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Brubaker Brute Club

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#61
Congratulations! The Brute is the best bass I have ever played. It just fits like it was made for me. With the upgrades, I could not be happier.

I see no reason that you cannot have SuperT's number. Jordan started this club, but I believe he has parted ways with his Brute. If no one else wishes to manage this club, I volunteer for the honor.

And now for a little shameless promotion. I posted these pix in another thread, but I think they would do well here as well.

TrickedOutBrute01.jpg


TrickedOutBrute02.jpg


TrickedOutBrute03.jpg


TrickedOutBrute04.jpg



drpepper said:
I closed a sale with Supertanker today, so this is mine pending shipment. (Not the strap, just the bass) :bassist:

brute3-1.jpg


So, how does this work, since it's the same bass, do I get SuperT's number or does that get retired? :D

I excited from most of what I've read, but I'm a little concerned with such a small club losing members at such a high rate.
Click to expand...
 
#62
DaveTomasi said:
Congratulations! The Brute is the best bass I have ever played. It just fits like it was made for me. With the upgrades, I could not be happier.

I see no reason that you cannot have SuperT's number. Jordan started this club, but I believe he has parted ways with his Brute. If no one else wishes to manage this club, I volunteer for the honor.
Click to expand...

I was kidding about taking the number. I wouldn't want to be a club number poser...always feeling like a fake, a fraud, waiting for someone to come along and point out the truth :p

I'll second your nomination to manager and nominate myself as acting club historian -

J. Crawford - 1
Supertanker - 2
a2zbassman - 3
orlando123 - 4
DaveTomasi - 5
JayCY - 6 (Requested not assigned)
coop - 7
vision - 8 (Not specifically requested - Not assigned)
stoneboy26 - 9 (Not specifically requested - Not assigned)
drpepper - 10
 
#66
Hello,

First let me say that I am not a bass player. I've always wanted to play the bass but could not fit it into my schedule. I have a 11 yr old & a 13 yr old that are interested in learning to play the bass.

Having done a little homework the Brute seems to be one of the best basses in this price range (new). My primary concern is there are no fret inlays on the Brute. I haven't even seen the marks on the sides of the neck. I'm a little concerned that this could be a problem for beginners. The other basses that I am considering is are the StingRay SB14, and the Carvin SB4000.

Is the lack of inlays really a problem for beginners?

Does the Brute have markers on side of the neck?



Leo
 
#67
The Brute does have marks on the side of the neck.

Most of my basses throughout my life have not had had markers on the fret board. It was never a factor when I started playing bass. Ultimately, I learned to play without ever looking at the bass.

bbleous said:
Hello,

First let me say that I am not a bass player. I've always wanted to play the bass but could not fit it into my schedule. I have a 11 yr old & a 13 yr old that are interested in learning to play the bass.

Having done a little homework the Brute seems to be one of the best basses in this price range (new). My primary concern is there are no fret inlays on the Brute. I haven't even seen the marks on the sides of the neck. I'm a little concerned that this could be a problem for beginners. The other basses that I am considering is are the StingRay SB14, and the Carvin SB4000.

Is the lack of inlays really a problem for beginners?

Does the Brute have markers on side of the neck?



Leo
Click to expand...
 
#68
bbleous said:
Hello,

First let me say that I am not a bass player. I've always wanted to play the bass but could not fit it into my schedule. I have a 11 yr old & a 13 yr old that are interested in learning to play the bass.

Having done a little homework the Brute seems to be one of the best basses in this price range (new). My primary concern is there are no fret inlays on the Brute. I haven't even seen the marks on the sides of the neck. I'm a little concerned that this could be a problem for beginners. The other basses that I am considering is are the StingRay SB14, and the Carvin SB4000.

Is the lack of inlays really a problem for beginners?

Does the Brute have markers on side of the neck?



Leo
Click to expand...

It shouldn't be. The side dots are there and pretty easy to see. Basses with no markings at all are extremely rare and even though I've been playing forever, I wouldn't want a bass with no markings. While my personal preference is side dots only...

I won't start the debate about where you should be looking when playing:D
 
#70
Hi All, just a quick question: I've been mulling over getting a new bass this year and recently stumbled over the Brutes. They're now at the top of my list, but I've noticed some Brutes (and some highend Brubakers) have the "ramp" thing in the middle of the pups. Does this serve as a thumbrest or does this affect tone or something? The only ramp I've ever heard of is on Ibanez's Gary Willis sigs, and I like the look on the Brutes but hope it serves a function more so than just the aesthetic of it all. It sits right on the sweet spot where I anchor my thumb so in getting one means I'll pay extra for it. Is it expensive? I shot Kevin B. an email with the same question but figure he's a right busy man to answer soon....
 
#71
cakebass said:
Hi All, just a quick question: I've been mulling over getting a new bass this year and recently stumbled over the Brutes. They're now at the top of my list, but I've noticed some Brutes (and some highend Brubakers) have the "ramp" thing in the middle of the pups. Does this serve as a thumbrest or does this affect tone or something? The only ramp I've ever heard of is on Ibanez's Gary Willis sigs, and I like the look on the Brutes but hope it serves a function more so than just the aesthetic of it all. It sits right on the sweet spot where I anchor my thumb so in getting one means I'll pay extra for it. Is it expensive? I shot Kevin B. an email with the same question but figure he's a right busy man to answer soon....
Click to expand...

Check Invalid Link Removed on the function of the ramp.

I'm sure Kevin will get back to you as soon as he can. Not a great time for commercial communication.

I've had a phenomenal experiences dealing with Brubaker (email, phone and in-person) and this is after buying used. Speed and content of responses have simply been stellar. Kevin did the setup on my bass free of charge. I can't say enough good about it.
 
#72
drpepper said:
Check Invalid Link Removed on the function of the ramp.

I'm sure Kevin will get back to you as soon as he can. Not a great time for commercial communication.

I've had a phenomenal experiences dealing with Brubaker (email, phone and in-person) and this is after buying used. Speed and content of responses have simply been stellar. Kevin did the setup on my bass free of charge. I can't say enough good about it.
Click to expand...

Wow, thanks, that more than takes care of that explanation, the ramp is just a studier and more user friendly take on the classic itty-bitty plastic Fender thumbrests. Looks infinitely cooler as well. I know Kevin's a busy guy, so thanks for your explanation, my mind's pretty much made up:D
 
#74
cakebass said:
Wow, thanks, that more than takes care of that explanation, the ramp is just a studier and more user friendly take on the classic itty-bitty plastic Fender thumbrests. Looks infinitely cooler as well. I know Kevin's a busy guy, so thanks for your explanation, my mind's pretty much made up:D
Click to expand...

Not quite.
:)

While the ramp can be used as a thumb rest, think of it more as something that keeps your plucking fingers from going too far past the string, getting them back into position to pluck again more quickly. For many it's like playing over a pickup that's set fairly close to the strings vs. playing between the pickups. You're correct that the ramp was pioneered by Gary Willis, an extraordinary bassist IMO. It aids in lightening up your touch and playing quicker and more cleanly.

Any ramps you see on a Brubaker were optional. As far as communications, I'll be seeing him Monday and can help get questions answered faster in most cases anyway (I give him a hand with that). He's just getting through the holiday season and the NAMM show is only a couple of weeks off and I think whatever's going out there needs to ship early next week.

Thanks.

Here's a really big ramp...

DSC07940.jpg


You can see how close you can get the strings to the ramp and still maintain playability. I can still pluck hard with this setup.
:cool:
 
#75
I finally got my MJX-5! Found this used on the GC web site and just had to order it. Pretty good deal at under $500 shipped with the upgrades . . . and what I'm assuming is a custom order that Kevin put together for someone as it came out of the Towson, MD store.

I haven't had a chance to play it through my rig yet but plan on doing so at the upcoming Sunday worship service. Guess I'll find out if I'm a EMG fan or not. One thing I already know is that the neck is better (straighter/lower action/zero string buzz) than on my JJX-5.

(if you've read any of my previous entries in the other Brute forum you already know I had some trouble with my neck when I first got it)

Don't get me wrong, it's still very playable . . . but I now understand that sweet, low action everyone else has boasted about with their Brutes . . . as I've got it now on this one!

Anyway, here's some pics -

With Flash:


IMG_0031-2.jpg

IMG_0032-2.jpg



And without flash - you can see the Pearloid in the pick-guard better:


IMG_0034-1.jpg

IMG_0033-1.jpg



And a close-up of the pups and ramp - Nice detail on the ramp!!


IMG_0042-1.jpg
 
#77
drpepper said:
Interesting find. I know reds are tough for digital pictures sometimes, but I don't think I'm digging the color.

I'm going to have to look into a ramp.

Possibly a pu upgrade at some point in the future too.

Your JJX looks fantastic.
Click to expand...

Thanks on the JJX!!

Yeah, not sure on the red/pearloid red either. Although it does look a heck of a lot better in natural light I have to say. I've had the bass for just over 24 hours and am already thinking about how to change it/make it better. Thinking about ordering a custom pick guard from Kevin and swapping out the EMG's for Barts or maybe Delanos again. I'm not finding the tonal variety I expected with the EMG's, even with the series/parallel push/pull on the volume knob. But I gotta get new strings first . . . that may be half the problem.

Also, I'm undecided on the whole ramp thing. I like it some of the time, but when I wanna dig in I can't without moving up past the neck pup. Gonna take some getting used to it. Time will tell I guess.
 
#78
a2zbassman said:
Yeah, not sure on the red/pearloid red either.

I'm undecided on the whole ramp thing. I like it some of the time, but when I wanna dig in I can't without moving up past the neck pup. Gonna take some getting used to it. Time will tell I guess.
Click to expand...

I'm red/green color blind, so sometimes I'm not sure on shades of red. I thought it looked pink. Because of my experience, I assumed it might be the pictures, or a shade of red that I have trouble with...

My 4 year old niece just walked by and said "Hey, pink! Can you get guitars like that for me and my sister?"

I had a favorite shirt that I thought was light red...it was pink.

On the ramp, I'd be interested in trying it partly because I have found myself digging in more than I intend when I'm playing with a group. The limiting effect might work for me.

Out of curiousity, what was the problem you had with the neck on you JJX?
 
#79
Pink huh? Well I can see that a little in my pics. The first pic I got from GC looked almost orange, or sort of a tangerine, if you will. I was sure I was gonna get one that had been repainted, but that wasn't the case. One things for sure, I can't be going around playing a pink looking bass;). Definitely gonna have to get a custom guard for it.

My neck on the JJX had a lot of fret buzz right out of the box. I had to set the action about as high as the bridge would go resulting in super high action and bad intonation. I emailed Kevin and found out it had a two way truss rod . . . tweaked and played with that for a couple days . . . then reset the bridge and intonation . . . better . . . but still got a lot of buzz when playing med-hard . . . changed out the strings to DR's and re-set-up . . . much, much better. Now it's very playable. It also seems to have gotten even better now in the winter . . . have to wait and see what happens again in Spring and Summer
 
#80
I miss my Brute sometimes.. I think I might save up and get a custom one ordered sometime in the year. I love my P basses, and am happy I traded my brute to make my fretless, but I miss the sweet feel of that neck.. Thats one of the best necks I have ever had, period.

So, I know I started the club, but I plan to be in it again in the near future!
 
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