Extension Search

King Chris · #1 10-12-2008, 10:23 PM

I've officially decided to get an extension on my upright. After much reading and searching, I am pretty sure I want to go with a chromatic "capoed" extension. I realize there are many people that can do this and I have looked into quite a few.
Besides the fact that I think my scroll will need to be cut into, seeing as it used to have and extension before I purchased it and has the scroll grafted back in, does anyone have any feedback on quality and durability of their extensions?
I am particularly interested inextensions by John Michael Smith, seeing as he is local, like 2 miles from my house, and Chris Threlkeld-Wiegand. Other makers are still being considered so any feedback would be nice.
Also, do you think it would pay off to go local rather than ship my bass across the country to get a big name?

Eric Hochberg · #2 10-13-2008, 08:04 AM

Jason Heath of Doublebassblog.org has an extension by Chris Threlkeld-Wiegand as does one of my students. They are both happy with the work.

Theo.Bass · #3 10-13-2008, 02:09 PM

Mike Smith Does all my regular work and does a fantastic job. I would highly recommend him. My teacher has one of his fingered extensions and it looks pretty cool. Just make an appointment.

JKincaid · #4 10-13-2008, 08:07 PM

I love the extension Chris made for my bass (which also happens to be made by him).

Besides being an excellent craftsman, he's very flexible with every aspect of the extension. From the design to choice of wood. If you want capos, frets, or even little inlaid markers, he can do it. He also works very fast and is very easy to work with.

Mine has frets and is made from the same wood as the back of my bass. The capos are the same but also sandwich blood wood. It's pretty sweet and works very well.

As far as "big names" go, it' my very humble opinion that you'd be hard pressed to find anybody that's made as many extensions as Chris.

King Chris · #5 10-14-2008, 12:11 AM

I was almost set on Chris, then I heard from someone that his extensions aren't quite as durable as some made by others. I highly doubted this seeing as he has such a reputation, but I decided to look to the only community that could give me an honest answer. Michael Smith does do good work, though he is notorious for being difficult to work with. I have had some not so pleasent dealings with him, though I have to admit that he does phenominal work. I think I will just have to meet with him and see if his schedule even has time for it.
Also, I am worried that Chris's extensions might not be adjustable enough(another Drawback I've heard about his extenions). How is your extension as far as adjustability, That is if you have capos and what not?
I'm sorry if I'm pressing but I am trying to be comprehensive. Thanks again for the responses.
Chris-

JKincaid · #6 10-15-2008, 12:17 AM

Hmm, not quite sure what you mean by durable. Are they falling off or is it questionable materials being used?

I think I've read around here that some people don't think maple is a good material for an extension. I don't really know enough about wood hardness and density to comment on that but as I said before he'll use whatever you want be it all ebony, maple, etc. The maple one he made for my bass seems sturdy to me. =/

About 8 or 9 yrs. ago Chris removed and reset the extension on my other bass. It's worked flawlessly since then.

There's nothing you can adjust on the extension except tightening the stops and maybe the nut. My understanding is that Chris uses a mathmatical formula to find the placement of the capos. Mine are dead on. It seems to me that as long they're installed in the correct position and your string length stays the same, they should never go out of tune. I'm sure you could talk to him about adding adjustable capos if your concerned. He's always trying new things.

Obviously, there are lots of good luthiers out there and you should go with somebody you're comfortable with and who you trust. Good luck.

Brian K · #7 10-15-2008, 12:56 AM

The guys at George Heinl in Toronto build fantastic extensions. I sold the bass that Troy and Steve built an extension on, and the extension on my new bass has me contemplating replacing it with one of theirs. I got them to start using the popular brass capos which are great.

With the current disparity between the Canadian and US dollar, getting a Canadian made extension might be quite cost effective for you too.

King Chris · #8 10-15-2008, 11:38 PM

yeah, I guess that as far as durability goes, I really mean reliability or something along those lines. Something that is going to keep working and not cause unforseen problems in the near future.
I also understand that the capos get set right at the start but some basses shift around more then others. One of my section members has to do a bit of adjusting every few months to deal with buzzes and leather pads and other stuff. I guess it all comes down to the bass. I do like the canada idea, though I was trying to stay local to save money. I should look into the currency exchange and see if a trip up there is worth it, though I kind of doubt it.
In the end I think I am leaning local. I really like chris's work but it would be nice to have someone local to go to for upgrade/maintenence. thanks for the responses and ideas,
Chris-