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Brian Bromberg Carvin Model Part 2

#601
dgce said:
They're 24 fret basses. I recall the old Peavey Quad B basses were 24 fret bolt-ons. Perhaps a Carving bolt-on Bromberg would have similar specs minus the carbon graphite I suppose?
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Ah ok, then definitely keep 24 frets on the bolt-on (of course I know my instrument after playing it since 1979, right?). A good business rule of thumb on new versions of any product is to not remove features that are in the other one the new version is based on. So since the current models are 24 fret, then good business sense would dictate that the bolt ons should also be 24 unless there's some really compelling reason to change it.

Then it's got everything the current models do but with the additional different feature of being a BO. Score!

Er, did I mention that I can't wait to get my B25... 6/28 is D-day... did I mention that? Certainly I did.... :)

LS
 
#602
unclejane said:
Er, did I mention that I can't wait to get my B25... 6/28 is D-day... did I mention that? Certainly I did.... :)

LS
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Yeah, I've heard talk - ahem! ;) And of course we want pictures; we're getting pretty light on bass porn around here - double ahem!

BTW, maybe this is more of a guitar thing but I thought a 22 or less fret fingerboard seemed to be a better match for bolt-on necks than 24 frets. I don't know where the heck I got that from and could be totally wrong. On the other hand, Bromberg's old Peavey was a 24-fret bolt-on and of course there are those Sadowskys too. What are the cons to a 24 fret bolt-on? I can only think of upper fret access being a little more challenging. Are they potentially less stable or compromise tone or sustain?
 
#603
dgce said:
Yeah, I've heard talk - ahem! ;) And of course we want pictures; we're getting pretty light on bass porn around here - double ahem!

BTW, maybe this is more of a guitar thing but I thought a 22 or less fret fingerboard seemed to be a better match for bolt-on necks than 24 frets. I don't know where the heck I got that from and could be totally wrong. On the other hand, Bromberg's old Peavey was a 24-fret bolt-on and of course there are those Sadowskys too. What are the cons to a 24 fret bolt-on? I can only think of upper fret access being a little more challenging. Are they potentially less stable or compromise tone or sustain?
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The problem is usually the lower cutaway. To get access to those frets, you have to deepen it and deepen it. There are multiple problems with that, in my opinion:
- it moves the outer cutaway further and further back towards the bridge, upsetting the balance when playing on the leg. This is a critical feature that Brian B. wants on the B squareds, for example. And part of why I bought one.
- it gets harder and harder to get your hand stuffed way up in there, tho this is easier when on the strap.
- the bass looks goofier and goofier the deeper that cutaway gets. Eg. the F bass is borderline something I'd be seen in public playing, the Wishbass is just totally out of control.
- on a bolt neck, this may complicate the strength of the body and the body/neck joint. I'm not sure about that, but that's an impression I get of a design difficulty.

So it's a compromise and good designs are always compromises. Sometimes that means fewer frets, eg. the Fender like my Jazz bass which was only 20 frets (until last night when that became 0)....

LS
 
#604
unclejane said:
The problem is usually the lower cutaway. To get access to those frets, you have to deepen it and deepen it. There are multiple problems with that, in my opinion:
- it moves the outer cutaway further and further back towards the bridge, upsetting the balance when playing on the leg. This is a critical feature that Brian B. wants on the B squareds, for example. And part of why I bought one.
- it gets harder and harder to get your hand stuffed way up in there, tho this is easier when on the strap.
- the bass looks goofier and goofier the deeper that cutaway gets. Eg. the F bass is borderline something I'd be seen in public playing, the Wishbass is just totally out of control.
- on a bolt neck, this may complicate the strength of the body and the body/neck joint. I'm not sure about that, but that's an impression I get of a design difficulty.

So it's a compromise and good designs are always compromises. Sometimes that means fewer frets, eg. the Fender like my Jazz bass which was only 20 frets (until last night when that became 0)....

LS
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this is a 24 fret bolt on with no issue reaching the last fret, and its the most well balanced bass on a strap that i have ever played, and plays just fine on the knee too. notice the similarities to the shape of the bromberg bass, specifically alot of weight in the south west corner, i think thats the magic that helps keep the neck up, and brian's bass seems to have that as well. carvin already offers a few models of bolt on basses without 24 frets. just my opinion,but if someone would want another bolt on in the line id think it would have to be significantly enough different, and not just a different electronics package. id love to see the 24 fret bolt on. there are enough fender clones out there already, including carvin's own versions.
 

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#607
I've said this before, do we really need another bass line out there in the market that just does more of the same thing that the other 7,000 bass models do just fine? No we don't. But, do we need something out there that is an alternative or something that does it just a little different then the other 7,000? Sure, why not? Heck for that matter I could just play my Bob Mick basses that he built me that I put up against any boutique hand made bass out there as they can always be played better then I will ever be able to play them!

But, to be involved in the design of a product line that helps fill a void or a gap in the market place, whether it be price, features, ergonomics, sound, pick ups, circuit, or (D) all of the above, is a very cool thing and there is always room for another bass that actually is a little different. With that said the more I hear from you and what your needs are or what you feel is missing the better our basses will become. Thanks for the input............B2
 
#608
I'd still like to see Carvin do a P/J and/or a reversed P/J with an all-passive option.

Re: the B25 in general, we have a gig coming up at the first place I ever gigged the B25 maybe 18 months/2 years ago. Other than a custom that a friend made for me, my B25P is the only bass I still own from that time period. Many have come and gone, but I don't remember ever even considering selling or trading it. Definitely a testament to the tone and ergonimics for me.
 
#609
Grateful said:
I'd still like to see Carvin do a P/J...
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I mentioned the same thing to Steve (sales rep) when I ordered my SB5k at the beginning of April. I'd love to see Carvin do this since there aren't a whole lot of stock P/J builders out there, at least none that I can think of off the top of my head. That pickup config on a B25 would probably make me pull the trigger immediately... That's the one gap I'm missing in my bass arsenal.

5sg.
 
#610
Marihino said:
Mr Bromberg asked in this thread, not long before my post, whether we'd prefer a 6-string version of his Carvin signature bass, or a bolt-on in 4- and 5-string versions. He also asked what number of frets we'd like in a bolt-on. Still weird?

OK, I see that I should have quoted him in my post.
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No, man, I was just poking a little fun at you, thus the smiley face. I can see where you are coming from. It really would be an entirely different bass, though, and I think it would lose the appeal of a specially designed signature model.

fivestringgecko said:
I mentioned the same thing to Steve (sales rep) when I ordered my SB5k at the beginning of April. I'd love to see Carvin do this since there aren't a whole lot of stock P/J builders out there, at least none that I can think of off the top of my head. That pickup config on a B25 would probably make me pull the trigger immediately... That's the one gap I'm missing in my bass arsenal.

5sg.
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Yeah, I love my Lakland P-bass, but if Carvin ever puts out a PJ, I would order one in a second.
 
#611
I'd rather see a B26 than a bolt-on. As a 6-string player, I'm a little biased. ;)

But honestly, I think the P-pickup option mentioned above would help Carvin sell more basses than an expansion of the Bromberg line. And it would be a really easy thing to do. Seriously, all they have to do is develop a fairly simple pickup design and then route to put it in their existing basses... Easier than making a new model of bass! Why they don't have one already always has me scratching my head... I imagine they'd sell a ton of B40s, B50s and SB series basses with P and P-J configurations.

I'm not in the market for a P or P-J myself, and would rather see a B26. But to me, this seems like a no-brainer.
 
#612
Hi all, hope I don't ruin a big thread conversation or something, just curious: Do you guys think Carvin will ever a 6 string version of the Bromberg bass? and, if the answer is yes, do they let you customize the string space for a more narrower one?
 
#613
Brian Bromberg said:
I've said this before, do we really need another bass line out there in the market that just does more of the same thing that the other 7,000 bass models do just fine? No we don't. But, do we need something out there that is an alternative or something that does it just a little different then the other 7,000? Sure, why not? Heck for that matter I could just play my Bob Mick basses that he built me that I put up against any boutique hand made bass out there as they can always be played better then I will ever be able to play them!

But, to be involved in the design of a product line that helps fill a void or a gap in the market place, whether it be price, features, ergonomics, sound, pick ups, circuit, or (D) all of the above, is a very cool thing and there is always room for another bass that actually is a little different. With that said the more I hear from you and what your needs are or what you feel is missing the better our basses will become. Thanks for the input............B2
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Brian, if I had to name only one feature that's distinctive for me of your design it's the radiused pickup faces. I've struggled with the flat pickup problem for my entire career also. I pluck exclusively over the PU face for tone and "ramp" reasons, but have always had to look for the flattest radius or settle for pickups that I didn't necessarily want at the time to get a comfortable place to pluck over.

I love my 2 Bunnies, but they have the same problem to a lesser degree with the big MM style PUs at the bridge. I wish Carvin made the MM pickup with a radiused face?

The other thing that made me pull the trigger was the way you did the lower horn so it sits on the leg. I'm old and injured so I play seated most of the time now, so ergos when seated are really important for me also.

Like I said, I'm hoping my B25S spoils all my other basses so I can do a garage sale to clear out my apartment of some of them lol.

But if you come out with a 6 string model (especially if it still uses the 17mm spacing) I'm just simply going to go broke lol.

LS
 
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#614
unclejane said:
Brian, if I had to name only one feature that's distinctive for me of your design it's the radiused pickup faces. I've struggled with the flat pickup problem for my entire career also. I pluck exclusively over the PU face for tone and "ramp" reasons, but have always had to look for the flattest radius or settle for pickups that I didn't necessarily want at the time to get a comfortable place to pluck over.
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^^^ that.
 
#615
To echo UncleJane's advice on another point, the Carvin asymmetrical neck on their 5 strings is just fantastic, but they don't do something similar on their 6's, which is a shame, and unfortunate. Basically, all of their 5's have the exact same carve - which is fine.

If you decide to push for a 6, it would be a real treat for all the Carvin 6 fans to get some 6 string version of their asymmetrical neck carve. If it leaked into the Bunny line, and the XB/LB lines that would be would be even better for all the fans of those lines as well. But it has to start somewhere, and you definitely seem to be the guy to get them moving!

And thanks for caring so much, it really is awesome to see on this end :)
 
#616
My pleasure Jim777. This truly is an awesome forum and I want to thank Talkbass.com for providing it. Listening to what you guys have to say and what you need are what is going to keep the B2 Bass line evolving, expanding, and getting more refined. I truly appreciate everyone's input and support of the bass. Thank you all again..............B2
 
#618
Brian Bromberg said:
I truly appreciate everyone's input and support of the bass. Thank you all again..............B2
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I'm sure I can speak for more than just myself when I say that I'm glad and impressed that an artist like yourself is taking the time to be active here on Talkbass. It's MUCH appreciated, and to have the chance to provide input/feedback on the B2 line is pretty cool. :)

5sg.
 

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