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CAN ANYONE BEAT TOM'S BASS?!?!?!
- Thread starter engage757
- Start date
I'll add mine for the "mere mortal" category.
Holy****
How much for that BEAUTIFUL FENDER?
Its with original parts or its mod...
Sorry for my ignorance
My problem with boutique basses (and Tom yours is no exception) is that they look like they should be kept in a vault and never played for fear of damaging them. I know from first-hand experience owning a boutique bass (a Roscoe SKB3006) that wear does NOT look good on them.
That's why I love Carl Thompson basses. They have the same incredible craftsmanship as any other boutique luthier, but they are made to be played, and look great worn-in. Here's one that belongs to my buddy Chaz:
Imagine how great that bass is gonna look in 20 years.
That's why I love Carl Thompson basses. They have the same incredible craftsmanship as any other boutique luthier, but they are made to be played, and look great worn-in. Here's one that belongs to my buddy Chaz:
Imagine how great that bass is gonna look in 20 years.
Thanks!
I don't like web sound clips much because I don't rate MP3 as a hifi audio medium and also IME every person sounds different when playing even with the same bass and rig so all sound clips are going to tell you is what the player doing the recording sounds like with any given bass.
However you can hear what the black Gus G3 sounds like with me playing it in a full band setting on Link Removed although your really ought to get the CD for the full audio experience. ;-)
Why does it appear that there is a prohibition on getting instruments that have suffered wear or damage to the finish refinished?
To me wear on the finish of a bass is not something to be proud of, but damage that eventually will need to be put right. IMO refinishing as bass is no different to replacing the strings or frets when they are worn. It just doesn't need doing as often.
A case in point my CAR Gus G3 was originally finished in flip purple/green and had suffered a lot of wear to both the body and neck paint as well as the chrome. The previous owner said that it had been gigged hard, but my black Gus is of roughly the same age and usage and hasn't suffered anything like as badly. The instrument played and sounded great but I couldn't live with the shabby looks so it went back to Simon at Gus for a complete overhaul including changing the colour when it was decided that it wasn't possible to salvage the original finish.
I will have no hesitation in doing the same for any of my other instruments if they ever reach a similar stage.
Sorry for dragging this off-topic.
Thank you very much. It's all original except for the pickguard and control plate cover. The original Mother of Pearl white pickguard didn't do it for me. '96 Fender Ventures Jazz.
No comparison to Tom's bass, but worth submitting, at least.
No comparison to Tom's bass, but worth submitting, at least.
Holy****
How much for that BEAUTIFUL FENDER?
Its with original parts or its mod...
Sorry for my ignorance
Fortunately that's not a universal "problem".
I hear what you're saying, it just never made sense to me. None of my basses are in a vault and they all go on gigs. I'd take any of them to a bar gig should I feel the desire to. That's the beauty of owning your own stuff... isn't it?
There's a ten year old bass in the pic (and some almost that age) and it's in the same condition as the rest of my gear. So I'd expect all of my basses to look as they do now in twenty years.
Some "boutique" basses are a heck of a lot more durable than you might imagine. Trust me on that. It's a shame some people fear using great gear out in the real world... I don't.
I applaud your fearlessness, Brad. I'm sure you take great care of your instruments. Whenever I bring my Roscoe to gigs I'm always nervous about it. When I perform live I tend to cut loose a bit and I can't really guarantee the safety of any of my instruments. The one time I did cut loose while playing my Roscoe I ended up breaking off a knob. My Fender is just covered in bruises and scrapes from onstage abuse.
And that's the point I guess I'm trying to make. If I owned a CT I would feel much more comfortable cutting loose onstage knowing that the scuffs and scratches would only add to its appeal. The same can't be said about most boutique instruments. Not to mention that I can't afford to refinish my bass every time it gets some scratches on it.
And that's the point I guess I'm trying to make. If I owned a CT I would feel much more comfortable cutting loose onstage knowing that the scuffs and scratches would only add to its appeal. The same can't be said about most boutique instruments. Not to mention that I can't afford to refinish my bass every time it gets some scratches on it.
I get what you're saying, but I think it all comes down to careful situation management. I wish I could find the pictures I have from some gigs I did at a pure dive with my 5-string Alembic. Alembic's Quote Generator currently places new retail for this bass at $19,900. This is more than 3 times what I actually paid for it 10 years ago.
Now I pretty much play it only at church, but it is in the same condition (plus one minor clearcoat scratch and one headstock edge ding) that it was in when I bought it. Even at church, I don't let it out of my sight. Stuff has been stolen from the church, so I over-protect. If I'm not playing that Alembic, I typically have my Roscoe fretless or my Marchlewski. Again, I just make certain they go where I go.
Peace,
James
Okay, I'll take the challenge. I'll put up my Marchlewski 5 string.
Good sir, you have the most beautiful bass I have ever seen in my life. I spent about 10 minutes just staring at it.
Where do I aquire one for myself?
That really depends on what kind of wear you find attractive. I'm not sure why any matte/oil/non gloss type finished bass wouldn't gain the same character you think the CT will.
It's funny, I don't feel fearless
. In fact. If anything, I've just learned that bad things usually happen when you don't anticipate. So I don't fear the bad thing, I just keep in mind that they can happen. I won't get too deep into that whole thing again, last time I did someone here called me "God".I leave space when I'm onstage to move. I don't set my gear down near drunks or even sober patrons. I watch out for cymbals
. If I have to leave my gear out of my purview, I put my basses away. I try to do the no brainer stuff consistently because I've found that's the stuff that can screw you up more often than not.It comes down to "What's the dumbest thing that could happen right now... and how can I be ready for it?". I drive my car like that, heck I live life like that.
Ahh yes... And then there's Brad's collection.
Thanks... those are only my Brubakers.
Yeah I'll concede that the high-gloss finish is a big factor in making those instruments look really fragile. Nothing like covering your instrument in something that makes it look like glass to do that. And cracked or worn-out high-gloss finish looks pretty crummy IMO.
Believe it or not I do ocassionally bump into things. With proper prepwork and the right materials you can have a high gloss finish that's tough as nails. In the case of Brubakers, Kevin uses the same materials for some of his satin finishes, just shoots them at a lower sheen. They're tough too. IME I'd really have to bang my bass hard to damage it.
The worst I've done so far happened at home last year. I backed into a stand and knocked the bass on it forward. It fell a couple of feet headfirst into another bass on another stand and that bass fell into a third. I had three Brubakers on top of each other on the floor of my home office and felt like the world's biggest idiot.
I inspected all three and couldn't find a scratch on 'em. Shiny doesn't mean fragile. But I do pay more attention to where I move in my office.
- Apr 3, 2003
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FWIW, even when it comes to my "fancy" basses, I buy them with the intention of playing them. I only had two basses which I definitely felt nervous about taking to a gig (a Fodera Emperor Deluxe and a Dingwall Prima), and I sold them both. All of my basses are gig warriors. While I do try to be relatively careful, I accept that it's possible that I may pick up a ding or a scratch or two.
That being said, I play my Skjolds probably more than anything, and Pete's finish is VERY durable. I know that several of my Skjolds have taken some hits, but you'd be hard pressed to find any marks on them.
Now, my Thunderbird, on the other hand, is most definitely "road-worn," but I used to jump around a lot more (I still move around a good bit!), and we played on much more cramped stages back in the '90s (and 4 nights per week, at that!).
Tom.
That being said, I play my Skjolds probably more than anything, and Pete's finish is VERY durable. I know that several of my Skjolds have taken some hits, but you'd be hard pressed to find any marks on them.
Now, my Thunderbird, on the other hand, is most definitely "road-worn," but I used to jump around a lot more (I still move around a good bit!), and we played on much more cramped stages back in the '90s (and 4 nights per week, at that!).
Tom.
