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First Edition Victor Wooten Bow Bass
- Thread starter Apolicious
- Start date
I think the photo of Vic with the bass shows the purpleheart lines are right on! Gives you a lined neck but not so brilliant it looses that fretless "blank plank" look. Personally I prefer the blank neck. I find that with say white or light fretlines most people don't notice that it's a fretless at all. And that, to me, rather spoils part of the fretless impact. Sure if I'm playing blank plank and someone says, "man that sounded just like fretted bass" Sure, thanks for noticing my technique, but if they just see white lines, think they are frets and then don't listen to what I'm doing because they are listening with their eyes, then that's not working. Hence subtle shaded fretlines are clearly the answer IF you must have fretlines. A nice way to have the look and lines too.
I've lost count of how many times I've come back to this thread to look at the picks.
I'm not much for modern, I live in a 90 year old house and have a 50 year old boat. BUT this bass is a masterpiece.
Not thrilled with the pickup cavity but otherwise flawless.
Great job Fodera!
I'm not much for modern, I live in a 90 year old house and have a 50 year old boat. BUT this bass is a masterpiece.
Not thrilled with the pickup cavity but otherwise flawless.
Great job Fodera!
at first I didn't like it but within the time it took to read the thread and then this pic in playing position - I love it
as a doubler this is enticing and yes, Bravo to Fodera for thinking outside the box - that's inovation
as a doubler this is enticing and yes, Bravo to Fodera for thinking outside the box - that's inovation
Letting me down Talkbass crew. I thought by now someone here would have tracked down some audio!
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and this is the difference between most of us and people like victor wooten.
And I can see no practical use for a 6 string Warwick or Alembic. I wouldn't be as petty to call them both hideous and insult folks that paid good money to own them, but I am absolutely not a fan (I have played both). In fact, if you gave me one of each, I would sell them both immediately.
All relative.
I have no idea what you're talking about. 90% of Lamborghinis look like door stops. This, on the other hand, has a Picasso-esque cool to it.
Okay then, move along. I don't think this bass is intended for "practical use" by us mere mortals either. You won't see it in the hands of someone like you or me, playing Mustang Sally in a bar for a couple of beers. This kind of wacky concept is for an innovator like Vic, who will almost certainly put it to use in a mind-boggling manner.
The bass is very much a Fodera with cut outs for bowing and a finger radius to match. Looks beautiful to my eyes. Can't wait to hear it.
I'm picturing a flurry of clickity clackity double thumping and then Vic going to town sawing it with a bow Dave Matthews Band style 
Best thing I've seen all day. Mad props yet again to Victor for trying something new - the bass world needs more guys like him.
Many of these comments are from people who've never seen bassist in other parts of the world. Go see "Circus Oz" in Australia and you'll see the bassist riding a bike around the room bowing a DB and making it sound like a massive 5-string. Go to Pattaya, Thailand, to Nong Nuch Gardens, and see the bassist in the culture show playing a piece of driftwood with strings attached. Sounds similar to a P-bass. There are people around the globe who may purchase this - and who possibly have no clue who Victor is. And FWIW the first time I saw the Flectones I never noticed Victor - I was blown away by his brother playing his drums.
I got to check it out when I was at Fodera in Feb. it is actually MUCH weirder IMO in person.
The board radius is completely crazy (compared to a "normal" electric bass). It is big and just weirdly shaped to accommodate a bow.To me, it is an incredible bass and a work of art... but not something I would be remotely interested in buying.
I don't see any other luthiers "thinking outside the box" (god I hate that overused corporate-speak, but it fits) these days though. Very innovative IMO.
P.s. To you Brooklyners..... The Raptors rule and the Nets suck!!!
(I don't see any other luthiers "thinking outside the box") Go to the Conklin website. Look at the basses/guitars that they have built over the past 30 years. Down near the bottom is a 'out of the box' bass built for Mr Wooten himself. Not radical but still not something you see on the wall at your local shop. And it's maybe 10-15 years old.
Just Thumpin'
Commercial User
- Mar 7, 2008
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- Manager and Partner, Fodera Guitars (10/14/09 - 12/16/19)
LOL, this comment is virtually identical to many of the early impressions of the Fender Precision Bass. That said, the Bow Bass was never intended to do anything more, or less, than meet the stated needs of Victor Wooten for a bass that he could play both fingerstyle and using a very specific, short bow and associated bowing technique. Perhaps others will want to take up the technique, or maybe they won't, but the form of the Bow bass is absolutely tied to the way it was intended to function. Sorry that you find it to be hideous.
I have an upright and don't play Arco.
That said, I'd like to hear and feel the pizzicato sound out of this thing- that fingerboard radius is awesome!
That said, I'd like to hear and feel the pizzicato sound out of this thing- that fingerboard radius is awesome!
Looks radical to me. That is interesting and seems to say Vic was thinking about bass guitar bowing even years ago.
and i'm sure it will be every bit as successful.
look, i get it. it's victor wooten. dude does crazy stuff. that's his thing. i'm just not into it, and that's okay.
