On this page I hope to highlight the growing list of people who use my instruments. Please feel free to send me a pic of yourself with your bass and I will happily put it here. Thanks!

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Meet Mike Mesmer.

Mike plays in the band Ruckus who wererecently picked up by Jake Records for a major distribution deal. A matter of days before they played Hollywood Park, this is what Mike wrote us about his addition of a Nordstrand pickup to his main bass:

' I've just now been blessed with a Nordstrand MM4.2, and am in love!
It brings out the best in my tone, and truly has helped me to shape my style
and technique to match the quality of the pickup!'

We could not be happier! Our goal has always been to create quality products, but more than that to give musicians what inspires them to play. Because most of us in the shop are gigging players who dig what we make here, it is always tremendously gratifying to have others let us know they feel the same way.

Keep an eye and an ear out for Mike and Ruckus on a stage near you!!

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It has been a while since we featured any news of someone who is not only one of our favorite players but also one of our favorite people -- the one and only Adrian Garcia! Adrian is known for his love of exotic instruments but since he got it, he has been making the rounds with his Nordy, named Purity. The two are just a perfect match! Here are a couple of shots of the man and his bass in their natural habitat...

This vJ5 is swamp ash with a maple fretboard, complete with white pearloid blocks and white binding. The preamp is our signature Audere and the pickups are one of the first sets of our Big Splits. While I can tell you that this bass has a very vocal and authoritative quality, in Adrian's hands it just sings. This was a very special project for a very special friend and we could not be happier with how it turned out!

In addition to his usual heavy worl load in Las Vegas, Adrian recently brought Purity when he played the Latin Grammy Awards. We are deeply honored that Adrian loves and plays this bass as much as he does!

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While some may not recognize his name, Igor Saavedra is one of the biggest names in bass playing in South America. Nordstrand Pickups and Probass - Chile (whose name will soon be added to our dealer list) are teaming up to provide custom pickups for Igor's very custom bass.

Aside from his work as a session player and sideman, Igor is quite an accomplished clinician and he writes a regular column in Bajista, the largest Spanish language bass magazine. For those who can make it to the winter NAMM show in California, you may have a chance to see and hear this great musician. If you can't make it to Anaheim in January, there are downloadable mp3 and video files as well as an extensive discography on his website (linked above). Now if we can just talk him into creating a myspace page...

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Should you find yourself in Virginia and in the presence of some great bass tone, you might be listening to Darron playing his Fat Stack equipped Nordy...

This alder/rosewood 5 makes a nod to the classic J-style bass aesthetic with its burst pain and tortoiseshell pickguard but the FS5 pickup set will make sure that the sound of this beauty is as distinct as the player pulling the strings and fretting the notes. Great pic, Darron!

And for those who are wondering about West Coast players, visit SoCal to check out Paul and his Nordy...

A great guy and a wonderful bass! The Olympic White vJ5 got a P/J set, an Audere 3-band preamp with tone control and a Brazilian rosewood fretboard, complete with white binding and white pearloid blocks. I can honestly say that this bass sounds as good as it looks!

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We just received an update on the amazing SC5 we made for Randy, which made it's debut at the last winter NAMM show here in California. Here is the proud owner and his beautiful bass...

Here is some of what the man has to say about his instrument:

'I absolutely love this guitar and nothing is more fun than showing musician friends this bass. People are just stunned. It's getting more and more comfortable to play for me. The range of useful sounds on this bass is enormous. No matter what sound I use, it's always appealing and rock solid. The action is amazing as well. Can't believe how easy this bass is to play. It is PERFECT in every way. Thanks again to you and your team for such a quality instrument. One of the finest 5 sting basses on the planet!!!'

Who are we to argue? ;)

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A lot of people have asked what happened to the beautiful lefty NX6 which was completed earlier this year. Well, it has landed in Europe and is being played by Vincent. As the instrument's fans will recall, Vincent wanted a more elegant take on a P-Bass and that's just what he got.

The combination of a walnut topped alder body with a cocobolo fretboard on a maple neck all tied to the single custom NP6 pickup have resulted in an extraordinarily classy bass which is not lacking for muscle at all. The passive set up and flatwound strings give it a great vintage vibe while the simple black veneer line between the top and body give the bass an air of sophistication which suits its original design intent.

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We thought it was time to highlight not only to show off the Nordy line but also for you to see where some of our pickups are being used.

If you're in the Atlanta area you may see and hear Ray Bivens grooving with the one and only Soulhound. He walked into Atlanta Discount music and saw the trans green vJ5 (serial number 12) and was struck by the color. While it was not what initially appealed to him, he was intrigued enough to play it. He left the shop and had to decide between between an Alembic and the Nordy. As you can see, the Green Machine is now on the scene! Thanks to Ray for the pic.

This is Ethan Osland with Burnthe8track, a Canadian touring act. He digs his Big Singles and in his words, 'those Big Singles give me everything I need. I frequently change the height of each pickup to try different tonal variations and they deliver no matter how I set them up. So, thanks to you and your crew!' The band has been really busy touring through Eurpoe and North America with acts like Ignite, Death by Stereo and AFI. Keep an eye and an ear out for them. Their new album is scheduled for released on May 29th 2007.

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For everyone who's asked, here is finally a picture of Paul Turner, the bassist for Jamiroquai, playing his Nordy vJ5 in the studio recently. Aside from being one of the nicest fellows you're ever going to meet, Paul is just a wicked groove player and a master of generating awesome tone. After a few different combinations of pickups in his very vintage-y bass, he has settled on a passive set of Big Singles. As you might expect, the sound is just beautiful.

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Meet Phil Palmobi, our latest player. His impressive performing and recording impressive resume includes names like Donald Byrd, Chuck Mangione, Bob Mintzer, Bill Watrous, Michael Brecker, Maynard Ferguson and Curtis Stigers. As if that wasn't enough, Phil has also written a book on the style of Scott LaFaro. When you see him live you may see his chambered Nordstrand SC6.

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Here is Calvin Turner playing his new Nordy (vJ5) at a sound check in Germany with Virgin Records recording artist Marc Broussard. We delivered this bass to Calvin when he played at the House of Blues in Anaheim and it has since become his main bass.

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Here is Daniel Hui who plays in Hong Kong with his lovely SC5. A great player and a really nice guy. Should you find yourself in his neck of the woods, look him up!

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No pic yet, but Julio Hernandez purchased a bass from me recently and went on to use it exclusively on Barbara Streisand's new album. Julio is a top Miami session player who has played for Shakira, Christina Aguilera, Ricky Martin, Julio Iglesias, and Jon Secada just to name but a few. I am very excited to have him using my basses.

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This is EunChang-Choi playing with famed trumpeter Maynard Ferguson. EunChang bough one of Frank Wilson's old basses and loves it.

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Here's Jeff Wade playing his bass with Lucid Dreamer. He also plays a lot in his church.

He goes by "embellisher" at Talkbass.com.

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Here's a nice pic that Gooseyard (Andy Bailey) sent my of him with his bass at a Talkbass get together in the New England area. Thanks for the pic Andy!

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This is Shane Jordan. He has been a customer of mine for almost 8 years now. He is a great player involved in the LA area music scene.

His main bass is an NJ5 with a gloss sunburst finish. This is a basic workhorse bass, which is good, because Shane really makes use of his instruments.

Here he is with an older instrument. This is the padauk bass that now belongs to Rob LoPrinzi.

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And here is Craig Harris. He is San Diego area bassist and has played in many different bands in the area. He is probably best known for his work with Detroit Underground. He asked me to build him a lefty five string with all the options. This one is pretty fancy!

Here's an email he sent me after he recieved his bass;

"Carey is just awesome!! His skill level is apparent in every detail of my instrument. He worked with me in the planning stages and understood EXACTLY what I wanted in the sound, ergonomics, styling and finishing of the instrument. Being a woodwoker myself, I am very particular about craftmanship and watching Carey work; his attention to details, his body mechanics, his great eye for accuracy, was truly satisfying. The results of his work are incredible! This is the finest instrument I have ever picked up!
Thanks Carey !!!!!!!!!!
Craig Harris"

The specs for this bass are:

34"scale lefty five string

mahogany body with veneer line and quilt maple cap

five piece flame maple/veneer/mahogahy/veneer/flame maple neck with birdseye fingerboard and matching headstock cap

24 heavy frets

custom string spacing and neck width(can't remember exact dimensions)

Seymour Duncan Jazz style neck pickup and Musicman style bridge pickup

John Suhr 3 band preamp

ABM bridge and gotoh mini style tuners in gold finish

Lemonburst polyester finish