Double Bass KC Strings Ebony C Extension - Good or bad?

[BKB5Kay]

Local luthier of note will install Kc Strings with Wood gates for the price of what KC Strings will.
Another luthier 3300 with for this C extension and custom wood gates (I assume hand fitted??).

Both are Ebony with wood Gates. Do KC C Extensions have a bad rap or anything to be worried about?
My understanding is "its all in the luthier's skill on Extensions".

Both luthiers/dealers have the same model and almost same year bass - I dont want to post names to give bad impressions but could certainly give info in PM on dealers Luthiers.

Opinons?

 

[LouisF]

The only thing I've heard about KC extensions is that they are heavy --but that may have been for their slide-style model. $3300 seems a bit high.

 

[LouisF]

More here:

Bass Extension

Brass Slide CExtension Brass Gated CExtension Wood Gated CExtension - Black These extensions are truly unique. They are easy to install, easy to adjust and do not mutilate the scroll like other extensions.Our extensions are made of brass or wood. The wood extensions are hand made and the brass...

www.kcstrings.com

and here:

B

Double Bass Thread 'thoughts on KC Strings extensions?'

Jul 1, 2003

I saw one of the KC Strings' brass extensions at the ISB convention and was wondering if anybody has had any expereince with them. Luthiers that I've talked to seem to think that they're ok, but I was hoping to find folks that are more familiar with them.

• Baron von Basso
• Replies: 25
• Forum: Setup & Repair [DB]

 

[the_Ryan]

Local luthier of note will install Kc Strings with Wood gates for the price of what KC Strings will.
Another luthier 3300 with for this C extension and custom wood gates (I assume hand fitted??).

Both are Ebony with wood Gates. Do KC C Extensions have a bad rap or anything to be worried about?
My understanding is "its all in the luthier's skill on Extensions".

Both luthiers/dealers have the same model and almost same year bass - I dont want to post names to give bad impressions but could certainly give info in PM on dealers Luthiers.

Opinons?

The KC Strings extensions are fine, but a luthier's bespoke extension will almost certainly be of higher quality and will be made to fit your bass, although I'd try examples of both the KC Strings extension and the other luthier's extension before making that decision because the KC Strings extension might be good enough for your needs. The brass extensions are also noticeably heavier than an extension made out of wood, which can be an issue if you stand to play since it puts more weight on the left thumb.

I'm also personally wary of extension designs that use pulleys to avoid drilling through the scroll because I don't like that the string is bending over itself before that reaches the peg rather than a straight line, but that wariness might be completely unfounded.

 

[Mark_T]

I'm also personally wary of extension designs that use pulleys to avoid drilling through the scroll because I don't like that the string is bending over itself before that reaches the peg rather than a straight line, but that wariness might be completely unfounded.

My Arvi had a drilled extension and my Kimmel has a set of pulleys. In theory I agree with your wariness but in practice I prefer the pulley because it means I can use the normal E machine for the E string. I don't tend to notice that the extra bends make tuning any harder than usual.

The problem with the pulley system comes when you're changing strings, it can be a bit of a trick to push the string around the various bends. It's especially tricy for strings that have been mounted up before and aren't straight at the ends. One time, I pushed a string through an incorrect path and started winding it on. It bound up and broke with an alarming bang.

Maybe there are ways on some basses to drill the scroll so the E machine remains the E machine, but my drilled extension had the E strung to the A machine, and that was sort of annoying.

 

[the_Ryan]

My Arvi had a drilled extension and my Kimmel has a set of pulleys. In theory I agree with your wariness but in practice I prefer the pulley because it means I can use the normal E machine for the E string. I don't tend to notice that the extra bends make tuning any harder than usual.

The problem with the pulley system comes when you're changing strings, it can be a bit of a trick to push the string around the various bends. It's especially tricy for strings that have been mounted up before and aren't straight at the ends. One time, I pushed a string through an incorrect path and started winding it on. It bound up and broke with an alarming bang.

Maybe there are ways on some basses to drill the scroll so the E machine remains the E machine, but my drilled extension had the E strung to the A machine, and that was sort of annoying.

My Laborie’s extension uses the E peg instead of the A peg and it’s the only bass I’ve owned with an extension, so I haven’t actually spent a lot of time with the swapped E and A tuner setup : Christian Laborie uses the reversed tuner orientation (GEDA from bottom to top of the pegbox instead of the usual EGAD), which makes the regular E tuner line up pretty well with the ideal string path.

 

[avant_chard]

I know a few people with the KC extension and they seem to think it’s fine, but not great, and they all complain that it’s super heavy.

It will do the job, but a bespoke extension will almost certainly be better. $3300 is in the price range for a bespoke extension

 

[JJH]

Local luthier of note will install Kc Strings with Wood gates for the price of what KC Strings will.
Another luthier 3300 with for this C extension and custom wood gates (I assume hand fitted??).

Both are Ebony with wood Gates. Do KC C Extensions have a bad rap or anything to be worried about?
My understanding is "its all in the luthier's skill on Extensions".

Both luthiers/dealers have the same model and almost same year bass - I dont want to post names to give bad impressions but could certainly give info in PM on dealers Luthiers.

Opinons?

I have an Eb extension, as you'll note in my profile picture. I love it, although I admit it's quirky. Perfect for playing Jazz standards, though. Probably the most practical is the D extension, as it gives two extra notes, and the D is really useful in Americana.

Anyway, Matt Bohn made my Eb extension - here's his webpage on them.

Extensions — Matt Bohn

thebassdoc.com

Here's some reasons from his website that he gives for choosing the less invasive option of a D extension:

1. ½ the price of a C-extension installation.

2. Uses a standard size E string. No added cost of purchasing a C string.

3. Makes the keys of D, G, A, Eb, Bb and Ab far more interesting in that you will have more low notes to choose from.

4. The installation is 100% non-invasive to the scroll. Meaning, no holes are drilled into the peg box or scroll to secure it.

5. Unlike the C-extension, the height of the string is only slightly higher off the fingerboard when the capos are opened to D.

 

[Leif Dering]

Nice to see Matt Bohn mentioned. He's a great luthier.

When I had my old bass, I had Matt make an extension, and I also asked about his thoughts on the KCStrings extension. I'm paraphrasing here, but he said that he doesn't recommend it as in his experience, trying to go with a "one size fits all" solution is usually more work than starting from scratch, especially with something as complicated and meticulous as installing an extension. He also noted that in his experience, a custom fit wood extension will always sound better.

Anton Krutz seems like an awesome guy, and his company is a valued resource. That said, I have to agree with Matt on a custom fitted extension being better. I have some friends with KC Extensions, and they certainly work well (and the capos are very easily adjustable which is nice), but they are noticeably heavy, even the wooden ones.

 

[Paps]

I have an Eb extension, as you'll note in my profile picture. I love it, although I admit it's quirky. Perfect for playing Jazz standards, though. Probably the most practical is the D extension, as it gives two extra notes, and the D is really useful in Americana.

Anyway, Matt Bohn made my Eb extension - here's his webpage on them.

Extensions — Matt Bohn

thebassdoc.com

Here's some reasons from his website that he gives for choosing the less invasive option of a D extension:

1. ½ the price of a C-extension installation.

2. Uses a standard size E string. No added cost of purchasing a C string.

3. Makes the keys of D, G, A, Eb, Bb and Ab far more interesting in that you will have more low notes to choose from.

4. The installation is 100% non-invasive to the scroll. Meaning, no holes are drilled into the peg box or scroll to secure it.

5. Unlike the C-extension, the height of the string is only slightly higher off the fingerboard when the capos are opened to D.

Thanks for sharing. The D extension doesn't take from the look of the Bass and ticks a lot of boxes.