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Barker Bass Club (part 1)

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#21
Thanks for the far too gracious words on the clip ..... the bass sounds wonderful and is a joy to play. Still having some minor intonation issues (operator error, not the bass :help:), the primary issue is that I still forget it's a 34" scale and not a DB. Few more gigs and that'll work itself out ....

At the hotel next to our NYE gig location, then working the after party tonight for our peeps (about 100 at the after party), another date right up the street tomorrow night (Jan 1), and a light jazz date on Saturday. Sunday, I sleep :bassist:

May your 2010 be great!

:cool:
 
#22
Hope nobody minds but here's a picture of my vertical bass. Obviously it's not a Barker, just something I DIY'd with my older Warmoth J modded to fit on a heavy duty NS stand since I can't afford a Barker...maybe someday.

Link Removed
 
#23
yodedude2 said:
and a pic of barker b1 # 44, a.k.a. jacky...later, ron

View attachment 147905
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Jacky looks pretty nice.

attachment.jpg
 
#24
yodedude2 said:
and a pic of barker b1 # 44, a.k.a. jacky...later, ron

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This roster update welcomes yodedude2 to the Barker bass club.

Coincidentally, his post presenting his bass was #7, and his club number is 7. I guess it's fate.

BARKER BASS CLUB ROSTER
(Updated 31 Dec 09)
#00 Lee Barker

  1. Tom7 - B1 - (5-string fretless)
  2. pointbass - B6 (6-string fretless)
  3. TK4108 - B1 (4-string fretted)
  4. fretster - B1 (4-string lined fretless)
  5. Iotanet - B2 (4-string lined fretless)
  6. Interceptor - B1 (5-string, lined fretless)
  7. yodedude2 - B1 (4-string, unlined fretless)
  8. <Your name could be here!>
Former Barker Bass owners:
pointbass - B1 (5-string fretless),
 
#25
pointbass said:
Just wanted to take a moment and wish all of my fellow Barker-ites a very Happy Holiday season and hopes for a peaceful New Year! Special thanks to Lee for putting up with all of my foolishness over the past year ;)

Here's a short clip of the B1six from a few days ago .... no charge for the clams, it was late into the gig and the scotch was very good .... :cool:

Merry Christmas!

http://egoode.fileave.com/christmastree.mp3
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Happy new year to my Barker bass brothers on the east coast... and happy new year to the rest of you too for that matter.
 
#26
mongo2 said:
Hope nobody minds but here's a picture of my vertical bass. Obviously it's not a Barker, just something I DIY'd with my older Warmoth J modded to fit on a heavy duty NS stand since I can't afford a Barker...maybe someday.

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Looks pretty cool. Obviously as a vertical electric bass player, you are a kindred spirit so you are definitely welcome. It'd be cool if you ended up being a numbered member of the club someday as well. Welcome.
 
#30
Nevah, Ed, nevah. I enjoy the music, and marvel at your facility. And on this particular clip, it strikes me that those who are anxious about the legendary Barker sustain would be well served to listen closely here. Everything is in control, and sounds sooo right to me.
 
#31
morebass! said:
Subscribed. I'm awaiting shipment of B1 #24 from another TBer who has at least one other Barker. Looking forward to joining the group.
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Welcome--Pretty soon Tom will assign you a number and Phalex will bring out the epaulettes and chevrons and the mauve blazer and the induction ceremonies can begin!
 
#32
pointbass said:
A pic and clip from a few weeks ago .... let me know when you get sick of seeing and hearing this stuff ;)

Ed, I finally remembered to ask you what you did about strings for the B1six. Maybe you already said that, but I can disremember faster than you can type.
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#33
Lee Barker said:
.... those who are anxious about the legendary Barker sustain would be well served to listen closely here.
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But not TOO CLOSELY .... still was having some intonation issues on this clip. Vastly improved now as I've adapted to the scale length, or at least as improved as my skill set will allow .... ;)

The sustain is a marvelous thing on these basses, there when you need it and easy to control when palm muting or damping with the fingerboard hand. As I've read (and heard you say), Lee, all notes start to decay right after the initial attack. Releasing some downward string pressure on the fingerboard quickly decreases the sustain. Keeping pressure on the string will let the BVB's ring out in all their glory .... :cool:

Lee Barker said:
Ed, I finally remembered to ask you what you did about strings for the B1six. Maybe you already said that, but I can disremember faster than you can type.
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Truthfully, I struggled with this a bit when I first got the bass. The strings I provided to you (Rondo "Indie" strings) were, as you stated, not very good. I put a set of LaBella FM760 flats on the bass and the low end response was gigantic, but really not well defined in the upper register. This was unlike #0076, which had very even response with the same string set/gauge.

I next tried the tapewounds, which are a bit too loose in tension for my liking. They do sound wonderful and are likely the best initial match-up for a Barker, but I can not adjust to that light tension .... I need to feel resistance even though I play with a kinda light touch myself.

D'Addarios .... N/G. Conklin Power Steels .... N/G. TI flats ... N/G. Just because I had an unopened set, I popped some DR's on the bass and there it was, the tone and feel I was looking for :D. DR Hi-Beams, medium set MR6-30 (30-45-65-85-105-130), really well defined in all registers with a good punch to the gut on the B. Funny, I never liked DR's, but they seem really well suited to this particular bass ....

Maybe it's the wood combination that gives this 6 string such a thunderous low end? You'd know that better than me, Lee .... I don't know much about wood and how it affects the tone, I just play the thing and I think it looks really pretty .... :cool:
 
#34
I popped some DR's on the bass and there it was, the tone and feel I was looking for :D. DR Hi-Beams, medium set MR6-30 (30-45-65-85-105-130), really well defined in all registers with a good punch to the gut on the B. Funny, I never liked DR's, but they seem really well suited to this particular bass ....

Maybe it's the wood combination that gives this 6 string such a thunderous low end? You'd know that better than me, Lee .... I don't know much about wood and how it affects the tone, I just play the thing and I think it looks really pretty .... :cool:[/QUOTE]

Fascinating report, Ed. I've been going through a similar exercise with my B1 fretted, and, like you, pulled out a package of, hmm, what's this, LaBella Super Steps, never really trusted that skinny wire down at the rivet end, but what the heck, I put them on, and it was an Ed Goode Moment. It was the upper strings that weren't getting me what I wanted, but now it's there. (Dear reader, YMMV, of course.)

As for your comment about wood and how it affects the tone, I would direct your attention to the Weather Forecasting Rock. I'm sure you've seen these in airport shoppes or souvenir shacks. Nice rock, nice box, directions like this, "If the rock is warm and dry, it's sunny; if it's wet, it's raining..."

So if your B1six is strong on the low end, it's because of that rare curly fir. If it sounds good with DR Hi-Beams, it's because of that rare curly fir. If it gets your picture on the front of the local Arts and Entertainment magazine, it's because of the rare curly fir...and the hat.
 
#38
And while we wait...

I thought you guys would appreciate this video clip. She's playing a double bass of course, not a Barker, but this is about appreciating a very bright, emerging star, not what instrument she is playing per se.

Edit: I meant to mention she's an Oregon native, and this clip is from "The Second Cup Café."
 
#39
pointbass said:
A pic and clip from a few weeks ago .... let me know when you get sick of seeing and hearing this stuff ;)

http://egoode.fileave.com/bluebossa.mp3


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Sorry for the tardy reply.

This clip is interesting to me because your Barker sits in this mix very much like a double bass. I really really like it. Again, I wish I got to play this style of music more often.

Nice job.
 
#40
Sorry, no clips or pics, but just a quick word on the Barker B1 with Piezo: it continues to astound! I played in a big band the other night, and got lots of compliments on the sound, the tone, everything. Even my playing! (they were being polite!) The piezo pickups give it the articulation and definition you get on an upright, PLUS the punch and sustain of an electric. And of course it LOOKS fantastic, outer-worldly, kind of seductive even.
 
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