Curbow Club

[badaxe24]

Here's #5 back...in this very exlusive club.

May I offer some more detailed pictures...

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[rusackas]

Nice pics of a lovely bass.

BTW, TomBowlus is officially #6. Those ones are quite awesome basses too.

Just wondering, is it just me, or is the EQ on anyone else's almost TOO powerful? I love the seemingly endless flexibility, but there's SO much boost that the treble knob can cut glass and the bass can blow your speakers, it seems. I really find myself having to exercise moderation when using the EQ.

 

[emjazz]

Didn't the Curbows have a brass plate under the bridge in the body?

 

[badaxe24]

@emjazz

where did you get this info from ?

 

[badaxe24]

@rusackas

not mine. Boost is okay...

 

[emjazz]

@emjazz

where did you get this info from ?

I'm asking because I can't remember clearly. I remember seeing it shown in a magazine or something years ago.

 

[mikezimmerman]

Didn't the Curbows have a brass plate under the bridge in the body?

I'm not sure about the Retro models, but I believe most Curbows have a big chunk of brass under the bridge. You can see it in this "under construction" photo for my hollowbody 6.

Mike

 

[emjazz]

I'm not sure about the Retro models, but I believe most Curbows have a big chunk of brass under the bridge. You can see it in this "under construction" photo for my hollowbody 6.

Mike

Thanks Mike, I thought you might know.....I'd still LOVE to hear a clip of that hollowbody!

 

[Red Planet]

He did the brass on some but many do not have that. None of mine did.

 

[mikezimmerman]

My Jazz doesn't have the brass block, and I suspect that many of the earlier non-carved top Petites like Tom's (and my first one) might not, either--the bodies just aren't that thick. On the other hand, the bodies are really small, and the Rockwood necks fairly heavy. Red, do you know if the brass was added primarily for tone/sustain, or for balance with the small (petite ) bodies?

emjazz, one day I'll try and record it. The longer I have it, the more I appreciate how amazing it sounds, and that hasn't been true for every bass I've owned.

Mike

 

[Red Planet]

I was there at the time. The Brass was kind of in the middle timeline wise. If I remember correctly (it's been a while) he strarted trying them on the first few 6 stringers pre bolt on/rockwood or right at bolt on and the idea was something like tone, sustain, etc.... I think it was an attemt to achieve a certain tonal goal along those lines but I forget exactly what. I know they sound different.

I would have to hunt down Buddy Thomas (a good friend of mine's cousin who worked many years for Curbow) (way pre Doug). Buddy primarily built my IEP. Buddy reminded me of Ernest T Bass.

 

[tombowlus]

My Jazz doesn't have the brass block, and I suspect that many of the earlier non-carved top Petites like Tom's (and my first one) might not, either--the bodies just aren't that thick. On the other hand, the bodies are really small, and the Rockwood necks fairly heavy. Red, do you know if the brass was added primarily for tone/sustain, or for balance with the small (petite ) bodies?

Yeah, I don't think that mine has a block behind/underneath the bridge. But man, this bass does have great sustain as it is!

There certainly isn't much room there for a block:

 

[rusackas]

This one doesn't quite look like my cup o' tea, but for what it's worth, here's a neck-through Curbow up for grabs in Gainsville Georgia.

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[Red Planet]

This one doesn't quite look like my cup o' tea, but for what it's worth, here's a neck-through Curbow up for grabs in Gainsville Georgia.

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I saw that one. It is almost identicle to the fretless I had except for the neck pickup and the of coarse the frets.

 

[badaxe24]

Really interesting without Rockwood neck ????

 

[JoeWillix]

Bought it in New Jersey back in '95 for a rock-bottom price and have treasured it ever since. Sent it back to Greg to have a glitch in the electronics fixed. He ended up having it for the better part of 6 months, but that gave me more opportunities to get to know him long-distance. He felt so bad about it taking so long he only charged me to ship it back. (He even offered to take my 1981 Rickenbacker 4001 off my hands if I was tired of playing it.) If you're interested, check the obits, cuz that's about the only way I'll ever part with it!

 

[mikezimmerman]

That's a sweet one, Joe! Is that gloss-finished zebrawood? I know Greg really liked to do solid zebrawood bodies, but haven't seen many with gloss finishes...

 

[Red Planet]

Really interesting without Rockwood neck ????

The biggest portion of years, Greg spent building basses neck through basses. The Rockwoods came later though he spent a number of years building the rockwood basses.

All the purple heart basses had no finish/oiled.

 

[JoeWillix]

Gloss. A couple more shots for detail.

What I love about this bass is that every non-musician who sees it is intrigued, and every bassist who plays it is impressed. (Least of all by the weight, of course.) In 15 years I don't think it's ever gone out of tune! I kept telling myself to get another one, and talked to Greg about a 6-string, but never pulled the trigger. Alas...

 

[Need2KnowBasses]

That is one super cool well matched piece of wood. Looks kind of like an owl.