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Bass Musician Magazine’s Year of the Luthier – Hannah Mayne, Mayne Basses
Meet Hannah Mayne of Mayne Basses…
How did you get started as a Luthier?
It was in1993 while attending college in San Francisco, and studying the bass. I remember going into a Luthier’s workshop to purchase a bass. It was very intriguing to see all the various parts and pieces of basses in various stages of restoration and construction. I went away knowing inside that I would again feel this desire to learn more about the intricacies and work of the Luthier. And in fact it was only a short year or so after that that I was apprenticing full time. It was the early years that gave me the foundation for a dedicated profession as a Luthier.
When did you build your first bass?
It was almost 5 years just on repair and restoration work before I finished my first bass. My plan was to build it between other work and see how it came out and whether I should attempt to build another one. When it was finished in 2001, it didn’t stay with me more than a few weeks, and ended up in the hands of bassist Jon Burr in New York. That was the exciting experience of my early career, because I had no idea that was even a possibility. My first bass was my dream and then it became real. I’ve been inspired ever since.
How did you learn the art of woodworking/Luthier?
A lot of my foundation for wood working techniques as it relates to Luthiery work, primarily came from Luthier Boyd Poulsen. I’ve also learned a lot of other wood working techniques from other wood workers. The work is involved and always evolving in some form. Staying centered and focused creates good results in the work, and keeps me injury free. I’ve worked alone for at least the last ten years or so. This solitude suits me, and I find that when I’m forced to figure things out by myself I learn about my weaknesses and make them my strengths.
Whom would you consider a Mentor?
My parents I consider my first teachers, my first mentors. They were both able to build things out of wood, make music, and make art that was very personal. I also consider anyone who has really influenced my thinking and my way of working to be a mentor for my work and for my life. And the two can’t be separated from each other. One’s work is who they are in part and the other layers are just somewhere in there too as part of what makes us create.
How do you select the woods you choose to build with?
I select based on what either the client wants or what I have on hand in the shop. I use traditional woods: maple, poplar, spruce.
Who were some of the first well-known musicians who started playing your basses?
Jon Burr is the first noted player that started playing one of my basses; in fact he has the first bass I ever made. Daryl Johns also plays on the same model Jon Burr plays on. Both players are really inspirational bass players and have recorded a lot with my basses. I’ve been very fortunate to have all my basses played by players I consider excellent people and great musicians.
How do you develop a signature or custom bass for an artist?
The most important consideration is what does the player want and how can I create it or at least come very close to it. Other considerations are aesthetics not just in sound but everything else to do with individual taste and preferences. A players relationship to an instrument reflects a part of who they are and how they feel their identity reflects well and is matched to an instrument is elemental to the whole process of creating an instrument for a particular person. How an instrument will feel under their fingers is also critical. How they create their tone and their musical voice are important aspects to building an instrument for a player.
What are a few things that you are proud about your instruments and that you would consider unique in your instruments?
I like the idea when I build an instrument that it will out live me. This is unique, to create something that will be a legacy. It’s like this story, like recording music is a story or any other artistic work. It’s about the process and what is left for posterity and what can be remembered by it. Going beyond the initial creation of one’s work and into history is something I can say makes me proud.
Which one of the basses that you build is your favorite one?
I used to think it was my first model but then I’ve come around to all of them as my favorites, and for different reasons. The first model I made is life as a Ferrari and the second is like a BMW, and the last model is a Rolls Royce. Surely I enjoy the three models I make because it’s what I make, and each one is unique and has a story I can tell about it.
Can you give us a word of advice to young Luthiers who are just starting out?
Especially in the beginning it is important to study and work alongside some one you like and respect. It’s always good to develop working relationships with others that encourage your growth and help you strengthen your skills and understanding. Avoid staying under someone who discourages you in any way or who is competitive or that you hear talk negative about others. This kind of person hurts the spirit. The work is very humbling and wood is always telling its own story. Finding the way is finding the true nature of your material.
What advice would you give a young musician trying to find his/her perfect bass?
It’s individual. It’s about knowing yourself and what works for your ideas and concepts for creating your sound — knowing what you want is the first step to finding the instrument that can serve you well for creating music. It’s always a good idea to try a lot of different basses because you can discover what works for you in the process.
What is biggest success for you and for your company?
My basses have been recorded a lot and that is something that helps me feel a sense of success. A lot of times I never hear my basses played live, so hearing recordings is a great way to know what’s happening out there with my basses.
Are you preparing something new, some new model or new design?
I’m currently working on several custom basses. Whether it’s new building or restoration or repair work, there’s always a lot going on in the shop. Work keeps me busy and focused in the day-to-day. Then I can dream and imagine something new, like a new model or just a unique sound hole or detail I want to incorporate on my next bass.
What are your future plans?
I plan to continue my focus on building basses. I’m also dreaming to travel to places I’ve never been. I want to learn about other places and discover something new and different. Sometimes different emotions and feelings inform the process of creativity and without even realizing it we’ve changed and broadened our minds. This always encourages creativity and inspiration for work. Like getting a refueling.
Visit online at maynebass.com
Bass CDs
New Album: Jake Leckie, Planter of Seeds
Bassist Jake Leckie and The Guide Trio Unveil New Album Planter of Seeds,
to be released on June 7, 2024
Planter of Seeds is bassist/composer Jake Leckie’s third release as a bandleader and explores what beauty can come tomorrow from the seeds we plant today.
What are we putting in the ground? What are we building? What is the village we want to bring our children up in? At the core of the ensemble is The Guide Trio, his working band with guitarist Nadav Peled and drummer Beth Goodfellow, who played on Leckie’s second album, The Guide, a rootsy funky acoustic analog folk-jazz recording released on Ropeadope records in 2022. For Planter of Seeds, the ensemble is augmented by Cathlene Pineda (piano), Randal Fisher (tenor saxophone), and Darius Christian (trombone), who infuse freedom and soul into the already tightly established ensemble.
Eight original compositions were pristinely recorded live off the floor of Studio 3 at East West Studios in Hollywood CA, and mastered by A.T. Michael MacDonald. The cover art is by internationally acclaimed visual artist Wayne White. Whereas his previous work has been compared to Charles Mingus, and Keith Jarrett’s American Quartet with Charlie Haden, Leckie’s new collection sits comfortably between the funky odd time signatures of the Dave Holland Quintet and the modern folk-jazz of the Brian Blade Fellowship Band with a respectful nod towards the late 1950s classic recordings of Ahmad Jamal and Miles Davis.
The title track, “Planter of Seeds,” is dedicated to a close family friend, who was originally from Trinidad, and whenever she visited family or friends at their homes, without anyone knowing, she would plant seeds she kept in her pocket in their gardens, so the next season beautiful flowers would pop up. It was a small altruistic anonymous act of kindness that brought just a little more beauty into the world. The rhythm is a tribute to Ahmad Jamal, who we also lost around the same time, and whose theme song Poinciana is about a tree from the Caribbean.
“Big Sur Jade” was written on a trip Leckie took with his wife to Big Sur, CA, and is a celebration of his family and community. This swinging 5/4 blues opens with an unaccompanied bass solo, and gives an opportunity for each of the musicians to share their improvisational voices. “Clear Skies” is a cathartic up-tempo release of collective creative energies in fiery improvisational freedom. “The Aquatic Uncle” features Randal Fisher’s saxophone and is named after an Italo Calvino short story which contemplates if one can embrace the new ways while being in tune with tradition. In ancient times, before a rudder, the Starboard side of the ship was where it was steered from with a steering oar. In this meditative quartet performance, the bass is like the steering oar of the ensemble: it can control the direction of the music, and when things begin to unravel or become unhinged, a simple pedal note keeps everything grounded.
The two trio tunes on the album are proof that the establishment of his consistent working band The Guide Trio has been a fruitful collaboration. “Santa Teresa”, a bouncy samba-blues in ? time, embodies the winding streets and stairways of the bohemian neighborhood in Rio de Janeiro it is named for. The swampy drum feel on “String Song” pays homage to Levon Helm of The Band, a group where you can’t always tell who wrote the song or who the bandleader is, proving that the sum is greater than the individual parts. Early jazz reflected egalitarianism in collective improvisation, and this group dynamic is an expression of that kind of inclusivity and democracy.
“The Daughters of the Moon” rounds out the album, putting book ends on the naturalist themes. This composition is named after magical surrealist Italo Calvino’s short story about consumerism, in which a mythical modern society that values only buying shiny new things throws away the moon like it is a piece of garbage and the daughters of the moon save it and resurrect it. It’s an eco-feminist take on how women are going to save the world. Pineda’s piano outro is a hauntingly beautiful lunar voyage, blinding us with love. Leckie dedicates this song to his daughter: “My hope is that my daughter becomes a daughter of the moon, helping to make the world a more beautiful and verdant place to live.”
Bass CDs
Debut Album: Nate Sabat, Bass Fiddler
In a thrilling solo debut, bassist Nate Sabat combines instrumental virtuosity with a songwriter’s heart on Bass Fiddler…
The upright bass and the human voice. Two essential musical instruments, one with roots in 15th century Europe, the other as old as humanity itself.
On Bass Fiddler (Adhyâropa Records ÂR00057), the debut album from Brooklyn-based singer-songwriter and bass virtuoso Nate Sabat, the scope is narrowed down a bit. Drawing from the rich and thriving tradition of American folk music, Sabat delivers expertly crafted original songs and choice covers with the upright bass as his lone tool for accompaniment.
The concept was born a decade ago when Sabat began studying with the legendary old-time fiddler Bruce Molsky at Berklee College of Music. “One of Bruce’s specialties is singing and playing fiddle at the same time. The second I heard it I was hooked,” recalls Sabat. “I thought, how can I do this on the bass?” From there, he was off to the races, arranging original and traditional material with Molsky as his guide. “Fast forward to 2020, and I — like so many other musicians — was thinking of how to best spend my time. I sat down with the goal of writing some new songs and arranging some new covers, and an entire record came out.” When the time came to make the album, it was evident that Molsky would be the ideal producer. Sabat asked him if he’d be interested, and luckily he was. “What an inspiration to work with an artist like Nate,” says Molsky. “Right at the beginning, he came to this project with a strong, personal and unique vision. Plus he had the guts to try for a complete and compelling cycle of music with nothing but a bass and a voice. You’ll hear right away that it’s engaging, sometimes serious, sometimes fun, and beautifully thought out from top to bottom.”
While this record is, at its core, a folk music album, Sabat uses the term broadly. Some tracks lean more rock (‘In the Shade’), some more pop (‘White Marble’, ‘Rabid Thoughts’), some more jazz (‘Fade Away’), but the setting ties them all together. “There’s something inherently folksy about a musician singing songs with their instrument, no matter the influences behind the compositions themselves,” Sabat notes. To be sure, there are plenty of folk songs (‘Louise’ ‘Sometimes’, ‘Eli’) and fiddling (‘Year of the Ox’) to be had here — the folk music fan won’t go hungry. There’s a healthy dose of bluegrass too (‘Orphan Annie’, ‘Lonesome Night’), clean and simple, the way Mr. Bill Monroe intended.
All in all, this album shines a light on an instrument that often goes overlooked in the folk music world, enveloping the listener in its myriad sounds, textures, and colors. “There’s nothing I love more than playing the upright bass,” exclaims Sabat. “My hope is that listeners take the time to sit with this album front to back — I want them to take in the full scope of the work. I have a feeling they’ll hear something they haven’t heard before.”
Available online at natesabat.bandcamp.com/album/walking-away
Gear News
New Gear: Esopus Guitars Launches New Acoustic/Electric Bass
Esopus Guitars Launches New Acoustic/Electric Bass…
Esopus Guitars is proud to announce the new “Tailwater” bass guitar, from legendary bass luthier Stuart Spector. This 32” scale bass is handcrafted by Stuart using the only finest woods and components at the Esopus Guitar workshop located near Woodstock NY in the Catskill Mountains.
From its fully carved spruce top (the top is carved on both its exterior and interior surfaces) with a thumb rest that is elegantly carved into the top, to its custom-made Fishman piezo pickup and super hard Carnauba wax finish, every detail of the Tailwater is part of creating the ultimate playing experience.
The Tailwater bass features a fully chambered spruce over alder body (15.5″ lower body bout width, 2.25″ body thickness measuring from the peak of the carved top) that delivers a super comfortable tonal tool for all your low-end needs.
Each Tailwater bass is hand-signed and numbered on the back of the peghead by Stuart Spector. A very limited number of Tailwater basses are handcrafted each year at the Esopus workshop.
“I am proud to present the Tailwater bass, a bass that I have spent the last three years perfecting. The Tailwater is a culmination of all of my 45 years of experience, knowledge, and passion for bass guitar crafting. I am so eager to hear what fellow musicians create with this exciting new instrument.” -Stuart Spector
Direct Pricing : $4995.00 plus options.
For more information about Esopus Guitars and Stuart Spector’s handcrafted instruments, visit www.EsopusGuitars.com.
Bass Videos
Tour Touch Base (Bass) with Ian Allison
Ian Allison Bassist extreme…
Most recently Ian has spent the last seven years touring nationally as part of Eric Hutchinson and The Believers, sharing stages with acts like Kelly Clarkson, Pentatonix, Rachel Platten, Matt Nathanson, Phillip Phillips, and Cory Wong playing venues such as Radio City Music Hall, The Staples Center and The Xcel Center in St. Paul, MN.
I had a chance to meet up with him at the Sellersville Theater in Eastern Pennsylvania to catch up on everything bass. Visit online at ianmartinallison.com/
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This Week’s Top 10 Basses on Instagram
Check out our top 10 favorite basses on Instagram this week…
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Tour Touch Base (Bass) with Ian Allison
New Gear: Spector Woodstock Custom Collection Volume II
New Gear: The Dingwall John Taylor Signature Model
Interview With Bassist Edmond Gilmore
Have Fret Sprout? Sharp Fret Management… a How-To Video
This Week’s Top 10 Basses on Instagram
Tour Touch Base (Bass) with Ian Allison
Interview With Audic Empire Bassist James Tobias
New Album: Avery Sharpe, I Am My Neighbors Keeper
