James Ham is a legend in the double bass luthier world. After a multifaceted background that landed him in Victoria, British Columbia, James Ham created a series of revolutionary designs for the double bass. His first instrument was commissioned by Gary Karr after a deep analysis of the various positive and not-so-positive traits of the… Continue reading 486: James Ham on double bass innovations
Author: Trevor Jones
485: Haruki Gonai on competitions
Fellow International Society of Bassists board member Marcel Villaflor suggested that I get in touch with high school junior Haruki Gonai about winning the Yonkers Philharmonic Concerto Competition. Haruki is the first bassist ever to win this competition! Haruki will be performing the Koussevitzky Concerto on Sunday May 20th, 2018 at 3:00 PM at Saunders… Continue reading 485: Haruki Gonai on competitions
483: Gael McKeon on his luthier journey
Gael McKeon saved my bacon in 2017 on the way to a gig. I was headed out the door to rehearsal when I heard a worrisome wooden banging sound from my bass—never a good sign! Opening up the case, I discovered to my horror that my tailpiece had cracked apart. My soundpost was rolling around… Continue reading 483: Gael McKeon on his luthier journey
482: Charley Sabatino on the power of theory
Charley Sabatino is on a mission to re-vamp the way people teach music theory. There’s a lot of wariness and confusion around music theory for many players, and it often comes down to the way it’s taught. That’s not all that Charley is up to these days, however. He’s a man in constant motion: composing… Continue reading 482: Charley Sabatino on the power of theory
481: Ole Wilson on pickups
Ole Wilson is the CEO of Wilson Pickup Systems, which have been making the signature Wilson Pickup for double bass for over 34 years. Wilson provided the first commercially available piezo pickup systems for the double bass back in the 1980s, and it has been used by artists like George Mraz, Gary Peacock, and John… Continue reading 481: Ole Wilson on pickups