About the Bass Doctor
Greetings, and thanks for checking out my website. My name is Matt Bohn and my business is the double bass. My shop is in Felton, California, 10 minutes north of Santa Cruz California.
I’ve been playing the double bass since grade school, and professionally now for nigh on 25 years. Over the years as my playing matured, I found myself wanting more out of my instrument - more volume, better tone, and greater ease of playing. Some time ago I persuaded my luthier, Dennis English, a master in the building, repair and restoration of instruments in the violin family, master bow maker, repairer, and restorer, to take me on as his apprentice. Studying with him, I began to realize that the double bass is in a class of it’s own, not only in size but also with regards to tone adjustment, repair, and restoration.
While finishing my apprenticeship with Dennis, I opened The Bass Doctor and began years of intense research and experimentation on double bass set-up, repair, and restoration, and began receiving instruments from local players. While maintaining The Bass Doctor, I began further study in the art of restoration with master bass builder and restorer, David Morse.
During the early days of The Bass Doctor, the most common requests I received, from the beginning through advanced players, was to increase the sound, focus the tone, and adjust the instrument so it was not painful to play. These three issues remain the most common ones for bass players. My clients’ experiences continue to speak volumes. Instruments that come into the shop unwieldy, muted, and sometimes painful to play, leave with better volume, focused tone, and are a joy to play.
Players of all musical styles are welcome in my shop. My own interest in musical styles is varied. In other words, all musical genres and their origins have always interested me. I believe every musical style has its own appeal, and every player has his or her own motivation for dedicating themselves to a particular style they prefer. With my own interest in various styles, much of my years of study were involved in discovering which set-up works best with a particular style of music. Different set-ups for different styles are discussed in the set up page.
My goal is to provide full service for the double bassist at a real-world rate. Whether you are a beginner or a professional, you will find my recommendations for repair, set-up, and tone work to be specific to, and appropriate for, your particular instrument and style.
One of my interests is crossover set-ups designed for the player who might have an arco gig one night and a jazz gig the next, or a bluegrass/rockabilly gig one night and a jazz swing gig the next. Crossover set-ups mostly have to do with the arch of the crown of the bridge, as well as the choice of strings. In this type of set-up, I use my hand-made brass threaded wood bridge adjusters, manufactured in my shop.
My overall goal is that your bass sound and play the best it can. I invite you to check out my website for more details and photos. Feel free to contact me at thebassdoctor@cruzers.com for any question you may have.