Factory visit to Chris Celinder's workshop, Copenhagen

[Kiwi]

I met Chris a couple of weeks ago at his invitation while he was stopping over in London. We ended up talking so much that we lost track of time and so Chris invited me to come over to Copenhagen and visit his workshop. It was an offer too good to resist so I went over on Thursday and came back yesterday. I took some pics while I was there and thought I'd share them with the forum.

Chris and I talked non stop during my stay with him and our discussions covered a massive range of topics including comedy (he's a big Eddie Izzard and Blackadder fan), airports, airlines (esp. Air NZ vs Aeroflot), youtube, and the circumstances surrounding his meeting some of the famous players who have bought his instruments. I also met his kids and he called a couple of local players in Copenhagen who graciously made their instruments available to me.

So here's the tour:

Chris has a multi roomed workshop and the thing that struck me most was the wood and the numbers of bodies in various stages of completion. I estimated there were at least 40-50 bodies in various stages of finishing.





He sources his wood locally where possible and knows a forester who supplies him with the danish alder that he uses as well as obtaining European sycamore from local suppliers. Other woods he uses such as mahogany, spalted maple, purpleheart and koa are imported.

Chris hand selects the wood and does all the carving himself in this room:




It hasn't been set up properly yet since the move to new workshop (which happened basically because his former landlord there almost tripled the rents).

The finishing is carried out by Chris's brother Stefan and they use a spray booth across the yard in a furniture manufacturing workshop. Chris does have the facilities to do it himself but installing the extraction fans has proved to be trickier than they originally anticipated because of the low ceiling height in the workshop.

This is the room where they do the final buffing and polishing of the bodies.



This is the final assembly room




In this room is a set up table...


...a fret dressing station... (BTW this table is really neat, it flips upside down when the jig isn't in use to present a flat work surface. )

[Kiwi]

...and Chris is seen here at the electronics station playing one of his Aura 6 basses.


The Aura bass is a mahogany bodied instrument with a maple set neck. Chris prefers set and bolt on neck joints because he feels they're help the instrument be more dynamic and responsive. He's also constantly experimenting with new woods and construction. I witnessed a prototype J Update which is without any question the lightest instrument I've ever picked up. He's sworn me to secrecy over how he's achieved it but he reckons it will emulate a lightweight pre-CBS jazz like no other on the market.

The former Meshell Update has made its way back to his workshop and he let me have a go on it.



Its a stunning instrument. Extremely responsive, no dead spots anywhere and the notes leap off the fingerboard. Chris told me the story of how BC'er Eubassix discoverered it was her instrument despite being in an unrecognisable condition. There was also another longer story going back that relates to how the bass left Meshell in the first place (lets just say she didn't sell it). He also pointed out that this instrument features 50 year old Brazilian rosewood which he managed to obtain from a contact of his as new old stock. There's more of it stored in the roof space here:



He's only got a limited supply of it so it will only be used on premium instruments, such as the Victor Bailey inspired fretless that I would happily sell my soul for. With a mahogany body and an epoxy coated Brazilian rosewood fingerboard, it had all the sustain and mwaaah of my Pedulla Pentabuzz but with more warmth. It belongs to a local player now but it was utterly utterly lush.



And to finish off, here's the man himself activating the LED's on one of the basses that has been in for servicing.



As a footnote, I'll just mention that Chris's time and energy have been drawn away from bass building by some extremely serious personal issues over the last 2 years (which I can't really go into any detail on out of respect to his privacy). Chris was open and extremely candid with me about these things and to be honest, if I was in his shoes I would have probably become a depressive wreck under the same stresses and pressures that he's had to endure. Despite all this, he still cares deeply about making some of the best bass guitars on the planet and this is essentially what has seen him through the last couple of years. I was left in no doubt whatsoever about his commitment to customer satisfaction and the quality of his instruments.

[odub]

I think thats very cool, it's like an old pre industrial revolution weavers house in Lancashire, but with bases.

[Kiwi]

lol, the exterior of the building was very different!

[Eight]

I really don't care if you want to consider it advertising, an article or a description of one man's experience - it was fascinating to read and thank you very much for posting it Kiwi.

If you ever get invited to some other workshops, make sure you post some info on them too.

[skankdelvar]

Nice one Kiwi - thanks for posting this. Never thought about a Celinder, but once you see their little workshop, you kind of come round to the idea...

Now all I need is some cash.

[Kiwi]

Thanks for your comments guys. Chris keeps a very low profile these days and I have an interest in bass guitar design myself. So this was a very rare opportunity to get to know a lutheir who makes some of the most widely regarded jazz variant instruments on the planet and to try and gain an insight into what makes his instruments different to similar models out there. I've already visited Roger Sadowsky's workshop too but that was about 16 years ago and I didn't have a camera or the understanding to make the most of my visit back then.

If I do make any other visits in the future, I'll definitely post them up here.

[lowdown]

Good one Kiwi....
An Interesting post.


Garry

[thisnameistaken]

So did he invite you over because you've ordered a bass from him? If so, what are you getting?

[MacDaddy]

[quote name='Eight' post='489762' date='May 16 2009, 01:04 PM']I really don't care if you want to consider it advertising, an article or a description of one man's experience - it was fascinating to read and thank you very much for posting it Kiwi.

If you ever get invited to some other workshops, make sure you post some info on them too.[/quote]
+1

[Simon]

That's a very interesting insight Kiwi. Thank you.

I think a Celinder is my dream bass, and I hope to be able to afford having one made for me some day.

[The Funk]

A Danish drummer friend recommended Celinder to me a few years ago. Sadly they're completely out of my price range.

[wizbat]

Looks like a great day out dude.
And what a tidy workshop!! not a filthy coffee mug in sight...

[molan]

Really interesting post

I've never even seen a Celinder in the flesh but they do look really nice & beautifully finished.

[Kiwi]

[quote name='thisnameistaken' post='489796' date='May 16 2009, 01:40 PM']So did he invite you over because you've ordered a bass from him? If so, what are you getting? [/quote]
Oh god I could have spent a fortune in that place. Chris's instruments are around the £3200-4500 mark and he doesn't give the instruments away, not even to Victor Bailey or Marcus Miller. I think it's going to be a long time until I own one brand new. But I'd probably have a fretted/fretless pair of those Victor Bailey basses in a heartbeat if I had £9k to chuck at Chris.

[Happy Jack]

I have to ask, Steve: Did you get the story behind the Hofner Violin Bass leaning casually against a work-bench in one of your photos?

[risingson]

Celinder's have always made what I think would just be the perfect bass for me, I've always wanted a Jazz Update 5 in Daphne Blue. I must say that I do find it endlessly frustrating that he's taken down the website now, I went home every night after school and just used to be completely dazzled by the skill of his work.

[Kiwi]

[quote name='Happy Jack' post='489855' date='May 16 2009, 03:11 PM']I have to ask, Steve: Did you get the story behind the Hofner Violin Bass leaning casually against a work-bench in one of your photos?[/quote]
Yes I did Jack, the bass is a genuine '64 Hofner and was brought in for a restoration job by one of Chris's customers. It needed a pickup rewinding and the electrics needed looking at. I plucked a few of the strings and it seemed to be a very resonant instrument. I didn't dare pick it up in that state though just incase something fell out and rolled under a cabinet.

[quote name='liamcapleton' post='489861' date='May 16 2009, 03:20 PM']I must say that I do find it endlessly frustrating that he's taken down the website now[/quote]
He does have plans in place to put the site back up. There's a lot going on in his mind at the moment and I think he's very worried that he will get so sucked into spending all his time managing the backlog orders and customer relationships that he won't have any time for his first love which is building the instruments (which is what actually brings in the money and makes the business viable). He doesn't want to delegate the building of instruments to anyone else because they don't have his experience or skill. I should have asked him why he doesn't get someone in to manage the customer side of things and leave him to deal with the instruments but I think he might feel there's no point if everything comes back to getting the basses out the door and maintaining a reputation for quality.

I think he's in a very similar situation to Jon Shuker where he doesn't have a wide pool of skilled labour to draw on and he doesn't have the time to spend training someone up so ultimately he takes on 100% responsibility for producing the instruments.

[Simon]

By the sounds of the things I've read on the web, some kind of customer service person is exactly what he needs. Someone who can manage all the orders, emails and paper work etc.

If i've ever got the money, I will certainly order one.

[BigRedX]

Wonderful informative stuff. And hardly advertising - in fact CK may have 'harmed' his mysterious persona with this report.

After all this is a man who has built up an enviable reputation simply from the few people who've been lucky enough to play one of his basses, who's self promotion is basically non-existent and who's web site (when it's actually up) varies between a single page with a phone number and email address and a notice telling you that he isn't taking any orders for the foreseeable future!

[obi 2 kenobi]

[quote name='Crazykiwi' post='489782' date='May 16 2009, 01:25 PM']Thanks for your comments guys. Chris keeps a very low profile these days and I have an interest in bass guitar design myself. So this was a very rare opportunity to get to know a lutheir who makes some of the most widely regarded jazz variant instruments on the planet and to try and gain an insight into what makes his instruments different to similar models out there. I've already visited Roger Sadowsky's workshop too but that was about 16 years ago and I didn't have a camera or the understanding to make the most of my visit back then.

If I do make any other visits in the future, I'll definitely post them up here.[/quote]


Thank you CK for the details. Do you know if it is possible to order a bass or if he has basses for sale in his workshop ? Funnily enough I was in Copenhagen 2 weeks.

Cheers

[skankdelvar]

[quote name='Crazykiwi' post='489896' date='May 16 2009, 04:11 PM']I should have asked him why he doesn't get someone in to manage the customer side of things and leave him to deal with the instruments ...[/quote]

Kiwi! [i]You [/i]could do it!

[Born 2B Mild]

[quote name='skankdelvar' post='490207' date='May 16 2009, 10:34 PM']Kiwi! [i]You [/i]could do it![/quote]
It's true.

It is your destiny CK. You have the insight, NZ has the timber. Don't let us down.

[Geddys nose]

Great Pictures and a real tidy workshop, I love seeing how a piece of wood and wire turn into something so stunning just shows the magic is in the fingers of players and luthiers alike.

[Kiwi]

[quote name='BigRedX' post='490179' date='May 16 2009, 09:52 PM']Wonderful informative stuff. And hardly advertising - in fact CK may have 'harmed' his mysterious persona with this report.[/quote]
Mysterious persona? I swear I've never worn a mask with a cape and I don't like opera that much either.

[quote name='obi 2 kenobi' post='490202' date='May 16 2009, 10:29 PM']Thank you CK for the details. Do you know if it is possible to order a bass or if he has basses for sale in his workshop ? Funnily enough I was in Copenhagen 2 weeks.[/quote]
Its definitely possible to place an order. But Chris can't give any guarantees over the delivery times. They're likely to be very long because he has a massive backlog to get through in addition to the quick turn around repair work that he does for players in Copenhagen. I guess you need to decide whether you can wait a long time for an instrument or not. Chris won't be taking any form of deposit from you until the build is ready to begin though.

[quote name='Born 2B Mild' post='490219' date='May 16 2009, 10:54 PM']It is your destiny CK.[/quote]
LOL kiwi, I am your father...

...well we did discuss his own frustrations with what he called misinformation appearing on the internet surrounding his dealings with customers. I could see that he felt he'd been burned (without wishing to go into any further detail) by a few extremely vocal individuals in the past. He has a great reputation in Copenhagen, and nothing is too much trouble for the local players who own his instruments (and there are a number of them who play nothing else).

So I sat down with him in his lounge and took him through Basschat, showed him some of the threads, and took him for a tour behind the scenes. During our discussion I did suggest there may be potential for Basschat, as a community, to play a part in helping to restore his faith in human nature...but its up to him to make the call.

So for what its worth, I've sent him a link to this thread and I suspect that everyone's posts on this forum will be of great interest and encouragement to him (and perhaps emphasise some of the points that I raised with him about how he's perceived by the bass playing community at least in the UK). He's also said that he only accesses the internet twice a week so if anyone wants to talk to him all they need to do is call if they have questions about the instruments.