My father was a merchant marine. A sailor. Before I moved to New York City at 19 years,  I had already lived more places than many people. I heard a lot of different music.

Yet all I ever really heard was the bass, the glue, the melody and rhythm. 

My first bass, at age 15, was the first fretless made by the Fender Company.

This encounter with the bass as a thing, an instrument, was key. It set the tone for what I would much later seek to build, something straightforward, dependable, with an up-front sound that cut through, yet sat happily inside a mix. Built for players.

I have also owned and played a fair number of instruments, mostly P-basses. First love. And a few J-types, an Alembic, a PRS.  And then there are all those Gibbies. Those infinitely variable, always quirky, endearing commercial flops that appeal to me in so many ways.

I attended The Gallup School in Michigan where I completed the master luthier program. Later, studying with the world renowned Charles Fox showed me how much fun it can all be, and taught me that it's not about pretty things, it's about the music. Last, but definitely not least, a year and a half working at Sadowsky Guitars in Long Island City, New York. During that time I sanded, fretted, leveled, polished, and was exposed to Roger's aesthetic and commitment to quality.  Meeting Roger was something I never imagined, let alone working for him. Roger continues to be a dear friend and great mentor!

All of these individuals guided me, sharing their wisdom and experience. Forever grateful. I hold none of them responsible for whatever oddity comes out of my small but mighty shop in Beacon, New York, by the way. That’s all me now.

And so is L.H.McCurdy Basses.