Still have that Curbow 6? I wanna say I thought the neck was about as wide as my CB 7 string. Maybe a thinner back profile if I remember correctly.
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Still have that Curbow 6? I wanna say I thought the neck was about as wide as my CB 7 string. Maybe a thinner back profile if I remember correctly.
I do still have the Curbow 6, and still love the 20mm spacing at the bridge. I actually asked Cliff to change my specs from 19mm to 20mm on the Dola 5 so that they would be the same, and hopefully he'll be able to make it somewhere near as thin front to back.
The one thing I'm not crazy about on the Curbow is actually that the neck is too narrow at the nut. I don't really care for a lot of taper from nut to bridge, and the Curbow is about 2" at the nut, which is pretty narrow when it's almost 4" (100mm) overall at the bridge. Kind of like a 6-string version of Jazz spacing, and I really prefer Precision spacing, hence my choice to go with the Warmoth "Big 5" nut width on the 5.
Well, I bought that 20mm 4-string as a cheap platform to test a few different tunings on and thought I would prefer a tighter bridge spacing in the first place. The bass served its purpose well and taught me a few additional, unexpected lessons about the pros and cons of wider and narrower string spacings...along with other variables. It really is such a personal thing with all the different specifications one can choose. It's so nice that Cliff offers so many possibilities on his instruments.
It looks like it would be really easy to play. Enjoy it!
I'd say you hit the nail on the head with this statement. My 5-string neck has a thin profile from front to back, while the 4-stringer with 20mm bridge spacing/ 1.5" nut has a thicker, rounder neck profile. That variable alone makes a huge difference in my left hand (fretting hand) approach.
Different playing styles/music styles definitely make me want to play different instruments at times. I wish I could say that I've figured out how to have everything I want in one instrument, however, I know myself better than that by now. So, the question for me is: Which instrument do I want Cliff to build first.
My Lakland 55-94 is a mm/j configuration and I like the tones I get out of it... I hope that I am not making a mistake going this route...
At first I was going 2 big split, then a MM quad coil-Jazz 2 coil, then changed to BigMan-BigSplit. I had a G&L 2500 and the guys a Nord said they thought I should try the MM-J and then when they came out the BigMan i ordered one of the first of those. The BigMan-BigSplit is sort of a "bigger" MM-J . I love it but of course I am not you. You might talk to [email protected] he has 3 Cliff basses.
I'm gonna try the BigMan/BigSplit. I do a lot of finger style funk and slap stuff, so I like the punch, but don't want too big and muddy.
And... So how does it look?! How does it sound?! I know Cliff won't post any pics on his site until everyone has their basses...
Got it yesterday evening. Plays great and sounds great. The TI Jazz flats and pickups lend itself for a nice thuddy vibe. The Big Man still allows for nice clean definition in the upper register. Very versatile overall.
My primary objective was a bass that fits in a guitar bag, which was accomplished. The overall feel of this bass isn't radically different from a regular CB. It might be a hair heavier than a CB with a headstock since there's a lot of mass in the Hipshot Headless bridge system. Cliff and I were aware of this from the start, but taking up less space was the priority. This is my 3rd Ball shape and it fits me like a glove.
This is my first 34" scale fretless. I had debated going shorter, but the low B of the TI Jazz flat sounds good. I may try to get a Bass Mute if they're ever in production. I've heard mixed reviews on the Gruv Gear Fump. Palm muting sounds very nice on this particular bass.
My primary objective was a bass that fits in a guitar bag, which was accomplished. The overall feel of this bass isn't radically different from a regular CB. It might be a hair heavier than a CB with a headstock since there's a lot of mass in the Hipshot Headless bridge system. Cliff and I were aware of this from the start, but taking up less space was the priority. This is my 3rd Ball shape and it fits me like a glove.
This is my first 34" scale fretless. I had debated going shorter, but the low B of the TI Jazz flat sounds good. I may try to get a Bass Mute if they're ever in production. I've heard mixed reviews on the Gruv Gear Fump. Palm muting sounds very nice on this particular bass.
Fantastic news mate!
Would love to see pics, particularly of the head end, intrigued to see how Cliff has mounted the headpiece.
Seeing you've got three, a family pic is always good too
Eude
Great news! I confess, I was sorely tempted by the Ball shape, but decided to go for the Dola. Maybe for my next CB...
How did you end up wiring the Big Man?
How did you end up wiring the Big Man?
Single and hum bucker. Sounds series, but I'd have to ask Cliff. Sounds good to me.
I haven't played a Dola. The Rami shape feels ok. The Ball shape fit me a little too perfectly for me to mess around.
Balance on the knee seems normal. It starts to lose balance if you start trying to play it vertical. Otherwise, I didn't notice much of a difference.
A lot of headless basses do this, especially when you have more than 4 strings, the hardware at the end of the body can actually weigh quite a lot in practice.
Eude
Probably only a problem for guys who play their basses at a huge angle and don't wear a strap. There's definitely some mass in that bridge. Going headless won't save on weight with Hipshot. I have owned a Kubicki bass and own a Steinberger guitar. Definitely a priority of mine to work with a company that can make hardware and support their product.
Thanks, that makes good sense. By the way, I really like the ETS headless hardware on your new ACG 6-stringer...and the audio samples sound great! I was talking with Cliff about possibly going with a thick Sitka Spruce core about the time that I discovered your headless demos. The Spruce looks and sounds nice. How are you liking it?
Yeah, the Hipshot headless bridge looks like a good chunk of metal. I tend to play with the neck fairly parallel to a horizontal plane. If you ever watch flamenco guitarists, that pretty much sums up my playing position.
