CCI Medium - new kid on the block!

derrenleepoole · #1 07-31-2008, 02:21 AM

Don't know if this has been covered, but have found these new (to me at least) EUB makers: CCI Mediums

Seems interesting...

hdiddy · #2 07-31-2008, 12:56 PM

Hrmm... I like the construction. Looks like decent wood. The string afterlengths seem a little odd. It's prob safe to assume it will work with a tripod, but there are no pics of such. The layout is very similar to an NSD. I wish these makers would stop using EB machines are get some real DB tuners with a bigger pegbox. The bridge seems completely fixed, so there is no room for adjustment there. Speaking of which, I'm not even sure you can raise the string heights. Big minus there if that's true. Being able to change heights according to players preferance and string tensions is huge.

**Francois Blais** · #3 07-31-2008, 01:24 PM

(I copied the original post to the sticky EUB list thread, by the way)

Regards, and thanks!
François

squarewave · #4 08-04-2008, 10:40 AM

Its a good looking bass.

Unfortunately, I think it only has a magnetic pickup.

elHombreSuave · #5 08-18-2008, 09:51 AM

Jeremy Carter (CCI Mediums) built seven of these and I purchased number 3 the other week. I have no previous experience with an upright (BG only) so do not claim any true depth at rating it. However, I have to say that I absolutely love this EUB! The craftsmanship is exquisite and the sound is superb from my perspective. As mentioned above, it has Seymour Duncan passive magnetics and action is fixed. However, as it came, set-up and action were fine for me. The neck and the fingerboard are perfect, no dead spots or problems at all. I got an Upton French bow to do arco (also a first for me) and the radius is fine even for a neophyte like myself.
My mentor played it yesterday (he's been playing BG and guitar 35 yrs.) and absolutely was blown away by the craftmanship and, most importantly, the sound. I can't really compare it to a DB due to my lack of experience, but the sound is similar to a fretless BG (my main instrument) on steroids; some serious mwah and growl! So, for what it's worth, I am really happy with this instrument. Jeremy Carter is a luthier to watch!

sonofzorro1 · #6 09-15-2008, 03:34 AM

and we will see how it plays and sounds. I will definitely post pics and a review, although I am new to the upright world, so take me with a grain of salt! However, this is my reasoning for this admittedly pig-in-a-poke purchase.
I wanted an under $1000 upright for my son to use as a practice instrument; he has to learn upright for his high school jazz band. I want him to be able to practice fairly silently, so as not to disturb my wife (I don't care, as I am a bass player also). Here is why I did not get a Palatino or an Ergo.
Palatinos are Chinese. This is not a totally disuasive factor, I have a Chinese Dean Stylist F-Hole acoustic bass, it is an awesome bass, period. But, I prefer to buy American, home grown artists will get my bucks everytime, if I have that alternative.
Also, Palatino and even Ergo owners tend to buy new strings, a different set of pickups, maybe a pre-amp of some sort, a different bridge, better tuners, etc., etc., to the tune of $100 to $400.00....the CCI comes with D'Addario Helicore Hybrids from the get-go, Gotoh tuners, and the Seymour Duncan Basslines passive pickups. No preamp is needed for this style of pickup to be heard and heard well, no impedance issues as with piezo-electrics, Gotohs are reputable and I have had great experiences with them on my EBGs. Hopefully these factors will limit post-purchase additional costs.
Possible negatives:
This bass apparently has no real sound chamber, no piezo setup, so it may sound like a big-ass electric bass, with no hope of ever even approximating an organic, woody sound as is. This is also not totally disuasive...let's face it, if you want acoustic bass sound, buy the doghouse and get it over with. However, the Ergo is known for its woody sound, so it is not impossible to get that for under a thou.
The neck has no truss rod, and the bass is a single piece of maple, no laminations, so if it warps or has issues, game over, more or less. There are few owners to relate their impressions and experiences with this bass, hence the pig-in-a-poke aspect of the purchase.
A positive factor is that the build-quality is almost certainly a quantum leap better than that of the Pally.
Well, in a couple of weeks I will find out if I am all wet on this one, may end up getting an Ergo anyway...more to come.
P.S.--Jeremy responded to me immediately (this bodes well) regarding my height, as apparently this is a factor re: the included stand. Not adjustable? He can make a pine case for it, but it is $400.00, and he says he is working on a soft case that will be much less. I would wager that his pine box is a pretty beautiful piece of work, gived the looks of the bass, but I will wait for the soft case or find soething that can be adapted. If you guys have any ideas, would love to hear them. I will post dimensions when available.

elHombreSuave · #7 09-16-2008, 01:55 PM

Sonofzorro1, I look forward to your review! I'm still delighted with mine after over a month of playing.
As to a case, I e-mailed Jeremy and he recommended a snowboard case so I got a Burton 146 for $56 online from a discount luggage place in the NE.

benaddi · #8 09-16-2008, 03:39 PM

anyone have any pictures of it on the stand?

Rondosig · #9 10-15-2008, 07:16 PM

Sonofzorro1, Can you give us a report? I'm thinking about buying one of these for my son as well. Unfortunately, I'm not a bass player, so I'm working from a disadvantage.

sonofzorro1 · #10 12-19-2008, 12:52 AM

I recieved the CCIMEDIUMS bass in a very timely manner, and in good condition. I purchased the EUB through E-Bay, for $799.00 (much cheaper than a special order through the CCI website at that time...he has since lowered his price to $799.00 on his site).
I opened the box with considerable excitement. It was well-packed and it was undamaged.
The bass looks exactly as pictured, with a single piece maple neck/body (except for a small piece added on on each side where the pickups mount, forming small horns there, and a filler piece up front...see below) and Wenge fingerboard. I noticed a small finish flaw on the E-string side of the bass, running from the fingerboard about 1/4 inch from the end of the fingerboard and about 1 and 1/2 inch long. It does not detract from the overall beauty of the bass.
I have not disassembled the bass to view its interior construction, but it appears to have a routed out channel for wiring and electronics down the front of the body below where the pickups are mounted, filled with a piece of maple that is a reasonable match for the rest of the body. The wires from the dual passive Basslines pickups run through the body to the tone and volume pots and jack in the back of the bass.
The pickups are mounted to a rather attractive looking plate that I believe to be proprietary, as it positions the pups at the proper angles to follow the curvature that the nut and bridge impart to the strings. The pickups appear to have some adjustability as well. They are 4-pole units, each covering two strings.
The bass has a bone nut and bridge, with no adjustability built in at the bridge, the nut being mounted in a groove on a solid piece of Wenge. However, the intonation seems to be perfect, the string height makes for easy fingering, and there appear to be no tone issues associated with the design. The strings run through the body from the rear, with big chrome ferrules inset for the ends of the strings to nestle into, out the front of the body and over the bridge, up to heavy Gotoh tuners in the headstock. I found the tuners to be fairly easy to twist and the instrument was easy to bring into tune...in fact, it was pretty close to perfectly tuned out of the box.
As I recall, the strings are D'addario, and are quite responsive, though I quickly learned why upright players talk about getting blisters! Definitely a far cry from bass guitars, and my son and I (both upright novices) found that one can get hypnotized playing the thing, and the wear and tear on the plucking skin creeps up on you; this EUB is addictive!
One can hear the bass when playing without amplification, especially with energetic plucking; it is pretty resonant for a solid-body. However, it really comes alive when plugged in. The pickups have a nice, warm and boomy passive sound, and although it does not really sound like an acoustic upright, it is not sterile or artificial sounding at all, nor does it sound like a big fretless bass guitar. You will never mistake it for anything but a full-scale upright EUB, with a woody quality due to the materials and method of construction.
There is a curvature to the nut, bridge and fretboard that is correct for arco playing, and the setup appears to mimic that of acoustic uprights that I have seen. I hope to get a bow soon and learn arco technique, this is one reason I bought this bass.
It came with a stand, which appears to be a cymbal stand cut to match the height of the player, by Jeremy Carter, the luthier who started the company. It fits snugly into a hole drilled into the bottom of the body for that purpose. There is a small amount of adjustability (about three inches) for height. The bass tilts back slightly towards the rear leg of the tripod, at a pretty comfortable angle. It is a bit awkward to dance around the legs of the tripod while playing...they take some getting used to, and it takes some work to find a viable position to address the fingerboard, which I gather is an issue with other EUBs as well. As I get more used to playing it, I find I notice the tripod less.
I do notice that there is little sustain when fingering notes high on the fingerboard. I don't know if this is common on this type of instrument, I have found acoustic basses do not have this issue to this pronounced a degree.
Overall, I am very happy with the instrument. My son says that it is a good practice instrument for acoustic, the feel is very similar and technique transfers accurately from one to the other. It seems to be very well made, and is quite attractive as well. It has a small footprint in my living space, and requires no preamp to be used through a standard bass amp...I have a Genz-Benz Shuttle 6.0 and an Avatar 410 Neo cabinet, and it sounds great. If you don't expect the instrument to sound like an acoustic bass, I think you will like this EUB.

**Francois Blais** · #11 12-19-2008, 10:55 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sonofzorro1

I do notice that there is little sustain when fingering notes high on the fingerboard. I don't know if this is common on this type of instrument, I have found acoustic basses do not have this issue to this pronounced a degree.

Maybe the action is set too high.
What's the height between the strings and the fingerboard, at the end of the FB?

cybersnyder · #12 12-31-2008, 07:48 PM

I found this video on youtube if you haven't seen it yet...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KjKS3czmBD0

sonofzorro1 · #13 01-02-2009, 12:52 AM

Hi, Francois. It is about 5.5 mm from the surface of the fingerboard to the center of the low string, (or a little less than 4 mm to the closest part of the string to the fingerboard). I have tuned to E A D G as of now. It seems like the string vibation is actually damping out on the fretboard a bit, worsening as you get progressively farther above the first octave position. Perhaps the fingerboard should be subtly sculpted steeper away from the strings as one goes higher up the neck, so that the string can achieve sine wave shape without it being snuffed out by proximity to the fingerboard?

**Francois Blais** · #14 01-02-2009, 09:42 AM

Hi.
Those measurements have been done at the end of the fingerboard?
(that's the place to make them)
4mm between the E string and FB at the end of it is much too low.
It's usually twice as that. (and getting smaller toward the treble strings)
Furthermore, the fingerboard isn't supposed to be straight flat, lenghtwise.
It should have a scoop, to allow the strings to vibrate freely, as you wrote.

A good luthier is supposed to be able to setup the bridge and fingerboard correctly.

Robatboone · #15 01-11-2009, 01:48 PM

I just commented on my CCI Mediums UEB on another thread. This is the brand to watch. I've done some digging and found out that a couple of big-namers own these instruments-- Eric Corson has a bass, and Nick Zinner has a guitar. NOT TO MENTION THE BAD ASS GUITAR HE BUILT FOR THE OCC CHOPPERS. I got my UEB at a sweet price and considering the craftsmanship and quality of the sound, it's a steal. I don't find the stand to be awkward at all, and as an upright player of 10 years, I found this instrument easy to play. It sounds great and is not a substitute for an accoustic upright, but is more powerful and more dynamic.