Mr. Al Caldwell11 #053 .....
(This guy is a great player .... if you haven't heard him, you're missing out on some great musicianship)
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Mr. Al Caldwell11 #053 .....
(This guy is a great player .... if you haven't heard him, you're missing out on some great musicianship)
Definatly, if he wasn't, all he would have said was, "Woah, look at that big guitar!"
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...........
Yeah, I get similar funny remarks.
Here is a pic of how my gear is displayed in my appartment:
When a non-musician comes over with the idea that basses should have only 4 strings and guitars 6, they mostly say: "hey nice, you have 2 bass guitars, a real guitar and a kids guitar."
The kid guitar meaning that MIM Telecaster in the back and the real guitar the 6-string Yamaha RBX.
The Telecaster just looks so puny behing the 6-string bass.
(I love my Telecaster guitar though.)
I just sold my 6 string but have another on it's way and I know this point has been made alredy but...being someone with smaller hands and not as much experience as alot of players, I actually find it easier to play a 6 than a 4 in that you don't have to move your hands as much and thus not think about that one aspect as much.
When I get my 5 string in a couple of weeks, I will join the club.lol
When I get my 5 string in a couple of weeks, I will join the club.lol
Man, thats sweet! Ive always kept an eye on Skjold Basses, and in that bodystyle in particular. Can anybody comment on their playability/ease of comfort and the feel of the neck due to the way the necks are built? Any hands on insight on Skjold would be GREATLY appreciated.
*Googles*
Mr. Al Caldwell11 #053 .....
(This guy is a great player .... if you haven't heard him, you're missing out on some great musicianship)
Hehehehe! Kids guitar!Yeah, I get similar funny remarks.
Here is a pic of how my gear is displayed in my appartment:
When a non-musician comes over with the idea that basses should have only 4 strings and guitars 6, they mostly say: "hey nice, you have 2 bass guitars, a real guitar and a kids guitar."
The kid guitar meaning that MIM Telecaster in the back and the real guitar the 6-string Yamaha RBX.
The Telecaster just looks so puny behing the 6-string bass.
(I love my Telecaster guitar though.)
You need another bass for that rack, btw.
You need another bass for that rack, btw.
It's tempting... There are about 4 basses I'm gassing for at the moment.
But right now I better invest in my rig. (Still don't know which way I'll go with amplification.)
It's tempting... There are about 4 basses I'm gassing for at the moment.
But right now I better invest in my rig. (Still don't know which way I'll go with amplification.)
Well, no need straight away, that fine Tony Franklin will keep ya happy, I bet.
JAUQO III-X
Inactive
Can anybody comment on their playability/ease of comfort and the feel of the neck due to the way the necks are built? Any hands on insight on Skjold would be GREATLY appreciated.
I have never played a Skjold that didn't feel nice,balance well and sound good. Pete's basses really are some of the best basses on the market overall. The craftsmanship is impeccable and his work is getting better and better.If you've never played a Skjold it would be to your advantage to check one out for yourself if you ever get the chance.
Thanks Jauqo!
I missed out on the So. Cal Winter NAMM this year, but will make sure i dont miss out on next years. Its like Disneyland for musicians.
JAUQO III-X
Inactive
You're welcome.
I missed out on the So. Cal Winter NAMM this year, but will make sure i dont miss out on next years. Its like Disneyland for musicians.
Yes it is
How could i miss this thread ?!
Here's my Bee
...oh and don't forget to check out this video from the Lodo Bass Bash
Here's my Bee
...oh and don't forget to check out this video from the Lodo Bass Bash
You've been playing ERB's longer than I've been alive! Jeez, man. Also, it's a bit strange when some people see a skinny little teenager pick up a giant sixer and proceed to play bass on it. When I brought out my sixer at a birthday party where I was playing, I definitely got some funny looks. Oh well.
At least I hold the title for youngest ERB player here...I think.
And by the way, ChiliPepper, that Bee is amazing.
Man, thats sweet! Ive always kept an eye on Skjold Basses, and in that bodystyle in particular. Can anybody comment on their playability/ease of comfort and the feel of the neck due to the way the necks are built? Any hands on insight on Skjold would be GREATLY appreciated.
Pete's necks have a pretty round back and a little more "meat" on them than most of the 6-strings I've played, and they have a nice taper down to the nut instead of staying wide like my STR does. The feel is a little different at first if you're accustomed to wide, flat necks like you might find on a Benavente, but it feels perfectly natural after a couple minutes of playing. Plus, Pete's proprietary neck finish is one of the best in the business.
Like Jauqo, I've never played a bad Skjold, and that's part of the reason I decided to work with Pete when I ordered a custom. He's a player as well as a woodworker and luthier, and it comes through in his instruments-I've felt right at home on every one I've picked up, regardless of string count.
Mine will be a 6-string fretless with a mahogany body, the flame maple top I posted in this thread, an ebony fingerboard, and a maple/purpleheart neck. Electronically, it'll have the simpler East preamp that Pete uses and a single pickup.
john turner
You don't want to do that. Trust me.
heh. i had been playing 4's for over 8 years by the time i switched to 7's too.
i'm old. lol.
That tops out at 24 years. Jeez, man. At least you aren't as old as my dad (I think). He's a ripe 56. Hehe. But it's good to know that I can hold my own against people 2x or more my age.
I worked out recently that I've been playing bass for 18 years, guitar for 2 before that and violin for 11 before that. I realized I was getting old when I was filling out something on-line and saw that I'd moved up an age range..
Anyway, a couple of weeks ago, I took the Acg 9 into a local music store. I know the guys in there a little and they'd asked me to bring it in. The guys who played it found that it wasn't that bad to play. The funny thing was that I could see small groups of people around the store just pointing and with puzzled looks on their faces, wondering what it was.
I love playing music, I always have, but ERBs give such freedom of expression.
Anyway, a couple of weeks ago, I took the Acg 9 into a local music store. I know the guys in there a little and they'd asked me to bring it in. The guys who played it found that it wasn't that bad to play. The funny thing was that I could see small groups of people around the store just pointing and with puzzled looks on their faces, wondering what it was.
I love playing music, I always have, but ERBs give such freedom of expression.
john turner
You don't want to do that. Trust me.
heh.
i had an interesting encounter at a starbucks a few months ago. was talking to a barrista at the counter about music, apparently he was a bass player too. we got to talking about gear and such, and he was telling me about his bass. he then asked me about mine, and i told him about my basses gently at first (usually don't blurt out that i have 12 custom 7 and 8 string basses including a doubleneck upon first meeting someone - the date usually goes downhill from there lol
). anyway, so i'm talking to him about how long i had worked with bill conklin and when i got my first custom bass and all that, and he starts looking at me funny. then he asks me "when did you start playing?" and i tell him and his eyes just get wide. then he asks me how old i am, i say "just turned 40" and one of the barrista chicks next to him says "wow, i thought you were maybe 25".i loled. felt like a chick, got all flattered and stuff
. probably blushed too. that's not a sight -i'd- want to see (me blushing).heh.
i had an interesting encounter at a starbucks a few months ago. was talking to a barrista at the counter about music, apparently he was a bass player too. we got to talking about gear and such, and he was telling me about his bass. he then asked me about mine, and i told him about my basses gently at first (usually don't blurt out that i have 12 custom 7 and 8 string basses including a doubleneck upon first meeting someone - the date usually goes downhill from there lol
i loled. felt like a chick, got all flattered and stuff
First, wow. That's pretty cool. And second off, how did you get to know Bill Conklin? I'd imagine it's pretty cool to work on the Conklin basses, et cetera, but I have no idea how you meet someone who has practically revolutionized the 7-string bass. I myself am probably too small to carry around one of those things for too long, and I definitely don't have the cash for it. I had trouble raising money just to get my six string! But that's still amazing having all those basses, and knowing a man who has helped with them. When I have my own flow of income, I can probably shell out some money on some better basses (even though I don't need them right now; I really need an amp upgrade). I'd love to hear your story, bud.
Also, what is (in your opinion) your most formidable skill on bass? I'd be interested to hear how 3 years stacks up to 16, even though I've practiced 1-5 hours every day since I started playing bass.
heh.
then he asks me how old i am, i say "just turned 40" and one of the barrista chicks next to him says "wow, i thought you were maybe 25".
i loled. felt like a chick, got all flattered and stuff
The old magic is still there
john turner
You don't want to do that. Trust me.
thanks
bass player magazine had a 7 string bass giveaway in july of 03, iirc, and when i saw that i decided to contact bill. i had been playing 4 string for about 8 years by then, a little more maybe, and was at sort of a crossroads in my bass playing - i was bored by the limitations of the range of the instrument, and i wanted something extremely different. i had no interest in guitar, but i had been lusting after a tobias signature 6 string ever since i played tim bogert's awesome 6 at the '88 namm show in atlanta. at the time i decided that yes, i would in fact get a 6 string tobias signature, even had all the woods and specs picked out heh, but unfortunately i was a poor college kid and couldn't afford it then.
by the time i graduated college and got a decent job (91-92 ish) tobias was in the transition to gibson, and the instruments that i was seeing were not what i was wanting. i started looking around - called carl thompson, thought about getting a 6 like les' but only got carl's machine heh. left a few messages, but never got a return call. heh oh well.
anyway, i saw the bassplayer giveaway and really loved the bass, and the 7th string was just an added bonus, so i called bill conklin cold. talked with him a bit on the phone, saw that he was a great guy, and so i scrapped together the 800 bucks i needed to place the order. about 4 months and another 2400 buck later, this showed up on my doorstep :
and the rest, as they say, is history
.nah, size is irrelevant, tbh - i know a bunch of smaller-than-average guys who totally kill on erbs. erb's only demand good physical technique and posture than 4's - sloppiness that you can get away with on a 4 will kill you on a 7.
as for the cash, well, all you need are the two p's - patience, and a plan.
.here's a more indepth story about "back in the day",
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and here's what i did to design and order the doubleneck from him.
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thanks for the interest
.oh jeeze, i don't know - i don't really approach chops as a priority, and so i'm not really a chops-kinda-guy. i used to but i'm too lazy for that kinda stuff nowadays heh, and i'm not doing anything that really requires it.
the instrumental in my sig was about average for me on a good day when i recorded it - maybe 7 or 8 years ago? i don't remember. was a while. don't do tapping or two handed stuff, and haven't been into slapping much lately as i used to be.
i'm more into composing cool stuff that works in a proggy song environment than cranking out 64th notes.
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