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Brian Bromberg Carvin Model Part 2
- Thread starter Bryan R. Tyler
- Start date
Update.
I have communicated with Carvin and they are going to take of everything in a manner that is more satisfactory than I have any right to expect.
Kudos to Carvin.
Time to start the next build.....
Great to hear this. As I said before, once they get it right, it's a helluva bass.
Yup...kinda cool, eh?
Matt, FYI, I ordered a Carvin acoustic guitar and questioned the fret wear that I immediately started seeing. Mine were supposed to be SS frets. There is a very very subtle difference in color.
Long story short, I contacted Jescar, Carvin's fret wire supplier and requested 2 samples of nickel and SS fret wire carefully labeled.
Sure enough my acoustic frets matched the nickel Jescar samples. I sent the guitar back and Carvin agreed they were not the SS frets I ordered.
I'm not trying to bash Carvin, but IMHO there is absolutely no QC at the end of their build process.
Long story short, I contacted Jescar, Carvin's fret wire supplier and requested 2 samples of nickel and SS fret wire carefully labeled.
Sure enough my acoustic frets matched the nickel Jescar samples. I sent the guitar back and Carvin agreed they were not the SS frets I ordered.
I'm not trying to bash Carvin, but IMHO there is absolutely no QC at the end of their build process.
I received my fretless B25P today and I must admit that it is very, VERY impressive. I've only been able to play it for a few hours here at home but my initial impression: KILLER FRETLESS.
The fit and finish are exceptional and the "hard as nails" fingerboard treatment is worth EVERY PENNY. More on that later.
I'm very pleased with the ergonomics of the bass. It is no lightweight (with its mahogany body) but it very comfortable on the strap and in a seated position. The playing position is very natural and I really like exceptional upper fret access. The neck carve is a little thicker than my last few instruments but it is very comfortable and I actually found myself not even noticing it after a brief period of playing. The satin finish on the neck is absolutely fantastic. It feels great!
Concerning the "hard as nails" finish on the fingerboard: The first thing I noticed, of course, is that it looks beautiful. It is a mirror finish and the quality of the finish is flawless from end to end. It is completely transparent and really shows off the nice grain of the ebony board beneath it. It is surprisingly thin and incredibly well done. When playing, it feels as smooth as glass under your fingers. It is a real joy to play! I think it produces a tone a little brighter than an untreated board and sounds very similar to two fretless basses I owned that had epoxy coated boards. After a few hours of play with round-wound strings, there isn't so much as a mark on the fingerboard. I will be very interested to see how durable the material is and how easy it is to maintain.
The RAD-J pickups and Bromberg pre-amp are exactly as advertised. Very clear, very powerful and extremely flexible. The piezo feature is also fantastic. It is also very revealing. Poor right and left hand technique really jumps out! I'm still finding "my tone" on the bass but with the potent EQ and mid-sweep feature, I quickly found that nice "burpy" finger style fretless tone that we all know and love.
This instrument has really turned around my experience with Carvin as has their customer service regarding my other B25P. I'll post more on that when I get the instrument back next week.
Mandatory pics:
The fit and finish are exceptional and the "hard as nails" fingerboard treatment is worth EVERY PENNY. More on that later.
I'm very pleased with the ergonomics of the bass. It is no lightweight (with its mahogany body) but it very comfortable on the strap and in a seated position. The playing position is very natural and I really like exceptional upper fret access. The neck carve is a little thicker than my last few instruments but it is very comfortable and I actually found myself not even noticing it after a brief period of playing. The satin finish on the neck is absolutely fantastic. It feels great!
Concerning the "hard as nails" finish on the fingerboard: The first thing I noticed, of course, is that it looks beautiful. It is a mirror finish and the quality of the finish is flawless from end to end. It is completely transparent and really shows off the nice grain of the ebony board beneath it. It is surprisingly thin and incredibly well done. When playing, it feels as smooth as glass under your fingers. It is a real joy to play! I think it produces a tone a little brighter than an untreated board and sounds very similar to two fretless basses I owned that had epoxy coated boards. After a few hours of play with round-wound strings, there isn't so much as a mark on the fingerboard. I will be very interested to see how durable the material is and how easy it is to maintain.
The RAD-J pickups and Bromberg pre-amp are exactly as advertised. Very clear, very powerful and extremely flexible. The piezo feature is also fantastic. It is also very revealing. Poor right and left hand technique really jumps out! I'm still finding "my tone" on the bass but with the potent EQ and mid-sweep feature, I quickly found that nice "burpy" finger style fretless tone that we all know and love.
This instrument has really turned around my experience with Carvin as has their customer service regarding my other B25P. I'll post more on that when I get the instrument back next week.
Mandatory pics:
Forgive me for asking a question that may have an obvious answer, but please humor me. So, there are fret lines, but no frets, is that right? I'm just used to only seeing (at most) side dots on fretless basses, not actual fret lines.
Stunning! I wish more people could get an idea, as you rightfully mentioned, of just how comfortable this bass is to play. They wouldn't be able to make them fast enough!
Congrats!
Congrats!
Mandatory pics:
Yes, it's a "lined" fretless. The fret slots are filled with a material before the fingerboard finish is applied.
Beautiful bass! Glad this one went right for you...also great to hear that Carvin will hook you up on the first.
Theres no getting around it, that B25 of Matt Morgan is stunning. In fact all these fancy topped, tricked out Bromberg axes are flat out gorgeous. But I have to say; I feel a little left out here. I have a B24S; no piezo, no flame or quilted top. This bass is awesome and still a looker if I may say. Where are all the B24S/B25S axes on this thread? Can we get a little love or what?
Attachments
MAtt Morgans Quilted Maple Fretless is officially my favorite Bromberg bass ......ever! That is off the chart! OMG! Amaaaaaazing! Want, Want, want.
Here's my B2 Stealth Bomber (B25S) - looks even cooler now with black tapewound Labella strings on it.
Link Removed
Ah yeah! I remember this beauty. Nice! Well thanks, Bob. I was starting to think I was all alone!
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I think so. It'd be well over $1,000-$1,000 new. Probably over $1,200 to me shipped here in SoCal....
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