Workshops of bassbuilders have a magic attraction to me somehow. That might be due to the fact, that they create lovely sounding instruments from the genious material “wood•. Wood has always had a special fascination for me.

Interested People had the chance to view the workshop of the company „Schwalbe Bass“ in Herford on the 19th April 2009.

Wolfgang Schwalbe presented his new range of products in the generous proportioned rooms of his company and he answered all questions on constructions and soundwoods.

You won’t just find E-Basses in his workshop in Herford, Wolfgang Schwabe also has uprights and double basses as part of the product range.

The sound of his bassguitars were presented in a jam-session in a very impressing way by Heike Nolden (Dirty Bones) and Jürgen Knautz (supported by bassguitar-models of the company “Glockenklang•, who are also situated in Herford).

Unfortunately there were no Left-Hand-Bass-Display-Models, but I didn’t really expect that anyway. But then Wolfgang Schwabe surprised me with the news, that he is intending to build a lefthand-model on demand of a customer. The “building work• should start in the not to distant future. Maybe I will be able to follow the build of this Leftie and report about it’s development.

While viewing the Schwalbe workshop I learned in that afternoon, that there were two further lefthand-bassplayers.

Lefty Christoph Strunk and the master himself: Wolfgang Schwalbe

Heike Nolden and Jürgen Knautz

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the new workshop

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Schwalbe basses: "Juices" sowie "Precilla"

dreams of wood

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frettboards

necks

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storeroom for woods

bodies waiting for their finnish

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parts for the bodies

Jürgen Knautz with a 6-string Schwalbe Competition-bass

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Heike Nolden (Dirty Bones) with her Schwalbe bass

Lefty Felix Koeller with his Fender / Schwalbe bass

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Thomas Werneman, my contact person for repairs and amp tuning

www.elektriktomik.de

3 lefties!

Felix Koeller from Herford / Christoph Strunk from Lemgo / myself