2012, 03:47:15 PM
Yes that white bass sure does look like the Kramer
Title: Detroit Bass Players GTG and Photo Shoot
Post by: billostech on September 11, 2012, 02:49:53 AM
Wylie,
Here is Emily's facebook page;
http://www.facebook.com/emilyonbass (http://www.facebook.com/emilyonbass)
 
btw, one of the photos made this issue of Bass Players magazine