Shen Hybrid and A Kay

jayarroz · #1 06-15-2008, 02:42 PM

So I have a 54 Blonde Kay which sounds amazingly loud and punchy. But I wanted something that had a carved sound to it so after trying Mark Carlsen's Shen Hybrid I loved the sound and bought one. It's only six months old and it has all treble, no punch or growl, little harmonic sound. Has anybody else gone through this and then it sounded great after some time? I'm so frustrated I'm trying to sell both basses so i can just get a carved bass! My Kay just sounds so good!

kscbass · #2 06-15-2008, 03:54 PM

I have an M-1-B 1953 blonde Kay with violin corners, and it's the punchiest bass I've ever played, it is solid as a rock, rain or heat, no problem. Now, I have a fully carved korean bass that is probably 3 years old and although it is not as punchy as my Kay it certainly has a more sophisticated sound. You can hear more growl and wood from the korean bass, but the appeal of the Kay is it's punch and volume, that's all it will give you (besides it's reliability). That midrange and highs of your Shen will help you cut through (pitches should be more clear, specially from a distance), and with time and many hours of play your Shen will only get better. Enjoy your basses.

jayarroz · #3 06-15-2008, 04:20 PM

......hmmmm maybe your right! I guess patience might be good.Which bass do you end up playing more? The carved or the Kay

ctxbass · #4 06-15-2008, 09:47 PM

Is it possible that the soundpost in the Shen bass is in the wrong place?

Jake deVilliers · #5 06-15-2008, 09:53 PM

Jay, you should have your Shen looked at by a bass repairman. There's probably some fairly simple setup items that could be addressed to relieve its shortcomings, the soundpost being one of them.

It may be a little conservatively set and it may be way too tight as well.

You can also try the Tritone Technique that I learned on these pages. Bow a low E/Bb hard for a couple of minutes, mixing in the A/Eb and D/Ab for kicks. It can really wake up a bass.

jayarroz · #6 06-15-2008, 10:57 PM

yah your right that bowing is great, sounds like an intro to a movie! Ok so I moved the sound post down and out about an inch, so it sit's a 1.5 inch's below the bridge, the bridge i moved forward 1/4 inch - and I switched to an older pair of Spiro's so it got rid of the treble and it's not a huge difference but it sounds more resonant now. The adjusters on the bridge are all the way down on both sides leaving me with about 6 mm on the G and about 11 mm on the E to the fret board but it still feels very tight on the strings. I guess thats the best i can do, so off to the luthier I will have to go. And it sound like maybe I should just keep the two basses!! Such a quest for better sound all the time, what a tough addiction!

dave88 · #7 06-15-2008, 11:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jake deVilliers

You can also try the Tritone Technique that I learned on these pages. Bow a low E/Bb hard for a couple of minutes, mixing in the A/Eb and D/Ab for kicks. It can really wake up a bass.

??? Really. I see how this could work in theory...but its hard for me to believe. I've got a new fully carved, can't wait till late morning to try this out. I think my neighbors would kill me if I bowed tritones now.

John Sprague · #8 06-16-2008, 07:46 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jayarroz

it has all treble, no punch or growl, little harmonic sound.

Hi Jay,
To be honest, this doesn't describe our hybrids at all. I would say get ye to Mark's place for some adjustments. Something has changed to make it go from "loved the sound" to "all treble". And Mark's just the guy to straighten it out.

Keep me posted, please.

John

jayarroz · #9 06-16-2008, 03:07 PM

Yes I called Mark today and I have to bring it up to him!

jayarroz · #10 06-17-2008, 03:09 PM

Went to the set up shop Mark Carlsen in Tewksbury, he brought my bass back to life. Scolded me first for my attempts at being a luthier

re-fitted the sound post and re did the bridge. It has growl, and sounds good, just needs time to settle in to the new set up. The Kay still has more thump but the Shen is giving a more pronounced sound with a larger dynamic to it. From a distance you hear the thump of the Kay but the Shen you hear the notes better. He had it all done in under an hour and sent me on my merry way. Some one send him some Celtics tickets!!!

FizzEd · #11 06-20-2008, 09:52 AM

Mark is the Man!

christ andronis · #12 06-20-2008, 11:36 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dave88

??? Really. I see how this could work in theory...but its hard for me to believe. I've got a new fully carved, can't wait till late morning to try this out. I think my neighbors would kill me if I bowed tritones now.

It's true. Although I've not tried the tri-tone technique Jake was talking about, I've got a carved Christopher that I just would bow the open strings on. It was amazing what about two or three weeks of that did to the sound. The wood just loves to be resonated (vibrated?). To my ears it made a big difference.

Congrats to the Celtics....KG is my BOYY!! (I picked them after the big trade!)