- Jun 6, 2004
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- Disclosures
- Owner and builder Clementbass
They couldn't help mine. But the good news is the clickfree back ip I have does seem to be SLOWLY restoring most of the data
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Hey Clement-Heads,
Tom has been hard at it in spite of his hard-drive issues. Here's a couple of pics he sent from his i-phone of #262 'in progress'
262 is going to be a Phoenix 6 F-less; White Limba w/Myrtlewood top & accent, Diamondwood board with soon-to-be-added Bloodwood markers, Black Limba/Wenge neck. Barts/Bart.
Tom is 'The Man' - no doubt about it!!!
Tom has been hard at it in spite of his hard-drive issues. Here's a couple of pics he sent from his i-phone of #262 'in progress'
262 is going to be a Phoenix 6 F-less; White Limba w/Myrtlewood top & accent, Diamondwood board with soon-to-be-added Bloodwood markers, Black Limba/Wenge neck. Barts/Bart.
Tom is 'The Man' - no doubt about it!!!
Attachments
Hey Clement-Heads,
Tom has been hard at it in spite of his hard-drive issues. Here's a couple of pics he sent from his i-phone of #262 'in progress'
262 is going to be a Phoenix 6 F-less; White Limba w/Myrtlewood top & accent, Diamondwood board with soon-to-be-added Bloodwood markers, Black Limba/Wenge neck. Barts/Bart.
Tom is 'The Man' - no doubt about it!!!
I am liking those complete specs...gonna be awesome instrument.
Thanks, GBM!
I feel like a kid waiting on Santa Claus
I'll post updates as I get 'em.
Oilfieldtrash
Clement #105, P&W # 786
I feel like a kid waiting on Santa Claus
I'll post updates as I get 'em.
Oilfieldtrash
Clement #105, P&W # 786
S'bout time I reported in! I got #260 last Wednesday and I've hardly put it down since. Even with the pickups so close, there are a huge variety of tones available and they all sound fantastic. The diamondwood gives it a fantastic singing quality that I haven't heard from the other fretless basses I've owned. It's also by far the most comfortable bass I've ever touched.
...So comfortable in fact, that I'm trying to justify a fretted twin to replace my main bass! I think it's safe to say I've been bitten by the Clement bug.
...So comfortable in fact, that I'm trying to justify a fretted twin to replace my main bass! I think it's safe to say I've been bitten by the Clement bug.
"The diamondwood gives it a fantastic singing quality that I haven't heard from the other fretless basses I've owned."
Good to hear, D ! Needless to say...in about a week, I'll be experiencing that myself
Good to hear, D ! Needless to say...in about a week, I'll be experiencing that myself
Hello,
I've traded a few emails with Tom on a custom build and would like to hear from some of his bass owners on the setup I am considering. I'm full of questions and have been all over the place with Tom in my emails (sorry Tom!). I am not well versed on wood combos and body style affects on tone so any help would be greatly appreciated!
This is for a 5-string fretless. I like a hot, mid-heavy sound with growl. I am partial to Bartolini Pickups but those Nordstrands are impressive. Either way the pickups would require a pre-amp, this bass would mostly be used in a studio.
Wood and body shape, it's this first time I have heard Limba and really liked the sound of the Black Limba fretless in the Bass Whisperers review. So I'm leaning that way. I've traditionally been a Mahogany player, but if I can get a unique sound using Limba I would be very happy. I'm down to two shapes: Jon and Kim, not sure if one is better than the other with my likes. Tom suggested a Anne since I would be mostly sitting while playing, totally understand his point but that shape doesn't do it for me...
Fingerboard preference is Ebony because I play heavy and put a beating on the fingerboard (this may be because my current and past fretless's are not so good, I have to work the bass hard for the best sound). A nicer custom bass may get me to relax a bit! I asked Tom about the Katalox fingerboards too being that they are hard.
So, I guess I am looking for thoughts on:
Lima vs. Mahogany
Bartolini vs. Nordstrand (Active w/Pre-amp)
Does the shape affect the sound/resonance?
Anyone use Katalox on thier fingerboards?
Thanks in advance, maybe I'll be a member of the Clement Bass Club soon.
Bill.
I've traded a few emails with Tom on a custom build and would like to hear from some of his bass owners on the setup I am considering. I'm full of questions and have been all over the place with Tom in my emails (sorry Tom!). I am not well versed on wood combos and body style affects on tone so any help would be greatly appreciated!
This is for a 5-string fretless. I like a hot, mid-heavy sound with growl. I am partial to Bartolini Pickups but those Nordstrands are impressive. Either way the pickups would require a pre-amp, this bass would mostly be used in a studio.
Wood and body shape, it's this first time I have heard Limba and really liked the sound of the Black Limba fretless in the Bass Whisperers review. So I'm leaning that way. I've traditionally been a Mahogany player, but if I can get a unique sound using Limba I would be very happy. I'm down to two shapes: Jon and Kim, not sure if one is better than the other with my likes. Tom suggested a Anne since I would be mostly sitting while playing, totally understand his point but that shape doesn't do it for me...
Fingerboard preference is Ebony because I play heavy and put a beating on the fingerboard (this may be because my current and past fretless's are not so good, I have to work the bass hard for the best sound). A nicer custom bass may get me to relax a bit! I asked Tom about the Katalox fingerboards too being that they are hard.
So, I guess I am looking for thoughts on:
Lima vs. Mahogany
Bartolini vs. Nordstrand (Active w/Pre-amp)
Does the shape affect the sound/resonance?
Anyone use Katalox on thier fingerboards?
Thanks in advance, maybe I'll be a member of the Clement Bass Club soon.
Bill.
I think there will be subtle difference between the limba and the mahogany. Both are warm sounding woods, but I feel maybe the limba would probably be slightly brighter than the mahogany. Get best of both worlds and do a mahogany body with a black limba top?! 
Bartolini tend to be a bit warmer sounding and has their own vibe. The Nordstrand a little more aggressive and bright. Same goes for the preamps. I like them both, and in reality the difference between a Bartolini humbucker and a Nordstrand Dual coil may be very subtle.
No, the shape does not affect the sound/resonance much. It does, however, affect the balance. If you are sitting a lot and playing without a strap, then maybe the Kim would be a better choice than the Jon, seeing as how the lower bout is a little more "classical" on the Kim. If you play on a strap a lot, the Jon will balance slightly better with less neck dive (I belive... I haven't really played a Kim myself, but from the look of things, the top strap button is closer to the 12th fret on the jon, whereas the Kim is more traditional, meaning you get a little less distance up the neck.) I own a Jon 6-string fretless, and it's a great bass to play, sitting and standing. It has a slight tendency to neck-dive on the lap without a strap, as compared to an Anne (due to the much longer lower bout and the balance point which is coser to the neck on the Anne).
Nope, never used Katalox as fingerboard wood, but it is supposed to be along the lines of ebony when it comes to hardness. And ebony is hard. I think the katalox would be a great option if you are a "heavy player".
We look forward to welcoming you on board, Bill!
Bartolini tend to be a bit warmer sounding and has their own vibe. The Nordstrand a little more aggressive and bright. Same goes for the preamps. I like them both, and in reality the difference between a Bartolini humbucker and a Nordstrand Dual coil may be very subtle.
No, the shape does not affect the sound/resonance much. It does, however, affect the balance. If you are sitting a lot and playing without a strap, then maybe the Kim would be a better choice than the Jon, seeing as how the lower bout is a little more "classical" on the Kim. If you play on a strap a lot, the Jon will balance slightly better with less neck dive (I belive... I haven't really played a Kim myself, but from the look of things, the top strap button is closer to the 12th fret on the jon, whereas the Kim is more traditional, meaning you get a little less distance up the neck.) I own a Jon 6-string fretless, and it's a great bass to play, sitting and standing. It has a slight tendency to neck-dive on the lap without a strap, as compared to an Anne (due to the much longer lower bout and the balance point which is coser to the neck on the Anne).
Nope, never used Katalox as fingerboard wood, but it is supposed to be along the lines of ebony when it comes to hardness. And ebony is hard.
I think the katalox would be a great option if you are a "heavy player". We look forward to welcoming you on board, Bill!
@ xerogh
first of all, welcome aboard!!! yes, i'm biased but you won't find a friendlier community of folks and tom is not only "the man", but an artist and quality human being.
now to answer your questions as best i can...
limba v mahog: most wood sources tend to rank them as fairly equal. other than aethetics i tend to find both on the warmer end of the spectrum and very resonant. i would say that limba tends to sounds a bit "tighter" to me. i would also throw out that as with all woods there will be variance between species as well as trees and even between boards from the same tree. there are so many other things that will play a part in the final sound (ie. specific density, grain, etc.)
bart v nordies: i like both but there are differences. i won't speak to pre-amps as i tend to steer clear of them but for my ear barts have more color while nordies are more transparent. however, we are not even talking about specific pup shape/size/location/wiring/type/etc. which changes the game entirely. as for your build you mentioned "mid heavy.. growl". i would focus more on pup location as this would probably lead you to a more traditional MM/bridge location or at the very least neck pup blend if you go with 2.
does shape affect sound: simple answer is yes, every component/factor affects sound including shape. even simpler answer is not enough to probably matter. two builds exactly spec'd the same will sounds a bit different so go with aesthetics and form & function.
katalox: uber hard. perhaps harder or right there with ebony. again we are talking wood so there is density variance to consider. having said that i would feel confident suggesting it on a fretless for a heavier fingerstyle player. i would also suggest you do not neccesarily go with the default ebony. there are many other fine/sexy/functional woods that can hold their own with ebony if we are talking only durability and not tone. having said that, i am holding out for a two tone katalox board.
2 cents: go with a wood and build that looks good, has a nice weight and will fit your playing style and situation. fingers and electronics will get you "mostly" where you want to go tonally
keep us all posted and please chime in with questions as you move forward! enjoy the experience
first of all, welcome aboard!!! yes, i'm biased but you won't find a friendlier community of folks and tom is not only "the man", but an artist and quality human being.
now to answer your questions as best i can...
limba v mahog: most wood sources tend to rank them as fairly equal. other than aethetics i tend to find both on the warmer end of the spectrum and very resonant. i would say that limba tends to sounds a bit "tighter" to me. i would also throw out that as with all woods there will be variance between species as well as trees and even between boards from the same tree. there are so many other things that will play a part in the final sound (ie. specific density, grain, etc.)
bart v nordies: i like both but there are differences. i won't speak to pre-amps as i tend to steer clear of them but for my ear barts have more color while nordies are more transparent. however, we are not even talking about specific pup shape/size/location/wiring/type/etc. which changes the game entirely. as for your build you mentioned "mid heavy.. growl". i would focus more on pup location as this would probably lead you to a more traditional MM/bridge location or at the very least neck pup blend if you go with 2.
does shape affect sound: simple answer is yes, every component/factor affects sound including shape. even simpler answer is not enough to probably matter. two builds exactly spec'd the same will sounds a bit different so go with aesthetics and form & function.
katalox: uber hard. perhaps harder or right there with ebony. again we are talking wood so there is density variance to consider. having said that i would feel confident suggesting it on a fretless for a heavier fingerstyle player. i would also suggest you do not neccesarily go with the default ebony. there are many other fine/sexy/functional woods that can hold their own with ebony if we are talking only durability and not tone. having said that, i am holding out for a two tone katalox board.
2 cents: go with a wood and build that looks good, has a nice weight and will fit your playing style and situation. fingers and electronics will get you "mostly" where you want to go tonally
keep us all posted and please chime in with questions as you move forward! enjoy the experience
Thanks for the replies!
Bass5str: to answer your question on the pickup confing I was thinking about going a little different and use a Bart Soapbar at the bridge and a Bart J-Style at the neck. Should give me a lot of versatility.
MrWalker: thanks for the advice on balance, looked at Anne some more, still does nothing for me so Kim it is for her sexy/classic shape, as long as I know that there may be some balance issue I'm OK with.
Tom sent me a pic and info on Diamondwood for the fingerboard, wow that looks nice!
Well see where this goes...
Bass5str: to answer your question on the pickup confing I was thinking about going a little different and use a Bart Soapbar at the bridge and a Bart J-Style at the neck. Should give me a lot of versatility.
MrWalker: thanks for the advice on balance, looked at Anne some more, still does nothing for me so Kim it is for her sexy/classic shape, as long as I know that there may be some balance issue I'm OK with.
Tom sent me a pic and info on Diamondwood for the fingerboard, wow that looks nice!
Well see where this goes...
The Anne shape is definitely a "personal preference"
It definitely isn't for everyone. And the shape is optimized for playing when sitting down. It's very different than anything else.The Kim sounds to be a perfect option.
As for ebony, the most common is macassar ebony, but I believe the black gabon ebony is even harder. Katalox should take any abuse... I'm sure
Good luck, keep us posted!
I know you guys are probably tired of seeing #262 progress pics, but seeing Tom work his artistry is amazing
Hot Damn!
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