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A Conversation with Charlie Chadwick (continued)
PM: So also you need a good video.
CC: I did an instructional video for my first sales, because I couldn't see sending it to somebody without instructions. So I made a video of me. Frank, it's laughable. I am like the worst actor ever. And the video was real grainy, oh, it's so embarrassing.
PM: Hold onto that, though, you're going to want it someday.
CC: Yeah, I'll hold onto it for a good laugh. But one of my other things for next week is to go to a video store and buy one of those new handy HD cameras.
PM: Yeah.
CC: Oh, my God, they're so good. And now I know how to edit. I can edit films, put in sound tracks, and splice together -- I know how to do that. And I'm going to make a real nice video.
PM: Fantastic, because that's going to be a very good tool, it's a tool for today.
CC: Yeah. And put it on youtube. [videos of Charlie setting up the folding bass and breaking it down again can be see on youtube and at foldingbass.com]
The thing is, guys like me and you, we're in the business. We kind of hear what's going on. But your average guy, you got to knock on his door a few times to get the message across.
PM: Come on, he's in there playing a video game with the headphones on, you got to kick the door down, maing. [laughs]
CC: Yes. And I don't want him to buy an Eminence Bass or a Czech Ease Bass, or one of these competitors, when what he really wants is one of my basses.
PM: Absolutely.
CC: Yeah. I got an email from a guy just yesterday. He said, "I've just put my Eminence on the market. I hope it sells quick. I want to buy one of your basses." And I wrote back, I said, "Well, you better sell it quick before people realize that this is the cheaper and better alternative, and then you're not going to be able to sell your Eminence bass, because no one is going to want one."
PM: I mean, it's not outlandish to think -- I'm not an upright bass player, I like to fool around on bass -- but for three grand, I'd freakin' buy one. I'm already thinking, now, how -- where can I pull money from -- I need an upright bass. I'm thinking I want to bring it to Guatemala.
CC: Yeah, an upright just to have around the house for jam sessions, or you're laying down some tracks.
PM: I can have an upright bass in Guatemala, hell with that.
CC: Oh, my God, yeah.
PM: There's one for $3,000 I can fly?
CC: Yeah, it's just luggage, you check it at the curb and let it go, and not worry about it. I'll tell you what, Frank, I think the price, the ease of setup, and the fact that it's beautiful and it sounds great -- I recorded four songs yesterday in the studio. I miked my folding bass. I didn't use a pickup, I just miked it. It sounds incredible. I did a record at John Carter Cash's last month. Jamie Hartford was on the session. It was great to see Jamie again. And I just brought my folding bass. And nobody knew it was a folding bass until I said, "Hey, guys, check this out." And they go, "Holy shit!" It's an ordinary acoustic bass in every respect, nothing to draw your attention, and even professional musicians can't tell it from an upright bass.
PM: Well, Charlie, I think you're a genius in our midst.
CC: I'm a chop shop, we'll go back to the beginning. I chop things up and I put them back together.
PM: Yeah, but you done good this time, my man.
CC: Well, I'm proud of this one. I've scribbled on many a notepad. I've gone through many a notebook trying to bust this nut. And every little problem, unwinding the strings, the strings coming out of the tailpiece, the sound post falling over -- every one of those problems -- if I didn't solve each and every one of them, the whole thing would collapse. It's like a lot of things in your life, you get everything together, and you miss one thing, all your effort could be for nothing.
PM: Right.
CC: So every part of this problem, from the case to the strings, everything had to work together in concert.
PM: This is our very first piece on gear ever in our eight-year history. And I've always wanted to do it. I think I was just waiting for the one momentous thing that just needed to be addressed, and here it is. Charlie, by Jove, you've done it, through persistence and just good American ingenuity.
CC: It was just doggedness. You might know that I love puzzles. And of course, the greatest puzzle for any man is a woman.
PM: [laughs]
CC: I haven't busted that one yet. I don't know. In fact, the more I look into that, the less I know about it. So I can't offer anything on that. But I do like Sudoku puzzles. I like problem solving. I hate reading manuals because I want to figure it out myself. It's just the nature of the beast. And this was a puzzle that I happily approached, and I'm happy with the conclusion. I solved it. It's a Rubik's cube that took three years, but I got it solved. And I'm very pleased about that.
PM: There's no doubt in my mind -- it's going to take a little time, but you're going to sell a pile of these.
CC: I'm hoping so, and so is the manufacturer. We're all excited about it. And I think the thing that underlies it all is that my frustration was the same as so many bass players' right now in the world. And there's a solution now. It's affordable, it works, you're going to be happy, you're going to dig it. And that gives me a lot of pleasure. Because a lot of times you get -- people get in their fifties, and they start thinking about funny things late at night when they're going to bed. You go, what's this all about? What am I doing? My time here, what was it all about?"
PM: Was I just treading water?
CC: Yeah. Was I treading water? Did I do something that--
PM: Did I get to the other side of something?
CC: Yes. And I really feel that for me, at my age, I feel like I've really contributed -- maybe not to the bass literature, I didn't write any bass songs --
PM: Really? Not yet, maybe.
CC: Well, not yet. But I did something for bass players, something that we needed. And I was the right guy to do it. I had the right disposition and the right attitude toward it, and the right talents for it. So I feel good about that. It's for my brothers and sisters in arms out there.
PM: It's a beautiful thing, Charlie. And I love that we had the time today to kind of commemorate that whole process. And I love being part of the process to help get the word out there.
CC: Puremusic is going to be a big help, and I'm honored to be the first of your gear articles, too. That's so cool.
PM: Yeah, now I've got the bug. I'm going to have to see if there are any other geniuses out there in the musical equipment world to whom we should talk.
CC: Calling all geniuses. Well, Frank, thank you for having me in Puremusic.
PM: It's great, Charlie. I'm really proud of you, and wish you all the best with your incredible invention.
print interview (pdf) visit foldingbass.com
