The Watson family loves the bass. Is it a genetic defect or what that six Watson family members play bass? Well, some of them play it only as a second or third instrument, but some play it with great passion and love. Some play electric bass guitar; some play acoustic, upright bass; some play both. It doesn't make for a balanced family band, but what can I say? We like the "daddy notes."

The acoustic bass, though similar to the violin family, actually originated in the gamba family of instruments (a line parallel to the violin family but with different tuning and dimensions of the instruments). That's how it originally got the name of contra-bass or double bass.

"And God created the bass, and when he heard the low E plucked, it resounded throughout the firmaments, and God said, 'It is good.'"

My son, Ethan and I, each have a bumper sticker that says, "Like most musicians, you are following a bass player." Just sayin'. Here in pictures are some basses of note. The first is of some folk basses made out of oil drums in the Caribbean for musicians who could not afford regular basses. The second is one of the most beat-up basses I have ever seen (in France). The third is an old folk bass, and the fourth is a bass owned and played by Charlie Mingus.

Next I have three pictures of basses at Volker Nahrman's bass workshop, where we have any necessary work done on our basses and purchased Ethan's beautiful bass. He has basses for sale from about $1000 to well over $50,000 (old Italian and German basses of exquisite sound quality).

Next I have some pictures of our basses. Ethan's is darker red and has a traditional, hard maple back, which gives it a beautiful brilliant sound. Mine is a lighter color and has an unusual willow back, not as hard as the maple, which gives it a more mellow sound. Each bass has a traditional, softer spruce front. I think the hand carved scrolls are particularly beautiful. I end this photo tour with a watercolor painting I did of a bass scroll atop one of those beautiful old basses worth more than $50,000.