Klos Basses-Carbon necks

[two fingers]

Based on their "About" page, it's 2 fairly young brothers with Engineering degrees. As an not-so-young engineer myself, with a lot of experience behind me, these guys are doing good stuff. So they need help with marketing, but if their story is to be believed, they'll do well if they can get the marketing help they need and not run into devastating supply chain issues.

I'm not big on their pickguard (a bit too much low-budget Stingray 5 knockoff), but I otherwise like the instrument. I'd be interested to see a 5-string.

As would I. It's a shame (on my part), but I pretty much have to all but ignore any cool new bass that doesn't come in a five.

And I really do wish them well. More choices always works out for us as players.

 

[BurningSkies]

As would I. It's a shame (on my part), but I pretty much have to all but ignore any cool new bass that doesn't come in a five.

And I really do wish them well. More choices always works out for us as players.

Me too. I'm also paying attention to graphite and CF neck makers for future fretlesses...but neither a 5 nor a fretless option. .

 

[selowitch]

I am honestly more interested in the graphite-neck Apollo guitar than I am in the bass because I would really like a guitar that never or seldom needs a truss rod adjustment. Whether their guitar delivers on that promise is unknown.

 

[Durham52]

After looking over their web site, particularly the non bass stuff, I get the feeling that TB types aren't their target market.
There target market seems to be young, mobile and adventurous people, backpackers, military and overseas aid types. Their sales pitch is about the durability of their instruments and their travel worthiness.
Hitchhiking around SE Asia, then these are the guitars/basses/ukes for you. Details such as pickup outputs and wire gauges, nut widths, neck profiles, etcetera, don't feature, dismantling your instrument to fit in a backpack does.
Maybe I'm wrong, but it doesn't really matter. They are a new player, with a distinctly different approach to the traditional brands in the industry, whether they produce a product that targets pro's, semi pros, enthusiasts, or gear hounds, is a moot point. If the people who buy and like their other instruments, feel the same about their electric offerings, good luck to them.

If I was still young, still surfing and still footloose, I'd seriously consider one of their carbon fiber parlor guitars, but my late teens and early twenties were in the seventies, so.....

 

[Bikeguy57]

Scale is a factor in pricing too, though. One aircraft fuselage uses more carbon fiber than hundreds of bicycles. One bicycle uses enough CF for several guitar necks. In the early 90s when titanium bikes were a thing, one of the frame builders was getting their tubing stock from a Russian aircraft supplier. If I recall correctly the frames were low priced in part because the end cuts from aircraft orders were sufficient for provisioning their startup period.

I remember those bikes. Some kind of an airplane sounding name.

 

[BlueTalon]

Bolt-on neck, so you can remove when traveling. I'm not sure Leo* thought of it for that reason.

Selling the bolt-on as a feature so you can travel is bizarre.

Their sales pitch is about the durability of their instruments and their travel worthiness... Details such as pickup outputs and wire gauges, nut widths, neck profiles, etcetera, don't feature, dismantling your instrument to fit in a backpack does.

That marketing approach appeals to me. My backpacking days are far behind me, but I have dismantled a bass to fit it in a suitcase more than once. Why a suitcase instead of a bass case? You can fit a lot more clothes and stuff in a suitcase, that's why. Before the virus, I would go spend a month overseas once every 1-1.5 years. Get a bass that's designed not only to be a good bass but to also be a travel friendly bass? Hell yes, sign me up.

But it's gotta be a good bass first.


*Leo didn't have to think of it for that reason for it to be a good reason.

 

[JPaulGeddy]

I think bolt-on was actually marketed as a feature way back in the day - like waaaaay back, when it was novel. It's just such a foregone/obvious thing. 'Hey look, these four metal things on the end raise and lower the pitch of the strings.'.

 

[spade2you]

*Leo didn't have to think of it for that reason for it to be a good reason.

I was being sarcastic. There are bolt-on designs that are meant for easy removal for travel. I'm not sure if I'd think constantly removing the neck for travel is a good idea. If I wanted a travel bass, I'd probably go headless.

 

[BlueTalon]

I'm not sure if I'd think constantly removing the neck for travel is a good idea.

That's the point of the inserts. You could remove and reinstall the neck hundreds of times and you'd never damage the screw hole.

Good point about headless necks. I'll have to try playing one sometime.

 

[JeezyMcNuggles]

Hey everyone, this thread came up on my Facebook page.

Klos guitars, starting at about 1k passive.

American made in Utah.

What do you guys think?

https://klosguitars.com/products/electric-bass-preorder?variant=39332449189931

They look alright. Like if Sandberg made stingrays. Fat, yet sleek.

Look fairly standard though. But, they most likely play like an Ibanez, but sound nowhere near a Fender.

 

[JeezyMcNuggles]

I was being sarcastic. There are bolt-on designs that are meant for easy removal for travel. I'm not sure if I'd think constantly removing the neck for travel is a good idea. If I wanted a travel bass, I'd probably go headless.

Or a mikro

 

[spade2you]

That's the point of the inserts. You could remove and reinstall the neck hundreds of times and you'd never damage the screw hole.

Good point about headless necks. I'll have to try playing one sometime.

Inserts theoretically won't strip like wood and will line up better. Eventually they can strip. They're also glued in and can potentially become loose if there's too much torque.

I have a headless fretless Cliff Bordwell 6 string. Part of my goal was to throw it in a guitar gig bag with my Rob Allen Mouse 30, which is also guitar sized. I picked the Hipshot headless bridge. Hipshot should theoretically have the best support down the road. The downside is that it's heavier than the equivalent bass with a headstock. I knew this when I ordered it. Other systems might be lighter, but can I get parts in ~10-20 years if something breaks? I used to have a Kubicki bass, which was nice, but no idea what I'd do if I had issues since he passed away a few years ago.

The idea of a travel guitar or bass is nice, but how often do I need to travel with an instrument and need something that can fit in a shoebox?

 

[songwriter21]

CF price has dropped , was $150 per lb in the 90's to $10 per lb today.

And yet new Moduluses are very pricey...no thanks. I'll go G.Gould any day of the week over Modulus...basically the same neck, with a sliiiiiiight price difference.

 

[Loudart]

I'd be willing to bet that it's a carbon fiber wrapped wooden neck like the Peavey G Series. Has anyone asked?

Which might be more durable and truss rod friendly than covered Styrofoam?

 

[Loudart]

The SITE is all glitter and Devoid of specs . Cort does that too. What are web marketing firms thinking? To know if its a good fit for me. I need neck specs, string spacing at the bridge, details. Some details I know already arent going to work for me, share some. This is buying half blindfolded. Would love it if they started offering some replacement necks for various 4 strings J neck with 16 inch radius jumbo stainless frets, shallow concentric C with no more depth than X", and heel that allow tighter faster string spacing. Since neck width is no longer needed for strength. Details share details

 

[Benko]

Thanks! I emailed them about getting a retail loaner for review but haven't gotten a reply. Worst case I buy one, but that'll probably be post NAMM.

@LowEndLobster : did you get a chance to put your hands (claw?) on one? Before even knowing if the instrument is good I'm not even sure it's legit as I see no external review so far

 

[LowEndLobster]

@LowEndLobster : did you get a chance to put your hands (claw?) on one? Before even knowing if the instrument is good I'm not even sure it's legit as I see no external review so far

I have not. I've only seen one video and... It sounded awful.

 

[gwangi]

I would say that a guitar neck uses more carbon fiber than a bike frame, but much less labor and R&D, casting etc. Those things can be as thin as paper.

Titanium bikes are still a thing, Mike Laird is building them in is house in Virginia right now for under $2k.

The video was interesting, it didn't show a lot of what someone would want to see, like how the threaded inserts are attached to the neck, any of the production process. And what is a closed custom shop? Lot's of people have tried to make carbon fiber necks, I think only Status has survived, their carbon is outsourced but their designs are clearly for structural integrity and not to look like carbon fiber.

I'm surprised Moses lasted as long as they did, if you have ever seen the inside of one of their necks it looks kind of like a bird house made with a hot glue gun for an elementary school art project.

I had know idea Status Graphite outsourced, I always thought there they made the necks in house!!!!

 

[A9X]

I had know idea Status Graphite outsourced, I always thought there they made the necks in house!

Where they are in the UK they're in the centre of a mass of companies that specialise in CF products for motor sport and aviation, so they have the tooling and experience.

 

[India_Sierra]

I had know idea Status Graphite outsourced, I always thought there they made the necks in house!!!!

Status do make their own graphite products. The post stating they they outsource that aspect is incorrect.

Regarding these Klos basses, they sound awful. It may be something to do with the Fishman Fluence pickups in this video but that hollow, clanging tone is pretty nasty sounding.




I am always dubious about anything cheap or 'new' involving carbon fibre. It has gone from being a very specialised material which required an invested craftsman to produce to a more common product and some of it, particularly the Chinese product, is often very poor. CF is only structurally strong if it's laid up and cured correctly. That takes time and care to do.

I remember seeing a video on YouTube of a guy demonstrating a cheap Chinese guitar with a carbin fibre neck. The heat of your hand could heat the neck and cause it to bend and go out of tune as it expanded. The demonstrator showed this by using a hot air dryer to briefly warm the neck, simulating how the neck would warm up on stage at a venue - the results were comic and dramatic.