Chris2112

This is a subject that is of considerable interest to me as I've been fascinated with the old but hi-tech instruments since I was 15 and discovered Stuart Hamm. I've owned and played quite a few of the instruments that are notable in this field. When I was 16, I bought a white 1989 Kubicki Ex-Factor (I later also owned a red 1989 model). Both were stamped with the Fender Custom Shop logo on the back of the headstock, though both were 18v models (with the original preamp which was, IIRC, 6 position). There is a lot of misinformation about these basses out there that has persisted for years, so as a quick summary: Phil Kubicki had never sold his company to Fender. He was an ex-Fender employee, having worked in their R&D department in the 70's (he worked on some very interesting projects for them in the 70's, worth reading up on if you want to know how forward-thinking a seemingly conservative company like Fender could be with their prototypes). At the end of the 80's, he went into a deal with Fender and the 'Fender era' began. There was obviously some crossover between parts as both my old basses (#1777 and #1859) were 18v models. The deal was effectively a distribution deal, as it allowed Kubicki to get their instruments into the Fender dealer network and removed some of the logistical and sales burden from the Kubicki workshop. The preamp was simplified to 9v at one point and IIRC two modes were removed - probably ones that Phil had found were rarely used. The original preamp architecture was reinstated when the Fender era ended in 1994. I personally only ever used the bass in two positions for 95% of the playing I did on them, usually active/flat or active/mid scoop for slap. Phil had chosen the multi-laminate neck after concluding that graphite was too expensive to work with. There was a brief deal with Moses Graphite to produce carbon fibre replacement necks, though few were made and they were expensive. I saw the other day that there is one for sale on Reverb right now. The profile was really smart, being a round C at the nut that will be familiar to any jazz bass owner, moving to a slightly thicker feel in the middle and transitioning to a flat-backed 'D' at the higher end. It was a really smart, fast neck to play on. I could writer chapter and verse on the Kubicki design, suffice to say it remains to me the absolute masterwork of ergnomic design in the bass world. All of the hi-tech solutions and ideas that Phil had were well implemented and well reasoned. The tone is just utterly exceptional to me, completely unique. Nothing else has ever replicated the sound of a Kubicki. They were and are easy instruments to own. Phil himself was always on hand back in the day to offer advice via email or telephone and StewMac.com carried loads of replacement parts including the bridge springs and clips. Today, they are still in production even though Phil himself died a few years ago. In my next post, I'll talk about my experience with Status Graphite.

That is fantastic! What a distinctive looking bass. I love the fact that Stefan will make these really 'off the wall' looking basses. I still own and play my Bogart 5 regularly, it is just sublime. It's currently strung with some Elites that have to go though, I used to like those strings but these ones seem utter crap.

A rare beast indeed. There can't have been made of these made at all.

Tetsuo Sakurai on 'Casiopea World Live '88'. Absolutely sensational - he motors from the word go!

Glad to hear it all worked out well! Sling the Precision and enjoy the Shuker, finally working as intended.

I could really sit all day and cite variations of the wonderful tones that Jeff Berlin has had from his instrument over the years. Although he has always tended towards a specific and very distinctive tone, I have listened so much that I can discern the subtle variations in it from different records and eras. Isn't that what being a keen listener is all about? I had to think of which piece to pick to link to that would demonstrate the various facets that I so enjoy in his tone. I think 'Freight Train Shuffle' really does it. You get that very deep, tight and punchy staccato sound in the verses and choruses and the solo sections have an astounding chorus warble that really makes them stand out.

That KGB is an interesting thing. I hadn't heard of that builder before.

That's some operation. I wonder where they managed to get their hands on a Smith preamp. They were never sold as a standalone item.

I've always loved Thumbs. Great looking, great sounding and nice to play. I never found the ergonomics and issue and in fact, generally found them to be quite pleasant to hold and wear. Those curved edges are so nice to handle and play over. In a world where many basses are a pastiche of other ideas or an outright copy, the Thumb still really does it's own thing.

I absolutely love this record. As a great fan of Jeff Berlin's work, it was natural that I would end up at it at some point. In truth, I had always preferred Weather Report, despite preferring Jeff's playing to that of Jaco. 'One of a Kind' struck me as the sort of fusion that had evolved from putting a jazzy slant on prog rock, and it was definitely at the proggy-end of the fusion spectrum at the time. I preferred my fusion a little more free and improvisational, despite their being a number of very good pieces of music on that record. On the other hand, I thought the follow-up, 'Gradually Going Tornado' was a better record. I preferred the slightly more textural approach of John Clarke on guitar who seemed take a very Holdsworth-esque vibe but in a very melodic sense. As much as I love Holdworth, I don't think he really struck gold until the 80's when he was writing his own hit records. The production on this record was much better and moving Berlin into a more central role really worked. The playing and the harmonic quality of the bass guitar parts on tracks like 'Joe Frazier' and 'the sliding floor' still stand out as incredible performances even today. I would say quite plainly that I was a fan of Bruford more than Bill Bruford per se, and I didn't really follow his career much after Bruford were disbanded. I gather that by the end of the 80's he had said that he was entirely done with rock and fusion and effectively retired into soft jazz work. The true crowning achievement of Jeff and Bill working together in my eyes is not Bruford at all, but the records they did with Kazumi Watanabe, particularly the first volume of 'spice of life'. Those records are utterly flawless fusion and Watanabe is an utter master.

Probably a fretless bass, taking the time to get really good above the 12th position.

Insurers outed as rogues, imagine that.

It's not just dealing with those at the bottom, anyone will lie and cheat to further their own ends. We aren't so much worn down as hardened to cynicism. It's a funny old job and a right laugh but you need a strong stomach and a pair of stones to last.

I saw it yesterday on their Facebook page when it was revealed. I think it's fantastic, probably the nicest bass in that 'Larry Graham Moon' style.

It's a shame they didn't revisit this option in later years, once the technology had improved to the point where the necks can be made to a consistently high standard. I absolutely love graphite necks, and would really like a G.Gould bass as my next instrument. Geoff is one of the real legends of the graphite bass world.

They could be forgiven if they stuck with their inferior construction because it led to superior tone, but Gibson guitars sound awful.

It was Victor Wooten that turned me on to that sound years ago. I loved the fatness of the split coil aided by the 'cut' of the bridge pickup. For me, the Precision pickup on it's own just doesn't work unless you're Billy Sheehan!* It wasn't a sound that I ever really used myself, because as I found myself slapping less and less, I would tend to run based using only the bridge pickup. It wasn't until I'd had my Pedulla Pentabuzz for a couple of years that I decided to adjust the pickup heights to balance the output of the two pickups. In doing so, I ended up actually really listening to and playing with the splitcoil pickup and found it really had a cool sound of it's own. Maybe not one I would use that often, but that sort of low-mid bump of the splitcoil combined with the 'honk' of the singlecoil is really cool and adds a huge amount of beef to the sound.

You'd have to be a total scruff to let your instrument end up like that.

Lakland released this video years ago when they started using their own proprietary pickups and preamp. Their push at the time was to get the three 'big sounds' all in one bass. I don't think they managed it perfectly, but they managed to get a passable impression of the things they were going for.