dean hammer 10

[catrunes]

whats the deal with this bass? i've been wanting a 10 and its gotten some good reviews. any comments?

 

[Rico_2212]

Tried one and liked it alot. My issues come from the lack of 10 string sets. I asked the personel at the store about strings and after 10 minutes of looking at dumbfounded expressions I the only thing I found out is that none of us had any idea where to get strings for the damned thing! It's a shame 'cause I really liked it.

 

[japhy4529]

I'm resurrecting an old thread here...

Anyone else here own a [Invalid or Expired Link Removed] (dual course, 5 string)?

I just picked one up from a fellow TB'er. This Bass is sick! So far, I've only played it through my Guitarport and crappy TV speakers, but the tone is off the hook. Even with half-dead strings, the Bass really sings. I can't wait to play it through an amp! It is a hard bass to play though. I'm certainly not rockin' YYZ on this baby (at least not yet). Playing notes in the first position (definitely the first two frets) requires vice-grip like hand strength! Of course, my hands are not in playing shape right now, so that might be part of the issue...

Speaking of strings - you can purchase individual strings online through juststrings.com and daddario.com. I just ordered the octave strings through daddario.com. I'll pick up a regular set of 5-string D'Addario's through my local music store.


Tom

 

[Ian Perge]

I'm resurrecting an old thread here...

Anyone else here own a [Invalid or Expired Link Removed] (dual course, 5 string)?

I purchased one off a fellow TBer last summer to fulfill a lifelong bass playing dream - I'd wanted a octave bass with a low-B since my first original band in 1994 but back then, Warrior or Godlyke weren't even making ultra-expensive versions, forget something I could afford. So for 14 years I made due with "electronic versions", first with my old-school Bass Whammy and it's "Octave Up" function for years, then a massive improvement with a Yamaha MagicStomp EB (a fantastic stompbox in general, I somewhat regret selling it as it would be nice for home demo/recording purposes) and finally a E-H Micro POG (which I still use for live gigs as it can be used for short "burst" parts in songs). Still, when Dean came out with a realatively inexpensive version I longed for it for a few years until the opportunity to purchase one used came about.

It's fairly easy to physically play: set up properly, the Octave and Fundamental strings are close together and the Octave is a touch higher on mine so that your pick hits the Octave cleanly and lets it ring out (I personally can't imagine playing this thing fingerstyle ). It's a bit more pressure to hold the sets down, but not crazily so IMO. And surprisingly, unplugged it has a very clear and even tone as I tend to find Mahogany-bodied basses middy and undefined and tend to be needed to be paired with another wood to bring out high & low-end as well as definition.

There are very few negatives, but one is duh, 5 bass tuners, 5 guitar tuners and the sheer size of the headstock gives it more than a touch of neck dive. Another is that the preamp is a pretty low quality 2-band unit but not any lower than comparable basses in it's price range (I'm installing Aguilar OBP-3s in my Spectors in the upcoming month, and will likely swap the stock preamp with the Spector's TonePump... but perhaps run it passive first to see how the pickups sound uneffected). I'm not a fan of the oil/wax-based finish and would rather have a gloss finish, but that's a personal preference and also a reason for refinishing. In terms of strings I haven't gotten around to ordering a new set, but I was recommended to go to S.I.T. String by TB member and non-standard tuning wizard Jauqo III-X, who also owns a Edge Hammer 10X and gets his strings from them - I'd rather place one order than 10 (1 5-string set and five single octaves) and I imagine in the end it would be cheaper as well.

Still, for 5 bones for a Very Good condition used bass that has settled a yearning I've had for almost 15 years, three quarters of my life as a bassist, I have no regrets in my purchase, play it at least a few times a week, and has factored into my writing as well - I write mainly around "riffs", and this bass is nothing if not a "Riff Machine"! I'd also *love* to form a power trio for live shows just to use it to fill in the "sonic gap" that you usually have with a soloing guitarist and no secondary chordal instrument. A touch of distortion and chorus makes up for those quite easily...

 

[12bass]

... Playing notes in the first position (definitely the first two frets) requires vice-grip like hand strength! Of course, my hands are not in playing shape right now, so that might be part of the issue...

That sounds suspiciously like a nut in need of some filing/lowering....

 

[japhy4529]

I purchased one off a fellow TBer last summer to fulfill a lifelong bass playing dream - I'd wanted a octave bass with a low-B since my first original band in 1994 but back then, Warrior or Godlyke weren't even making ultra-expensive versions, forget something I could afford. So for 14 years I made due with "electronic versions", first with my old-school Bass Whammy and it's "Octave Up" function for years, then a massive improvement with a Yamaha MagicStomp EB (a fantastic stompbox in general, I somewhat regret selling it as it would be nice for home demo/recording purposes) and finally a E-H Micro POG (which I still use for live gigs as it can be used for short "burst" parts in songs). Still, when Dean came out with a realatively inexpensive version I longed for it for a few years until the opportunity to purchase one used came about.

It's fairly easy to physically play: set up properly, the Octave and Fundamental strings are close together and the Octave is a touch higher on mine so that your pick hits the Octave cleanly and lets it ring out (I personally can't imagine playing this thing fingerstyle ). It's a bit more pressure to hold the sets down, but not crazily so IMO. And surprisingly, unplugged it has a very clear and even tone as I tend to find Mahogany-bodied basses middy and undefined and tend to be needed to be paired with another wood to bring out high & low-end as well as definition.

There are very few negatives, but one is duh, 5 bass tuners, 5 guitar tuners and the sheer size of the headstock gives it more than a touch of neck dive. Another is that the preamp is a pretty low quality 2-band unit but not any lower than comparable basses in it's price range (I'm installing Aguilar OBP-3s in my Spectors in the upcoming month, and will likely swap the stock preamp with the Spector's TonePump... but perhaps run it passive first to see how the pickups sound uneffected). I'm not a fan of the oil/wax-based finish and would rather have a gloss finish, but that's a personal preference and also a reason for refinishing. In terms of strings I haven't gotten around to ordering a new set, but I was recommended to go to S.I.T. String by TB member and non-standard tuning wizard Jauqo III-X, who also owns a Edge Hammer 10X and gets his strings from them - I'd rather place one order than 10 (1 5-string set and five single octaves) and I imagine in the end it would be cheaper as well.

Still, for 5 bones for a Very Good condition used bass that has settled a yearning I've had for almost 15 years, three quarters of my life as a bassist, I have no regrets in my purchase, play it at least a few times a week, and has factored into my writing as well - I write mainly around "riffs", and this bass is nothing if not a "Riff Machine"! I'd also *love* to form a power trio for live shows just to use it to fill in the "sonic gap" that you usually have with a soloing guitarist and no secondary chordal instrument. A touch of distortion and chorus makes up for those quite easily...

I'm glad that there are other people who dig this bass as much as I do. I've already been inspired with new song ideas. I haven't played this much in two years.

I'm sure the neck dive is out of control, but as I'm not in a band, I can just sit down and play!

Anyway, I too would love to play this bass in a power trio. I used to be in one, before the singer/guitarist moved to the U.K. Bummer.


Tom

 

[japhy4529]

That sounds suspiciously like a nut in need of some filing/lowering....

Could be. But I suspect that I just have a bad case of the "wussies" from not being in playing shape. I plan to rectify this situation, pronto!

Tom