Curbow Petite 5 string FL (not Cort)

[amadeeus]

I just purchased a Curbow Petite 5 string FL.
It was sitting in a Tokyo bass shop and I simply couldn't resist on taking it back home. It's beautiful, great playability, awesome sound. Chances do emerge out of nowhere.
I never knew about Greg Curbow's basses up to this point though.
I've discovered that some of you on this forum own and adore the Curbows, and I hope some of you can fill me out with your rare knowledge of this rare instrument.
What I need to know in particular is about the controls. It has two Bartolini soap bars and I believe it is a pretty standard version.

Here are some photo's of the bass I got, from the shop's website. (I believe the photos are going to stay there for a while even though it's now sold out!)

Thanks!

[Roscoe East]

Wow, nice score! god I love Curbows.

[mark beem]

Sweet!! Congrats on the nice score!

[TolerancEJ]

Wow, it's a beauty! Great score!

[Kubicki440]

Nice one!

[mikezimmerman]

Fantastic! Curbows are some of the best fretlesses around, and that one is gorgeous!

[amadeeus]

Thanks, guys!
I'm really happy to become an owner of this beauty.
It's tone character matches my playing style very well,
and the sound quality is outstanding.

I wonder if this neck is a 'rockwood' or not?
I've read that rockwood is a laminated material and weighs a lot,
but I can't find any seams nor do I feel it's particularly heavy.
When you look at the headstock for instance,
would you see the seams in vertical or horizontal coordination relative to the top?

[kesslari]

Beautiful instrument - enjoy!

[mikezimmerman]

Originally Posted by amadeeus

I wonder if this neck is a 'rockwood' or not?
I've read that rockwood is a laminated material and weighs a lot,
but I can't find any seams nor do I feel it's particularly heavy.
When you look at the headstock for instance,
would you see the seams in vertical or horizontal coordination relative to the top?

Yes, that neck is Rockwood, which is a birch laminate that is impregnated with a phenolic resin under high pressure and temperature. The laminates are parallel to the fretboard, but due to the resin it's really single piece, so you're not going to feel any seams.

Mike

[amadeeus]

Originally Posted by mikezimmerman

Yes, that neck is Rockwood, which is a birch laminate that is impregnated with a phenolic resin under high pressure and temperature. The laminates are parallel to the fretboard, but due to the resin it's really single piece, so you're not going to feel any seams.

Mike

Wow, thanks Mike! I gave it a second look and I think I've discovered the mille feulle layers, much thinner than I had expected. This is truly special. I now feel really proud of myself!
I also found your post on the controls from another thread, many thanks for that one as well. AND I also discovered the Curbow Club at last, see you there!

[Ronen]

Beautiful Curbow! Great score!

I owned a Petite 5 fretless. Bought it new from Greg in 1995 (94' serial) and sold it 3 years ago because I wanted to try other stuff.
There's nothing like a Curbow neck and they become rare birds.
Mine was an older model with flat top (well, not curved...) and without the brass plate deep under the bridge. Yours has it.

[mikezimmerman]

Originally Posted by amadeeus

Wow, thanks Mike! I gave it a second look and I think I've discovered the mille feulle layers, much thinner than I had expected. This is truly special. I now feel really proud of myself!
I also found your post on the controls from another thread, many thanks for that one as well. AND I also discovered the Curbow Club at last, see you there!

No problem--I'm always happy to welcome another Curbow fan!

[DwaynieAD]

Originally Posted by Ronen

Beautiful Curbow! Great score!

I owned a Petite 5 fretless. Bought it new from Greg in 1995 (94' serial) and sold it 3 years ago because I wanted to try other stuff.
There's nothing like a Curbow neck and they become rare birds.
Mine was an older model with flat top (well, not curved...) and without the brass plate deep under the bridge. Yours has it.

quoting this so i can look at it some more.

[Puarija]

Wow I'm super jealous. Beautiful bass! I used to salivate over the Curbow Petite. Now it's hard to even find photos or info about them because every search you do brings up piles of links to Cort models. It's nice to see this thread!

R.I.P. Greg Curbow. My uncle from North Carolina knew Greg a little bit and never had an unkind word to say about him. Sometimes you hear about a builder being a bit of a jerk or whatever.

Jacob

[amadeeus]

Thanks again to everyone who has dropped a post on this thread.
I am delighted to have this opportunity to share and celebrate everyone's love to Curbows.
I play music to share the joy and sorrow, to share both unity and solitude with the audience.
And the bass did all this before even playing a note: this is awesome.

Shin
with best wishes from Tokyo

[spade2you]

I have played a few of Mike's Curbows. They've always been very impressive, especially in the low B department.

[amadeeus]

Originally Posted by spade2you

They've always been very impressive, especially in the low B department.

I totally aree. I think mine can be eventually a little optimised though.
Any reccomended strings?