Carl Thompson called me yesterday....

[petrus61]

Is there something else about the design that would perhaps explain CT’s bias toward a longer scale? This in turn begs the question (I only have a pedestrian knowledge of CT basses) if CT is mostly known (as implied) for these non standard scales, why OP would consider him a good choice for a 34 build? I’m curious what type of bridge design was to be incorporated with OP’s bass and if that played a role in CT’s advice as well.

 

[blowinblue]

When it comes to disagreements about CT basses, arguing with Carl Thompson over scale length would be much less of a concern to me than the argument with my wife over where the money to buy a CT would come from. And explaining to her why it's going to take so long for this bass to be built.

M. M.

 

[alaskaleftybass]

Ringo Starr's All Starr Band

 

[David Jayne]

Funny you should say that, I was just playing golf with Roger Sadowski and we were discussing the very same thing. You see, I've always been a nickel/silver frets man, but Rog has totally sold me on Stainless steel. Whoever saw that coming? I was convinced that the tone would suffer, but Rog put me right. Looks like my tech has some blunt tools in his future! Ho ho ho.

Anyway, Vinny Fodera and I Skyped this afternoon and he convinced me that an Ebony fretboard would better match the penny loafers I wear to my retirement community gigs. The man's a genius, what more can I say?

Its a long way to the top if you want to rock and roll!

 

[bassstrangler]

I can't play a 35 that well, a 36 would be out of the question. Seems kind of a stretch for intonation purposes. Added bonus: the extra long scale strings aren't cheap

 

[RNG1]

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?

Agree totally except for the spelling of cynicism

 

[Smallmouth_Bass]

I like what the extended scale does for the lower pitched strings, but not the treble. That's why my preference is still a 34" scale length over a 35" for a 5-string. But that is also why fanned frets makes so much sense to me; you get the best of both and a more even tone across the strings.

If I were you, I'd try and play 36" scale before making that type of commitment.

(Congrats on your upcoming custom bass BTW!)

 

[Chrisk-K]

I’ve never had an intonation issue with 34”. Nor have I ever noticed an intonation problem, say, in Geddy’s 34” basses. And I have perfect pitch.

 

[BluesWalker]

Jaco called me yesterday: over and over he said 4 strings, 34”

 

[Lardass5000]

I like what the extended scale does for the lower pitched strings, but not the treble. That's why my preference is still a 34" scale length over a 35" for a 5-string. But that is also why fanned frets makes so much sense to me; you get the best of both and a more even response across the strings.

If I were you, I'd try and play 36" scale before making that type of commitment.

(Congrats on your upcoming custom bass BTW!)

 

[bobba66]

I've always admired Mr. Thompson's sub-machine guns.

 

[Bob_Ross]

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?

But (presumably) you're not just giving a man several thousand dollars for a 34" scale bass; presumably you're giving Carl Thompson several thousand dollars because you want a Carl Thompson bass.

Consider two hypothetical customers:
Customer # 1 wants a 5-string bass that has a 34" scale, 17mm string spacing, 1.90" nut width, ebony fingerboard with MOP dots, 4+1 headstock using Hipshot tuners, a neckthru construction made from 5-pieces of Eastern rock maple with purpleheart stringers, Delano pickups in a MM+J configuration, a Mike Pope Flexcore preamp with two mid bands, Hipshot Type A bridge (brass) and a mahogany body with bubinga top and back laminates. Who can provide a custom bass for this customer?

Customer #2 wants a 5-string Carl Thompson bass. Who can provide a custom bass for this customer?

 

[NMTB]

Jaco only needed 34”

And look where he's ended up...

 

[two fingers]

Agree totally except for the spelling of cynicism
View attachment 3213930

Good catch.

 

[TwentyHz]

In my circles, we tend to ask creative folks to create things for us in a way that is open ended. Most recently: a chef, a bartender, a deck-builder, a house painter, a graphic designer, a hair stylist. In these cases, the relationship is not as simple as customer<->provider. We want the person to be free to be creative. It’s part of what we want from the experience. We want a little of them to be present in the work they perform. We want a one-off. We want our project to be the one where they get to let their hair down a little. It’s not a compromise. It’s not kow-towing. It’s an enhancement. It’s a pleasure. It’s part of the joy of not buying sh*t-in-a-box at AmeriMart. We want the the process to be present and visible in the results.

 

[TrustRod]

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??!?

Thinking about this, I suspect 95% is too high if you consider all the stuff played on non Fender basses, the Beatles for example. Besides the Hofner aren't Ricks just shy of 34? In addition to that all those hollowbody things from the '60s and '70s are usually under 34".

I hope you don't mind a tangent rant

 

[Bryan R. Tyler]

Thinking about this, I suspect 95% is too high if you consider all the stuff played on non Fender basses, the Beatles for example. Besides the Hofner aren't Ricks just shy of 34? In addition to that all those hollowbody things from the '60s and '70s are usually under 34".

I hope you don't mind a tangent rant

I wouldn’t doubt if the number is higher than 95%. You have to remember that 34” is not only the primary scale for Fender basses, of which there’s exponentially more than most non 34” models combined, but also it’s also the primary scale of nearly every other company. They were also the main instruments of session musicians for decades, thus what you hear in background music, jingles, and music where you don’t think much about the musicians backing up the main act. Carol Kaye alone has recorded more than 50 times the songs than of all the Beatles songs combined for example.

 

[Gorn]

But (presumably) you're not just giving a man several thousand dollars for a 34" scale bass; presumably you're giving Carl Thompson several thousand dollars because you want a Carl Thompson bass.

Consider two hypothetical customers:
Customer # 1 wants a 5-string bass that has a 34" scale, 17mm string spacing, 1.90" nut width, ebony fingerboard with MOP dots, 4+1 headstock using Hipshot tuners, a neckthru construction made from 5-pieces of Eastern rock maple with purpleheart stringers, Delano pickups in a MM+J configuration, a Mike Pope Flexcore preamp with two mid bands, Hipshot Type A bridge (brass) and a mahogany body with bubinga top and back laminates. Who can provide a custom bass for this customer?

Customer #2 wants a 5-string Carl Thompson bass. Who can provide a custom bass for this customer?

Where was the suggestion back in May when money changed hands. The idea didn't occur to him then? Or maybe he has the parts ready for a 36" scale bass and it'll be cheaper and easier to make that instead of what the customer wanted and paid for. And they're great basses. No doubt about it. He's amazingly skilled and in this situation that's working out for him because his customer is willing to defer to his judgement. His reputation is making it okay for this customer. That's business.

 

[chris_b]

It is well known that Carl Thompson employs his own way of doing things, so ordering one of his basses will always be a discussion about the pro's and con's as he sees them. Every build is a one-off and that's the uniqueness you want and why you order a CT bass. It's a method that seems to have served his customers well over the years. I'm sure if a customer was unhappy at the planning stage the deposit would be returned.

I have both and IME the difference between 34" and 35" is unnoticeable. I wouldn't expect the difference between 35" and 36"to be an issue either.

Why are people so easily roused to negative views when scale length and number of strings gets mentioned here! Jaco certainly wouldn't have agreed with such comments.

 

[40Hz]

You hit-and-run accused him of something that wasn't true.

Enjoy your reality.

Yep. It’s that green-eyed with a dollop of holier-than-thou thing you run into every so often.