NAMM Oddities

Lee Barker · #1 02-04-2008, 09:37 AM

There is no other place to see, under one roof acres in size, the sorts of things you find at NAMM. There is a devotee of the unusual who has posted quality images of his choices for years.

In 2004 we were selected, under "instruments", because our product was unusual. We hope it's less unusual now, but not so usual that it wouldn't make his list.

It pleases us that once again we were honored by this site. This year it's our Showstopper Bass, RoadKill. See it here:

http://www.otheroom.com/namm/inst.html

and enjoy everything else. We're also under instruments in the 2004 archive, which is still accessible on the site.

Roadkill, while admired by many, came home with us and at this writing remains for sale as a one-of-a-kind Barker Brio.

Tom7 · #2 02-18-2008, 04:30 PM

Road kill bass! Classic!

JKT · #3 02-19-2008, 07:41 AM

I must make this pilgrimage...

JKT

MonetBass · #4 02-19-2008, 07:56 AM

THIS is cool! I'd play it.

Lee Barker · #5 02-19-2008, 09:02 AM

Road kill bass! Classic![/quote]

Thanks for the compliment, Tom. I have a marketing strategy here which I am about to reveal because everything about this company, including the cups at the water cooler, is transparent. I figure alternate years, silly and breathtakingly beautiful. Last year's NAMM Showstopper was an attempt at the latter, and it is currently spoken for. But if I'd done the same sort of thing this year, where would I be in 5 years? Never mind, don't answer that. Anyway, this all was inspired by a local wag who owns a furniture store and alternate weeks the readerboard is way prosaic: "All sofas on sale" or "visit our recliner department". Between those, however, he could really get humorous and fun, sometimes local. So the interstitial prose just creates anticipation, I figure. Are you asleep yet? It's dark in Alaska, but I thought I'd at least get you dozing.

Now back to work at thinking hard about next year's elegant Barker with stratospheric woodworking sublimely interwoven with the highly evolved....zzzzz.....zz.....z..

Tom7 · #6 02-25-2008, 11:46 PM

You know me, I'm like pointbass in that I'm always putting in a plug for a 6-string fretless Barker, however....

Recently, my new F-Bass AC6 (Alain Caron model) has me wondering what my Barker would sound like if it had piezos in addition to the magnetic pickups.

Wondering if anyone has retrofitted their Barkers, I did a search and the best I could come up with was your reference to trying piezos in his bass. The reference is a couple of years old though.

Anyone else with some experience with this?

Lee, what did you learn from yours?

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lee Barker

Thanks for the thoughts, impressions, and input. All is welcomed here, all is absorbed and, eventually, when a decision is to be made by somebody, it's usually me. (Notice how carefully I stepped around using the word "decider.") : )

I am currently in the process of installing another company's peizo bridge product in a Barker B1 testbed. I'll use that as my personal bass for a while before I post my reactions. I like the idea of the switchable/blendable stuff but don't want to get too deeply into knob farming.

On we go!

Lee Barker · #7 02-29-2008, 04:45 PM

Tom, it's not done. It's just not bubbled up to the rim of the priority vat. I will get to it, though, and report on it. I am curious, though I have a certain paranoia about a battery in a bass. It stems from one bad experience, and I need to put on my Chore Coat and Earflaps and Just Deal With It.

I actually designed in a dummy battery holder in this bass--part of the luxury of that big Barker body--so there would always be a fresh 9 volter on board.

Maybe it should be a Sears DieHard Motorcycle battery....

Kindly,

Lee

Tom7 · #8 02-29-2008, 06:08 PM

Do I understand correctly that you have designed a place for a SPARE battery, so you have one on hand when the active battery goes toe up? Wow.

I've had bad experiences as well with batteries and basses. It is worse too when there is no easy access battery compartment and you have to get a screw driver to make the change.

What is nice is if the bass can be switched to passive mode and played without any need for a battery if circumstances dictate.

Although my most recent bad experience was that my spare batteries, although in the packaging still, were bad. I was awfully confused about what was wrong at first, thinking my bass was dead. Fortunately I had 3 basses at that gig, including my Barker B1, so I had alternatives.

Lee Barker · #9 03-01-2008, 07:12 AM

Well, your experience was bad but mine was worse

Just kidding. I had a very nice short scale Guild AEB, pre Fender purchase, and to get the battery out you had to detune the strings and reach inside the cavity! Hands much bigger than mine would be useless in this endeavor. Very bad design, bad bad bad.

I think if I were knee deep in this whole idea I'd use one of those double boxes and make a switch so it wasn't necessary to change the batteries, just slide the switch. That still doesn't save us from your experience, but it might be a little more seamless than our previous experiences.

Next time I have the camera in the shop I'll shoot an image of the setup for this.

Until then, I guess like I tell my 90 year old mom, "Stay active!"

Tom7 · #10 03-01-2008, 05:26 PM

Oh, I didn't say that was my WORST battery experience, I just said it was my most RECENT. Not to stray too far off topic, but ...

My worst battery experience was probably when I was noticing that my bass was sounding fuzzy and I decided to change the battery first thing on the next break. When the set ended however, I was approached by a group of people who insisted on talking to me right then about hiring us for a gig. I couldn't find a way to make them wait without offending them, and I knew I wouldn't have enough time to visit with them, change my battery, and answer mother nature's call ...

So I signaled to an acquaintance nearby to come here. When he did, I handed him by bass, and asked him if he would change the battery for me. He looked terrified so I pointed to the compartment in the back, told him I had 9v batteries in my case and told him where it was, and assured him that we'd be able to figure everything out from there.

Then he, the bass, and the case vanished. Fortunately, he wasn't dishonest, just drunker than I realized and I got it back another night.

At any rate, I almost bought another F-Bass AC6 so I could have one with round wounds, and put Thomastic nylon tape wounds on another because it sounds so nice and "uprighty."

Then I realized, I want my upright to sound uprighty, and that's when I started to wonder how my Barker would sound with RMC piezos.

JKT · #11 03-03-2008, 09:08 AM

Just breezing through this thread. So far in my bass playing carreer, I have avoided active instruments for one reason or another. If I were to make the plunge I wouldn't consider one that couldn't function without the active circuit. Makes no sense to me otherwise. A dead battery in the middle of something isn't a huge deal, plus I have heard some basses, Carvins in particular, that sound great either way and thus become in a sense more flexible because of it. As to access, if I were to get a vote, not only a flip open compartment, but a drop in design also.

Sorry for horning in,

JKT