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Conklin GT-7

Shinyflavors7

Shinyflavors7

Nov 3, 2009
580
2
Boston, Mass
#1
I've been thinking about getting this bass for a while now, and I have some questions about it. I thought maybe someone on TB would know a little more than some random review the music store sites.

1) I would be moving strait from four strings to seven. Is that a bad idea? I mean I've played five and six string basses before and they all felt natural, but I their is something about a seven string string bass that is simultaneously enticing ,and intimidating.

2) Does it stay in tune? Are string hard to find? Does anyone know the string spacing is? How is the neck? Does it dive?

I would love to get some feed back. Thoughts, Ideas, Opinions are all welcome.
 
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#3
Hey Shinyflavor7--
When I was researching getting mine I did a search on here and got some good info.

I think "fit" is a personal thing. If you can handle the width of the fretboard you should be fine. Mine felt really natural from the start.

I had played four and six many years ago and got the GT7 when returning after the 20 plus year layoff. It is my only bass.

Mine seems to stay in tune pretty well. I tune up each time I play and don't have problems with it going out of tune.

I find that there isn't a lot of variety in strings but there are a few options out there for standard sets. I use juststrings.com for the Dean Markley S2000 set and I like them a lot. There are also sites that make custom sets.

I believe the string spacing is 16mm at the bridge.

The neck is wide and stable. If you can play one before buying to check the reach, it is probably best to see if it "fits" you. I don't have issue with neck dive.

I really enjoy mine a lot. It is stock. I like the variety of sounds I can get even stock. It is a heavy bass. I haven't ever weighed mine but a good wide strap is essential.

Please let me know if you have any other questions.
Tom
 
#4
Regarding Transition Time - Up to last year, I only owned a 5-string Ibanez for the prior 18 years. Ibanez basses generally have a thin neck. Then I bought a Warwick Thumb BO 6 in Aug 2010, and a Conklin BDGT-7 in October 2010. The transition time for both was barely noticeable. I think I just adjusted my thumb position on the back of the neck & I was good to go.
 
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#5
I got my Conklin GT7 last summer after playing 4, 5 and 6 strings. Yes, the neck is wide but not a problem unless you like to wrap your thumb around it. Neck dive is not a problem. (It is with my Cort Curbow 6.) But it's heavy. My 5 and 6 strings weigh about 10 lbs. The GT7 is 13.2 lbs. Get a wide padded strap. I ordered strings from Conklin, but then I restrung mine for F#BEADGC so I use a .165 for the low F#. It's like a bridge cable.
I'd say, go for it! I love mine.
 
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#7
I went from a 4 string to my GT7, and no problems. It'll take your picking fingers a while to get used to the very thin strings, but the tonal range of the bass is just asinine.

Guitar solo highs to wall shaking lows... I love it to bits. So much Im selling my F bass BN5, and getting them to make me a BN7. It does help to have long fingers, since as you get closer to the bridge, the neck peaks out at 4" wide. However with such a wide tonal range, you never need to go past the 12th fret on the lowest strings anyway.

Its cool being able to learn guitar solos and scales. I've been doing a ton of both and they've really helped me grow by leaps and bounds.
These basses are worth their price tag on ebay, easily. You're getting one HELL of a nice bass for $700-900.
 
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#8
I just received my GT7 today. (!)
I like narrow string spacing, so that works for me. It's a hefty instrument, but manageable. The neck is nice and thin (back to front), and flat. I think the tuners hold. I have to adjust the intonation, though; tomorrow.

Overall I'd say the quality is about what I expected for the price. It's quite sufficient to find out if you like 7 strings.

I had to change the strings right away; the ones it came with truly sucked.
So far I'm not impressed by the clarity of the B string; but the one in the set I switched to wouldn't fit in the bridge slot, so I had to put a no-name B on that has just been hanging around. So I'll reserve judgement.

I've played 5 string for, like forever. So far I think the biggest adjustment for me is going to be keeping 2 extra strings muted. Today I've been finding that when I play the higher strings, my thumb rests on the E string, rather than the B string that I'm used to resting it on. So if I'm not careful the B string tends to ring freely. I'm going to have to adjust my muting technique.

By the way: if you have any background in guitar, try tuning B E A D G B E. I'm finding a lot of my guitar instincts are re-emerging out of the fog. Little chord voicings from my past are popping up -- fun!
 
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#10
A lot of former guitar players opt for tuning the top two strings B and E. I never played much guitar so I use B-F tuning. That's easy as well-you just keep the octave "box" that occurs naturally on the neck going and it give you 3 octaves diagonally. You can use all of your 4 string basses 3 string patterns for scales, arpeggios, etc.
Have fun! I don't use my GTBD-7 as much these days live but it's on my Urban Legend CD (on "Miss Sippi" and "Urban Legend") and on my Simplicity CD as well (on "Curtis" and "Labyrinth"):
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#12
Shinyflavors7 said:
1) I would be moving strait from four strings to seven. Is that a bad idea? I mean I've played five and six string basses before and they all felt natural, but I their is something about a seven string string bass that is simultaneously enticing ,and intimidating.

I would love to get some feed back. Thoughts, Ideas, Opinions are all welcome.
Click to expand...

Going from 4 strings to 7 is no problem. You'll have to learn the same new things if you go to 5 or 6. It's basically about cross-neck scales and patterns. On a 7 string it's about chords and things in the higher range. So in a way it's better to start on a 7. I've played 6 for a long time and when I got my Conklin GT7 I really was sort of thrown about what to do with the extra string with a note I wasn't used to even though scales and patterns move easily through any number of strings tuned in fourths. (Mine uses standard bass tuning from B up)

And you are correct. The 7 string IS simultaneously intimidating and enticing! Give in to the enticement! You won't be sorry.
2) Does it stay in tune? Are string hard to find? Does anyone know the string spacing is? How is the neck? Does it dive?
Click to expand...
It stays in tune. Strings can come from Conklin or a few places but not as hard to find as say Dingwall sets. The instrument is absolutely KILLER! It is absolutely excellent for bright uber low action playing. Big knobosity which I love. Excellent control over tone. I've got the Bill Dickens model and it is a superb instrument for a decent price (for a 7 string!). Mine was used and I had it Pleked because it had a couple of high frets. Now it's absolutely amazing.

My personal experience is that a 7 string doesn't have a lot of application for general bass playing, (for one thing just the "look" of the instrument can be overwhelming in some band situations) but for any music with a need for things happening in the upper ranges (Jazz, solos, chords, original music etc.) A 7 string really does it. I love mine.

Just DO IT! (and see for yourself)
 
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#13
Benj,

As I mentioned, I'm far from blown away by the B string on my GT-7. Is the Bill Dickens B any better?

You're giving me ideas re. the Plek-ing; just a couple of high frets are preventing the super low action I'm after.
 
#14
I've had one for about a year, I've been really suprised how much I love mine. It is great for soloing and chords, but I've found I also like mine alot just for regular bass playing. As others have noted, it is a heavy instrument. The extra wood contributes to the tone, which I like very much. Mine is a stock GT-7 with Bartolini's. It can do super deep tones, Jaco-like punchy Jazz bass, and sparkly slap tones all really well. I use the Dean Markley string set. The only issue I have had with mine is I let it get dry this winter and the fret edges popped out a bit and were kind of sharp. My tech suggested humidifying it rather than filing the fret edges, and this has worked out fine. It's made in Korea, I got mine used from Guitar Center for $600. I think these basses are a really good value. If you don't like it, you can easily sell it.
 
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#15
Johannes Oehl said:
The guitar-like tuning you suggest is very interesting.
Click to expand...

Johannes,

It is a lot of fun, especially in small groups such as the guitar duo I play in. The ability to fill in harmony with guitar chords above the 12th fret really helps.

I have a lot of practicing ahead of me, though, to figure out how to fit the chords in without dropping the bass line.
On my 5 string I'm used to slipping in 10ths (the interval) to define major or minor; but full chords is a whole other task.

I've tried 6 string, but I personally don't like it; it confuses me to have learn different chord voicings. For me it's much easier to go all the way to 7 string, and have a hybrid between a guitar and a bass.
 
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#16
pbasswil said:
Benj,

As I mentioned, I'm far from blown away by the B string on my GT-7. Is the Bill Dickens B any better?

You're giving me ideas re. the Plek-ing; just a couple of high frets are preventing the super low action I'm after.
Click to expand...

As far as I know (I have only played mine) the B string is the same on both. The Dickens I think has more controls on the EQ of the higher end.

Yes. Plek-ing does a great job on fret leveling, but is expensive. I justified it based on the original high cost making a couple of hundred more bux worthwhile.
 
#18
You can get them from Conklin's website, but they're not cheap.
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Alternatively, you can get the gauges and order a set from bassstringsonline.com
Welcome to Bass Strings Online - A Bass Store for Bass Players!
Or Kalium Strings
Link Removed
Be careful on Ebay. I ordered what appeared to be a "bargain" one time of two sets for $50, only to find out that they were two gently used sets. They're hanging around for spares, but still.... :/
 
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#19
Roy Vogt said:
You can get them from Conklin's website, but they're not cheap.
[Invalid or Expired Link Removed]
Alternatively, you can get the gauges and order a set from bassstringsonline.com
Welcome to Bass Strings Online - A Bass Store for Bass Players!
Or Kalium Strings
Link Removed
Be careful on Ebay. I ordered what appeared to be a "bargain" one time of two sets for $50, only to find out that they were two gently used sets. They're hanging around for spares, but still.... :/
Click to expand...
Found some on the thoman website...they're dean markley SR 2000. Seem cheap enough but no experience with dean markley strings so it will be buy and try
 
#20
I had a gt7 for a while
image.jpg
Never had an issue getting strings. I used juststrings.com and made my own custom sets. In this picture it was set up f#-C but. Also played it in b-f all strings purchased from that one site. For beadgcf could put together daddario sets by combining a 6 string set and a single for the high f from their piccolo set. was like $30 with shipping if I remember right.
 
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