Club St. Germaine

[JeroB666]

Not many from me! I think Geoff had cut the bodies for the basses in early December.

Looking at his new post tho I think he's also getting ready for NAMM!

 

[Bernie Connors]

Not many from me! I think Geoff had cut the bodies for the basses in early December.

Looking at his new post tho I think he's also getting ready for NAMM!

Yeah his NAMM bass is looking great!

 

[Nolan Tremblay]

Yeah his NAMM bass is looking great!

I like the neck joint in the one photo I saw. I surmised from the tag that it is a Vulture 5-string. I'm

It turns out I need to go to Halifax for work the 2nd week of February, so I've arranged to pick up my bass while I'm there. Now I'm reading up on travelling with a bass to see if I should have it packed in a box or if it will be safe to bring in the gigbag alone. I'm not sure if it's too large to carry on or not. All that to say, I'm excited to be able to pick up the bass in person and hopefully see some of the other basses on the go and chat in person about possible follow-on basses.

Time thinking about it has me leaning more towards a Rhea now, trying to make it something at different and complementary to the Vulture as possible. I'm hoping that one of the Rhea's he's got under construction will be far enough along to get some idea at least of the size of the body and balance. Maybe get specs similar to the Fodera mini MB presentation. That scale seems reasonably popular and I really love the demos of that bass. The new finish possibilities from outsourcing to the folks in Vancouver has me cruising their social media and thinking of what finishes might work well. I've also always loved the Dingwall Lee Sklar finishes, so maybe there's a metallic body with a natural finish on the neck that could work well.

 

[Bernie Connors]

I like the neck joint in the one photo I saw. I surmised from the tag that it is a Vulture 5-string. I'm

It turns out I need to go to Halifax for work the 2nd week of February, so I've arranged to pick up my bass while I'm there. Now I'm reading up on travelling with a bass to see if I should have it packed in a box or if it will be safe to bring in the gigbag alone. I'm not sure if it's too large to carry on or not. All that to say, I'm excited to be able to pick up the bass in person and hopefully see some of the other basses on the go and chat in person about possible follow-on basses.

Time thinking about it has me leaning more towards a Rhea now, trying to make it something at different and complementary to the Vulture as possible. I'm hoping that one of the Rhea's he's got under construction will be far enough along to get some idea at least of the size of the body and balance. Maybe get specs similar to the Fodera mini MB presentation. That scale seems reasonably popular and I really love the demos of that bass. The new finish possibilities from outsourcing to the folks in Vancouver has me cruising their social media and thinking of what finishes might work well. I've also always loved the Dingwall Lee Sklar finishes, so maybe there's a metallic body with a natural finish on the neck that could work well.

Very cool! You can also try the Ian Martin Allison method and ask the airline staff if you can use the stewardess' closet to store your bass. Hopefully they will understand!

Great idea for the second bass! I have two upcoming Rhea basses: one is a 5 and one is a 6. The idea for the Rhea bass initially started as the Bustard II which extended the lower horn for more useable area when seated and enlarged the body some. It eventually evolved into the Rhea shape as you see it now.

The Mini MB demo from Mike is a favorite of mine, as well. I've brought that video to Geoff in the past and he is a fan of that design and tone.

So yeah, my Rhea basses are slated to be finished sometime around March so they'll give you an idea of the shape. They're both neck through and 33" scale.

I'll attach a render below of a headless short scale Rhea that Geoff provided so you can get an idea of what it would look like.

Can't wait to see your Vulture!

 

[JeroB666]

I like the neck joint in the one photo I saw. I surmised from the tag that it is a Vulture 5-string. I'm

It turns out I need to go to Halifax for work the 2nd week of February, so I've arranged to pick up my bass while I'm there. Now I'm reading up on travelling with a bass to see if I should have it packed in a box or if it will be safe to bring in the gigbag alone. I'm not sure if it's too large to carry on or not. All that to say, I'm excited to be able to pick up the bass in person and hopefully see some of the other basses on the go and chat in person about possible follow-on basses.

Time thinking about it has me leaning more towards a Rhea now, trying to make it something at different and complementary to the Vulture as possible. I'm hoping that one of the Rhea's he's got under construction will be far enough along to get some idea at least of the size of the body and balance. Maybe get specs similar to the Fodera mini MB presentation. That scale seems reasonably popular and I really love the demos of that bass. The new finish possibilities from outsourcing to the folks in Vancouver has me cruising their social media and thinking of what finishes might work well. I've also always loved the Dingwall Lee Sklar finishes, so maybe there's a metallic body with a natural finish on the neck that could work well.

That is awesome news! I messaged back and forth with Geoff yesterday and seems right after he's done the NAMM bass, your and another will be finished and ready to go. My 2 are on the works so maybe May or June? @Bernie Connors were yours in the October run?

 

[Nolan Tremblay]

That is awesome news! I messaged back and forth with Geoff yesterday and seems right after he's done the NAMM bass, your and another will be finished and ready to go. My 2 are on the works so maybe May or June? @Bernie Connors were yours in the October run?

Hi Jero! Yeah, the two are probably mine like you say and @Kmrumedy short scale Condor. I think Geoff's finalizing the finishes. They have the same finish and I gather that touching up that particular finish (varnish) is not the fastest process and my impression is that Geoff, like most of the builders, it pretty particular about the quality of the finishes. I think he's in the final strokes of the finish before assembly and setup. It sounded like he was keen to have my bass finished at the same time as Kmrumedy's short scale 5 and then mine would likely sit in the shop for 3-4 weeks until I'm there to pick it up.

 

[JeroB666]

Hi Jero! Yeah, the two are probably mine like you say and @Kmrumedy short scale Condor. I think Geoff's finalizing the finishes. They have the same finish and I gather that touching up that particular finish (varnish) is not the fastest process and my impression is that Geoff, like most of the builders, it pretty particular about the quality of the finishes. I think he's in the final strokes of the finish before assembly and setup. It sounded like he was keen to have my bass finished at the same time as Kmrumedy's short scale 5 and then mine would likely sit in the shop for 3-4 weeks until I'm there to pick it up.

Yeah finishes take a long time, but thankfully his partnership with the Vancouver guys will make his process much more efficient. This is a dangerous thing for my bank account haha!

 

[Bernie Connors]

That is awesome news! I messaged back and forth with Geoff yesterday and seems right after he's done the NAMM bass, your and another will be finished and ready to go. My 2 are on the works so maybe May or June? @Bernie Connors were yours in the October run?

I believe so, yeah. March was the original date he was shooting for but with the NAMM bass I'm not sure if that will change or not. They're both oil/wax finishes so that cuts down on the finish time considerably. We'll see!

 

[JeroB666]

I believe so, yeah. March was the original date he was shooting for but with the NAMM bass I'm not sure if that will change or not. They're both oil/wax finishes so that cuts down on the finish time considerably. We'll see!

Ah ok makes sense, mine are both gloss so they will be headed to Vancouver for finish.

 

[Bernie Connors]

Ah ok makes sense, mine are both gloss so they will be headed to Vancouver for finish.

You have two basses coming up? Why do I not remember that. Can you please refresh my memory on them?

 

[JeroB666]

Also here's the render for the coming works:

View attachment 7087361
View attachment 7087362

@Bernie Connors Heres the renders!

 

[Bernie Connors]

@Bernie Connors Heres the renders!

Oh right! Now I remember. They look great!

 

[Nolan Tremblay]

Very cool! You can also try the Ian Martin Allison method and ask the airline staff if you can use the stewardess' closet to store your bass. Hopefully they will understand!

Great idea for the second bass! I have two upcoming Rhea basses: one is a 5 and one is a 6. The idea for the Rhea bass initially started as the Bustard II which extended the lower horn for more useable area when seated and enlarged the body some. It eventually evolved into the Rhea shape as you see it now.

The Mini MB demo from Mike is a favorite of mine, as well. I've brought that video to Geoff in the past and he is a fan of that design and tone.

So yeah, my Rhea basses are slated to be finished sometime around March so they'll give you an idea of the shape. They're both neck through and 33" scale.

I'll attach a render below of a headless short scale Rhea that Geoff provided so you can get an idea of what it would look like.

Can't wait to see your Vulture!

I'll give the airline a call once work books my tickets, thanks for the suggestions!

I'm considering pickup options and one of them that Geoff is suggesting and I'm quite interested in is the Aguilar DCB. I'm after a plastic shell that I think is going to work better with a metallic finish than wood shells, which is all that Geoff does with the MJS pickups. I also don't really like the look of exposed polepieces, I like solid matte black pickups. I think Geoff said you're getting the DCBs in one of your Rheas (I assume the 6 as I think you have Duncans for the 5). He's also said he's exploring using them in the studio series basses as well. I may also just do a vol/vol setup for the bass kind of just mirroring what's happening in the mini MB. I do like active buffers too, so I might just get it vol/vol with a buffer and no EQ - maybe the Bart dual buffer, so I have each pickup separately buffered.. I habitually leave all EQ on active basses flat. The only options I've typically used on them are contour switches. I had a bass with a Duncan preamp that had a slap contour that was pretty useful. Otherwise, I'm normally just varying the blend of the pickup volumes.

 

[JeroB666]

I'll give the airline a call once work books my tickets, thanks for the suggestions!

I'm considering pickup options and one of them that Geoff is suggesting and I'm quite interested in is the Aguilar DCB. I'm after a plastic shell that I think is going to work better with a metallic finish than wood shells, which is all that Geoff does with the MJS pickups. I also don't really like the look of exposed polepieces, I like solid matte black pickups. I think Geoff said you're getting the DCBs in one of your Rheas (I assume the 6 as I think you have Duncans for the 5). He's also said he's exploring using them in the studio series basses as well. I may also just do a vol/vol setup for the bass kind of just mirroring what's happening in the mini MB. I do like active buffers too, so I might just get it vol/vol with a buffer and no EQ - maybe the Bart dual buffer, so I have each pickup separately buffered.. I habitually leave all EQ on active basses flat. The only options I've typically used on them are contour switches. I had a bass with a Duncan preamp that had a slap contour that was pretty useful. Otherwise, I'm normally just varying the blend of the pickup volumes.

I've had mixed reactions by airlines to requests regarding instruments. When travelling internationally the only time they let me have it on board was on a plane to dubai since there was noone in the middle, if not they would have charged me another seat.

I would suggest you bring packing materials. The case Geoff provides is pretty resilient but you better be safe than sorry, I usually add bubble wrap so its nice and tight and then add it to a box, then add more packing.

Also as per the controls, Im a big believer the more knobs the better

 

[JeroB666]

Oh right! Now I remember. They look great!

I am very excited. The fretted will be very warm and standup-like so I can't wait to play it.

 

[Bernie Connors]

I'll give the airline a call once work books my tickets, thanks for the suggestions!

I'm considering pickup options and one of them that Geoff is suggesting and I'm quite interested in is the Aguilar DCB. I'm after a plastic shell that I think is going to work better with a metallic finish than wood shells, which is all that Geoff does with the MJS pickups. I also don't really like the look of exposed polepieces, I like solid matte black pickups. I think Geoff said you're getting the DCBs in one of your Rheas (I assume the 6 as I think you have Duncans for the 5). He's also said he's exploring using them in the studio series basses as well. I may also just do a vol/vol setup for the bass kind of just mirroring what's happening in the mini MB. I do like active buffers too, so I might just get it vol/vol with a buffer and no EQ - maybe the Bart dual buffer, so I have each pickup separately buffered.. I habitually leave all EQ on active basses flat. The only options I've typically used on them are contour switches. I had a bass with a Duncan preamp that had a slap contour that was pretty useful. Otherwise, I'm normally just varying the blend of the pickup volumes.

Correct! My reasons are similar to yours as I also like a plastic shell for my pickups when I can get it.

Interested to hear what direction you go in. I'm a big fan of passive instruments but there are times when a little something extra would help so the idea of a buffer is a good one!

 

[Nolan Tremblay]

It looks like the NAMM bass is done. Anyone going?

I really like the look of this bass. The design works really well with his headstock. I think all the other Vultures, if there are no more than Bernie's and the one I'm getting are headless.

I guess this must be squarely in the new custom series basses, having the set-neck design. I really like the body woods showing on the back. The dark cherry looks really nice with the walnut. I think a solid cherry body like that with no top would look amazing. I am considering asking Geoff if he could do wood knobs for my bass. I'm sure he'll say yes and I'm good paying the extra, but I kind of don't want to ask for more work done when the bass is so nearly done. They look really nice on this bass with the recessed controls or however you call what he's doing on the Vultures.

I think that these woods could work well in a Rhea 6, so I'll keep thinking on that. Everytime I think I'm leaning in a certain way I see something else come out that looks great. I guess it just means I can go any direction and it will be good, I suppose.

I'd really dig seeing a Vulture 4 done similarly to this bass. My formative bass years in the mid/late 80s to mid 90s had a lot of stuff that would work well on a 4-string with the filter preamp - Tool, Chili Peppers, Rush, etc.

 

[JeroB666]

It looks like the NAMM bass is done. Anyone going?

I really like the look of this bass. The design works really well with his headstock. I think all the other Vultures, if there are no more than Bernie's and the one I'm getting are headless.

I guess this must be squarely in the new custom series basses, having the set-neck design. I really like the body woods showing on the back. The dark cherry looks really nice with the walnut. I think a solid cherry body like that with no top would look amazing. I am considering asking Geoff if he could do wood knobs for my bass. I'm sure he'll say yes and I'm good paying the extra, but I kind of don't want to ask for more work done when the bass is so nearly done. They look really nice on this bass with the recessed controls or however you call what he's doing on the Vultures.

View attachment 7124686

View attachment 7124687

I think that these woods could work well in a Rhea 6, so I'll keep thinking on that. Everytime I think I'm leaning in a certain way I see something else come out that looks great. I guess it just means I can go any direction and it will be good, I suppose.

I'd really dig seeing a Vulture 4 done similarly to this bass. My formative bass years in the mid/late 80s to mid 90s had a lot of stuff that would work well on a 4-string with the filter preamp - Tool, Chili Peppers, Rush, etc.

This bass is stunning. The holly top is spotless and the wood combination is perfect. I'm a big fan of the throughbody pick for the thicker strings, giving it more tension, Im guessing the end user has a a downtune of sorts.

Unfortunately I am trying to stay away from the US as much as possible considering the exchange rate is garbage for us. But hoping to see in which booth this bass lands!

I keep considering a Vulture for the future (maybe 2026) but Im hoping it can be Wal inspired with similar pickups and some cool nitro finish.

 

[Bernie Connors]

It looks like the NAMM bass is done. Anyone going?

I really like the look of this bass. The design works really well with his headstock. I think all the other Vultures, if there are no more than Bernie's and the one I'm getting are headless.

I guess this must be squarely in the new custom series basses, having the set-neck design. I really like the body woods showing on the back. The dark cherry looks really nice with the walnut. I think a solid cherry body like that with no top would look amazing. I am considering asking Geoff if he could do wood knobs for my bass. I'm sure he'll say yes and I'm good paying the extra, but I kind of don't want to ask for more work done when the bass is so nearly done. They look really nice on this bass with the recessed controls or however you call what he's doing on the Vultures.

View attachment 7124686

View attachment 7124687

I think that these woods could work well in a Rhea 6, so I'll keep thinking on that. Everytime I think I'm leaning in a certain way I see something else come out that looks great. I guess it just means I can go any direction and it will be good, I suppose.

I'd really dig seeing a Vulture 4 done similarly to this bass. My formative bass years in the mid/late 80s to mid 90s had a lot of stuff that would work well on a 4-string with the filter preamp - Tool, Chili Peppers, Rush, etc.

I understand exactly what you mean on seeing new designs and then being like, "man.. maybe I'll go in that direction." That's happened many times with me, too!

I won't be going but I do have a couple of basses shipping to me after NAMM. They won't be St. Germaine basses but very exciting nonetheless!

In the St. Germaine world, though, I do have a render of what my next bass will be. I've long been a fan of extra deep chambered basses. Going way back to when Al Caldwell had his two extra deep Conklin 9 strings! Also, AJ's Fodera Hybrid II Presentation, Burnis Travis' Swan Brutus 6, and others.

So, imagine this bass around 3 to 3.5" deep with rosewood & sapwood top and back, figured claro walnut chambered body, roasted flame maple neck with wenge & purpleheart, mun ebony fingerboard, 33" scale, 26 frets, set neck, hybrid headless with Riviera hardware, Nordstrand Fat Stack pickups, and passive. It'll be great!

 

[JeroB666]

I understand exactly what you mean on seeing new designs and then being like, "man.. maybe I'll go in that direction." That's happened many times with me, too!

I won't be going but I do have a couple of basses shipping to me after NAMM. They won't be St. Germaine basses but very exciting nonetheless!

In the St. Germaine world, though, I do have a render of what my next bass will be. I've long been a fan of extra deep chambered basses. Going way back to when Al Caldwell had his two extra deep Conklin 9 strings! Also, AJ's Fodera Hybrid II Presentation, Burris Travis' Swan Brutus 6, and others.

So, imagine this bass around 3 to 3.5" deep with rosewood & sapwood top and back, figured claro walnut chambered body, roasted flame maple neck with wenge & purpleheart, mun ebony fingerboard, 33" scale, 26 frets, set neck, hybrid headless with Riviera hardware, Nordstrand Fat Stack pickups, and passive. It'll be great!

View attachment 7130438

Amazing! That seems like too many knobs for you if you are doing an AJ style

What do you have shipping after NAMM?!