Birdsong Club Pt 2 - Page 28

acleex38 · #**541** 11-29-2012, 08:03 PM

Scott ran long scale Chromes through the body on my fretless after I'd been doing it successfully on my Fusion for a while and I still tend run it that way (with an 18 month break for rounds on it). I've had one breakage (I was pounding the hell out of the strings, banging on them for noise when it broke) and it was ABSOLUTELY as a result of the angular bend over the saddle. That said, I keep doing it. I just like the feel on it a little better.

KCWilly · #**542** 11-29-2012, 08:13 PM

I think I'll give it a try thru body. I wonder how much it really effects the tone tho.

I never imagined as much sustain from a short scale ever. I set my GB Shuttle 9.0 flat all the way across, into a Fearful 15/6, and I think an open A rang for a minute solid.

I guess I'll buy 2 sets in case one goes during a set.

thanks for the advice everyone.

banditcosmo · #**543** 11-30-2012, 07:18 AM

Never had an issue with running though the body and Scott sent me my fretless Fusion that way.

I think to put tapes on it you may have to file the nut opening a bit to fit the string in at least with Labella strings. I thought about putting some Labella tapes on my that were from a RA Mouse but they are very thick strings.

I have flats on my Cbass and I'm thinking of putting rounds on it. Not digging the sound of flats on the Cbass. To polite sounding. Anybody else with a Cbass use flats ?

KCWilly · #**544** 12-01-2012, 09:29 PM

Any idea how long it takes for the Mangan rounds to break in?

I think I could almost get to like them if they could stop clanking around.

greggster59 · #**545** 12-01-2012, 11:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by KCWilly

Any idea how long it takes for the Mangan rounds to break in?

I think I could almost get to like them if they could stop clanking around.

They take a few days to a week for me. Then last a few months before they start to die.
I've been alternating them with Petillo bass strings which feel and sound broken in almost right away. They last about as long as Mangans. The downside is they are $40/set and when they die its almost without warning.

I'm going with GHS Precision Flats next based on a fellow Birdsong owners recommendation. Might string them through the body.

etoncrow · #**546** 12-02-2012, 07:13 AM

I have run Chromes through-body on my fretless Mesquito and my fretless Cortobass with no ill effects whatsoever. I have also have Chromes on my HY5 with the double through-body B with no problems.

Basstovsky · #**547** 12-02-2012, 10:48 AM

I ran GHS Precision flats through-body on a pretty thick-bodied bass before with no problems, but it really depends on how close the bridge saddles are to the string-through holes and how sharp an angle the strings have to bend

etoncrow · #**548** 12-04-2012, 01:36 PM

Just ordered a new unlined, fretless HY5, mahogany/black hardware/vari-tone/Chromes. I am pumped!

Aegagropila · #**549** 12-17-2012, 01:54 AM

Hello Birdsong people!

I found a Cortbass on a Japanese auction site and was wondering if anyone could fill me in on a few points.

The seller's description says he bought this bass in 2008 as the first owner. It says that the "clover" type pegs and "normal" nut (non-zero-fret) that you see in these pictures were standard at that time. I've browsed through this and the previous Birdsong thread but I don't see any pictures with clover pegs, and almost all basses seem to be zero-fretted. Were they really "standard"?

Another point. The bridge pickup is a "Select, designed by EMG" thing. I don't know what kind of pickup the current Cortbasses have on them, but at least it doesn't look like it's this EMG thing, and so far I can't find any pictures of Cortbasses that seem to have the same pickup with this one. Any info on this?

Thank you

(Apologies for any grammatical mistakes)

(The battery box in the picture was a special order. The seller thought he would need a preamp (which he found unnecessary when he actually played it) and had a battery box routed for it when he ordered this bass, JFYI)

rfclef · #**550** 12-17-2012, 09:01 AM

You could email.or call Scott at birdsong... he could give you the scoop for sure...

Immigrant · #**551** 12-17-2012, 09:06 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rfclef

You could email.or call Scott at birdsong... he could give you the scoop for sure...

Yep. Call Scott. He claims on the website that he welcomes all calls anytime and if there's a perfect source for answers, it's him.

rfclef · #**552** 12-17-2012, 09:15 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Immigrant

Yep. Call Scott. He claims on the website that he welcomes all calls anytime and if there's a perfect source for answers, it's him.

Plus, he's a heckuva nice guy and would probably be interested to hear he's got a bass for sale in Japan...

Aegagropila · #**553** 12-17-2012, 09:30 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rfclef

You could email.or call Scott at birdsong... he could give you the scoop for sure...

Quote:

Originally Posted by Immigrant

Yep. Call Scott. He claims on the website that he welcomes all calls anytime and if there's a perfect source for answers, it's him.

I wasn't sure if I should be bothering him for things like this, but maybe I'll try and send him an email. Thank you guys

vroc38 · #**554** 12-17-2012, 09:45 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Aegagropila

I wasn't sure if I should be bothering him for things like this, but maybe I'll try and send him an email. Thank you guys

In my experience, he would actually prefer a phone call. He has always been more than happy to talk with me about his basses.

etoncrow · #**555** 12-17-2012, 09:53 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Aegagropila

I wasn't sure if I should be bothering him for things like this, but maybe I'll try and send him an email. Thank you guys

I talked with him last week and he told me he prefers to talk on the phone rather than to communicate via email.

edit: here is his cell number - (512) 395-5126 He prefers afternoon central time

Aegagropila · #**556** 12-17-2012, 10:00 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by vroc38

In my experience, he would actually prefer a phone call. He has always been more than happy to talk with me about his basses.

Quote:

Originally Posted by etoncrow

I talked with him last week and he told me he prefers to talk on the phone rather than to communicate via email.

edit: here is his cell number - (512) 395-5126 He prefers afternoon central time

Oh... The problem is that I can't speak Engrish vely well

Time zone problems too. But thank you very much for the advice

cybersnyder · #**557** 12-17-2012, 10:10 AM

Aegagropila:
I remember a period of time when the zero fret wasn't standard, so I wouldn't worry about that. Cloverleafs may not have been standard, but they were built and shipped from the factory that way. I think I like them better than the smaller tuners. The EMG select is the standard pickup for the Cortobass, but I haven't seen any with the white print on the pickups. The only thing that seems odd is the battery box. Scott is very pro passive basses and that's a very different battery box, it's ESP which is obviously a Japanese brand. It's very possible that it was added after it shipped from Birdsong. I kinda like the battery box, it looks like an ashtray from an old 70's car.

PS - Your grammar is fine. I wouldn't have known you're not a native speaker had you not mentioned it. Maybe you can help me ask the people at Effectornics Engneering if they're ever going to make another Lustre Compressor. It's my Holy Grail and Google translate gives me jibberish. ;-)

etoncrow · #**558** 12-17-2012, 10:57 AM

I agree, the zero fret is on my Mesquito fretless; I also agree that Scott is pro-passive and even states on his website that he won't do active electronics. But, it is a hard call on his early products.

JayDA · #**559** 12-17-2012, 04:15 PM

I would agree with the others...call him, I just talked to him last week. I'm sure he would be happy to hear how his instruments are "getting around" in the world.

All of the below referenced info is here:
http://www.birdsongguitars.com/info.htm
or here:
http://www.birdsongguitars.com/owner.htm

I've seen cloverleaf tuners on C-basses before, it's possible they're original, but I don't think I've ever seen them on a Cortobass.

The battery box is definitely aftermarket, I'm betting you someone jacked around with the electronics trying to add a preamp or something.

The EMG select pickup WAS at one time standard on the Corto. This is from Scott's website...

"A few pickups have been used: The neck pickup on most basses has been a Lace "gold sensor"; the CortoFusions have a specially chosen humbucker used, mounted and wired so completely differently than it was designed for that brand & model names are irrelevant. Contact us for details. The current Hy5s have Kent Armstrong soapbars and we love them. As for bridge pickups:
The EMG Select SEHB humbucker, a humble but fantastic sounding pickup by a company that wouldn't give us the time of day... (pre-2006)
The custom-designed Birdsong "Punchbucker", a further refinement of that tone. The company that made them for us decided our orders were too small to bother with and stopped the supply. And you thought this was easy? This is why most companies just build P-basses and be done with it. Sigh. (2006)
The high-output Lace we put in some single pickup basses needing a growly aggressive thing since it doesn't play well with others...
and a milder Lace with a great tone we've used as standard equipment since early 2007."

Also from Scott's website regarding the zero fret:

"The zero fret is a fret directly in front of the nut, you won't even know it's there when playing. To my ears it makes the open notes consistent with the fretted notes. It also supports the downpressure of the string, taking this task away from the nut. And it gives very low action at the nut. It's not found on many American instruments because (ahem) Leo Fender didn't put it on, but it goes back generations in European stringed instrument luthierie. I like it, it's a premium feature I can put in there for you so on it goes. Some inventory builds & one-offs don't have one, but most Birdsong basses have it."

jmceachern36 · #**560** 12-17-2012, 04:19 PM

Those clover tuners are on 2 of my basses. A feather bass and a fusion