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Weird & Wonderful Basses


BigRedX
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[quote name='ped' post='89241' date='Nov 16 2007, 09:15 AM']Dear me I am GASsy this morning. Tune basses reprisent a lot of what I lik ein a bass - a little quirky, top quality and different. If only they were French, I would be all over 'em ;0)

ped[/quote]

You won't be wanting to go to the Bass centre anytime soon then. When I was there a couple of weeks ago there was half a wall full of newly arrived tune basses including one very similar to the hollow body that you posted. It was a good thing that they were short staffed that morning and couldn't let me try any out otherwise I might have done some serious damage to the CC...

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Todays basses are from the Czech Republic [url="http://www.avbasses.cz"]AV Bass Guitars[/url]

Here's a 3-string bass


and a medium scale bass with trem system


Made by Aleš Vychodil, there are distinct CT and Alembic inflences to many of the basses. I like the idea of a 3-string bass, there's plenty of 6+ string models available from various luthiers/manufacturers and a couple make 1 and 2 string bass, but this is the only 3-string I've seen... 35" scale length and neodymium pickups and styling cues from both CT and some of the more esoteric 60s instruments.

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I have to say that I find some of the AVs rather ugly and others a bit on the bland side, but there's enough of them that manage to combine elegance with oddity to make them worthy of this thread.

With the right looks and the right price I'd be tempted to buy one 'blind'... (or should that be deaf?)

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[quote name='BigRedX' post='89252' date='Nov 16 2007, 10:01 AM']You won't be wanting to go to the Bass centre anytime soon then. When I was there a couple of weeks ago there was half a wall full of newly arrived tune basses including one very similar to the hollow body that you posted. It was a good thing that they were short staffed that morning and couldn't let me try any out otherwise I might have done some serious damage to the CC...[/quote]
Their website's all wrong, though - only one Tune listed, with the wrong model name. I have a TWB43-BB: there is no TWB41, but if there was, it wouldn't be that style. That's the [url="http://tuneguitars.com/store/wizmart.php?code=000701&lv=2"]TBJ41[/url] in the picture.

Note that these new sub-£1000 Tunes are made in Korea by a [url="http://www.tuneguitars.com/"]different company[/url], not the [url="http://www.cc.rim.or.jp/~tune/"]original factory[/url] in Japan. I'll get one of those if I ever go pro, but I'll have to make do with the knockoff till then. :)

Edited by bnt
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Brian, thanks for all the added info on Tune. Strangely enough neither website shows up when you Google Tune Bass no matter how much you try and refine the search (although that's pretty much par for the course when dealing with Japanese musical instrument companies). I must have been lucky in that the TalkBass thread I found liked to the japanese site. Having said that the single cut [url="http://tuneguitars.com/store/wizmart.php?query=view&code=030801&no=74&lv=2"]Modern Acoustic SBB[/url] from the Korean factory looks interesting.

Ped, still no word back from Ishibashi although I'm not expecting to get a reply until business hours on Monday in Japan.
Not sure about that particular AV, the 'f' holes are cool, but I'm not entirely sure that the curly top horn works with the white finish. IMO it looks better with the more gnarly woods.

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[quote name='BigRedX' post='89736' date='Nov 17 2007, 01:53 AM']Oh... Thanks 7string, I'm flattered...

All the best with that and I hope you'll tell us all the details when the build starts, or if it doesn't

And just to let you know it was your Sei build diary that ultimately convinced me to go for a Sei bass as my latest build.[/quote]

Cheers BigRedX, that's nice to know. My build was in turn influence by another Sei 7 build... :)

The bass which I've been in discussions about is built, so it should be a matter of payment and shipping, fingers crossed !!

By the way, my Sei bass is featured in this month's Guitarist magazine. Page 14 of the issue with Jimmy Page on the cover....

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OK...

I'm afraid we're getting near the end of my supply of weird and wonderful. Probably a few more this week and that'll be it until I find some new luthiers...

In the mean time here's a bass from [url="http://www.brownebasses.com/"]Mike Browne[/url]

This one's the Browne Marshall




Mike Browne used to work for Carl Thompson and this can be seen in various aspects of his designs.
I like this bass because it isn't such an obvious homage to CT but has plenty of reference points for those who know what to look for. I do like the layered and sculpted body - an alternative take on what Conklin is doing doing with the melted tops - and orange coloured basses are another of my fetishes...

32" scale, Mahogany body with a wenge and walnut top. Nordsradt pickups and Aguilar electronics. Prices from $2500-3500 depending on options.

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We'll have to see...

My original intention was to limit the basses to those still being made so that anyone who saw something they liked could go and try and maybe buy (hopefully 7string will be posting his potential new aquisition here just as soon as the deal is done and it arrives), and also feature instruments in the main that the majority of you wouldn't have seen before. However I could be persuaded to include some better known but IMO still equally weird and wonderful as well as basses which are no longer being made and not so readily available anymore.

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Lovin' those Browne basses, and this thread in general.
Really like basses that are a bit different...

Check out this loverly example of Mike Browne's work, a 36" 6 string fretless >>

[attachment=3674:06fullfront.jpg]

Go knows what that'd cost...

Eude

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I would have posted more of Mike Browne's work, but the others all had little design niggles that really bothered me. I know it's just details on what is most likely a brilliantly playable and sounding bass, but IMO when you get to the sort of prices these instruments command all the details should be perfect. That six string is a perfect example beautiful except for the jack socket surround which to me just says 'home-brewed' rather than 'lovingly hand-craft by a master luthier'. As with all aesthetic aspects this is purely personal, so what I think looks cobbled together others may think is elegance itself...

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