Double Bass Brock Radelet basses

[garrett2]

To keep this nearly 20 year thread going, I contacted Brock with the info from Casey (thanks). He is very responsive and helpful. The sound is quite different from Ham:

Ham/Radelet adjustable neck?

and consequently other than the upper bout and the adjustable neck they are quite different as well. As he says on his website "If you're familiar with Ham's bass, mine shares only the design of the upper block itself -- the entire shape is otherwise different with a longer body, fuller bouts, different corner positions, and entirely different arching and back design".

Radelet only makes one model in the sense of a 3/4 Gamba, but he is extremely flexible beyond that. Thank you Stanford for this thread and for bringing this extraordinary builder to my attention.

 

[stanford ekholm]

garett, i agree completely with brock on his bass; if there ever was to be any standardization, the radelet is the way to go!
By the way, my custom pollmann has finally reach its master

 

[garrett2]

garrett, i agree completely with brock on his bass; if there ever was to be any standardization, the radelet is the way to go!
By the way, my custom pollmann has finally reach its master
View attachment 4749300

Beautiful! I've ordered a Radelet. Thank you for suggesting him, he was really the builder I was looking for and did not know. I will add it to the thread as he builds it.

 

[stanford ekholm]

Beautiful! I've ordered a Radelet. Thank you for suggesting him, he was really the builder I was looking for and did not know. I will add it to the thread as he builds it.

i envy you, wating for a baby is such a special time! And to all of you out there who love the radelet, help spread the gospel, you’ll be doing the (bass) world a favor!

 

[garrett2]

i envy you, wating for a baby is such a special time! And to all of you out there who love the radelet, help spread the gospel, you’ll be doing the (bass) world a favor!

Will do. There was some discussion of finishes on this thread. To be clear Brock will finish the bass in the way the player wants -- more matte, etc. -- and there are no up charges. He is very much in business again and his price is extremely fair given the level of perfectionism involved. He makes one bass at a time so get on the list!

 

[Mark_T]

That Pollmann looks a bit like Seth Kimmel's violone model, too.

He has one for sale here: https://www.sethkimmel.com/currently-available-for-purchase

I've played it a couple of times and really like it. I already have one of his basses but I'd love to have a violone also.

 

[CaseyVancouver]

Beautiful! I've ordered a Radelet. Thank you for suggesting him, he was really the builder I was looking for and did not know. I will add it to the thread as he builds it.

Very awesome news!

25 years ago I should of commissioned Brock to build me a bass, instead selling him my Reid Hudson old bass woods. I’m sure the result is a beauty. Then, a house full of kids, mortgage, rowdy jazz gigs …it just was not the right time for a fine bass.

Love to hear updates of your build!

 

[stanford ekholm]

That Pollmann looks a bit like Seth Kimmel's violone model, too.

yeah, there are similarities in the plate pattern, but besides the higher placed bridge on the radelet/pollmann, these basses also have a more reduced back plate lenght. This makes them really comfortable to play. Pollmann:

 

[stanford ekholm]

garrett,
i asked pollmann to drill the endpin hole 2” back from the middle, this makes it so much easier balancing the bass in standing position, really recommend this! (straight hole in, not angled) see picture above.

 

[garrett2]

garrett,
i asked pollmann to drill the endpin hole 2” back from the middle, this makes it so much easier balancing the bass in standing position, really recommend this! (straight hole in, not angled) see picture above.

Thanks! I will ask him about this.

 

[garrett2]

Very awesome news!

25 years ago I should of commissioned Brock to build me a bass, instead selling him my Reid Hudson old bass woods. I’m sure the result is a beauty. Then, a house full of kids, mortgage, rowdy jazz gigs …it just was not the right time for a fine bass.

Love to hear updates of your build!

Thanks to you too -- you got us the info on how to contact him!

 

[garrett2]

That Pollmann looks a bit like Seth Kimmel's violone model, too.

He has one for sale here: https://www.sethkimmel.com/currently-available-for-purchase

I've played it a couple of times and really like it. I already have one of his basses but I'd love to have a violone also.

That's a beautiful bass and a very cool design. I was surprised by how rich and deep the low end is in the video.

 

[Mark_T]

That's a beautiful bass and a very cool design. I was surprised by how rich and deep the low end is in the video.

The look of that design took a little while to grow on me, but I'm totally smitten now.

I have played 3 of Seth's violone basses - two were walnut and engelmann "twins", and I loved those from the start - they just sounded great and were a hoot to play. The one that's for sale there is the third that I've tried and when it was first built it was strung up with perpetuals, which I didn't think matched the bass well (although it was my first time trying perpetuals, which also took some time to grow on me). I thought overall it sounded a little tight and a little new. I came back about 2 years later and played it again, and my impression has completely changed. Last I saw it, it had EPs and it was extremely hard to put down. Like its older sisters it has a really big sound for a small bass and is accessible all over. I can't justify owning another bass but....

 

[stanford ekholm]

That Pollmann looks a bit like Seth Kimmel's violone model, too.

He has one for sale here: https://www.sethkimmel.com/currently-available-for-purchase

what are those strings in the video?

 

[Mark_T]

The E looks like a Permanent. The A, D, and G look like Bel Canto.

 

[garrett2]

We have take off.

 

[GretschWretch]

View attachment 5221243

We have take off.

No; we have countdown begun. Take-off cannot occur until the bass is ready to be played. It looks good though; very promising. Based on Quenoil?

 

[stanford ekholm]

No; we have countdown begun. Take-off cannot occur until the bass is ready to be played. It looks good though; very promising. Based on Quenoil?

no, on Ham

 

[garrett2]

No; we have countdown begun. Take-off cannot occur until the bass is ready to be played. It looks good though; very promising. Based on Quenoil?

Thanks! I think of receiving the bass as "Landing". The body shape, and family of body shapes, can be found on p. 2 of this thread. The varnish will color will be something along the lines of Nick Lloyd's beautiful copy of Edgar Meyer's bass, perhaps even lighter.

 

[Mark_T]

Thanks! I think of receiving the bass is "Landing". The body shape, and family of body shapes, can be found on p. 2 of this thread. The varnish will color will be something along the lines of Nick Lloyd's beautiful copy of Edgar Meyer's bass, perhaps even lighter.

Nice. I love that color. So many luthiers use really dark varnish that hides the beauty in the wood. I don't mind dark, but I love when the wood shines through. Even if it's plain wood.