Post Obscure Bass-related products!

[ElBajista]

The premise of this thread is simple. Try to find some sort of obscure, bass-related products, post a link or picture, and explain what you know about it.

I'll start with these:

Groove Tubes Fat Finger (picture): "The Fat Finger is a clamp made of bell brass that easily attaches to any bass headstock without modification. The extra mass on the headstock fills out your tone, adds sustain, and eliminates dead spots. The secret weapon of some of today's top players like Joe Satriani and Billy Sheehan." -taken from basspartsresource.com. Does this thing actually work? It seems pretty far-fetched, at least the "removing deadspots" bit.

Inbindi Bass: (Picture) (LINK): The Electric Inbindi Bass is an update of an ancient African instrument. Also known as an an-g'bindi or earth harp, it is the ancestor of many instruments around the world. In America it became the washtub bass. In the U.K. during the skiffle music craze many bands used the tea-chest bass, including John Lennon, Paul McCartney, Richard Starkey, Van Morrison and Pete Townshend's earliest bands. In modern African music it has re-appeared as the sanduku or babatoni bass. -found in Bass Player Magazine advertisements. What about this one? Anyone heard/played/made one? It looks really interesting.

Delano "Hybrid" MM-style pickup (Picture) (PDF download): Apparently this is supposed to be a Jazz/MM pickup in one. It's pretty funky looking, but theoretically interesting. Anyone have any experience with it?

I'll post any more I come across. If you happen to find something interesting, obscure, or just not widely advertised, feel free to add to the list!

[steve21]

Funk fingers.

[ElBajista]

Here's another one:

The "Neck Sock" (LINK) (Picture): The NECK SOCK's sleek patented design is made to protect and prolong the life of your strings, and keep dust & dirt out of hard to clean areas like your bridge & pick-ups, as well as many other benefits. Pretty funky looking thing. I'd just invest in a good hardcase or gigbag, rather than have that ridiculous looking thing on my bass.

[Bard2dbone]

That 'hybrid' pickup makes me think. A loooong time back on mimf.com, somebody was talking about making MM-style pickups with the enormous pole pieces on one coil and dual rails on the other coil.

I want to try one of those out, just to see how it works out.

I even start threads there or here every year or two to see if these things ever became a production item.

[vic_6]

i know someone who used the fat finger on his old bass and said great things about it. though i've read somewhere that all it does is move the dead notes up higher on the neck. never really got to try it though..

[Rico_2212]

Whatever happened to
1. Sciuto 8-string conversion breidge (turn your 4 string into an 8)
2. Novatone switch boards-fretless to fretted and back again w/out removing your strings!!!

[Frank Martin]

I've seen lots of Fat fingers and other headstock-attached resonant pieces of metal used in jazz - mostly by guitarists, but for example, Richard Bona also uses them.

As for Delano, I've heard they make very nice p-ups, but they are priced accordingly... Not exorbitant, but more expensive than the average good p-ups (like Barts, SD)

[tplyons]

Fat Fingers are fairly commonplace, but more importantly is the return of the Fathead. A plate for the back of the headstock that essentially achieves what the Fat Finger does. Licenced by Groove Tubes. Email chuck.franklin@mmwholesale.com