Club Stambaugh - Show your Stammies!! [Part 3]

[fivestringgecko]

Chris' work is definitely woth the wait.

I am tempted to commission another bass.

<gas pains>

+1, been thinking about my second Stambaugh ever since I got my first. Is that good or bad? lol

5sg.

 

[narud]

Thanks for sharing the pics. I'm expecting a call from Chris in a little over a month for him to get my final spec and start building. Sent him my down payment in February. The wait has been fine so far but as i get closer to the expected start month its getting harder!

he got my deposit back in december and i havent heard anything yet. we'll see im in no rush though!

 

[bassteban]

Very nice! Sally, tell us more about that bass- there's a lot of uniqueness going on(headstock shape, inlay). I'm sure I speak for at least a few of us who'd love to know the woods & electronics as well as your take on the sound. BTW, welcome to TB.

 

[SixString]

he got my deposit back in december and i havent heard anything yet. we'll see im in no rush though!

oh wow i hope hes not too far behind. he sent me this email at the end of april:

"You are scheduled for August completion, which would mean
beginning of July for the real construction to begin. Between now
and then, not much needs to occur for a couple of months. There is
always the opportunity to change specs up until the construction
begins."

Lets hope he means august 2010 haha

 

[IvanBassist]

Hello everyone, I would like some advice.

Here's the thing:
I'm saving for a stambaugh (hoping to get enough cash to make my deposit by the end of this year), and these are my ideas so far

Zero fret
34" scale
Ash body
5 piece maple(or ash) / purpleheart neck
maple fingerboard
bolt on
24 (or 26) frets
Delano dual coils
Delano Sonar preamp
Kind of unsure about which top: walnut/poplar/bubinga

My dilemma is that, I don't know if I want a 4 or a 5 string

My 2 basses are 4 stringers. I've played a couple of cheap 5s, but I don't know if I would use those low notes that often, so I would like you to tell me some advantages/disadvantages of a 5 or why do you like one more than the other.

Thanks,
Iván

 

[fivestringgecko]

My dilemma is that, I don't know if I want a 4 or a 5 string

My 2 basses are 4 stringers. I've played a couple of cheap 5s, but I don't know if I would use those low notes that often, so I would like you to tell me some advantages/disadvantages of a 5 or why do you like one more than the other.

Thanks,
Iván

Sounds like some nice specs!

A good way to approach a 5-string bass is that it's a 4-string with extra notes, not a 5-string... if that makes sense. Just because you HAVE the extra notes does not mean you HAVE to use them. I've been playing 5's almost exclusively for years and that nugget was passed on to me early.

I've found that a low B string comes in VERY handy for a lot of the music I play at church... I've come across a lot of songs that are written just below the range of a 4-string. Also, it's nice to have the lower notes when there's a lot going on and I really want to add some oompf. We have 8-14 voices, piano, guitar, drums, sometimes a flute and trumpet, etc. so sometimes there's a lot going on sonically... I can hit those lower notes at just the right time to really reinforce what's going on.

Also, having a low B is nice for when you're playing with a guitarist who like to tune down. I don't have to mess with retuning. I had a guitarist tell me he was in D and then stand there waiting for me to retune. The look I got when he asked about it and I said "no, I'm good" was quite amusing. lol

The only drawbacks I see to having a 5-string:
1) You have one extra string to keep track of. This is only a minor sticking point at the beginning though, once you get used to it, it's not a problem at all.
2) There ARE a few people out there that are "traditionalists." Basses should ONLY have FOUR strings!!! I've only run into this problem a couple of times... and changed their opinions when they hear me play.

As far as ordering a 5 from Stambaugh... If you're not sure, go to your local shops and just spend some time with some 5's. You've got plenty of time to decide, you're looking at 8-12 months build time after you get him your deposit, and you can change specs right up until he actually BUILDS your bass. With the specs you mentioned, you're probably looking at $2200-2500 (not sure how much the Delano's will cost), so you probably want to be sure about a 5. I can say this though... if you're leaning towards the 5, it'll be worth the money. You'll get an EXTREMELY playable, professional level instrument.

I was in the same debate about a 6-string ("do I need another one, would I use it?"), but decided to go for it. I can't tell you how happy I am with my decision! Chris delivered an absolutely stunning instrument at an incredible price. 10 minutes with that instrument (named Persephone ) and I was already planning my next Stambaugh... a 5-string with a tremolo bridge.

5sg.

And just because I like looking at her, I can't resist reposting a couple

 

[IvanBassist]

Thank you very much for the reply fivestringgecko.
I think you're right about having those extra notes. I will go and test some more 5s

Has Chris changed the pricing? Delano pups and preamp are under "Standard “no charge” options" on the website

Iván

 

[fivestringgecko]

Thank you very much for the reply fivestringgecko.
I think you're right about having those extra notes. I will go and test some more 5s

Has Chris changed the pricing? Delano pups and preamp are under "Standard &#8220;no charge&#8221; options" on the website

Iván

No problem, I always try to be helpful!

I wasn't aware of the pricing on the Delanos... I suppose I could've looked before I started spouting off, huh? lol I didn't even look at pickup pricing, I just talked with him about what I was after for a sound and he suggested Aero's... and I ended up with a bass that sounds like a cross between a Warwick Thumb and an MTD USA!

5sg.

 

[Johnboch]

I've just got a few questions...

How purple is his purpleheart, is a Birdseye maple board extra, and what exactly does a zero fret do?

 

[fivestringgecko]

I've just got a few questions...

How purple is his purpleheart, is a Birdseye maple board extra, and what exactly does a zero fret do?

Not sure about the purpleheart, but the birdseye maple fret board didn't cost me any extra. I ordered a bolt-on 6-string and my final cost was $2600 shipped. I can double check my invoice, but I'm pretty sure the only upcharges on mine were for the clef inlay and the custom Aero pickups.

Here's some info on zero frets.

5sg.

 

[spade2you]

I've just got a few questions...

How purple is his purpleheart, is a Birdseye maple board extra, and what exactly does a zero fret do?

With the zero fret addressed, purple heart perhaps a shade or two between maroon and purple. I've mostly used them on stringers on multi laminate necks. I've heard it can change colors over the years and get lighter in color, so this may be something to take into account. Use it wisely since it can be pretty heavy if you're thinking about using it as the main wood of the neck or body.

Bird's eye isn't an upcharge. The standarde grade is pretty good. If you want a higher grade of bird's eye, it will probably incur a small fee.

Mine was pretty loaded for about 3200, a lot of that was for the Pope pre and finish, which Chris needs to farm out since he doesn't have his own spray booth at the moment. Oil finish is alright, depending on the woods you choose and climate.

 

[Johnboch]

I was thinking flame purpleheart with thin flame maple stripes for the top. I'd probably get mahogany or alder for the body, but I'm not sure yet.

 

[Johnboch]

^^how do you guys think this would work? Pictures of other purpleheart tops would be appreciated!

 

[spade2you]

I was thinking flame purpleheart with thin flame maple stripes for the top. I'd probably get mahogany or alder for the body, but I'm not sure yet.

Depending on your choice of electronics, body wood may not have much of an impact, but I like the really light mahogany Chris is using these days. Very light and nice grain to it as well.

Flamed purple heart is cool, but it may take a while to find some with impressive figure. I can't say I see too many figured purpleheart tops that have significant figure to them. Not sure if that would be an issue with you or not.

 

[Rich Treat]

I'm saving up for a custom bass order, and am considering a Stambaugh 6 string bolt on. I was wondering if some of your would share your pics of your Stammy 6 strings. If I could see some shots of the neck that would be helpful. Here are the specs I am considering:

6 string bolt-on DB bass
Alder Body
Maple/Wenge Neck
Birdseye Fingerboard
Spalted Maple Top
Nordy Bigsplits
Piezos
Mike Pop Pre

 

[bassteban]

Sold this one- I just didn't play it enough, due to changing gigs. I definitely miss it.

 

[Rich Treat]

Bassteban,... That is gorgeous. What are the specs? Fretless? I like the design for the lines.

 

[fivestringgecko]

EDIT:

I'm dumb... I posted a few pics just up the page (post #706), here's a couple more. Her name is Persephone.

Specs:
- Myrtle top, matching headstock, mahogany body
- 35" scale 5-piece neck
- birdseye maple fretboard
- (some kind of) ebony fretboard binding
- same ebony for pickup covers and knobs
- Myrtle dots and bass clef inlay
- 18.5mm string spacing
- Aero pickups
- 18v Bartolini NTMB 5.3 preamp (active/passive, volume-blend-treble-mid-bass with mid-selector switch)
- flushmount straplocks
- string-thru-body option bridge
- black hardware

5sg.

 

[spade2you]

Always very nice.

Got my Cliff Bordwell 6er. I definitely like it, but might want to do slightly different overall specs. Decided against more than 24 frets and on the fence about string spacing.

 

[SixString]

Got an email from Chris with some top choices (doing a walnut body with maple top single cut) and thought I'd share them here.

Here's my first choice:

He also sent these: