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Double Bass Getting some work done

#61
Ed Fuqua said:
Aw, now DURRL, don't be making fun of my lack of space. I don't make fun of your forehead extension.
Click to expand...

1) I think you just did, no? I'm seriously considering starting a group
entitled "Men with Large Foreheads". Our first rekkid could be called, "I am Balding - Hear me Roar". Seriously, shaving my head at age 29 was one of the more liberating experiences I've had in the ego sphere...when every day is a bad hair day, there are no longer any bad hair days.

2) NEW YAWK AND LACK OF SPACE: Fuss all you want, but you can bet your hammy *** that if I find some aspect of living in KY that's hipper than the same in NY, I'm damn well gonna hammer it home. You can go shed crocodile tears about that as you take a cab 15 minutes to hear Kenny Baron or Fred Hersch or whoever else play. :)
 
#63
Chris Fitzgerald said:
Seriously, shaving my head at age 29 was one of the more liberating experiences I've had in the ego sphere...when every day is a bad hair day, there are no longer any bad hair days.
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Anybody with a full head of hair past the age of 30 is merely advertising their severe testosterone deficiency.
 
#71
Sorry PW, I don't know how to make the THUMBNAIL pitchers.
FIRST OF ALL - etxreme gratitude to Fred Pratt for letting me borrow his Juzek to do my gig Friday night. It was a fun bass to play and the guys at Gage did a real nice job. He's got himself a Real Nice Bass.
Now, about me...
I went out Saturday and had a nice hang wit JefeJeff. He got my bass tuned up and left me alone for awhile to play it and see if I wanted anything different, but I dint so he went ahead and finished the fingerboard and that was that. It's so weird to talk about; it's MY bass and it sounds like my bass and feels like my bass, but at the same time there's this depth to the sound that wasn't really there before, this solidity in the upper register. It always had a lot of punch up there, but now there's this real singing quality to the sound. Plus the big gears and the thick board have added weight and stability to the neck, the sustain on this sucker is unbelievable. It feels like my bass, only like my bass got bigger. I played itwhen I got home, stopped to eat dinner, started playing it again. When I had to start worrying about neighbors, I did the towel through the strings thang and kept playing til about 3am. I'm REAL HAPPY.

And now for your viewing pleasure

DowntheNeck.jpg


Gears.jpg


JeffBollbachNY.jpg


MVC-750S.jpg


Now, the digicam I borrowed was reading a battery life of 106 minutes, but it tanked after I took 4 fotos. I'm gonna get it recharged tonight, so if anybody has any requests for angles on the bass, lemme know.
 
#75
Looks great, Ed. I especially like the tuning machines - they're goowajuss! I know what you mean about the sustain and singing in the upper register. I'm beginning to think that a lot of this has to do with board thickness. Maybe why I like new basses? I dunno. But ya done good, and it's good to see you so happy widdit. :)

NELSON ROCKEFEL said:
Yet another sign that the apocalypse is upon us.
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Agreed, but I LIKE IT!
 
#76
Ben Rose said:
Cool. Could you get a close up shot of the top/side of the bridge? I'm thinking about getting Velvets and I would like to see how thick the top of your bridge is.
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Will do. I retained my old bridge as a sculptural relic, I'll shoot that too. Cause it supported Animas for a little over 2 years. As you can see from the shot of the "old" bass, I really had the bridge cranked up. You can see that there's not much wood between the adjusters and the arch under the heart.

In case the smilies weren't enough - I really dig the job Jeff did on this bass. The neck/fingerboard just feel great under my hand; it's like it's a new bass, but it's an old bass. Whenever I wasn't playing it this weekend, I was talking about it so much Kate started rolling her eyes.

I've been so happy about the sound of this bass over the last 4 years or so, now the sound is even better and it looks beautiful, too.
 
#77
Chris Fitzgerald said:
Looks great, Ed. I especially like the tuning machines - they're goowajuss! I know what you mean about the sustain and singing in the upper register. I'm beginning to think that a lot of this has to do with board thickness.
Click to expand...

Yeah, this board is a LOT thicker than the old one, especially at the top of the scale. TP just never felt this "solid" on the old board. But I wouldn't discount the role the tuners play either. These are MUCH heavier than the old plate tuners that were on there, I think all of that mass contributes to the sound.

I can't tell if it's just cause I spent a week playing basses with steel strings, I don't know if there's less tension than there used to be.

Anyway, I need to let the strings settle and I've got a bunch of rehearsals, sessions and gigs this week. My first inclination is to take the action up a little, but I'll play the strings in first...
 
#78
Has the new fingerboard make the neck much thicker, or did JefeJeff trim the neck to compensate for the thicker fingerboard? Have you noticed any difference in the lower regions in terms of ease/difficulty of play?

And yes, those tuners are suhweet.
 
#79
said:
[Invalid or Expired Link Removed]

Yeah, this board is a LOT thicker than the old one, especially at the top of the scale. TP just never felt this "solid" on the old board. But I wouldn't discount the role the tuners play either. These are MUCH heavier than the old plate tuners that were on there, I think all of that mass contributes to the sound.
Click to expand...


Any of the luthier/techie types wanna comment on this? I thought it had been pretty well proven about the headstock weight/sustain relation in BGs, but I never really thought of it in relation to DB until now. Hell, if nothing else, it could give me an excuse to spend a lotta money on fancy new tuners...
 
#80
Ben Rose said:
Has the new fingerboard make the neck much thicker, or did JefeJeff trim the neck to compensate for the thicker fingerboard? Have you noticed any difference in the lower regions in terms of ease/difficulty of play?

And yes, those tuners are suhweet.
Click to expand...

Jeff didn't have to trim the neck, that was another reason that I wanted a new board. It still could have taken a couple (maybe) replanings, but the neck was really thin to begin with. The thicker neck is actually easier and more comfortable for me to play. And the job Jeff did on this board; man the sound I get in the lower register...this bass (in the few years) has gotten a sound that is very direct and projects well, but is very warm at the same time. That sound is still there, but now there's something else going on.

The old plate tuners on there were experiencing a lot of play and weren't really accurate (in terms of how much twisting got you a change in pitch), so I did want upgrade the machine. But I thought this particular style was purty...
 

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