See the business listing for this bass builder here
This week’s BotW comes all the way from Nepal! And while bass builders go to great lengths to put together instruments, these guys built their own bandsaw to get it done, used whatever woods their could get their hands on to complete the job and even built the bridge from scratch.
Maurice Coutanceau explains:
I have been teaching four Tibetan boys from an orphanage here in Nepal for the last four years. We have made several basses, this is our latest as we have had many requests from local bass players here for hand made instruments. It has taken us four years to find appropriate woods from local woodyards, then have the ability to cut them with hand tools. We recently made a bandsaw from parts which is working well now that we have Australian blades. The woods we used in this bass are: Sisaam body (behaves like Indian rosewood), mango wood for the neck and asnaa for the fretboard and bridge. All these woods are used locally for furniture, asnaa is mainly used in building, especially for doors and windows as it it so hard. We decided to make a fretless because that is the bass I play at home in Australia, and also we all love the clean look. Because of that we made this one hollow in thee layers, the central part having most of the wood removed. We don’t have a bridge here, and it is almost impossible to find one so we made our own and I think it has given the bass a more woody sound. The nut and saddle are made from local bone. The machines are Gotohs that I brought from Australia this year, strings are GHS roundwound as flatwound are unavailable here and the pickups Active EMG Jazz from your website. We all loved the EMG’s not only for their sound but also for their plug in wires etc, We don’t have much electricity here and none of us are any good at soldering!! The finish is pure Tung oil mixed 50/50 with turpentine. We are unable to bring Danish oil from overseas as it is flammable and can’t be air shipped, but we are happy with the mixture we used this time. Takes a bit longer to dry though. We took the photos from the roof of the orphanage on a really sunny day.
Well done, Maurice and team!
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I would gladly pay several thousand dollars for a fine instrument like that before I’d spend the same amount on the mass produced cookie-cutter bland-sounding big name Basses. This is truly a work of art with love and care in it. PRICELESS !!! God bless all of you.
Guys you did a terrific job and even more commendable with so many obstacles to over come. When I started building, I always marvelled at what the old master builders did by making their own tools and not having the power tools that many of us have today. That pioneering spirit that you have is fantastic! Keep up the great work!
Bill Wilkat, of Wilkat Guitars, now retired.
Wow. Wow. Wow. š
Can we hear a sample?
It’s a little difficult to do that here in Nepal, but I’ll give it a try. It might just be on my iphone though!
I would absolutely love a 35″ fretless 5 like that!
Thanks, you can look us up on our facebook site if you like, maurice paul guitars. Problem here is there are no bridges, pickups or string sets for a five string bass! Hard enough for a four string, I brought all the parts from Australia. All the wood is available so that isn’t a problem.
Beautiful – what a lovely shape!
Thankyou! I am lucky to have two artists in the team of four, they spent some time designing the shape, but it turned out better than the intended shape! I suppose that’s what happens when the files and rasps come out, I think they got a bit carried away as they were enjoying themselves so much!
jesus man, that thing is gorgeous….any idea on pricing??
Last year we sold a bass to an Australian for $800. This is only our second bass, and at the moment we need it as a demo so haven’t thought about a price but it would be comparable to last years. Unfortunately we cannot obtain the parts here to make another one, there are a couple of music shops in Kathmandu, but availbility is hit and miss, and parts tend to be more expensive than my home Australia, and internet shopping is out of the question. Taxes are heavy, and we may not get the parts at all as they are often held up in customs and then disappear.
That bass guitar is absolutely beautiful! Fantastic work, but am I the only one who really want to see that bandsaw they made? Regards from Denmark š Ulrik
Thanks Ulrik for your encouragement. You should be able to see the bandsaw on our facebook site: maurice paul guitars.
incredible bass and story! thanks for sharing this beauty! š
Beautiful bass underpinned by an inspiring story.
There are a lot of big companies wish they could turn out an instrument that looks that nice! Well Done!
Beautiful…if you can, please post an .mp3 of how it sounds.
nice bass, who says you need a $50,000 shop to build fine instruments, all you need is the will.
Great work Maurice + team! When I built my first bass I had to use a friends bandsaw at the time but most of the work was done with a single Japanese marking knife, it took a very long time however the experience of building it gave me much experience in both understanding wood and appreciating wood working. There is a lot to be said for the quite and gentle methods, I still prefer to carve the pickup cavities by chisel, I also use mostly Tung oil and build up to 7-8 layers and sometimes do a final coat of Carnauba wax, this process takes weeks but it gives a ‘woody’ finish. A photo of your bandsaw would be cool to see! Thankyou for sharing.
Thanks for sharing that, I’m not sure I’d like to make a bass with a knife, although I have had the desire to make a complete guitar without electricity and by gas light, maybe sometime in the future. I’m interested to hear of your finishing method. We have been using pure tung oil mixed with turpentine (although the turps here smells a bit funny and I don’t think it is as volatile as the stuff in Australia). After a few coats we have found that it takes a long time to dry and catches dust from the workshop. We need to find a clean area to hang the guitars, but that isn’t an easy thing to do here in Nepal, everything is coated in dust in the winter, and mould in the monsoon! Do you mix yours with Turpentine? Regards, Maurice.
Theres real talent in design and build !!
Well done one of the best looking basses ive seen ! Drewsky
Thanks Drewsky!
Maurice God Bless you and your great team work with your young charges, the bass ia awesome!!! Like the other posts here I would enjoy playing and performing with such a quality, handmade bass. Perhaps you have some young bussiness men in the making as well š
We are hoping that the boys can make a career out of making guitars. So far Pasang has been with me for four years, and he can do just about anything including making jigs and tools. The other three have only been in the workshop for a year, up until now just making parts: necks, joining backs, soundboards, placing rosettes in the top, making linings, bindings, and braces as the weather has been very humid here. This year we have found a little shop in Pokhara and are in the process of making work benches etc as it is only bare walls, floor and ceiling so far. The next two years or so will give us an indication of whether it will be a success or not!
you guys are amazing – what a beautifully crafted instrument! nev monks australia
Where in Australia are you Nev Monks?
Way to go gents … A real special art piece and instrument. Looks amazing !
We also make our own guitars in our “men’s shed in our retirement village, but have a well equipped workshop. all power to you all on a magnificent job. Barry Carter Australia
Thanks Barry, be good to see your guitars in Australia. We are in Brisbane (Redcliffe) for 7 months of the year, the rest of the year we are here in Nepal. I ride with a bunch of oldies in the morning and they are hoping to start a men’s shed in our town, be good to compare notes!
Great job guys!!! Proves you dont need all the “special” tools we are ” told” we need.
A really amazing bass and a terrific job well done…congrats. Would love to hear how she sounds. Very inspiring story; Thanks So Much for sharing it with us.
Good job and God blees.
Nice bass! Keep it up, guys!
I’ve seen these guys at work in Nepal, they are true artists and amazing craftsman working creatively in basic conditions. If you buy their guitars you’re creating sustainable income for the local Nepali apprentices. More here https://www.facebook.com/…/Maurice-Paul…/306184862751993
I have worked side by side with the luthiers and apprentices at the Maurice Paul Guitar Workshop in Pokhara, Nepal and these guys are the real deal. They made two instruments for me and I am more than happy with my custom instruments. I have commissioned for them to make more instruments in the future and they are not only making basses, but electric, acoustic, and classical guitars and even ukuleles. Here is their Facebook site where they post current projects and a great photo gallery. Check our Maurice Paul Guitars because they are amazing: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Maurice-Paul-Guitars/306184862751993
This kind of devotion deserves much. Also, this bass looks stylish and, yes, it is beautiful, from the overall proportions of the parts to the finish.
People, do you feel like you supporting these guys? Most of you will find spare/never used/never WILL BE used bass or guitar parts that could serve in the longing hands. I don’t think it would hurt you if you sent them out. I just checked: annual average income for one person in Nepal is $562. In a YEAR. That is times less than even here, where I am from.
BestBassGear, why don’t you contact Maurice again and talk if that is acceptable with them.
Regards,
D.
Thanks D for your kind comments, you are so right about the poverty here. The boys I am training are from an orphanage, and are ethnic Tibetan. That means that they are not allowed citizenship, cannot go to a government tertiary college, cannot vote, obtain a drivers licence, or leave the country apart from going to India. They cannot get a passport and can never go back to Tibet even if there are relatives there. My wife and I have been coming to Nepal for 14 years now and felt the need to help these kids find a way to earn a living. We now have been selling our guitars to Europeans here in NGO’s and local Nepalis who can afford one. As we cannot find good parts here, we rely on the customer to bring strings, machine heads pickups etc of their own choice. Old or used parts would solve a huge problem of supply here, and make our instruments more affordable to the local population. We repair guitars too, and that is our main work during the year when it is too humid to make instruments. Regards, Maurice.
Inspiring stuff and sweet looking bass.
Amazing!! Congratulations! That is a definetly a bass which has a soul! beautiful story and awesome looking instrument! would love to see and hear the basses you guy have been building.
Greatings from Brazil!
Maurice, I s’pose I don’t have to tell you that you built more than a bass… character, self esteem, self reliance, self worth, self belief, and much more in these young fellas… along the way you created a beautiful, functional instrument, which I would be proud to own, never mind to have built it myself.
Bravo Maestro.
Jess Barton,
Bartone GuitarsĀ®,
Gippsland Australia.
Thanks so much Jess, I will look you up on the net. Always keen to get to know other luthiers, especially those close to home!
Well I don’t have a website yet, at the moment it’s just good old word of mouth, but I will take the plunge and put one up “soon” if I can drag myself out of the shed long enough. For now you can get me on bartone-music@msn.com
If you’re ever passing through Loch please do drop in, you are most welcome, let me know and I’ll give you the address (right next to South Gippy highway). When’re you back in Oz?
Keep up the excellent work.
Great bass, great story – that’s the spirit! Congratulations! PeterJ-guitars
nice bass….u said this bass was made in nepal…in which place r u in nepal …i would love to see it wth my own eyes if possible
We are in Pokhara, right next to the main entrance gate on the Kathmandu road, just turn left at the first roundabout! Up until now we have had a workshop in an orphanage, but this year (two weeks ago) we have been able to rent a small shop. So far it is just bare walls floor and ceiling, but the boys and I are making benches and a display cabinet to keep dust off the oil (hopefully), so when you are in Nepal, come and visit! Maurice.
This is the nicest looking bass I’ve seen on this site. So neat and clean! I’m certain that it sounds as good as it looks. Very nice work!
Roundwound strings on a fretless bring out the “Growl” guys.
OK then, I won’t lose sleep over trying to find flatwounds! Maurice.
One of the most beautiful instruments I have seen. It’s simplicity is simply stunning