franzbassist

Woodwork all done. Can't wait to see the finish on this!

If yours are 37" as above, then yes, the long scale should fit.

[quote name='PaulTMA' timestamp='1467728419' post='3085679'] Thanks. Does this feel in any way textured? [/quote] No, they feel very smooth under the fingers.

Standard long scale La Bellas are 37" from ball to start of the silks, so suggest you measure your bass to see if they fit. Don't let the 60-115 fool you, the tension is just fine, quite low actually... You can see how fine the wrap is on the new black nylons in this pic of my bass (open image in a new tab for full size!)

[quote name='Emanew' timestamp='1467676164' post='3085343'] For the feel under fingers, Labella Black nylon strings are smooth, it slides a lot. Whereas Labella White nylons are rough to the touch, i like it. It reminds roundwounds. [/quote] That's a good point. The whites are flat, but you can feel the windings more than on the new blacks.

Go with the whites if you want bright, black if you want dark.

I think black or white would work on your bass. Whites used to be noticeably smoother than the blacks, but I have just fitted a new set of blacks to a bass and they are very smooth so perhaps the manufacturing process has changed. The other thing to keep in mind is the tome. Black nylon is the darkest and white the brightest of the white nylons, with copper white and gold white in between. And yes, they are white with a hint of silver showing through.

Popped some La Bella black nylons on and thought I'd snap a few more pictures at the same time

I think older model Tecamp heads have Powersoft power modules fitted, whereas newer ones are ICE.

Oldman has the new 1000 head.

[quote name='paul h' timestamp='1467023404' post='3080473'] My first thought would be just to try heavier strings. [/quote] And/or a different brand...

[quote name='Sibob' timestamp='1466783675' post='3078821'] Absolutely stunning! [/quote] Thanks Si

[quote name='Bigwan' timestamp='1466761647' post='3078484'] Looking good Gareth! Not long to go now. [/quote] Thanks Ian. Your new bass looks fab as well

Neck and pickup cavities cut. It's getting closer!

[quote name='Grahambythesea' timestamp='1466688173' post='3077903'] Looks beautiful and no doubt sounds it too, bet it weighs a ton! [/quote] Thanks, and thanks to the chambered body it actually weighs in at 8 3/4 lbs

Hello all I just wanted to share my new bass with you, a Sirius fretless, made by Xaver Tremel at Franz Bass Guitars in Bavaria. As many BC folk know, I play fretless almost exclusively, and have searched for many years to find "the one". I've come close a few times, most notably with a Veillette Archtop and the ACG Recurve I'm selling at the moment, but with this bass, I truly believe that my search is over The body is walnut, chambered and very slightly curved, with a "thermo" maple top. My understanding of the "thermo" process is the wood is heat treated, which apart from changing the colour also makes it respond in a way that is more typical of older wood (i.e. more resonant, better sustain). The through-neck is a nine piece combination of "thermo" ash, with walnut stripes and what look like maple stringers. The neck has an asymmetric profile (thinner on the treble side than the bass) and also features carbon fibre reinforcement. The fingerboard is ebony, radiused from 10" to 16" and extended (to what would be 32 "frets") all the way to the pickup, so it also makes a great ramp. Scale length is 34.5" I wasn't sure about the end of the fingerboard shape when looking at the pictures initially, as I'd have preferred to see the fingerboard either echo the pickup shape or just have a straight end, but it actually works really well. The hardware is all top notch: Gotoh tuners, and ETS 3D bridge with a lovely ebony-block to pass the strings through the body. The pickup is a Delano Xtender twin coil in line humbucker, with passive electronics of just volume, tone, and a switch to change the output between humbucker, single coil and parallel. In terms of ergonomics, the bass weighs 8 3/4 lbs, but balance is perfect. It's [i]beautifully[/i] put together, and finished in an oil wax finish that feels wonderfully tactile and organic. The carving is smooth, gentle curves, all executed perfectly; you can tell that Xaver trained as a cabinet maker! The neck is amazing. It's thin, front to back, and there are no dead spots anywhere. Every note rings out loud and true - the bass sings - and with the rigid neck and chambered body the sustain is wonderful. String spacing is set at 19mm, so there's load of space, but it can be adjusted up or down should you wish. The electronics are simple but effective. The tone control is useful at every position, unlike on some basses where anything less than "full up" results in a quacky sort of thump. The pickup switch also gives three very different flavours to the tone, so lots of variation on tap at the flick of a switch. Xaver's basses are not cheap, but the minute you hold one you know it's a piece of exquisite craftsmanship Gareth

[quote name='sumorabbit' timestamp='1466602603' post='3077153'] Ahh yes, you will be the chap with the 5 string blue BSX. I did watch your video a few times, it's where I saw the arm out the back and imagined it would be hard to get the neck to your shoulder for thumb position with the arm there? I think the rolling problem will be the kicker for me though, I have a knackered, tired and weak wrist that can't support a rolling bass with my thumb. Ta Paul [/quote] Yep, that's me, and yes, I'd agree it's not the easiest for thumb position.

Hi Paul I had a BSX for a few years - you may have seen my video review on eBay - and loved it to bits, but I would say it had the same rolling problem you describe, but only when digging in. That said, it sounded fantastic Cheers Gareth

Can you use both inputs at the same time?

[quote name='BassBus' timestamp='1466143131' post='3073591'] Och, now you're just showing off. That is amazingly beautiful. [/quote] Thanks, yes it is quite the looker. [quote name='ezbass' timestamp='1466169384' post='3073837'] Oh my! Is there an NBD thread for this that I've missed? [/quote] Not yet, but one will follow soon enough

Here's my new main squeeze