He teases the release of his signature bass that's coming out next month.
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Charles Berthoud Signature Bass
- Thread starter Acoustic356
- Start date
I don't know what I was expecting. Not this, at the very least.
He's so obnoxious, but so much less so than so many of his YouTube bass competitors. Unreal technique, and actually has something to say musically when he's not just flashing chops. Glad to hear this actually starts listenable before the chops-fest.
The bass sounds and looks nice. Any rumors on the price? If it's actually reasonable, more power to him. If it's another overpriced "Joe Dart Greedfest", I'll pass...
The bass sounds and looks nice. Any rumors on the price? If it's actually reasonable, more power to him. If it's another overpriced "Joe Dart Greedfest", I'll pass...
It looks like an off-shore Schecter. I would expect the price to be under $1000.
They do have a custom shop, but this looks factory.
I mean he has used a Stiletto for years. I suppose if you could play anything and want a really versatile bass with a thin neck then you could do a lot worse than Schecter. I get it, it's a Schecter. I feel like most of the people who shun them don't look at them as tools. In many many ways the Indonesian Stiletto I had (same basic model as his, different color) was a much better built bass than most much fancier and "more respected" brand models I have owned or played. If I liked Active electronics and thin necks I'd still be playing mine. It was by far the fastest and most comfortable bass I have owned, (except for the neck width).
The only Schecter I've ever played is a parts bass I put together from parts off ebay. Picked up the Stiletto Custom 4 stripped body first, then later found a badly defretted matching neck that needed rescuing. Let's see if I have a pic...
Turned out very very well, one of my better playing fretless basses.
So if Charles' siggy comes in under $1K, yeah, you betcha I'll be looking closer...
Turned out very very well, one of my better playing fretless basses.
So if Charles' siggy comes in under $1K, yeah, you betcha I'll be looking closer...
@bholder I looked at their website. It looks like they may be around $1200...
His demo certainly makes the petty capacitor brand, tonewood, string gauge, etc debates unimportant. Skill brings it to the table and he is very impressive.
I think I'm ready to wheel all my gear to the curb.....
I think I'm ready to wheel all my gear to the curb.....
Look like Optima Gold plated strings. John Entwistle used them. I had a set for a little while, but didn't think they were anything special.
That's some great slap tone IMO. Thick but spanky.
Not wild about the contrasting center wood or general aesthetic, but might look nicer in person. Would have liked to see at least a detuner on the E string since I know he sometimes does the Michael Manring "play the tuners, not the frets" thing.
Spoke wheel truss rod adjustment gets two big thumbs up from me, too. Wanna be able to easily tweak the neck relief to keep the action screaming low.
Whether or not you like the chopsfest, dude can p l a y and is highly musical even when it seems 'just flashy.'
I've played but never owned a few different Schecters and always thought they were rock solid quality. Never bought one because they always seemed redundant to some of my other instruments.
Not wild about the contrasting center wood or general aesthetic, but might look nicer in person. Would have liked to see at least a detuner on the E string since I know he sometimes does the Michael Manring "play the tuners, not the frets" thing.
Spoke wheel truss rod adjustment gets two big thumbs up from me, too. Wanna be able to easily tweak the neck relief to keep the action screaming low.
Whether or not you like the chopsfest, dude can p l a y and is highly musical even when it seems 'just flashy.'
I've played but never owned a few different Schecters and always thought they were rock solid quality. Never bought one because they always seemed redundant to some of my other instruments.
Charles has unreal technique, but in the context of a signature instrument that in no way resembles the instrument he regularly uses, so what? Maybe I'm getting old, but I couldn't give a poopie about signature guitars or basses at this point. Seems like everybody and his dog has one, which makes them rather meaningless.
The reality is that if you want to play like Charles, practice. A lot. On whatever you own.
The reality is that if you want to play like Charles, practice. A lot. On whatever you own.
When we were young and starting out, many of our heroes had signature instruments. We also probably dreamt of becoming big rock stars with signature models of our own. How many TalkBass threads do we have of "If you could have a signature bass, what company would make it and what would the specs be?" and we all still entertain that wishful thinking.
Charles Berthoud is a contemporary bass hero who's inspiring the next generation of basses. He's definitely someone who'd get a signature bass, so it's cool he has one and it may be in a reasonable price point to boot.
Charles Berthoud is a contemporary bass hero who's inspiring the next generation of basses. He's definitely someone who'd get a signature bass, so it's cool he has one and it may be in a reasonable price point to boot.
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A friend has a Schecter, its a great bass. Id have one if i liked the look of it, which I dont, so I dont.
Can't even come close to the price of a LeFay, I could guarantee that. 
Im surprised he didnt go with them for a signature model. They seem to be more his style.Can't even come close to the price of a LeFay, I could guarantee that.
The meaning seems to have a drifted from "the bass this artist specifically and exclusively uses" to "this artist likes this bass". Fender seems to be teasing a Keanu Reeves signature bass, and I'm sure everyone will be falling over themselves to get what's just another P bass. It's hard to not be cynical about these basses as shameless money grabs.
Are you suggesting that Charles doesn't actually play the Schecter bass seen in many (many) of his videos (and hanging on the wall in this one)? Like he's miming it while actually using something else?
No doubt he actually plays those basses. But I think the main point (in a historical sense) is that 'artist' models used to be made for musicians like Anthony Jackson, Andrew Gouche, Victor Wooten, etc who used them exclusively as their main player. They were build to their specific needs as a virtuoso musician. Instead today's marketplace will sell you anything with a name on it regardless of merit, quality or ethics.
