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Extended Range Bass (Club??) Thread

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#263
RLK said:
For the record; the issues where with ME, not the builder.
Russ Laggan did some nice work. The thin, wedged bodied is very cool, and the neck feels awesome.

I let the tail wag the dog in wanting full access to a 31 position f-board.
The limited benefit didn’t come close to the cost; odd PU positions and lack of sit-ability.

And while the Spalted Maple makes for cool photos, I now know super-exotic tops are just not me.
SO- -the answer to some of my “what ifs” was “you won't like it".
But the main lesson;
Communicate very clearly and verify every spec!
Due to my lack of the above mentioned, the string spacing and neck placement were different than I wanted.
As much as I've tried, I'm unable to feel "at home" on this bass .

Other than the communication issue, no regrets. I knew there were risks.

On the Ramirez 7:
Shorter fingerboard, standard woods, more convential PU placement, - -
Wilser can tell you how PAINFULLY detailed I get, and how often I communicate to "double-check" the specs. :smug:
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Excellent post ....

When Matt built my 7 string I had all of these exotic ideas about what I thought I wanted .... fortunately for me, he talked me down off the ledge and made many perfect suggestions about what I should have for my particular style of playing. I guess the only point I was very firm on was the larger body (a lot of FBB's have smallish bodies). It did result in a heavier bass, but Matt cut out some weight by sculpting a "belly hole" in the back of it:

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Even the electronics turned out to be something other than what I thought I wanted. I've been using Bart stuff for a long time, but Matt suggested trying his (at the time) new FBB-branded Dingwall pickups and (also at the time) relatively new Audere Z-mode preamp. The trade off was that if I didn't like it, Matt would install Barts for me. Naturally, he was 100000% correct (again) ... ;)

So I totally agree, great communication with the luthier resulted in a perfect match for me. It really pays to listen to what the professionals who are building the bass suggest .... :cool:
 
#267
smakbass said:
Thats a pretty valid point and something that irks me here sometimes.
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Just to be clear on my end of things, I think it's critcially important for those with (for the lack of a better term) engineering/physics skills to research and develop materials that produce the best sound possible. I have high regard for anyone that holds those types of skill sets. Without them we'd likely all be playing 2x4 studs with rubber bands mounted on a washtub ... ;)

Even with on-going research continually developing new and better materials for our instruments, there does come a point where those materials need to be made into a bass and the bass needs to be played ... that is the goal of the research, after all. Rather than argue the fundamental/harmonic issue so compulsively, it seems to make more sense to me to listen to the gear in a live setting. If my gonads are getting bounced around, it's a pretty good bet that my F# is doing what I hope it will do .... :D
 
#269
pointbass said:
I'm not sure that is THE Al Caldwell .... his TB user name is simply Al Caldwell without the "11 after it ... ;)

And, for sure, Mr. Caldwell has beautiful basses and is a superb player .... :cool:
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The other posts he's made have said that it is Al- maybe he lost his old password?
 
#272
Thought I'd post some of the crap i'm getting for playing ERB's:

-A six-string bass? Isn't that a guitar? <-From a girl at school
-Why the (censored) do you need a six string?! Have you mastered a four string to its full capabilities? Are you insane at five string?! <-Nathaniel, fellow bass player
-Four strings has all the notes you need. You shouldn't want any more than that.<-Another fellow bass player

That's about it for now. I guarantee more to come. :scowl:
 
#275
RLK said:
(In some situations) I've said they're spares, so that if one or two break, I'll still have the right amount. :rolleyes:
Its funny, I've found that makes more sense to most folks!
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Hahahahaha! Oh man I gotta try that!

I usually say, "Its so I can play guitar." And hit a powerchord on the high three strings.....
 
#276
i had a gig at a club known for, among other things, a lot of country acts, about a month ago.

dude came up to me as i was warming up unplugged and asked me what did i need a 7 string for in the band i happened to be playing in. i said "i play in more bands than just this one". he then said but why bring it? i said "because this is what i play". he then asked me some nonsense b.s. about the instrument and who did i think i was or some such crap and i just looked at him blankly and said "what?" he asked again, a little louder, and i leaned forward and said "what?" again. he started asking me again and i just put my hand up and shook my head, saying "sorry i can't hear you over the awesome" as i pointed at my unplugged conklin.

i then smiled, turned my back on him, and walked away.
 
#277
john turner said:
i had a gig at a club known for, among other things, a lot of country acts, about a month ago.

dude came up to me as i was warming up unplugged and asked me what did i need a 7 string for in the band i happened to be playing in. i said "i play in more bands than just this one". he then said but why bring it? i said "because this is what i play". he then asked me some nonsense b.s. about the instrument and who did i think i was or some such crap and i just looked at him blankly and said "what?" he asked again, a little louder, and i leaned forward and said "what?" again. he started asking me again and i just put my hand up and shook my head, saying "sorry i can't hear you over the awesome" as i pointed at my unplugged conklin.

i then smiled, turned my back on him, and walked away.
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LOL! :cool:
 
#278
i mean, don't get me wrong, he wasn't really obnoxious, per se, like i made him sound, so much as just thinly-veiled rude. in the 16 years that i've played erb's, though, i've had this same conversation with about a million other folks, so i knew where it was going.

bet the dude was a bass player, too. otherwise, he wouldn't have cared so much. heh.
 
#280
john turner said:
bet the dude was a bass player, too. otherwise, he wouldn't have cared so much. heh.
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Definatly, if he wasn't, all he would have said was, "Woah, look at that big guitar!" :D


Which is weird, because my best mate saw me playing a six string once before, came over, and said, "I didn't know you played guitar too?!" And he was a guitarist........... :rolleyes:
 
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