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Weird & Wonderful Basses


BigRedX
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[quote name='teen t-shirt' post='85490' date='Nov 8 2007, 05:33 PM']has anyone read this months issue of bass guitar magazine the punk issue...

the ten string issue in it is pretty cool...

the thing is massive...

one question struck me as i read it WHY??[/quote]

Probably qualifies as a FAQ.

[url="http://subcontrabassist.com/Lessons/WhySo.htm"]http://subcontrabassist.com/Lessons/WhySo.htm[/url]

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Looks like the UVA gets a lot of approval and while that particular model is quite pricey, you could have a similar bass for around $3000 which for us in the UK right now is pretty good going.

And on with today's bass, specially for teen t-shirt, one of the masters of the ERB,[url="http://www.conklinguitars.com/index.html"]Conklin[/url]

Here's a selection from the Gallery going from 4 to 9 strings...






As well as lots of strings, Conklin's other speciality is the 'Melted Top' design, which is particularly impressive when it's continued onto the fretboard as in the 4 string example. The 9-string bass also includes an output capable of interfacing with a MIDI convertor. The three basses shown here only scratch the surface of what Conklin can do, so a good look around the bass gallery is recommended for thos who like what they see so far...

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[quote name='Alpha-Dave' post='85406' date='Nov 8 2007, 01:00 PM']Personally I love headless basses, the practicality of having a shorter length wins it for me, and therefore the principal those faux headstocks go right against the grain for me on gut-instinct as they should have all the disadvantages of both.

... yet this one I really really find more aesthetically pleasing than I would ever have thought! Without the head it would look so wrong!

[/quote]

That's cool. There's a fellow Wemouthian who put a scroll in the horn of his T-40. It looked great. I love that sort of personalisation.

The Conklins aren't my thing.

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Todays basses are from [url="http://www.armenguitars.com/"]Armen[/url]

This is the 'Pete' 6-String and the VA 5-String


Again extended upper register access, and with a semi-hollow body on the VA. What makes these special for me is the 'fantom' pickup which forms part of the extended fingerboard giving a clean look to the string path. And what different this time is that unlike the Marleaux-Pagelli with it's bridge bassed Schertler system this is a true 'traditional' humbucker. There's also some interesting extended range instruments and acoustic guitars on the site too.

There probably won't be an update tomorrow as I'll be a Bass Day. Maybe see some of you there?

Edited by BigRedX
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Back after an enthralling but tiring day in Manchester which among other things has given me an new appreciation of the work of ACG - for me the best basses on show.

However today's weird and wonderfuls come from [url="http://www.mosesgraphite.com/"]Moses Graphite[/url] in the US.

Moses Graphite mainly do graphite replacement necks but they also make a trio of complete basses.

Here's two of them, the Starhawk:


and the Key Bass 5


Unfortunately their web site isn't as informative as it could be and the pictures of the basses there don't really do them justice so I've posted the only other pics I could find - from press releases on Harmony Central. Emails requesting further details have gone unanswered, so I can't tell you much about the 3rd bass they do the Vertical Jump Bass which appears to be available in both 35" and 42" scale lengths. Have a look on the site for a tiny pic and a few details. The Key bass 5 uses a frame design licensed from SoloElite who are also responsible for the Aria Sinsonido range of basses.

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Just a little late...

The next bass is from [url="http://www.kotbasses.com/"]Kot Basses[/url]

Here's the Jake Kot Sinature Model





Chambered body and an unusual 3-pickup configuration which isn't really explained on the web site. In many ways this is quite a conventional bass but all the little unusual details added together that make it a candidate for this thread...

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From what I can tell from the very non-specific detail on the site, that's probably 3 individual pickup volumes and 3 band active and one band passive tone. I don't think you could stack that combination in any way that would make logical sense, even though as you say 7 is a high knob count.

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[quote name='BigRedX' post='88893' date='Nov 15 2007, 12:38 PM']That's nice!

And a snip at around £400...
Do you think there's enough space in there for a BassMute?
What are Ishibashi's delivery charges like?[/quote]

Definitely room for a basmute - here is a pic of mine after I cut the foam ears down [url="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v164/pedullaman/Vigiers%20and%20Bacchus/P7010683.jpg"]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v164/ped...us/P7010683.jpg[/url] as you can see it is quite slim. IIRC the delivery on a £400 bass would probably add £50 or so, very little considering. Read the details here [url="http://www.ishibashi-music.com/"]http://www.ishibashi-music.com/[/url] and send them an email before she gets snapped up!!!

Cheers
ped

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Inspired by the bass Ped posted earlier today. I had a search for to see if Tune actually had a website...

And [url="http://www.cc.rim.or.jp/~tune/tune/framepage,tune,bass,catalog.htm"]here[/url] it is. Unfortunately like so many Japanese brands owning you're own domain name seems to be a vey low priority which makes finding the site hard work. Luckily I had a little help from a TalkBass thread...

The bass Ped posted seems to be a discontinued model, but there's a similar body shape available as custom order in 36" scale length only.


I hadn't really considered Tune for this thread because while the basses themselves are very nice they didn't have quite that little extra that qualifies them for W&W. However digging a little deeper into the site I came up with this:

A standard model available complete with trem system! and in several different finishes.

Tune also seem to provide a lot of basses for Yoshihiro Naruse of which this one:

is one of my favourites. Has that combination a classic looks - a little J a little Rick but with 8-strings. There's also a completley bonkers 8-string with a trem system...

Overall a lot more to Tune than what we normally see, and makes me all the more disappointed that I wasn't able to try the fretless models in the Bass Centre.

In the mean time, I'll be asking Ishibashi about that bass, although I'm hoping to score a very nice Rumblefish and right now it can only be one or the other...

Edited by BigRedX
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[quote name='Shockwave' post='89215' date='Nov 16 2007, 04:22 AM']Tune also made the worlds first and only paired 8string with trem. They had the hardware custom made for it.

I know someone who has one, Its mine for a cool $3500 :S[/quote]

You mean this one?


It's a Yoshihiro Naruse signature model. You'll find it under Narucho's Bass on the web site.
A new one will cost you about £2300 plus shipping, customs and VAT.

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