Although I spend the bulk of my time in the shop, there are days I get to load up a couple of basses, grab a cup of coffee, cue up some Taylor Swift, and hit the road. Today was such a day, delivering two basses to one of the professors at the IU Jacobs School of Music in Bloomington. Although I take similar trips on behalf of violinists, violists, and cellists, there is something extra fun about bass road trips. The thing is, basses are LARGE. When bassists are looking for an instrument to purchase, they routinely have to rent full-size vans to bring instruments back from different shops on trial. Because of the difficulty of moving these instruments around, bassists tend to be REALLY happy when people bring the basses to them! Today, I took a beautiful bass by Andrew Hassel of Chicago Bass Works. I also took a 5-string Shen bass. The Shen was a last-minute addition and I’m curious what the reaction to it will be. Not everyone is on board with the idea of a 5-string, and the Shen is a much less expensive instrument than most conservatory students would consider. However, the reaction to it I’ve had in the shop from professional bassists has been extremely positive. As far as Andrew’s bass, I imagine there will be several students who fall in love!
Oh, and the professor handed me a box of chocolates as I was leaving. Bassists are awesome!
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