tour stress

[jfb]

We start our Northwest Tour in two days and I don't have a bass.

Minutes before we opened for Jason Webley a month ago, my G string snapped. That wasn't so bad, but while I was stringing a new one, the tuner exploded. The cap flew off, the gear sprang into the air, we didn't find all the pieces until after the show. Jason and the Reverend Peyton and everyone tried their best to help, but in the end we had to play our set with a three-string bass.

It took me a few days to get around to looking for replacements, and when I did, it didn't go well. Haight-Ashbury had a single tuner of the right size and shape, but it was for the bass side, not the treble. I bought a full set of tuners, and then when I got home I realized that the four tuners I'd bought were all for the bass side. I called around town--nobody had the treble-side acoustic bass tuner.

So Tom called up Dean, explained the situation, and they said they'd send a new treble-side tuner out for free. Took a while, I was getting nervous, but it finally came in... and I went to pick it up... and it was a bass-side tuner. Tom asked them for treble side; the packing slip it came with said treble side; but it was not treble side.

So that was, like, Friday, and Dean supposedly sent out a replacement that afternoon, but it hasn't shown up yet. Meanwhile I tried a local luthier, who didn't have the part, but did have some ideas about how he could machine together the working part of my tuner with the rest of another tuner he had... but instead I asked him to order me a full replacement set, because meanwhile I've started to suspect the D string tuner is about to go too.

And that replacement set hasn't shown up either.

And we leave on Saturday morning.

And our first show is on Sunday night.

Anyone know a good guitar parts supplier in Seattle? Or have a spare fretless bass?

Comments

[dkw.livejournal.com]

Is this an acoustic bass or a fretless electric bass?

Here are some places in the Seattle area I've seen mentioned; no personal experience with any of them:

• Bass Northwest: basses only(!) in Seattle (Yesler Way)
• Pacific Music: eastside (Redmond); someone liked their repair guy
• Dusty Strings: acoustic only, Seattle (Fremont)
• Emerald City Guitars: used instruments, Seattle (Pioneer Square)
• Northwest Guitars: eastside (Bellevue)
• various Guitar Centers in the area, if you're desperate

[jfb.livejournal.com]

It's an acoustic fretless bass guitar. Which I play seated, as if it were a cello. What can I say, it works.

Thanks for the tips! I may indeed be desperate, but I doubt Guitar Center can help me. Bass Northwest, though, that's gotta be worth a try... if we can just make it through Sunday...

[dkw.livejournal.com]

Oh, and I actually own an old, beat up stand-up bass you'd be welcome to borrow, if that's any use. It worked the last time I played it, maybe 5 years ago. :-/

Another place to go for acoustic string instruments is Hammond Ashley, in Issaquah. Not open Sunday, though. I notice Pacific Music is open Sunday.

[jfb.livejournal.com]

Wow, an upright bass is a really appealing idea. Although I don't think it'd fit in the Tour Prius.

I think we've got a backup plan that will get us through Sunday, if need be, and then maybe the bass shop can help us out.

Just in case, though, would you mind sending me (mailto:eostrom@drowning.org) your phone number?

[greyaenigma.livejournal.com]

I don't see a Portland show on the list any more -- problem?

[jfb.livejournal.com]

I think that show wasn't confirmed for a while, and then we've been too busy to manage the calendar. We're back on for the Fez Lounge, and we'll actually be in town the night before (don't worry, we've already got a place to sleep) for the Someday Lounge Open Stage, which should be an interesting show (http://www.somedaylounge.com/performers/someday_open_stage/):

We've already heard from many bands and solo musicians, a few dancers, a sideshow iron man, a dominatrix whose client desires public humiliation, a practitioner of nunchaku-te, and a man who does a one-man show as Abraham Lincoln.

... Wait... I've been informed that these people are not all performing this week. Still.

[greyaenigma.livejournal.com]

I used to have a boss that did a one-man show as Lincoln.

So when you say you have a place to sleep, does that mean just that night, or you don't need my futon at all?

[jfb.livejournal.com]

Oh, uh, I meant, don't worry, you don't need to put us up for two nights. The 13th we'd still much appreciate!

[greyaenigma.livejournal.com]

Sure -- I just wanted to make sure I understood what was going on.

[dougo.livejournal.com]

Huh, "luthier" is a new word for me. Thanks!

Also: huhuh hhuhhuhhuh, yer G-string broke!

[jfb.livejournal.com]

Really? You've spent so much time around music, I would've thought you'd run across that one. Huh.

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