AZOLA BASSES
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AZOLA CUSTOM SHOP HOLLOW-BODY UPRIGHTS
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SOLID-BODY EUBs
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ACOUSTIC / ELECTRIC BASS GUITARS
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OPTIONS & PRICES
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PHOTO GALLERIES & CUSTOMER COMMENTS
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THE COMPANY
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RETIRED
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ACCESSORIES
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AZOLA BASSES Handcrafted in California, USA: 2008 FRIENDS & FAMILY
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2008 Friends and Family
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Our bass family continues to expand around the world!
Please click the "Show All" button to view all photos.
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- Roberto Perissin in Milan with his Ultracoustic Baby
"Hi Jill,
Hope you and Steve are doing well, after the summer, yes it is over, almost, at least here in Italy……..;-)
I wanted to thank you for putting my photo up on your web site, I now have several better ones, I played with the band in fact last week for the inauguration of a major medical congress (2000+ people) in a large theater, I got so many compliments for the look but even more important for the sound of the bass, absolutely fantastic, with the specific acoustic bass amp I am using.
I am enclosing a few photos, you can use one of them of course to replace that first one….. Lots of good photos now on my Myspace page with the “Ultracoustic Baby Bass” as well as a short video playing it on YouTube that I recorded a couple of weeks after I received it
www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZwSRzzt-JnM
Thanks for the help and for the beautiful instruments you guys make, I will be certainly over next May to see you.
Ciao!
Roby
www.myspace.com/robyperissin
www.myspace.com/jazzstandardsquintet "
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- Rob Henson and his Ultracoustic Bug onstage with Corey Smith
"Dear Jill and Steve,
I want to report the Ultracoustic BugBass has taken my bass playing to the next level in just one week of possession.
I played four shows and one jam session so far and the bass is performing beautifully. The ultra-picky bandleader is very happy, and sound men are coming up and saying they can't believe how much clarity and power comes out of this bass. Fans are also telling me they can hear me for the first time very clearly .
Construction wise I really feel that I have an upright bass that is as
tough as any bass guitar I would use on the road. No special treatment is
needed. The setup is perfect and it plays easy as lard is greasy. I'm
blown away by its earthy, woody tone, but at the same time having a
forwardness and a punch to the note. There hasn't been one bit of feedback
and we're usually amplified loud as hell through the house PA system. I'm
using all my extreme effects like overdrive, envelope filters and
modulation and they all work great. Pizz and arco are balanced and even. I
don't have to adjust tones between playing styles. What a pleasure it is to have a punchy pizz tone that still sounds smooth and sweet when you switch
to the bow with no volume jumps or dips. The Spirocore Weich strings sound
really good stylistically for the music we are playing, however I think I
will need a stiffer string to accommodate my technique. I'm going to try some superflexibles next week with a Flexicore high 'C' and see what happens. I'm also learning how to play with that extra higher string. I've been able to fake it so far, however I can't wait to put in some time learning how to really play it.
I have posted some reviews on Talkbass and on HarmonyCentral, websites
which helped inform me of your special basses and service. Please feel free
to pass my name along as a reference. I will continue to provide some
updates in the future as I learn more about what can be accomplished with
this bass.
Thank you for building this instrument of a lifetime for me."
http:myspace.com/doublebasstrouble
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- Wolfgang Groeschel in Germany with his 5-string Ltd Ed hollow-body BugBass
"Dear Jill, dear Steve,
The time of waiting is over. Yesterday late afternoon the package including my new Azola hollow Bugbass II arrived safely and in perfect condition.
It was an undescribable happy moment for me to open it and to see and feel and hear this wonderful instrument for the first time. I can tell you it is even more beautiful as I had it in mind before. Dear Steve, you are really an extraordinary luthier. It is unbelievable to see what a perfect final object you produced by starting from natural wood and raw things. This bass is more than 100% perfect even in the finest details. It is unique. I like eyeing how you arranged the texture of the wood in a well-balanced manner, I like feeling the soft glance of the natural satin finish. I like the shape of the body and I feel immediately 'at home' when starting to play it. As a double bass player I had not the slightest problem to get orientation on the fingerboard. Everything is on its place where it should be.
Next I plugged it into my amp and produced the first tones. Yeah - great. The combination of body, strings and the true acoustic pickup system results in a powerful and direct and nevertheless warm and pleasing sound with the right balance of punch and sustain. The 3-band EQ is very effective and allows me to vary and adapt the sound in any way I want it. I stayed playing pizz at first. But during the weekend I will spend a lot more time to test arco, too. And not to forget the fifth C string. It opens me a new range of creativity which I will explore during the next months. So I will report you my experiences with that later on.
Dear Jill, I want to personally thank you with all my heart for your competent technical consultancy in the beginning and guidance throughout all the ordering and administrative process later. And - not to forget - for your patience with me when I tended to run out of patience during the months of waiting. Today I can confirm each day that Steve worked on the bass was well invested. It is really as you told me: It takes some time until a new baby is born.
I am looking forward to my next gigs where I will extend my bass sound flexibiliy. Aside my classical double bass my new Azola bass will become a fix partner on stage for me. Who ever will wonder what lovely instrument this is I will tell him with pride and admiration from you. I am proud to be part of the Azola familiy now. I am embracing you both expressing my deep friendship. Whenever there comes a chance to meet you somewhere on that globe I will do it. Later during the weekend I will call you to thank you in person, too.
Warm regards,
Wolfgang"
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- Chuck Bernklau in NY with his Ltd Ed hollowbody Bug from Bass Central
"Hi Jill & Steve,
Just wanted to let you know how happy I am with my new hollow-body BugBass II. It's everything I hoped for and more. As you can see from the attached photo, I was a bit like a deer in the headlights when I first took the bass out of the (very well packed) box, due to the fact that it's just a masterpiece of both woodworking and
simplicity of design ... the quality and beauty of the woods used is
just stellar. What put the icing on the cake though was the sound
that came out of it when I plugged it into my amp. My wife (other
photo, dwarfed by the shipping box) looked at me when the first
couple of notes came out of the amp, with an expression that said
"how is that sound coming out of something so compact?". When I
ordered this instrument, I told you that I was looking for as close
to an authentic upright sound as I could get... all I can say is that
Steve hit the nail on the head (I know, there are no nails in this
thing!) it has the best upright tone I've heard from any EUB .
Thanks for all your help in getting me the bass I was looking for for so long. I'll be in touch!"
And a little later ...
"The more I play the bass, the better I like it. Now I have to get my
playing to a point where I feel worthy of this fine instrument!"
And later still ...
"Hi Jill & Steve,
Just wanted to let you know that I did my first recording with the new hollow-body Bugbass II. The sound (recorded directly with just a United
Audio tube preamp/direct box) was astounding, even with my somewhat limited playing technique. My friend and musical cohort Tom, who is quite a fine woodworker himself (works at the Museum of Natural History repairing
ancient artifacts, etc.) was blown away by the bass, both in terms of
sound, wood and construction.
I will get you a copy of the recording as soon as we finish. Thanks
again, this bass really rocks! Hope you guys are doing well."
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- Osama Afifi in Seattle with his Ltg Bug from Bass Central
"Hi Jill,
Here is a photo of me playing the Lightning Bug Bass. I love it!!
Here is my bio :
Osama Afifi has been part of the West Coast music scene since 1985 . For
several years he has been the bassist for the B Sharp Jazz Quartet. The
Quartet toured extensively throughout the United States and Europe. They
performed at the North Sea, Istanbul, Nice, Brecon, Umbria, and Monterey
Jazz Festivals, just to name a few. Osama has recorded and performed live
with many other artists, including U.S. and Canadian tours with Yanni,
Vanessa Paradis, John Densmore’s Tribal Jazz and VH1’s show "Storytellers" with The Doors. He has also worked with Kurt Elling, Nnenna Freelon, the Fifth Dimension, Mindi Abair, Jeff Kashiwa, The Cadillacs,
Gary Herbig, Debbie Boone, Kei Akagi, Eric Reed, Hugo Jojo, and trumpeter
Tony Guerrero. Since moving to the Northwest he has worked with The Kareem
Kandi Band, Darren Motamedy, David Keys, Hook Me Up, Gail Pettis, Michael
Powers and many others. He also continues to record numerous jingles and TV shows, such as Wild Bills Adventure, Battledome, the new Newlywed Game, Toyota, BET, Lizzie MacGuire, Infiniti, Barbie, Hyundai and Tropicana. His education included studies at the Dick Grove School of Music. He also studied with Jeff Berlin and Gary Willis. He has taught at the Los Angeles Music Academy in Pasadena, California and is currently the bass instructor at Ted Brown Music in Tacoma,WA."
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- Pete Heid plays his original style BugBass with the Oceanside Society Orchestra
Pete says, "You're never too old to play an Azola bass."
"Hi Jill and Steve,
It is with great relief that I finally found your fire status reports. Thankfully you both, your puppies, cat and home with shop were spared. We were told to evacuate also. Car packed and ready to head out. Asked, "What were you going to take?" Reply was, "Leave wife but pack up the BugBass!!!" Love the BugBass, especially since it was one of the originals. Many compliments on its sound and the fine craftsmanship. Play it twice a week on gigs, and practice each day. When I am too old to play, shall give it back for the display room. We also have much clean up still. But the best news is that you and factory are OK."
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- Thom Britt in LA with his Ultracoustic BugBass
"Hi Jill and Steve,
I just wanted to write and tell you just how much I LOVE my new bass. It
was definitely love at first sight! It exceeded my dreams of how great it would look or play. It is a work of art, and it was worth everything for me to get it! It is one of the best decisions I have made, and it is inspiring me constantly!
Never doubt that what you are doing makes a difference in people's lives.
You being there, doing what you're doing, has made a profound impact on my
life. May 2008 lead us all into a deeper understanding of our place in the world. Bless you all! And once again, thank you , thank you, thank you."
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- Highlight of NAMM 2008 for Jill Azola
Leland Sklar is one of our very favorite bassists on the planet ... an amazing player who's contributed so much musically to the "score" of our lives, and a wonderful human with the *best* sense of humor and great heart. He never fails to bring a smile, whether playing or just hanging out during NAMM madness. (We're not implying that he's an Azola bass player ... we just think he's somebody extra-special.)
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- Quim Ramon in Barcelona with his special BugBass II
"Hola Jill y Steve ,
Después de nueve interminables dias , hace dos horas han traído el bajo a mi casa y todo está perfecto.
El bajo estaba muy bien empaquetado y no ha sufrido ningun daño , en principio no parece que los cambios de temperatura hayan afectado al mastil y está muy bien ajustado.
El bajo está impecable, es muy bonito, es agradable de tocar y tiene mucho sustain.
Ahora necesitaré un poco de tiempo para conocerlo y sacarle todas las posibilidades que seguro tiene. Si necesito alguna información adicional ya os la pediré.
Felicita a Steve por su trabajo
Gracias por todo
Un abrazo
Quim"
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- Peter McCullough and his Ltg Bug on tour with Streetlight Manifesto
"Hey Jill!
I'm just checking in with you guys to let you know the bass is working out great so far. I've been playing to basically sold out shows across the country so hopefully people are recognizing what I'm using. Here's some pics of me on stage. Talk to you soon!"
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- Sid Heilbraun in Asheville with his Ltd Ed hollowbody Ltg Bug
"I am so very amazed at the quality and sound of this bass that I just don’t know what to say…I’ll try:
I just finished a couple of hours of rehearsal with my LtgBug and the band.
How could such a little thing like this have the sound (growl) of an upright? I am so taken by how close it sounds to an acoustic upright. I guess it kind of is an acoustic with its hollow body. This is the sound I was looking for.
The physical beauty of it is striking. Love the stripes! Beautiful wood! The workmanship is nothing but the highest quality. I am so pleased. This bass goes beyond what I expected. The case is great and I’m very excited! I’d like to go on the road just to take this bass but I guess downtown Asheville will have to do. Gig Saturday night…Can’t wait!
As my 17 year old daughter says about something she loves…,”It’s the Bomb!”
I feel very fortunate to own it and I am proud to be a part of the family.
I got this off of Talk Bass and it sure does apply to you…..
A man who works with his hands is a laborer;
A man who works with his hands and his brain is a craftsman;
But a man who works with his hands and his brain and his heart is an artist.
I Love my LBug and I thank you….
(often impatient) Sid H. 12/07"
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- Mike Hill in Canada with his used Ltg Bug from Bass Central
"Hi Jill,
I just wanted you to know that you can take my name off your waiting list. I went searching on the internet and found one of your "toys". I called Bass Central in Florida, and they had a (slightly) used Lightning Bug. It just arrived on the UPS truck a few minutes ago. It's beautiful and I was even able to play it a bit. (I have some practicing to do before I take it out). The folks in our band are coming over for practice tonight and they don't even know I ordered it - should be fun. Thank you for the personal attention you gave my enquiry."
And a few weeks later ...
"Hi Jill,
I got my first chance to play 'out' tonight. My group (Gospel According To Country) was playing at a retirement home tonight. I pulled out my Lightning Bug and got so many positive comments about this great instrument!
My wife, Dorothy caught this picture with me (Mike H.) and the leader of the group (Bill Forrest) on his Dobro. I have to work on strengthening my left hand a bit. It takes a little more pressure to get a good sound than it does on my Martin B40, but it's worth it. Thanks a lot - it has a good home here."
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