Carl Thompson called me yesterday....

[J Gold]

Wow-I've been called lots of stuff before, but humblebag is new to me!

Sorry if I offended anyone. If Leo were still alive and called one of us after having put down a deposit in the custom shop to discuss the tort pattern, how much candy to put in the apple, or the type of foam used in the mute I'd be just as excited.

Talkbass is my place to geek out about this stuff. And your place to tell me I'm wrong. Viva la vida!

 

[Double E]

Agree with the second part of this, but the chef comparison is a stretch. You drop a few hundred, have your morning coffee the following day, and that meal experience is behind you. This is multiple thousands of dollars and (hopefully) a go-to bass in his arsenal. I would take Carl's suggestion seriously, but I wouldn't treat it as gospel.

I try to think of basses like I do my running shoes. When it's all said and done, I don't care what brand they are, what numerical size they say, what specs they have, or what benefits the shoe store & company tout. They have to feel great and convince me that I can do my best running in them. Whatever specs you choose, the bass should be something you feel you can do your best, most comfortable playing on. Of course, there's a difference with a custom instrument that you can't play until it is completed. That said, I would be trying out multiple basses with the same scale and similar spacing before making that decision.

I was just making a loose analogy to drive home the point that sticking with the builders wheelhouse should be considered...otherwise why not go with another builder that is more in line with what you might actually want?

I don't like the Carl Thompson hippie sandwich heavily carved aesthetic. I will acknowledge that he is a great builder, but I would not go to him and ask him to build me a alder slab body painted in Inca Silver and a black pick guard with a maple bolt-on neck.

 

[Jim C]

I don't see how intonation is a problem with a modern bass.
Even with a strobotuner, a 34" gets really close.
Add a little excitement or just the energy of a live performance and/or string bending, and it is a much bigger deal IMO.

Use a good tuner and play a note mid neck.
Look at how easy it is to make it go out of tune with extra pressure on the frets.
And, it is inaudible assuming a decent playing technique.
I don't hear out of tune bass on professional records; am I the only one?

Tone is subjective but that would be a good reason if it's important to you.
Most importantly, will the longer neck affect your playing?

 

[DirtDog]

So you've comissioned a Carl Thompson bass, right?

Definition of HUMBLEBRAG

Reminds me when Enzo called and tried to talk me into a front engined model instead of the red 308 GTB I ordered. Screw you Mr. Ferrari!

 

[Bob_Ross]

You gave someone several thousand dollars to make something for you and now six months later he thinks he should make something you didn't ask for? You are the one who should argue because it's your money. If he didn't make this suggestion in May than he never should've made it at all.

This is in some ways a semantic issue: I think part of the problem is the not-quite-cast-in-stone definition of "custom" when referring to these artisanal handmade boutique limited-production instruments.

To some luthiers and customers, a "custom" instrument means the end-user gets to define any & every feature, and the luthier executes this one-off to meet the client's whim(s).
To other luthiers and customers, a "custom" instrument means the luthier is building it expressly and specifically for the one client who commissioned the build...but they aren't necessarily doing anything particularly unique for that client.

The problems really start when a client expecting the first definition gets tangled up with a luthier who provides the second definition.

I know plenty of bassists who would appreciate anything Carl Thompson built, because hey, it's a Carl Thompson! And Carl probably appreciates those bassists as clients slightly more than the ones who might want to micro-manage every detail of the build, because at the very least they require less hand-holding.
Whether Carl actually even wants to accept commissions from the micro-managing/hand-needs-holding client is a question I don't know the answer to.

 

[BassHappy]

Be careful. It's very important to play the bass that fits you perfectly.

 

[Gorn]

This is in some ways a semantic issue: I think part of the problem is the not-quite-cast-in-stone definition of "custom" when referring to these artisanal handmade boutique limited-production instruments.

To some luthiers and customers, a "custom" instrument means the end-user gets to define any & every feature, and the luthier executes this one-off to meet the client's whim(s).
To other luthiers and customers, a "custom" instrument means they are building it expressly and specifically for the one client who commissioned the build...but they aren't necessarily doing anything particularly unique for that client.

The problems really start when a client expecting the first definition gets tangled up with a luthier who provides the second definition.

I know plenty of bassists who would appreciate anything Carl Thompson built, because hey, it's a Carl Thompson! And Carl probably appreciates those bassists as clients slightly more than the ones who might want to micro-manage every detail of the build, because at the very least they require less hand-holding.
Whether Carl actually even wants to accept commissions from the micro-managing/hand-needs-holding client is a question I don't know the answer to.

Scale length is pretty set in stone.

 

[Chrisk-K]

Jaco only needed 34”

 

[Bob_Ross]

Scale length is pretty set in stone.

No it isn't.

At least, not if you actually have a relationship with the luthier, and he's looking to improve your experience by suggesting a different scale length than the one you initially requested. You as the paying customer are always welcome to decline what he's offering* but I'd hate to think I had the opportunity to own what my luthier feels is the best possible realization of his craft and I missed out because he didn't ask me if I might want something other than what I originally commissioned.

*Of course, perhaps he's not offering; perhaps he's insisting?

In that case, we're back to my previous post, re: the two different definitions of "custom"

 

[David Jayne]

If 34" basses have intonation problems they're not significant. They're just not.

 

[Epitaph04]

The op actually got me thinking. Part of the reason why I like playing and owning various bass guitars is the fact that they all feel and sound different. Its what I love about playing. So if I was getting a CP bass...I think I would go with the most unique options for it. Then it’ll really feel like a truly unique, different instrument, as opposed to a standard sized and standard sounding instrument with a carl thompson logo and price tag on it.

 

[Gorn]

No it isn't.

At least, not if you actually have a relationship with the luthier, and he's looking to improve your experience by suggesting a different scale length than the one you initially requested. You as the paying customer are always welcome to decline what he's offering* but I'd hate to think I had the opportunity to own what my luthier feels is the best possible realization of his craft and I missed out because he didn't ask me if I might want something other than what I originally commissioned.

*Of course, perhaps he's not offering; perhaps he's insisting?

In that case, we're back to my previous post, re: the two different definitions of "custom"

So if I give a man several thousand dollars for a 34" scale bass and then a half a year later this man tells me 36" is better, that's reasonable because of relationships? You're a hell of a customer. There's a really cool bridge that connects Manhattan and Brooklyn you might be interested in.

 

[MVE]

The op actually got me thinking. Part of the reason why I like playing and owning various bass guitars is the fact that they all feel and sound different. Its what I love about playing. So if I was getting a CP bass...I think I would go with the most unique options for it. Then it’ll really feel like a truly unique, different instrument, as opposed to a standard sized and standard sounding instrument with a carl thompson logo and price tag on it.

Yeah, but a “go to” or “#1” instrument is usually good at everything. Unique instruments are usually only useful for “unique” circumstances.
But I do understand what you are saying.

 

[flojob]

That's a great point to remember, no matter the thread.

To some luthiers and customers, a "custom" instrument means the end-user gets to define any & every feature, and the luthier executes this one-off to meet the client's whim(s).
To other luthiers and customers, a "custom" instrument means the luthier is building it expressly and specifically for the one client who commissioned the build...but they aren't necessarily doing anything particularly unique for that client.

The problems really start when a client expecting the first definition gets tangled up with a luthier who provides the second definition

 

[Bryan R. Tyler]

If 34" basses have intonation problems they're not significant. They're just not.

Now wait just a minute- probably 95% (or more) of music with an electric bass was played on a 34” scale....you’re telling me you aren’t bothered by 95% of music??!?

 

[alaskaleftybass]

The guy is excited. Carl Thompson called him. He wasn't bragging. He's super excited that a legendary builder who is building a bass for him actually reached out to him to ask his opinion and give him some advice.

Now, if you're jealous, that's your own issue.

Personally, I would be geeked out too if Carl Thompson called me to talk to me about my pending custom bass.... so geeked out that I would probably share it with my bass cyber pals here at TB.

So, why don't you just let him have his joy and take you synicism elsewhere?

I saw Alice Cooper puke in a VW bus. I'm not kidding.

 

[MYLOWFREQ]

I think the OP should definitely try a 36" bass that is similar to what will be received at the end. I totally get that the luthier's opinions are important, but the bass has to fit the OP the most, not Carl him self. Carl might be comfortable with a 36", but isn't it the OP getting a custom bass? Why would you drop big $$$ for a custom bass that is not customized to your specs? I'd not place an order to an instrument built for me useless I know exactly what I want.

 

[Kelly robinson]

What little I know about longer scale basses came from finding a discarded and stripped long scale Pedulla body and neck at a flea market . I resurrected it enough to make it playable but could never handle the 35 " or thereabouts scale length . I did notice that the sound was more distinct and defined in the first positions than the 30" scale basses I normally use so I can understand the arguments made for having a longer scale bass - assuming you can make the fingering adjustments necessary to play it well . However , playability seems like it should be the main concern for the OP for an investment of that magnitude - Only he can say how comfortable he is likely to be at that 36" length - Kelly

 

[seventhson]

Stu Hamm hasn't played 32" basses in more than two decades.

well crap, i should just do everyone a favor and go kill myself lol

 

[Lardass5000]