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Brian Bromberg Carvin Model Part 2

#621
It would be interesting to see how they would approach the design for a bolt-on B2. IMO, the neck-through seems to be such an integral part of the design that a bolt-on wouldn't coincide with the look. But I'm very interested in how they might do it. Personally, I would have no use for a six string B2.
 
#622
Hey unclejane I fell and broke my back on October 27th of last year. Like I will ever forget that date? Geeez. They whole thing sucked and I couldn't play for about three months. I'm doing way better but it is a long haul. Make the most of what you got because we have no idea when it will be taken away from us. $hit happens..............
 
#623
The neck joint is the biggest challenge by for for a bolt on. I would not want to mess with the integrity of the design and the sleekness and playability of what we have now, but it would be great to have a bolt on version to compliment the neck through. I'm sure there would be a ton prototyping for the bolt on to get that math the way I would like to see it. There is no reason to do a bolt on version of the bass just to have it unless it's right and can hang with the neck through. I have a deep cut away so it will take some thought, but I know it is totally doable.

The Peavey B Quad's proved that a bolt on version works just fine, but I would like a more refined and thought out ergonomic neck joint. Hey I haven't even talked with Carvin about this yet but it seems like a logical next step to me as from a business model aspect they would have a B2 Bass model that appeals to the bolt on guys as well. Much bigger market for them with something for both the neck through and bolt on customers.

I have a question for you guys that like the P J combination. Where do you pluck the strings? Do you pluck over the J pick up in back or the P pick up in the middle, or do you just float? Just curious. Thanks for dialog.............B2
 
#624
I play mostly PJ basses (Warwick Streamer, Yamaha BB 4- and 5-string models), and pluck the strings directly over either pickup (where, again, I find it crucial that the pickup echoes the radius of the fretboard) or somewhere in between. I never find myself needing to go further towards the neck, unless I play a fretless.

Thanks for taking the time to talk to us about it, Brian!
 
#625
Brian Bromberg said:
Hey unclejane I fell and broke my back on October 27th of last year. Like I will ever forget that date? Geeez. They whole thing sucked and I couldn't play for about three months. I'm doing way better but it is a long haul. Make the most of what you got because we have no idea when it will be taken away from us. $hit happens..............
Click to expand...

Ah gotcha. I'm fighting rotator cuffs in the right shoulder and the beginnings of CPS and all that myself; I guess I need to learn to respect my years.

If it helps your back heal any, you're an inspiration to me as a bassist in addition to B25 bass itself, so as a get-well card, here's me in the process of trying to learn your "slap happy". I'm playing the small bits I've figure out on my jazz bass which I just finished defretting yesterday:

https://soundcloud.com/unclejane/slaphpy

(slightly OT, is there sheet music for this available anywhere so I can learn it right? And also try to learn to read along with?).

Did I mention I can't wait to get my B25? Surely I have... :)

LS
 
#626
Brian Bromberg said:
I have a question for you guys that like the P J combination. Where do you pluck the strings? Do you pluck over the J pick up in back or the P pick up in the middle, or do you just float? Just curious. Thanks for dialog.............B2
Click to expand...

Generally in between, but I'll float depending on the sound a song needs.

Thanks for taking the time to ask our opinions and listening!

5sg.
 
#627
If it helps, when I play anything with a jazz style single-coil at the bridge, I always pluck directly over that pickup.

I agree with the other guys that a P/J config would make Carvin blow basses out the door. From what I read here on TB, that's probably the most frequently asked-for feature in a new Carvin bass.

If the bridge PU were radiused, even I could be seduced by a P/J picking config in a Carvin, for the times I need a Precision-like sound. It'd probably kill on the Bromberg...

LS
 
#628
Brian Bromberg said:
The neck joint is the biggest challenge by for for a bolt on. I would not want to mess with the integrity of the design and the sleekness and playability of what we have now, but it would be great to have a bolt on version to compliment the neck through.
Click to expand...

What about a set neck? I know some of the Carvin guitars have necks that set in far enough to go under the front pickup. That could maybe solve some of the deep cutaway concerns?

Brian Bromberg said:
I have a question for you guys that like the P J combination. Where do you pluck the strings? Do you pluck over the J pick up in back or the P pick up in the middle, or do you just float? Just curious. Thanks for dialog.............B2
Click to expand...

I tend to pluck right on top of, or just a hair behind the P pickup on my P/J. On those rare occasions I have to use a pick, I tend to pick right on the front edge of the J pick-up.

I have visions of a Rad-P radiused P-pickup, and it gives me goosebumps....
 
#629
Brian Bromberg said:
The neck joint is the biggest challenge by for for a bolt on. I would not want to mess with the integrity of the design and the sleekness and playability of what we have now, but it would be great to have a bolt on version to compliment the neck through. I'm sure there would be a ton prototyping for the bolt on to get that math the way I would like to see it. There is no reason to do a bolt on version of the bass just to have it unless it's right and can hang with the neck through. I have a deep cut away so it will take some thought, but I know it is totally doable.
Click to expand...

Hmm... now I think this might give a B26 a slight edge in terms of design and prototyping effort. Couldn't Carvin's existing six-string neck just be put into the B2 body? The RAD-J pickups are wide enough for Carvin's existing six-strings, so they'd be fine. All that would need to be made from scratch (sort of) is a 6-string version of the headstock. Even if there were to be greater demand for the bolt-on versions, a B26 seems easy enough to be worthwhile anyway.

Brian Bromberg said:
I have a question for you guys that like the P J combination. Where do you pluck the strings? Do you pluck over the J pick up in back or the P pick up in the middle, or do you just float? Just curious. Thanks for dialog.............B2
Click to expand...

Normally I place my thumb on or over the front pickup of any two-pickup bass, or over the end of the fretboard if I want a really thick, deep sound. I really enjoy the tone achieved by playing over the bridge pickup but it's not really called for in the music I play.
 
#630
One more thing to consider on a P pickup for 5 strings is the symmetrical vs. asymmeyrical. Fender makes them like this:
American_Deluxe_Precision_Bass_Ash_Rw.jpg

and this:
Invalid Link Removed

So the player is committed to either having the top 3 or bottom 3 strings on one pickup. Some folks prefer the top 3, others the bottom 3.

Lots of other makers make them symmetrical, with one pole demagnetized like this:

[Invalid or Expired Link Removed]

This lets people choose/change which strings get which pickup. Personally, I prefer the options allowed with the symmetrical ones.

Just something to consider...
 
#636
I have no issues cosmetically with bars, poles or pickup covers. But I do like the option to choose/change which strings go on which pickup.

Total speculation here: For 5 stringer P's, if they made one and it was a bar, do you suppose they'd have to go asymmetrical to keep from doubling up pickups under the A string?
 
#638
If I could resurrect the thread with a complaint/feature request..
One of the problems with my Carvins so far is the fingerboard being too low. Mine are fretlesses and, to get the action where I need it, the bridge saddles have to be completely bottomed out. I know why this is done because virtually all manufacturers do it - to keep tooling, etc., costs down specifically to produce the FL models. FL's are certainly a fraction of the market, so they're simply based on the fretted models minus the frets. Without the frets, tho, the board is too low/bridge is too high to get a really low action.

The reason that I'm suddenly more annoyed by this is I discovered a small depression in the fingerboard of my Bunny 6 yesterday (researching a buzz I couldn't quite get rid of) but I can't repair it by levelling the fingerboard. There's not enough wood to do it; by the time I got it levelled I wouldn't be able to lower the action back down to where I need it to be.

So basically, the entire instrument may be lost. I'm going to have to either scuttle the bass altogether or do something drastic like put a layer of epoxy on the board to raise it up, or somehow route a depression for the bridge, etc.... None of those options are even in the same universe as appealing so I've just put it in the case for now, till I decide what to do with it.

If my Bromberg has the bottomed out saddle problem when I get it, frankly, it's going back to Carvin, because I won't be able to dress the board later if I have to. I kept my Bunnies because they were perfect when got them and I didn't anticipate having to repair them later. Well, that's kind of deep-6'ed my 6 string, unless I bite the bullet and make some kind of modification. This just happens from time to time since we're dealing with wood here and you need to repair it when it happens. But I can't do it on this one; and my Bunny 4 will probably be matchsticks also if it happens to develop a fingerboard problem...

With a bolt-on, of course, this could be fixed by shimming the neck, but with a neck-through, you're screwed if the board is already too low....

Anyway, this is has been a source of irritation for me with virtually every bass I've owned - my jazz bass and G&L L2K both have shims under the necks now because both required fingerboard work. But unfortunately my Bunnies have the same problem and I worry Carvin's other neck-throughs will have the problem too.

So if possible, it'd be great if this were addressed in future models for us fretless stragglers...

LS
 
#639
unclejane said:
One of the problems with my Carvins so far is the fingerboard being too low. Mine are fretlesses and, to get the action where I need it, the bridge saddles have to be completely bottomed out. I know why this is done because virtually all manufacturers do it - to keep tooling, etc., costs down specifically to produce the FL models. FL's are certainly a fraction of the market, so they're simply based on the fretted models minus the frets. Without the frets, tho, the board is too low/bridge is too high to get a really low action.

The reason that I'm suddenly more annoyed by this is I discovered a small depression in the fingerboard of my Bunny 6 yesterday (researching a buzz I couldn't quite get rid of) but I can't repair it by levelling the fingerboard. There's not enough wood to do it; by the time I got it levelled I wouldn't be able to lower the action back down to where I need it to be.
Click to expand...

Are you using taper-wound strings? The strings will sit lower if the thin part crosses the saddle - even though it's just a fraction of an inch, it feels like a lot and should be more than the amount of fingerboard you need to take off.

Sorry to hear about your troubles. I hope you can find a fix that isn't too drastic. It would be a shame to scrap such a nice bass!
 
#640
IronSpatula said:
Are you using taper-wound strings? The strings will sit lower if the thin part crosses the saddle - even though it's just a fraction of an inch, it feels like a lot and should be more than the amount of fingerboard you need to take off.

Sorry to hear about your troubles. I hope you can find a fix that isn't too drastic. It would be a shame to scrap such a nice bass!
Click to expand...

Well that'll help a little bit with the lower strings, but not with the higher ones D, G and C which still have the problem.

And after levelling the board, plus or minus how much wood would have to come off to get rid of the divot, that may null out any advantage you get.

But I"m going to go ahead and try to save it, since I have most of the tools and I don't have anything to lose since it's firewood now anyway. I'm going to try to do my own "Hard As Nails" finish, by putting a thick layer of epoxy on the board. Then I'll re-level, radius and finish sand the epoxy layer.

I've seen this done by building up a kind of container around the edges of the fingerboard with shipping tape or something like that. And just filling that up making a kind of "lake" with a finishing epoxy. I'm going to try the System 3 Mirrorcoat which looks like it's specifically made for this kind of thing.

I love the bass enough to try to rescue it so that's what I'm going to do....

LS
 

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