Considering the C extension...now comes the questions on brands and installation

[Basschair]

Okay, I'm thinking long-term alterations here. Other than a new bridge to replace the leaning tower of piza that used to be on there, my Wilfer has all the same hardware that it had when I bought it new 8 years ago. After much debate within myself, I've come to the conclusion that I'm interested in adding a C extension...I still haven't decided as to whether or not I'd like to try a fingered extension or to go with a chromatic one, but that's down the road.

I've got some practical questions on this:

First, the brands...it looks like Lemur carries the Stenholm extension, and though I've never tried one out, it looks like it has release levers rather than requiring the bassist to reach back to the actual stops to move them. It also looks like these levers stick out over the first position of the E string. Wouldn't they possibly get in the way? What are other brand (or custom) options? BTW: I'm not interested in cutting away a big chunk of the scroll, so the Stenholm is out (unless they've changed their design).

Second, has anyone had an extension installed in the northern California area? The first name of a possible luthier that comes to mind is Alex Friedman, though I don't know if he's done one of these before.

At any rate, I'm in no hurry so I'll be searching the net for info as well. If you can give some advice, I'd appreciate it: thanks!

[JimGullen]

Originally Posted by Basschair

I've got some practical questions on this:

<snip>It also looks like these levers stick out over the first position of the E string. Wouldn't they possibly get in the way?

Hi Paul!

My bass has an old Stenholm extension on it (came with the bass when I got it). The C#/Db key (the one farthest from the nut) does not interfere with my fingering of F on the E string. The keys don't extend down the fingerboard to the 1/2 position. The E key (latch) is closest to the nut, when it's latched, it's closer to the strings than the other three. There is actually enough room for me to get my fingers between those three keys and and the fingerboard...not that I've ever needed to. Ihope I'm making sense!

The extension has been on for a long time and was installed back when cutting the scroll was de rigeur. It's a bit painful to look at, but I think the scroll might be growing back around it! (Think tree around foreign object) :-)

My *guess* would be that they trim the extension around the scroll these days, but I don't know for certain.

Hope this helps a little and best regards!

Jim

[Basschair]

Thanks Jim: much appreciated! I'm not sure if Stenholm has changed their design...it's hard to tell based on Lemur's pic. Guess I'll call in about 20 minutes and catch them first thing

Originally Posted by JimGullen

Hi Paul!

My bass has an old Stenholm extension on it (came with the bass when I got it). The C#/Db key (the one farthest from the nut) does not interfere with my fingering of F on the E string. The keys don't extend down the fingerboard to the 1/2 position. The E key (latch) is closest to the nut, when it's latched, it's closer to the strings than the other three. There is actually enough room for me to get my fingers between those three keys and and the fingerboard...not that I've ever needed to. Ihope I'm making sense!

The extension has been on for a long time and was installed back when cutting the scroll was de rigeur. It's a bit painful to look at, but I think the scroll might be growing back around it! (Think tree around foreign object) :-)

My *guess* would be that they trim the extension around the scroll these days, but I don't know for certain.

Hope this helps a little and best regards!

Jim

[CPike]

I have one from KC Strings, it's the gated B extension. I love it, and it was WAY cheap compared to the other chromatic ext's out there. You can order the mechanism from them for around $500, and either put it on yourself or have a luthier install it. They have instructions on the website. I put mine on myself. It may not be as elegant as a hand made wooden ext, but it is very "tweakable" in that you can adjust each capo for intonation and tension - a must for a gearhead like me!

Chris

[Basschair]

Originally Posted by CPike

I have one from KC Strings, it's the gated B extension. I love it, and it was WAY cheap compared to the other chromatic ext's out there. You can order the mechanism from them for around $500, and either put it on yourself or have a luthier install it. They have instructions on the website. I put mine on myself. It may not be as elegant as a hand made wooden ext, but it is very "tweakable" in that you can adjust each capo for intonation and tension - a must for a gearhead like me!

Chris

Interesting: a couple questions...

How far does it actually extend above the end of the scroll? My current bag is fairly snug, so I'd probably have to consider another bag.

Also, how stable are the gates? If I go with one like that, I want to make sure that I can rely on them (especially the E gate) so that I can set it and forget it, so-to-speak.

[.matthew e wengerd.]

I tweak my KCStrings extension every couple of months. A good installation and the quality won't ever be an issue. Weight might be, though.

[Basschair]

Originally Posted by .matthew e wengerd.

Weight might be, though.

That's what I heard: my bass is already weighty in general, so I'll have to give it some thought.

What kind of tweaking are you needing to do? Mainly just tightening, or actual position adjustment?

[CPike]

Originally Posted by Basschair

Interesting: a couple questions...

How far does it actually extend above the end of the scroll? My current bag is fairly snug, so I'd probably have to consider another bag.

Also, how stable are the gates? If I go with one like that, I want to make sure that I can rely on them (especially the E gate) so that I can set it and forget it, so-to-speak.

The B ext sticks up quite a bit - at least 3 inches above the scroll, so I had to get a new bag. But even with the expense of a new bag it was still cheaper than others. The C ext wouldn't stick up as much, but because of the design of the KC strings ext it would extend a bit more than a normal wooden extension.

The capos are stable, once they have been adjusted properly. My bass changes a lot with the weather, so I occasionally tweak the intonation. None of the capos have ever come loose for me - totally reliable.

Chris

[Basschair]

Cool...one other thing: I've been reading up on the old debate on these specific extensions, and am wondering about your personal experience with it: how did the extra weight added to the top of the neck change the sound of your bass, if any?

Originally Posted by CPike

The B ext sticks up quite a bit - at least 3 inches above the scroll, so I had to get a new bag. But even with the expense of a new bag it was still cheaper than others. The C ext wouldn't stick up as much, but because of the design of the KC strings ext it would extend a bit more than a normal wooden extension.

The capos are stable, once they have been adjusted properly. My bass changes a lot with the weather, so I occasionally tweak the intonation. None of the capos have ever come loose for me - totally reliable.

Chris

[CPike]

Yeah, the effect on the sound isn't something that you can predict. I've read horror stories of extensions having disastrous results on the tone, and others say that it improved it. I was fortunate, my bass responded well to the additional weight. It made the sound darker and beefier, with more sustain.

Chris

[robobass]

Seems like lots of concurrent threads going on here. Also, pretty much all the current questions have been thoroughly discussed in recent threads going back over the last few months. I recommend searching them.
Robobass

[Basschair]

Originally Posted by robobass

Seems like lots of concurrent threads going on here. Also, pretty much all the current questions have been thoroughly discussed in recent threads going back over the last few months. I recommend searching them.
Robobass

Absolutely true: I find myself saying the same thing in the Luthier's Corner in BG all the time . However, the most valuable threads to me were very old, contained some level of argument/conflict, and had little or no resolution on the topic. In other words, they left me hanging a bit, and I thought it safer not to revive them by bumping.

Although I'm open to all the options (fingered, gated, and mechanical), I was mainly asking about the Stenholm (as an example) in order to decide whether or not to rule out the mechanical extensions altogether. As for the question regarding luthiers in N. Calif., I already know a few, but am interested in the consumer's side of the equation: has anyone had one done, what were the results, were you happy then, are you still happy, that kind of thing.

At any rate, there's definitely the possibility that I have not tried the right combo of search terms, and so will keep running the search function...wish me luck

[robobass]

I don't know if Santa Cruz is considered northern CA, but Matt Bohn
http://www.thebassdoc.com/ recently made a nice gated extension. He seems like a good and concientious guy.
Hope this helps.
Robobass

[Basschair]

Originally Posted by robobass

I don't know if Santa Cruz is considered northern CA, but Matt Bohn
http://www.thebassdoc.com/ recently made a nice gated extension. He seems like a good and concientious guy.
Hope this helps.
Robobass

Excellent! I totally forgot about his shop, and I wanted to talk to him about his rehairing techniques: thanks for the reminder!

[Andy Allen]

Originally Posted by robobass

I don't know if Santa Cruz is considered northern CA, but Matt Bohn
http://www.thebassdoc.com/ recently made a nice gated extension. He seems like a good and concientious guy.
Hope this helps.
Robobass

Mmmm...I like the look of that - it looks much more organically part of the bass than most extensions. And it doesn't extend too far over the end of the scroll, either.

Do you know how much this costs? I might email Matt myself but although an extension is in the plan for my bass in the future, it may well be a while - the penny jar is still a bit short (and a Labourie endpin is next).

Andy

[Adrian Cho]

Originally Posted by Andy Allen

And it doesn't extend too far over the end of the scroll, either.

Whether the extension extends past the end of the scroll totally depends on the bass (string length and scroll length).

Adrian

[Adrian Cho]

Originally Posted by robobass

I don't know if Santa Cruz is considered northern CA, but Matt Bohn
http://www.thebassdoc.com/ recently made a nice gated extension. He seems like a good and concientious guy.
Hope this helps.
Robobass

Interesting that someone has actually made an extension according to Bill's instructions in the Traeger book. As I've always said, Bill Merchant's extension design is one of the best and of course your capos are great Rob! That said, I have one of Arnold's extensions on my current bass and am extremely happy with it. I have however always loved Bill's use of the Maple for the extension body.