by kevin johnsonFullmer just finished moving into a new shop when we got a hold of him to get his perspective on bass building.
How did you get your start building basses?
I started building guitars when I was 12 years old because my parents wouldn’t let me buy a 12 string. They told me I had a guitar. Yes, I explained, I have a 6-string but I also want a 12-string. “No go” said my parents, so I threw them the ultimate curve ball and asked if I could buy the wood and build my own. They were dumbstruck at this request and just couldn’t say no. Somehow I figured out how to build it with a bit of help from a cool fiddle and guitar maker named Tom who my guitar teacher introduced me to, and the rest is history. It was the best magic trick ever, and I built another 30 guitars by the time I was 18.
I then went to art school and had a nice career at the Walt Disney Company as an animator and producer, but one day I realized I had done that long enough and that I wanted to go back to guitar building. I’m leaving out a lot of history in the name of not taking up too much space, but when I made my luthier re-entry, I decided on basses for some pretty clear reasons. I like bass players – they are by and large very nice guys. They are interested in an individual instrument, not just an old Les Paul or an old Strat, and for me, the tone woods have a much larger impact on the sound of a bass than on a guitar. The fantastic hardwoods that I use and their tone properties are my biggest interest and focus. So about five years ago, I launched Wyn Guitars and began exclusively building basses.
So you were originally a guitarist. What drew you to the bass?
I have always liked bass. When teamed with a great drummer, it always felt like the engine. I remember hearing my first band that had a truly great bass player. I couldn’t figure out where that cool sound was coming from. It was so integrated with the kick drum that I went back and forth trying to figure out what was what. From that point on, I realized that all the great bands that I really wanted to hear had a great bass player. It’s the foundation that everything else is built on.
What is the concept behind your designs?
I have a bit of a Zen approach to building basses. I once spent three days dissecting all the discrete steps for me to build a bass. I came up with 360 steps. So to me, you have 360 chances to mess up! You also have 360 chances to do things right, concentrating on each one until it’s great. Then you move on to the next.
I can talk about visual design and unexpected wood patterning and breaking the traditional silhouette for hours. So visually, although there are many ergonomic reasons for the basic Leo Fender shape, it is great to bring a fresh look to a bass by breaking rules. Like not book matching a top just because everyone else does. Ultimately, the quality of the whole is determined by every individual component. I build these bass guitars completely by myself for that reason. I want to know every single step and how it was accomplished and never settle for any step having been just okay. The design, the shaping, the electronics, the hardware, the multiple wood choices, and the laminating process are all component parts of the whole. I guess after answering all of this, what I should have said in the first place is that my design philosophy is really that making a great bass comes about when you get every step in the process right.
On your website, you have a decent glossary of exotic woods. What is your favorite wood to use and why?
These are tough questions. That’s like asking a mother which one of her kids is her favorite and why? Okay, the answer is Wenge! To heck with all those other woods!
No, it’s Ziricote, that’s my favorite!
The truth of the matter is, to build a great bass – the way I go about it anyway – is like a stew with great ingredients, including great spices. Everything is in balance. I love Wenge because there is a hugeness, a clarity, an attitude and a bark that I have never gotten from any other wood. But I usually tame it with African Mahogany or a warm fret board, or Eastern Rock Maple in the neck to balance the lows with more brightness.
To me, a successful bass is one that is really versatile. It’s loaded with useable tone. It slaps and pops in a nasty biting way and then can sound pristine bell clear in the upper highs and play a melodic ballad. If the electronics are right and the wood is combined in the right proportion, you should be able to get a great range. Every wood that I use has a tonal property that’s unique to that wood, and we haven’t even gone into the visual aspect. If there is a medical condition known as wood-a-holic, I am very much in need of the treatment. It is unbelievably hard for me to pass up a beautiful piece of wood. FOR MORE CLICK HERE
