I have sent him emails on a couple occasions and never got a response. Perhaps he never got them, and perhaps he preferred to avoid my questions. Who knows?
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I have sent him emails on a couple occasions and never got a response. Perhaps he never got them, and perhaps he preferred to avoid my questions. Who knows?
He's also gone from having as many as three people working with him to flying solo (Jamie used to field a high percentage of the e-mails, back before she went back to school).
Not to make excuses for him - it's just in the 4 years I've known him, "avoiding questions" never seemed his style.
Not to make excuses for him - it's just in the 4 years I've known him, "avoiding questions" never seemed his style.
Bunny10,
I love my Cortofusion. Since getting it in April 2008 I've sold off my other electrics. I play it every single day and it continues to amaze me. I use a MarkBass LMII and 151HR cab, and it sounds just so awesome through that. My personal favorite recorded tone happened when I was doing a little solo at an open mic night and the sound guy mic'd the cab and recorded it for me. That's on this page as "Musical Medicine": Link Removed
I've really been meaning to post more youtube videos with the intention of demonstrating the instrument's ability, but Georgia Tech classes kick my butt and keep me busy. If you're thinking about getting a Fusion, I highly recommend it especially since you've got Cortobasses already. I think they would complement each other beautifully. Hy5 #21 will be my second Birdsong once it is done, and I'm really looking forward to having to complimentary pieces of playable art. And that tulipwood that Scott is using for it just blows my mind. It's exactly what I was hoping for when I originally placed the order.
If you're worried about it being more of a soloist's bass.... well I don't really think of it as one. I do use it that way a lot because I like to solo and don't have to time to play with other people much these days, but I've used it extensively in a handful of different band settings where it consistently performed wonderfully. I push it hard in some directions that I don't think it ever expected to be pushed, but it always rises to the challenge. To my ears the tone is actually at its very best when I pluck normally with my fingers just a little past behind the pickup towards the bridge, so old school techniques ought to be right on.
Anywho, I'm on Spring Break this next week and I hope to sit down and record some. I love my Fusion and look forward to playing it for my lifetime.
... had to attach that tulipwood.... it's soooo pretty!!!!
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Indeed it isn't. Scott responded almost immediately to my email today and was very cordial and helpful. Apparently all the emails I sent earlier were spam filtered or something along those lines. A big public apology to Scott if I made anyone believe that he does not respond to emails - he's clearly a stand-up guy and cares about the owners of his basses.
Indeed it isn't. Scott responded almost immediately to my email today and was very cordial and helpful. Apparently all the emails I sent earlier were spam filtered or something along those lines. A big public apology to Scott if I made anyone believe that he does not respond to emails - he's clearly a stand-up guy and cares about the owners of his basses.
Bunny10,
I love my Cortofusion. Since getting it in April 2008 I've sold off my other electrics. I play it every single day and it continues to amaze me. I use a MarkBass LMII and 151HR cab, and it sounds just so awesome through that. My personal favorite recorded tone happened when I was doing a little solo at an open mic night and the sound guy mic'd the cab and recorded it for me. That's on this page as "Musical Medicine": Link Removed
I've really been meaning to post more youtube videos with the intention of demonstrating the instrument's ability, but Georgia Tech classes kick my butt and keep me busy. If you're thinking about getting a Fusion, I highly recommend it especially since you've got Cortobasses already. I think they would complement each other beautifully. Hy5 #21 will be my second Birdsong once it is done, and I'm really looking forward to having to complimentary pieces of playable art. And that tulipwood that Scott is using for it just blows my mind. It's exactly what I was hoping for when I originally placed the order.
If you're worried about it being more of a soloist's bass.... well I don't really think of it as one. I do use it that way a lot because I like to solo and don't have to time to play with other people much these days, but I've used it extensively in a handful of different band settings where it consistently performed wonderfully. I push it hard in some directions that I don't think it ever expected to be pushed, but it always rises to the challenge. To my ears the tone is actually at its very best when I pluck normally with my fingers just a little past behind the pickup towards the bridge, so old school techniques ought to be right on.
Anywho, I'm on Spring Break this next week and I hope to sit down and record some. I love my Fusion and look forward to playing it for my lifetime.
... had to attach that tulipwood.... it's soooo pretty!!!!
Thanks for the reply. I really enjoy your youtube videos.
My pleasure. Thanks so much for watching them. It's really great to know there's someone out there listening/watching.
I've been wanting a Sadhana BAD for a while now.
Excuse my Photoshop-hackery, but this would be the way to for me to go:
Can't afford one now, but I've followed this thread for a while, and love what they do out there. I miss the rambling, incoherent website though....
Excuse my Photoshop-hackery, but this would be the way to for me to go:
Can't afford one now, but I've followed this thread for a while, and love what they do out there. I miss the rambling, incoherent website though....
Specs would be:
-African mahogany body
-Darkstar pick-up
-varitone
-ebony fretboard
-chrome hardware
-mahogany arrowhead to match body
-ebony overlay on headstock, with abalone inlaid 'Fling B' at top.
-I like the bridges he uses, and would not go with the badass (I just had the pic)
-pearl dots on 'board, but all the way at the edges
Unlike a lot of you guys, I play with a pick and roundwounds through a mostly dirty set-up, and I think this would rock!
-African mahogany body
-Darkstar pick-up
-varitone
-ebony fretboard
-chrome hardware
-mahogany arrowhead to match body
-ebony overlay on headstock, with abalone inlaid 'Fling B' at top.
-I like the bridges he uses, and would not go with the badass (I just had the pic)
-pearl dots on 'board, but all the way at the edges
Unlike a lot of you guys, I play with a pick and roundwounds through a mostly dirty set-up, and I think this would rock!
Hi
I'm new here.
As the tag implies I am the proud owner of Cortobass C186.
I have to say what a great guy Scott has been during the entire process. I can't recall experiencing that kind of dedication and integrity before. As it turned out, I changed from my original body design to an inventory alder body and he refunded the difference on the build cost - even though he had already built the other body. I didn't ask for the refund, he just gave it no hassles.
I am in Sydney Australia and I can reassure any non U.S. residents that they will have no problems ordering a bass from Birdsong.
Changing the subject, I am a compulsive bass modder.
My ears were having a little bit of trouble with the varitone and I got to thinking about just having an ordinary tone control. This got me thinking a bit further. I have converted my other basses to single volume and single tone with a 3 way toggle switch for pick up selection. I realise this set up has its limitations but it works for me. Would not work so well with the Lace Gold Sensor at the neck though as the output is quite a bit less than the bridge output.
Upshot is that I installed a Seymour Duncan Cool Rails in the neck position and changed the controls to single volume, single tone and 3 way toggle switch. I made a new scratchplate and kept the original controls on the original scratchplate with minimal disruption to the wiring - so I can always restore it back to the original.
The Cool Rails really does sound absolutely fantastic. It has that full fat sound you usually get with a neck pickup - great tone - yet it balances well with the Lace bridge pickup - even lowered the neck pickup a tad. Humbucker to boot. I am really pleased with the range of sounds/tones I can get with the new pickup and control set up.
None of this is meant as a criticism of the Birdsong Cortobass. It definitely is not criticism. I just can't help myself when it comes to a bit of fine tuning to my own personal tastes. These changes have worked out very well for me - which is a relief for an amateur.
For those who are interested, I used 500k linear pots for both volume and tone with a 0.02 capacitor. I tried an audio pot for volume as is usually recommended and found this really only worked for the last 25% of rotation and even then with rapid loss of tone quality as the volume was turned down. The linear taper gives a smooth control of volume and maintains good tone through nearly the full rotation. The theory says it should not work this way but in practice it does.
Before anyone jumps on me for modifying a Birdsong, let me say that I emailed Scott to tell him of my changes and he replied that he had modified every guitar he had ever owned and so did not have a problem with me making some changes. He even gave me some advice on some tone control setups I could experiment with. Having said that, I would never do a modification to a bass of this stature that was not fully reversible.
Cheers
I'm new here.
As the tag implies I am the proud owner of Cortobass C186.
I have to say what a great guy Scott has been during the entire process. I can't recall experiencing that kind of dedication and integrity before. As it turned out, I changed from my original body design to an inventory alder body and he refunded the difference on the build cost - even though he had already built the other body. I didn't ask for the refund, he just gave it no hassles.
I am in Sydney Australia and I can reassure any non U.S. residents that they will have no problems ordering a bass from Birdsong.
Changing the subject, I am a compulsive bass modder.
My ears were having a little bit of trouble with the varitone and I got to thinking about just having an ordinary tone control. This got me thinking a bit further. I have converted my other basses to single volume and single tone with a 3 way toggle switch for pick up selection. I realise this set up has its limitations but it works for me. Would not work so well with the Lace Gold Sensor at the neck though as the output is quite a bit less than the bridge output.
Upshot is that I installed a Seymour Duncan Cool Rails in the neck position and changed the controls to single volume, single tone and 3 way toggle switch. I made a new scratchplate and kept the original controls on the original scratchplate with minimal disruption to the wiring - so I can always restore it back to the original.
The Cool Rails really does sound absolutely fantastic. It has that full fat sound you usually get with a neck pickup - great tone - yet it balances well with the Lace bridge pickup - even lowered the neck pickup a tad. Humbucker to boot. I am really pleased with the range of sounds/tones I can get with the new pickup and control set up.
None of this is meant as a criticism of the Birdsong Cortobass. It definitely is not criticism. I just can't help myself when it comes to a bit of fine tuning to my own personal tastes. These changes have worked out very well for me - which is a relief for an amateur.
For those who are interested, I used 500k linear pots for both volume and tone with a 0.02 capacitor. I tried an audio pot for volume as is usually recommended and found this really only worked for the last 25% of rotation and even then with rapid loss of tone quality as the volume was turned down. The linear taper gives a smooth control of volume and maintains good tone through nearly the full rotation. The theory says it should not work this way but in practice it does.
Before anyone jumps on me for modifying a Birdsong, let me say that I emailed Scott to tell him of my changes and he replied that he had modified every guitar he had ever owned and so did not have a problem with me making some changes. He even gave me some advice on some tone control setups I could experiment with. Having said that, I would never do a modification to a bass of this stature that was not fully reversible.
Cheers
Pics!!! we need to see the pics!!!
edit: errr sorry... by the way, welcome and congrats on your bass!
Jump jump jump!
I also replaced the neck pickup, as it was buzzing a little bit (less than a standard single coil, but noticeable enough to bug me.) I used a Dimarzio rails pickup (humbucking) that has similar output specs to the original Lace; I think it's the bridge version of their "Cruiser" model. I kept the wiring the same though, as I find the varitone useful for my needs.
Thinking about sunbursting mine ...
Welcome !!!
I have never owned a bass that hasn't been modified. I own 3 Birdsongs and all have been modified by me in some way. So glad to hear about your lab experiment.
First, let me say welcome to our little Birdsong family. Second, I have a friend and fellow bass player who is an electrical engineer. Whenever he answers a question about electricity he always prefaces his statement with "well, in theory...." When I asked him about that he said while we do know a little about how use electricity we do not really understand it.
Thanks for the welcome.
No arguement that Scott makes an excellent guitar and you couldn't find a better guy to build a bass for you. Most people are not going to feel the need to make any modifications to their Birdsong bass because it is so good when you take it out of it's case for the first time.
However there are always going to be people like me who just like to tinker a bit and fine tune a little to their own personal tastes and preferences. I guess thats why we have a short scale bass to play instead of 34 inch and why there is a bass with 5 strings instead of 4.
I loved the bass Scott built for me, but I love it a bit more now after modifying it a little according it to my own tastes and preferences.
For those that are interested in my mod, for tone control, I have settled on a 250k audio pot with a 0.047 capacitor. Still love the 500k linear pot for volume, the 3 way toggle switch and the Cool Rails neck pickup. I think I will be keeping this set up permanently. Nevertheless, the original control plate with the original controls is tucked away safely with the Lace Sensor Gold pickup so everything can be put back the way it came if the need or urge arises.
Each to his own. Vive le difference!!
Cheers
No arguement that Scott makes an excellent guitar and you couldn't find a better guy to build a bass for you. Most people are not going to feel the need to make any modifications to their Birdsong bass because it is so good when you take it out of it's case for the first time.
However there are always going to be people like me who just like to tinker a bit and fine tune a little to their own personal tastes and preferences. I guess thats why we have a short scale bass to play instead of 34 inch and why there is a bass with 5 strings instead of 4.
I loved the bass Scott built for me, but I love it a bit more now after modifying it a little according it to my own tastes and preferences.
For those that are interested in my mod, for tone control, I have settled on a 250k audio pot with a 0.047 capacitor. Still love the 500k linear pot for volume, the 3 way toggle switch and the Cool Rails neck pickup. I think I will be keeping this set up permanently. Nevertheless, the original control plate with the original controls is tucked away safely with the Lace Sensor Gold pickup so everything can be put back the way it came if the need or urge arises.
Each to his own. Vive le difference!!
Cheers
It looks like my Cortobass, 10C-191, is almost ready to ship as I received an invoice for the balance today along with a quick note from Scott. He hasn't updated the Birdsong website for over a week as their computer is down but I've included a couple of recent photos.
We went with the standard mahogany body dressed with Macassar ebony for the center piece, control plate and headstock overlay. Scott came up with a nice striped piece of rosewood for the neck that compliments the ebony nicely. Using all black hardware, Varitone, etc.. He has told me that the photos don't really do the ebony markings and colors justice but she looks fine to me.
Due to some arthritis in my hands I play short scales most of the time and it was this forum that led me to Scott and Birdsong. I am very grateful for that. Scott is a true artist, gentleman and all around great guy. The whole experience has been a lot fun and soon I'll have that pretty baby in my eager hands. Can't wait!
We went with the standard mahogany body dressed with Macassar ebony for the center piece, control plate and headstock overlay. Scott came up with a nice striped piece of rosewood for the neck that compliments the ebony nicely. Using all black hardware, Varitone, etc.. He has told me that the photos don't really do the ebony markings and colors justice but she looks fine to me.
Due to some arthritis in my hands I play short scales most of the time and it was this forum that led me to Scott and Birdsong. I am very grateful for that. Scott is a true artist, gentleman and all around great guy. The whole experience has been a lot fun and soon I'll have that pretty baby in my eager hands. Can't wait!
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