Adler sets new record!

[john turner]

Originally posted by Mark Latimour
Whilst I don't know why anyone would be "threatened" by a multistringed instrument, I think there does come a point where "functional" gives way to ridiculous.

why ridiculous? why not just "unnecessary for one's own situation"?

Remember when you were young and you'd think of all these cool inventions like jet powered cars? Sure, they "could" have an application, but that doesn't mean that the general population has to agree or not point and stare.

You may think walking around in a full body bear suit is a perfectly appropriate and contextual way of keeping warm in the winter - does that mean people won't point and laugh?

that's just prejudicial. don't confuse your subjective opinion re:extended range instruments with an objective fact like "walking around in a bear suit is funny/ridiculous".

I guess my point is that there are some "inventions" or "extentions of accepted thinking" that cross that threshold of being a natural evolution of ideas and start to get into the realm of showmanship / ridiculousness. Do they have a legitimate function? Maybe, but being able to point to a legitimate use doesnt make an idea any less amusing - look at wishnevsky basses.

wishnevsky basses are criticised/lampooned because of their flaws which impede their ability to function properly. this bass has no such flaws.

I think saying that it is immature or close minded to laugh at something which is, on its face, quite an exception to normal thinking is denying people the right to be amused by something which is very amusing.

again, you are allowing yourself to confuse your own subjective prejudices against extended range instruments with the objective fact that they are somehow "amusing". that's like laughing at someone else's cultural heritage. do you really want to defend that kind of activity?

Does an 11 string bass have a genuine place in society? Maybe - Do I think it is one of the most hillariously unecessary basses built for the purposes of saying it was built? Absolutely.

YMMV

that's pretty presumptuous of you to think that that's the reason it was built. as for it being "hillariously unnecessary", you're just applying your own subjective morays prejudicially across the board. no offense intended, but you don't have that right, and neither does anyone else.

basically, what i'm saying is that if you think it is hilarious, then consider first who you are insulting or alienating before you make the comment. there are members here who find extended range instruments intriguing and inspiring, and if their instrument choice does not agree with yours, do not offend them when you make it known.

 

[john turner]

Originally posted by Ninestring
It's really hard to tell by a photo how a bass sounds and plays. The neck is very thin (flat) so it's easier than it looks.It's a new instrument , so it does take some time to adjust to 11strings . A couples of bassists picked it up and were flying on it. Of course it's not for everybody ,just as a fretless isn't for everybody.

Due to the noise restrictions at the show ,it was only cranked up through a GK head and a Basson 8x10 cab ( with the 200 oz magnets) during the last 5 minutes of the show. I think you would be impressed at how audible the low C# is. Playing that string at the 12th fret was very impressive.
I spent about 4- 8 hours a day over the last 9-10 days trying to get somewhat used to it . By the last day of NAMM ,It really was quite comfortable.

It weighs about 15 pounds. It may not be your thing ,but Adler builds some incredible basses. He had a fretless 4 string there , low C#-E that was over the top. The 5 and 6 string basses were pretty incredible .The 11 string has some very cool electronics . The pick ups and passive EQ are Villex . It has three truss rods.

There are lots of possibilities if you compose ,arrange ,like to play two handed styles or you can just play bass , very low bass at that. The 11 string records nicely. Either you take to it ,or you don't. You will hear sound you haven't heard before out of this bass/guitar.

Oh, you can reach the low notes with your left hand- the low C# string made the conga
players eyes turn red (humor).

To put it in perspective , remember what your thoughts were the first time you saw a 6 or 7 string bass. If you have any doubts about Jauqo's low C# string , put them on hold until you can experience the string in person, Don't be surprised if you start seeing some other companies making 11 's soon.

cool, you gigged with it. what did you think?

 

[nick g.]

This is one of those topics that should be banned - there is ALWAYS going to be a group of people bickering over completely nonsensical issues and incredibly vague metaphysical ideas. I can see that almost every one that has participated in this 'discussion' thus far is barely containing their anger.

It (the argument) is absolutely POINTLESS. It's an immature pissing match. There's no right or wrong, and if someone voices their OPINION in a tactless manner, then point that out without arguing against that opinion.

I know it's great to have a friendly, good-natured discussion, but this is just of those things that will always go awry in the end and stir up bad blood.

I'd have to say I'm not creative enough to be able to use 11 individual strings purposefully, but, to those who can, more power to you. Have a blast.

 

[john turner]

Originally posted by Mark Latimour
Two points:

1. Pretentious means intended to attract, notice and impress others. What things would you call pretentious? Personally, I think my 6 is pretentious

well, it's a fine point that i'm making here, but pretentious means claiming or demanding a position of distinction or merit, especially when unjustified (see dictionary.com ). neither the instrument itself nor the builder make any claims or demands of distinction or merit. it is what it is. if someone finds a use for it, makes music with it and entertains, then it is fulfilling it's purpose. if not, then it can exist as a work of art, to entertain by it's very existence, perhaps inspire as well.

what purpose does the negativity serve anyway, except to divide?

 

[JAUQO III-X]

Hey Prog the 10 Bass that Reggie plays was made by Jesse Blue the same guy that made my first 15 string and he's working on my new one.


The 11 string is a very interesting instrument,a little to much for me but I greatly respect it.I saw two guys play it(The Infamous Garry Goodman and Jimbo)and each one put a different take on it conceptionaly.watching and listening was very nice it made one see that in the right hands that it is a very viable instrument.I give Mike Adler the highest respect and will continue to support his open mindedness.

 

[john turner]

Originally posted by Brad Johnson
Just as you'll have someone proudly proclaiming "I built the first 12!", someone else will ask "Why?".

a fine point here, but mike adler did not proclaim to build the first 11 string here, nor anywhere else. others did the proclaiming for him.

 

[mark beem]

Originally posted by Random Basser
This is one of those topics that should be banned - there is ALWAYS going to be a group of people bickering over completely nonsensical issues and incredibly vague metaphysical ideas. I can see that almost every one that has participated in this 'discussion' thus far is barely containing their anger.

It (the argument) is absolutely POINTLESS. It's an immature pissing match. There's no right or wrong, and if someone voices their OPINION in a tactless manner, then point that out without arguing against that opinion.

I know it's great to have a friendly, good-natured discussion, but this is just of those things that will always go awry in the end and stir up bad blood.

I'd have to say I'm not creative enough to be able to use 11 individual strings purposefully, but, to those who can, more power to you. Have a blast.

HEY!! YOU WANT SUM-A DIS TOO?!?!

[Invalid or Expired Link Removed]

 

[john turner]

Originally posted by Mark Latimour
Noone seems to have problem with flame / insult posts about Mr Wishnevsky's basses.

Sorry - had to play Devil's advocate there.

the flame/insult was based on actual playing experience with regards to their ability to fulfill their primary function as basses.

 

[Marlat]

Originally posted by john turner
why ridiculous? why not just "unnecessary for one's own situation"?

Ridiculous: Deserving or inspiring ridicule; absurd, preposterous, or silly.

Well, I don't know about you, but when I first saw it I would say that the 11 string bass "inspired riducule"

I was talking about the function of the bass - ie its functional worth vs the impracticallities it presents.



that's just prejudicial. don't confuse your subjective opinion re:extended range instruments with an objective fact like "walking around in a bear suit is funny/ridiculous".

Umm, they are both subjective. I don't think *i* am confused.



wishnevsky basses are criticised/lampooned because of their flaws which impede their ability to function properly. this bass has no such flaws.


Read the thread I just linked to. The majority of the posts had nothing to do with function. They were pure critique on looks.



again, you are allowing yourself to confuse your own subjective prejudices against extended range instruments with the objective fact that they are somehow "amusing". that's like laughing at someone else's cultural heritage. do you really want to defend that kind of activity?


Thats a big leap - saying that, in my opinion bass x is ammusing, to - laughing at cultural heritage. Again, if people find something amusing, do they not have a right to be amused by it?



that's pretty presumptuous of you to think that that's the reason it was built. as for it being "hillariously unnecessary", you're just applying your own subjective morays prejudicially across the board. no offense intended, but you don't have that right, and neither does anyone else.


Thats right, it is presumptious of me - hence I started that sentence with "Do I think" - clearly it was my opinion. Are you saying I don't have a right to my opinion?


basically, what i'm saying is that if you think it is hilarious, then consider first who you are insulting or alienating before you make the comment. there are members here who find extended range instruments intriguing and inspiring, and if their instrument choice does not agree with yours, do not offend them when you make it known.

Again, a little different to say "cultural heritage". However, we are talking about subjective opinions based on the design of a particular instrument. One that, its designer and its owner must clearly know is going to get a reaction. Its like, for example, posting a picture of your new Wish bass and saying - what do you think - and then getting offended if someone comments negatively. The fact is, some products are not vanilla and are not always going to get vanilla responses from the public. Sometimes you have to take the good with the bad. IMO

 

[Marlat]

Originally posted by john turner
the flame/insult was based on actual playing experience with regards to their ability to fulfill their primary function as basses.

JT, read the posts in the link and come back and tell me whether that is the case.

 

[mark beem]

Originally posted by JAUQO III-X
Hey Prog the 10 Bass that Reggie plays was made by Jesse Blue the same guy that made my first 15 string and he's working on my new one.

Thanks, Jauqo.

 

[john turner]

Originally posted by Mark Latimour
JT, read the posts in the link and come back and tell me whether that is the case.

oh, i thought you were speaking about my posts on the topic.

 

[Moo]

The following is my highly biased opinion

If Spinal Tap was re shot today Derek Smalls would play an 11 string. He played a double neck on Big Bottom for a reason, it was funny.

Also as to what is funny, take any object and exaggerate a single feature and it becomes a comedy prop. A giant toothbrush, pants with 40 pockets etc... So from a comedy point of view an 11 string is funny no matter how musical it may be. Rick Neilsons 5 neck guitar is funny, whether he can use it musically is a different thing altogether. If Victor Wooten, had a bass made that was fuzzy and looked like a bunny rabbit it would be funny no matter what he plays (it would also be cool).

And now an amusing and related anecdote... Some years ago a builder had a 10 string at NAMM that they built as a goof. Jonas Hellborg got his hands on it and used it for real. So that one even started as a joke

And what the heck's wrong with having a goofy instrument anyways? Especially if you can play it.

But enough intellectual sparring, who's got sound clips? I'm dying to hear the beast

 

[Garry Goodman]

Originally posted by john turner
cool, you gigged with it. what did you think?

Good question. - i had to use a combo amp that was provided . It couldn't handle the low notes. It was good on tunes that had enough space for the low notes to sustain.

i got a few looks from the band. Walking swing tunes in that lower register was pretty funny. At one point , I was able to play with just the drummer and vocalist. I had room to use the majority of the basses range. It sounded great at a lower volume.

With a keyboard player who was left hand bass happy and a guitarist , I had to think 4-6 string range. By the last set , the band gave me room to demonstate some of the cool things having more range allows one to do. They were not used to 6-11 string players and it took some conversation to get them to lay back on a couple of tunes. People in the audience seemed to notice how strange the bass looks and would ask "What is that ? "

It think it will take a few more gigs with my own rig to get a better idea of what's happening with the bass in performance situations. It certainly records well. The Villex passive electronics sound great.. I'' ll try it again on a casual Tuesday night .

 

[Garry Goodman]

Originally posted by Moo
The following is my highly biased opinion

If Spinal Tap was re shot today Derek Smalls would play an 11 string. He played a double neck on Big Bottom for a reason, it was funny.

Also as to what is funny, take any object and exaggerate a single feature and it becomes a comedy prop. A giant toothbrush, pants with 40 pockets etc... So from a comedy point of view an 11 string is funny no matter how musical it may be. Rick Neilsons 5 neck guitar is funny, whether he can use it musically is a different thing altogether. If Victor Wooten, had a bass made that was fuzzy and looked like a bunny rabbit it would be funny no matter what he plays (it would also be cool).

And now an amusing and related anecdote... Some years ago a builder had a 10 string at NAMM that they built as a goof. Jonas Hellborg got his hands on it and used it for real. So that one even started as a joke

And what the heck's wrong with having a goofy instrument anyways? Especially if you can play it.

But enough intellectual sparring, who's got sound clips? I'm dying to hear the beast

I am making some test recordings on the bass.. I'll post something soon.

 

[john turner]

cool, thanks for the feedback. are you the proud owner of this beast now garry?

 

[Garry Goodman]

Originally posted by john turner
cool, thanks for the feedback. are you the proud owner of this beast now garry?

i have it now. I am doing some research and developement .. Whether i keep this bass or not ,i still will ask Mike to build another with some changes.
I have great respect for Mike's luthier skills ,ideas and concept.. I will most likely end up keeping it and ordering several additional basses from Mike.

 

[Stewmc5222]

hey all,

as my photo was posted with it and my opinion solicited, I'll toss my 2 cents (and 17 hertz) into the mix...

I was really impressed with Mike's 11! it's totally playable and the tone was very even across the neck. do I think this is a bass for everyone?

no.

do I think it's a bass for many of us?

probably not.

do I think it's a viable instrument?

you bet!

I slung that bad boy every day of the show and played for as long as I could before the produce started to get flung. dug it! the bass, not the rotten tomatoes...

chording and slapping were no problem. now mind you, I don't have the same approach as Garry, but I wasn't stymied by the axe.

I think more people would be surprised by how easy it is to play than they think... apologies for the lax grammar.

I also apologize for my bad hair... yikes!! there's a reason I hate photos!



anyway, I've got a few hundred emails to answer, so I'll check in again soon.

from the lower and lower lows,


Stew

 

[Brad Johnson]

Originally posted by john turner
a fine point here, but mike adler did not proclaim to build the first 11 string here, nor anywhere else. others did the proclaiming for him.

True, a nit can be a very fine point indeed



"Built", "had built"... the sentiment is the same. I wasn't talking builder, player or owner specifically.

 

[john turner]

Originally posted by Brad Johnson

"Built", "had built"... the sentiment is the same. I wasn't talking builder, player or owner specifically.

it does change the timbre of the conversation somewhat, though, doesn't it? it would be one thing if mike adler came here and posted "check ME out, i built the first 11 string bass". that would sort of imply that props and brag-i-tude are what motivated, at least in part, the instrument's construction.