And what of the future of the bass guitar? Is this object truly cemented in our music culture, locked in a symbiotic relationship with us? Will there always be a place for the bass guitar?
“Yes” says Chris May, “because I think there already have been electronic replacements. Synthesisers and computer-generated music have been available for quite a long time. You can have synth basses and all sorts of alternatives. There are always different ways of achieving things.
“If you think back to marching bands, they always used tubas for the bass because it was an easier instrument to use in that environment. As digital music, sampled music, synthesisers become easier to use as technology becomes more sophisticated, then obviously that is always an option.
"But there will always be a place for instruments in the same way as we’ve had double basses and cellos and violins pretty much as they are for the last two or three hundred years.”
As for the next developments in bass guitar manufacturing, it appears that the future lies as much in the past as anywhere else. The fondness for nostalgia inherent in the music industry means that 60-year-old designs like the Fender Stratocaster and the Gibson Les Paul, are still the most popular.
Life in Music
And after 30 years of making guitars what has been Chris’s favourite part of it?
“Being able to be an equal with musicians that I would never technically be able to be an equal with. Working with people I respect hugely, getting to be in situations, meeting people, just being part of the business.
“When I was a kid I wanted to be in the music business because I wanted to be in the music business you know. But I’ve spent most of my life being in and around the music business doing things that you don’t necessarily realise at the time were anything special you know. I was in the studio when they recorded the first Band Aid single. I mean, nobody knew at the time it was going to turn into Live Aid and be this huge global thing.”
“What it’s about is making an instrument for someone that changes their life in some way.”
All musicians have a special relationship with their instrument. On a basic level it is enjoyable to play, but more than that, it connects them to their musical idols and the emotion of their favourite songs. It engenders the confidence of being skilled at something and the pride to be able to play for friends.
It is the ultimate social catalyst, joining together fellow enthusiasts and creating lifelong bonds. In that object is the potential for life-changing stardom, as well as impressing the girl or boy next-door. Binding all of this together is its slightly mystical, enigmatic nature. Two instruments might look identical, but only one “feels” right and the idea that that instrument was made specifically for you attaches a sense of fate to it.
Look at it in those terms and Chris May’s role becomes almost shamanistic. His talent is to build an object that taps directly into that combination of touch, sound, possibility, emotion, confidence and skill.
“What it’s about,” says Chris, “is making an instrument for someone that changes their life in some way, or it makes them feel more creative, or they form a bond with that instrument. It’s making an instrument that works and it goes to somebody that appreciates it. That’s the high spot.”
Kirsty, a member of the Overwater team, remembers a customer based in New York. “He wanted a particular bass with a maple finish on it and he was really hyped up about what he was gonna get. The guys here, as it was coming together, were saying: “Oh this is just gonna be so nice!” When he opened the case, before even testing it out, he texted Chris saying: “This is amazing! It’s exactly what I wanted!””
Chris adds: “You get something like that, you send it halfway round the world and they open that case and they go: “Wow!””
Macho Zapp would like to thank:
Chris May
The Overwater team: Kirsty, Martin, Laurence, and Dean
Mark Johnson at Slowmo Limited
Dr Andrew Elliott
Nick Wells at iBass Magazine
Drew Dempster at The Great British Bass Lounge