The Deli: Buke and Gass – Next Level DIY
After each Buke and Gass show, it is quite common to see a line of guys (mostly guitarists and engineers) queueing in front of Aron Sanchez to ask him one simple question: “How the heck do you get that crazy tone?”
Buke and Gass
When they approach him on the stage, they normally realize two things: 1. He doesn’t play a normal guitar, but what he calls a “Gass” 2. That kick drum he also plays during the show not only has a tambourine attached to the outer skin but there’s also a… snare inside it!
What prompted the invention of the Gass?
I wanted to make more sound with one instrument. For a long time I’d been thinking of making an instrument that would replicate how Aston Barrett sounded on the Bob Marley records, he would double his bass lines with muted guitar. I never got around to making that instrument, but the last band I was in, Proton Proton, I was the only string player for awhile, so I began to develop the Gass, which has become a lot more versatile than my original idea.
How would you describe this instrument?
The current incarnation is made from an old classical guitar body with a bolt-on neck that I made. It has 2 bass strings and 4 guitar strings on it. It’s an attempt to combine the bass and the guitar, but it’s kind of become something else in the process.
How long did it take you to build it?
It’s hard to say because it’s a work in progress I’m always changing it. I guess a week or two to put one together depending on the design. The one I play now is number six, and I started making them about 4 years ago. Each iteration looks and sounds different than it’s predecessor. Previous incarnations have looked more like a traditional bass, or had a body made of clear Lexan, there was even one made of metal from an old Volvo that my friend Paul Fuster welded for me.
Click to read the full Buke and Gass interview at Delicious Audio!
– Paolo De Gregorio