It's pretty simple actually. The whole thing about this bass with Lemur Music started because they have been contacted several times in the past few years from bass players wanting to see if that had any basses that had a sound similar to my bass that they heard on my Wood CD. That's why it is called the "Wood" bass. After about 10-12 hours of measuring my bass, the Lemur people found that the dimensions, top, back, and side wood thickness of my bass were different from any bass they had ever seen. With that said we thought that if we replicated my bass, then maybe the new bass with the same dimensions will share some of the same qualities as my 300 year old Italian bass.
There is no question that so much of your sound comes from your hands, but the instrument you play is very important as well. The fact that my bass is unusual, maybe the replica will get some of the same qualities? I can tell you that I have never played a more comfortable bass then mine, and I have played hundred's of basses iover the years. The Lemur replica should feel very similar.
There will be three models down the road ranging from an entry level student model, a hand carved german model that starts at around $7,000-$7,500, and a special high end Pullmann model. There will also be a special edition Pullmann that will be made from wood that is over 150 years old.
To me to be able to do a project like this with Lemur is an honor and I know the instruments will be great, I have no doubt.
None of us are saying that this new bass will sound exactly like my old bass, all we are saying is that we are going to make a very good modern bass using the dimensions from a truly one of a kind special instrument.
Someone wrote saying that this will be my road bass? I truly hope so. My bass has been damaged several times in the past few years and I don't want to travel with it any more. Amazingly enough each time my bass been damaged, Lisa Gass at LA Bass Works ( my bass angel) has repaired it, she made it better and better. One time when she fixed it after the neck was pushed out of the body, she had to bolt the neck to the body. Not only can you not even see the repair, for the first time since I was 16 years old when I got the bass, all the strings are even in volume and the bass growls and sustains even more then it did before. It even sustains on the E string in thumb position!
I seem to be getting a lot of flack in here for having several different pick-ups on my bass. The bridge piezo pick-up system was the first prototype system that Rick Turner delevloped with me a long time ago.
David Gage who used to do my work when I lived in NYC (who is great I might add) gave me his realist pick-up. Larry Fishman gave me his Full Circle pick-up as well. They are all pick-ups that when you put them on your bass you leave them on your bass, so there are a lot of wires. Plus I also have a mic on my bass so there is even more wires on it.
Out of respect for the people who gave me their pick-ups, I keep them on my bass. I also use them all because they sound completely different from each other and it's actually really great to be able to go back and forth in a session or on a gig and change my bass sound for the music just by plugging into a different jack.
If the Lemur basses somehow get anything from my Italian bass, then this will be a great instrument. I am really excited about the project and it has been amazing watching the whole process. I am so thrilled that these very talented luthiers will be building this bass, truly an honor to have people with that many years of expierence hand making these instruments....................Brian Bromberg
