Double Bass Bill Merchant EUB megathread

[julianson]

Hi sunneyboy!!
Go here in youtube:

or search there for ratzo b harris, you'll find an amazing 6 strings merchant vertical bass.
Merry Christmas!

 

[SAlcott]

At the risk of being self-promoting, check out "Alive and Lickin", by Dan Hicks and the Hot Licks. Merchant VBass, mic on and DI from the amp. Don't remember what strings were on it at the time. Pretty decent sound, IMHO.

 

[Brian K]

I love that record! Never thought it was an electric. You still playing with the Hot Licks?

 

[SAlcott]

I love that record! Never thought it was an electric. You still playing with the Hot Licks?

Thanks for the compliment. I haven't worked with Dan since that tour. He found a guy he liked that could do all his gigs-I was kind of the "east -of-the-Mississippi" guy. It's not often you get to play great music with the composer. I'm proud to have worked with him for as long as I did.

 

[ChuckCorbis]

I checked Ratzo's website but it's not fully up yet. Link Removed

 

[julianson]

Check on Youtube

 

[julianson]

You should look for
Bruce Arnold Trio Live at NYU Summer Guitar Intensive 06
and the bass player is ratzo with a six stringed Merchant Vertical Bass.

 

[ChuckCorbis]

You should look for
Bruce Arnold Trio Live at NYU Summer Guitar Intensive 06
and the bass player is ratzo with a six stringed Merchant Vertical Bass.

It sure is. My Lord. He's Smokin'.The Merchant 6 string is great. I wonder how that stuff he's playing would work with 5ths tuning? (just kiddin')

 

[Jack Clark]

I'm curious as to how all of this has affected pricing, since he is no longer posting prices on the site.

His prices are there now. You have to go to the Ordering webpage and find them in the text.

 

[Jack Clark]

I've had one for almost 12 Years now, and I love it!

Hey, Reedo, please tell us about your rig for the Merchant:
1. Strings?
2. Preamp?
3. Amp/cab/combo, etc.?
4. And must you use a special bridge with those spring things?
5. Is the bridge adjustable?
6. Is yours the model that breaks down?
7. Does yours have the curved rib or the hip T-bar?
8. Is an inverted "T" endpin necessary for bowing?
9. And it's loud enough just acoustically for practice in a quiet room, right?

 

[reedo35]

1. Strings- Corelli 370M
2. Preamp- I have an early model with an underwood piezoelectric blended with Bartolini magnetic pickups, run through a custom blender Bill made for it. It is similar to the Fishman bass blender
3. Amp/cab/combo, etc.-I use a EA Wizzy 12 with an AI Focus amp
4. And must you use a special bridge with those spring things? No, just a regular bridge that attaches to the Spruce Bars, so no feet required
5. Is the bridge adjustable? Yes, it has adjusters
6. Is yours the model that breaks down? No
7. Does yours have the curved rib or the hip T-bar? Curved Rib
8. Is an inverted "T" end pin necessary for bowing? Absolutely not
9. And it's loud enough just acoustically for practice in a quiet room, right? Mmm, Depends on what you mean by
"Loud enough"
I've done it a few times, just for practice, but its about as loud as an unamplified EB.

 

[SAlcott]

I use my VB at least once a week-currently it's strung w/ obligatos and has a Full circle pickup. AI Focus, WZ 10 or whatever's at the gig. This has been a great axe for me; it's taken some hard knocks and ill-advised experimentation and still sounds and plays great. check out "Alive and Lickin'" by Dan Hicks and the Hot Licks for a good idea of the VB (Innovation strings and Realist at that time, I think) sound.

 

[Jack Clark]

His prices are there now. You have to go to the Ordering webpage and find them in the text.

I should have just added: "A Four string MVB-2 is $3,400, a 5 string is $3,800, plus shipping. This includes an ATA approved shipping case & Mooradian gig bag. New York state residents must add 8% sales tax as well."

(From Bill's website, 2010-12-06.)

 

[geoffbassist]

I love the design. Great that you can order to match your current neck stop.
I think that with the 'T' bar on the end pin it should balance ok. Has anyone tried one?

 

[Jack Clark]

I love the design. Great that you can order to match your current neck stop.
I think that with the 'T' bar on the end pin it should balance ok. Has anyone tried one?

Yeah, several TBers have checked in with their good experiences with the Merchant Vertical. Do an Advanced search for "Merchant" in thread titles only. There's no Merchant Megathread, yet, but that search will turn up about six threads.

 

[SAlcott]

I can't say anything about the new design, but I can say that in my 15 years using the original model, it has proven to be a fine instrument. It feels great, sounds great, and has stood up to the rigors of travel with only a couple of minor repairs.

 

[KUNGfuSHERIFF]

I have one of the early models. Do you have any specific questions?

 

[Francois Blais]

There's no Merchant Megathread, yet, but that search will turn up about six threads.

There's one now.
Merged seven threads together.

 

[Jack Clark]

There's one now.
Merged seven threads together.

Thank you, François!

 

[Jack Clark]

It looks like (from the info page) that you can take the measurements of your neck, overstand etc. to him so that you can duplicate the "feel" of your DB . . . .

I love the design. Great that you can order to match your current neck stop. . . .

Yeah, sounds like he can customize practically the whole thing to maximize the feel of your favorite double bass. More from his website:

"If you have an upright bass I can make your Vertical Bass to match its string length and 'neck note' by having you take two simple measurements (see Order page). The shape of the neck and fingerboard curve can be custom shaped as well." [Boldface added.]

His page on repairing double basses is impressive, too. Boy, would I love to sit quietly in the corner of his workshop for a day.