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NBD - a new approach to fretless


Silvia Bluejay
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Reckon I'll probably write one, but not until I've actually got in some playing time.

Meanwhile, here are some first impressions. Please note that I really, really wanted to get this bass, and none of the negative comments below were show-stoppers for me, nor were they surprises.

Always do the bad stuff first. Design issues.
[list]
[*]The end pin. Daft, absolutely pointless, a bloody heavy piece of brass that will never be used and quite likely get lost. I play both DB and EUB and there is no f***ing way that you can play a TB10 as an upright. The idea made some sense when Gibson used it on their first violin bass in the 50s, rather less sense when Gretsch used it on the 6070 in the 60s, and none at all now.
[*]No side dots. Why not? Because "real, orchestral musicians" don't need them, or something? This bass is enough of a challenge to play without making intonation just that little bit harder by giving no clue of where you are. I took my bass from Wunjos straight down to Andy Gibson and had side dots inserted.
[*]The bridge assembly. Completely fixed, no adjustment of any sort whatsoever. The message is, play it like it is or buy a different bass. There is NO problem with the bridge, and the action is DB high, but it makes no sense to make a £2000 bass without even the possibility of the owner tailoring it to their own taste.
[/list]
One more bad bit, not a design issue. The nut was an embarrassment, with nearly 3mm of clearance under the strings AT THE NUT! If you're not familiar with DBs, this is every bit as bad on a DB as it would be on an electric bass. Essentially, the bass was damned near unplayable from new. Please note that this is not a pop at Wunjos, I'm looking at you Takamine. Unacceptable on such an expensive bass. This was the only issue which came as a surprise.

OK, that's the bad bits done.

I've had maybe an hour's playing time so far, much too little but even so it's enough to satisfy me that buyer's blues won't be a problem with this bass.

Exactly what I wanted, it's refreshingly different from every other bass I own (and I own FAR too many), it plays beautifully, sounds magnificent, and is very involving. This isn't something you pick up casually to noodle on, pick this bass up and you want to take it seriously.

Like a DB, the sheer physicality of this bass makes it a challenge to play but then delivers more satisfaction when you get it right. And yes, if you dig in sufficiently then it really does sound like a DB. Playing it with a light touch delivers a very different result, one which is of limited interest to me.

That's all for now, but I'll revisit when I have more to say.

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Will be looking forward to reviews after you've played it for a while.
I'm 90% sure I'm going to get one of these once finances are sorted (trading my car in to get my wife a different car and planing on having roughly two grand left over :)).
I agree the playing it upright thing seems like a gimmick to try and sell to people dipping into DB, an EUB is the way to go for this.
Is the tailpin unit removable and if removed does it affect the balance?

It looks lovely BTW.

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The pin slides straight out, but the 'locking unit' stays put and needs to if you want somewhere to attach a strap.

The bass is a big bugger (body wise), so I've ordered a longer strap. Until then, it's lap only. I'll report back.

I weighed it yesterday (without the pin) since it feels like it must be far heavier than my other basses. To my amazement, it weighs 9.5lbs. The bulk is very deceptive.

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[quote name='Happy Jack' timestamp='1452596514' post='2951387']


You could easily practice/rehearse with this bass unplugged while a child slept in the next bedroom.
[/quote]

Is this compulsory? I like the bass but having to borrow a child just so I could practice unplugged seems to be a bit of a pain.

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  • 4 weeks later...

So ... a month has passed, how are we doing?

Well I was right about buyer's blues. None at all. My only regret was in not trying to find a gigbag large enough to take it.

[URL=http://s1128.photobucket.com/user/h4ppyjack/media/Basses%20CURRENT/Takamine%20TB10%202015%20CURRENT/Takamine%20body%201_zps396atvrz.jpg.html][IMG]http://i1128.photobucket.com/albums/m496/h4ppyjack/Basses%20CURRENT/Takamine%20TB10%202015%20CURRENT/Takamine%20body%201_zps396atvrz.jpg[/IMG][/URL]

Lovely thing, isn't it?

[URL=http://s1128.photobucket.com/user/h4ppyjack/media/Basses%20CURRENT/Takamine%20TB10%202015%20CURRENT/Takamine%20in%20Its%20Case%201_zpside6qdcq.jpg.html][IMG]http://i1128.photobucket.com/albums/m496/h4ppyjack/Basses%20CURRENT/Takamine%20TB10%202015%20CURRENT/Takamine%20in%20Its%20Case%201_zpside6qdcq.jpg[/IMG][/URL]

The case is particularly outrageous.

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The first two mods I had done to it were the side dots

[URL=http://s1128.photobucket.com/user/h4ppyjack/media/Basses%20CURRENT/Takamine%20TB10%202015%20CURRENT/Takamine%20-%20side%20dots_zpsxirxak5k.jpg.html][IMG]http://i1128.photobucket.com/albums/m496/h4ppyjack/Basses%20CURRENT/Takamine%20TB10%202015%20CURRENT/Takamine%20-%20side%20dots_zpsxirxak5k.jpg[/IMG][/URL]

and the strap button

[URL=http://s1128.photobucket.com/user/h4ppyjack/media/Basses%20CURRENT/Takamine%20TB10%202015%20CURRENT/Takamine%20-%20strap%20button_zpsioyrrszg.jpg.html][IMG]http://i1128.photobucket.com/albums/m496/h4ppyjack/Basses%20CURRENT/Takamine%20TB10%202015%20CURRENT/Takamine%20-%20strap%20button_zpsioyrrszg.jpg[/IMG][/URL]

The side dots are as big as they look. The neck of a bass is the same distance from my eyes as a book when I'm reading it, and I need reading glasses. On stage and under lights (i.e. playing the Dog & Duck) I need dots that I can actually SEE.

The strap button is deliberately offset around the neck so as to provide a more secure purchase for the strap and also to improve the 'hang' of the bass.

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Despite my comments on another thread about seeing this as a lap bass, it's so large in the lap that I still feel more secure having it on a strap too.

My plan to use the lock mechanism for the end pin as the tail strap button got nowhere - the arrangement is less than [i]simpatico[/i]

[url="http://s1128.photobucket.com/user/h4ppyjack/media/Basses%20CURRENT/Takamine%20TB10%202015%20CURRENT/Takamine%20-%20bottom%201_zpsatcrepnh.jpg.html"][/url]

So I rooted around in my toolbox and found a set of hollow punches for leather which I bought on eBay for less than a fiver some years ago

[url="http://s1128.photobucket.com/user/h4ppyjack/media/Basses%20CURRENT/Takamine%20TB10%202015%20CURRENT/Punches_zpsqthdl8zu.jpg.html"][/url]

Then it was just a question of finding which of them was the best fit for the endpin socket. Sorted.

Edited by Happy Jack
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As a player it's quite hard to describe, it really is a one-off of a bass. It looks and plays like what it is ... a halfway house between a good fretless and a reasonable DB.

It can be played with the fingertips across the strings, but it sounds far better (IMHO) played like a DB with the side of the finger parallel to the strings. The action is very high, but that allows you to dig in far more and really make it sing.

Played side-on like an electric bass, the curvature of the fingerboard does take a bit of getting used to, especially with the high action. I find it easy to play the E and A strings as I wish, less so the D, and I fluff quite a few notes on the G string. As you'd expect, this is improving rapidly with practice.

Arguably the biggest challenge is the CTP-3 preamp, which I have found to be less than intuitive. Not bad, just puzzling at times. The instructions comprise a single-sided sheet of A4 paper and could probably have been expanded.

[URL=http://s1128.photobucket.com/user/h4ppyjack/media/Basses%20CURRENT/Takamine%20TB10%202015%20CURRENT/EPSON002_zpsev4ka49y.jpg.html][IMG]http://i1128.photobucket.com/albums/m496/h4ppyjack/Basses%20CURRENT/Takamine%20TB10%202015%20CURRENT/EPSON002_zpsev4ka49y.jpg[/IMG][/URL]

That said, it is a very powerful and flexible preamp unit and I love the onboard Cooltube 12AU7 valve. Once I've learned how to use it properly I suspect that the TB10 will turn out to be several different basses. :P

Edited by Happy Jack
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[quote name='Happy Jack' timestamp='1454758999' post='2972663']
Thanks Dave.

Following the same advice that I gather Clarky gave you, I've now ordered a cello gigbag for it.
[/quote]

If memory serves, which it may not, I was first with a cello bag and Clarky followed after I established it worked. Or possible I have early onset like my mother.

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