René_Julien;7944677 said:So, are you gonna go out and buy a Fender Roadworn Precision bass?
Would fit well in your above list.
nah i think im gunna pay a luthier several hundred dollars to have them all "professionally" reliced.
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list your basses' flaws
- Thread starter alexbib
- Start date
nah i think im gunna pay a luthier several hundred dollars to have them all "professionally" reliced.
Alleva-Coppolo LG5 and KBP5....Absolutely no flaws or issues
It has taken me many years, allot of experience and a decent amount of cash but in the end FLAWLESS....
I've owned allot of basses that were flawed and over time I would make sure I didn't buy another bass with those same issues. They say "don't make the same mistake twice....
It has taken me many years, allot of experience and a decent amount of cash but in the end FLAWLESS....
I've owned allot of basses that were flawed and over time I would make sure I didn't buy another bass with those same issues. They say "don't make the same mistake twice....
TheFantod
#5 of the Pentaverate. Took Col. Sanders' spot.
1) Brand New Musicman Stingray HH - absolutely nothing!
2) 1979 Peavey T-40:
- Both switches broken before I got it, cheap replacements. In fact, I've seen very few T-40's that still have both switches intact. Recently installed an "authentic" Phase Switch to return it to its former glory. Still in search of a stock Pickup Selector switch.
- Cigarette burns on the headstock where the idiot redneck previous owner used to keep his lit coffin nails, in-between the strings.
-For the longest time, one of the tone knobs held in place with a machine bolt 'cause I couldn't find a set screw that small. Recently rectified though!
-Built like a tank, can probably stop bullets. Hmm - I suppose that's not really a flaw, more of a bonus!
2) 1979 Peavey T-40:
- Both switches broken before I got it, cheap replacements. In fact, I've seen very few T-40's that still have both switches intact. Recently installed an "authentic" Phase Switch to return it to its former glory. Still in search of a stock Pickup Selector switch.
- Cigarette burns on the headstock where the idiot redneck previous owner used to keep his lit coffin nails, in-between the strings.
-For the longest time, one of the tone knobs held in place with a machine bolt 'cause I couldn't find a set screw that small. Recently rectified though!
-Built like a tank, can probably stop bullets. Hmm - I suppose that's not really a flaw, more of a bonus!
List the flaws of the basses you've got. If you've got one you consider flawless, mention it too
1) Fender Steve Bailey Fretless:
- Had to shim the neck to get low action
- The finish on the back of the neck feels a bit sticky
- Grounding problems: I get white noise unless I touch the metal
2) BC Rich Widow:
- Middle string output is too high (maybe all the pups see it)
- A little fret buzz in some places
- The lower horn (spike) gets in the way sometimes
3) SX SPB-62 5 string fretless:
- Low B lacks sustain
- Bridge rattles a little bit sometimes
- Body starts too high up the neck, playing high is uncomfortable
1) Carvin bunny BB76F
- none
2) Rick 4003 (retired, going up for sale soon)
- too many problems to make a short list
3) gibson tobias basic 6 string FL (retired, awaiting trip to the dump)
- too many problems for a short list
4) G&L L2000 FL
- some hum when running PU's in series mode.
- had to file saddles on E and G to get action low enough
5) G&L L2500 FL
- has fretline inserts (more of a feature than a problem)
- same problem with hum in series mode
- has some neck dive
- had to file saddles on E and G again to get action low enough
- through-body stringing option accomplished by reusing screw hold-down holes in back of bridge. Bridge attached to body with only 2 wood screws on the sides (fix is easy by running bolts through the holes and top-loading strings). There should be screws here and no through-body stringing option, or additional holes drilled so additional hold-down screws can be added.
LS
Just to mention a few;
Hofner Cavern; take care with the pickup selector switch cover, if you switch it too hastily the cover of the bass switch may end up in a strange angle, it can be pushed back in the right position easily. The plastic caps on the tuners tend to crack, they can be glued on easily.
The pickguard kinda floats above the body, which makes it touchy. You'll break it if you'll bang it on someone/something.
Ibanez EB3; I'm not too happy with the thin frets it has, the tuning ends up slightly higher than normal if the weather changes. Seems to give a bit of a grumpy tone when you play it too loose.
My Fretless Korean; some dings in the body, the neck is a bit sensitive through it's length. I didn't like the original bridge pickup (J) and changed it for a Hofner 513 first, now it's on a DiMarzio G humbucker that has better interaction with the wood of the body. The tonepot is a bit scratchy, turning it up and down 10x makes it disappear for a while.
Cimar Jazz bass; many dead spots in the neck, hard to get in tune, bit of a clanky pickup sound (bridge pickup died after 25 years), kind of a floater soundwise, has to be pushed a lot to come through. (great thrill to get it roaring, Banzai!)
Hofner Cavern; take care with the pickup selector switch cover, if you switch it too hastily the cover of the bass switch may end up in a strange angle, it can be pushed back in the right position easily. The plastic caps on the tuners tend to crack, they can be glued on easily.
The pickguard kinda floats above the body, which makes it touchy. You'll break it if you'll bang it on someone/something.
Ibanez EB3; I'm not too happy with the thin frets it has, the tuning ends up slightly higher than normal if the weather changes. Seems to give a bit of a grumpy tone when you play it too loose.
My Fretless Korean; some dings in the body, the neck is a bit sensitive through it's length. I didn't like the original bridge pickup (J) and changed it for a Hofner 513 first, now it's on a DiMarzio G humbucker that has better interaction with the wood of the body. The tonepot is a bit scratchy, turning it up and down 10x makes it disappear for a while.
Cimar Jazz bass; many dead spots in the neck, hard to get in tune, bit of a clanky pickup sound (bridge pickup died after 25 years), kind of a floater soundwise, has to be pushed a lot to come through. (great thrill to get it roaring, Banzai!)
Carvin LB75
-needs a light sanding and a few coats of tung oil
-pickups and or preamp could stand to be replaced
Frankenfretless (70s Japanese PBass copy body, warmoth neck)
-vol and tone pots are scratchy (emg)
-heaviest of my basses
SX PJ
-needs a set-up, possibly fret leveling
-very bright tone wise, maybe different pots needed
-needs a light sanding and a few coats of tung oil
-pickups and or preamp could stand to be replaced
Frankenfretless (70s Japanese PBass copy body, warmoth neck)
-vol and tone pots are scratchy (emg)
-heaviest of my basses
SX PJ
-needs a set-up, possibly fret leveling
-very bright tone wise, maybe different pots needed
Roscoe SKB 3005 -the action is great but the truss rod is completely loose (no tension at all)
-it is a little heavy (9+lbs)
Roscoe Century Sig V- 35" scale (I prefer 34")
-a little heavy (9lbs)
Sadowsky NYC standard 5- doesn't sound as good as the Roscoe's but otherwise it is flawless!
Rob Allen Mouse 30- other than having to answer questions like " What the hell is that?" this little bass is perfecto!
-it is a little heavy (9+lbs)
Roscoe Century Sig V- 35" scale (I prefer 34")
-a little heavy (9lbs)
Sadowsky NYC standard 5- doesn't sound as good as the Roscoe's but otherwise it is flawless!
Rob Allen Mouse 30- other than having to answer questions like " What the hell is that?" this little bass is perfecto!
Squier deluxe active jazz v:
stock flaws:
pickups were bland and the active EQ was not responsive enough. the string spacing is a little wide.
now:
i replaced the pickups wiht 5 string 1/4lbs jazzs and Aggie 3 band EQ (i play mostly passive now) and now i love the sound. string spacing still a minor issue. i have two tone knobs now, when i installed them i wasn't aware that each one would control both pickups. i am installing a series/parallel switch soon.
Squire P-bass special:
stock flaws:
bland pickups and at the time i thought that i didn't like the stock 500k ohm pots(too bright). The pick guard is one ply and could use a white layer (pin stripe)
now:
i replaced the pickups with Hot for P and jazz. left the rest stock. now i love the 500k ohm pots they really add to the GROWL this thing puts out. i still want to replace the pick guard but i am waiting til after i finish my ramp.
stock flaws:
pickups were bland and the active EQ was not responsive enough. the string spacing is a little wide.
now:
i replaced the pickups wiht 5 string 1/4lbs jazzs and Aggie 3 band EQ (i play mostly passive now) and now i love the sound. string spacing still a minor issue. i have two tone knobs now, when i installed them i wasn't aware that each one would control both pickups. i am installing a series/parallel switch soon.
Squire P-bass special:
stock flaws:
bland pickups and at the time i thought that i didn't like the stock 500k ohm pots(too bright). The pick guard is one ply and could use a white layer (pin stripe)
now:
i replaced the pickups with Hot for P and jazz. left the rest stock. now i love the 500k ohm pots they really add to the GROWL this thing puts out. i still want to replace the pick guard but i am waiting til after i finish my ramp.
They only thing that I can think of that I don't like about my basses is that they can't get pregnant and have offspring.
That would be great!!I would clone all of'em!
I would make a hybrid bass out of my Tobias 5 and '75 Jazz.
Man,life would be great.
God,that's weird(?),I have too much time on my hands.
That would be great!!I would clone all of'em!
I would make a hybrid bass out of my Tobias 5 and '75 Jazz.
Man,life would be great.
God,that's weird(?),I have too much time on my hands.
Dingwall AfterburnerII-5: none
Everything about this bass is perfect. I have yet to find its match. It sounds incredible and feels equally so.
Everything about this bass is perfect. I have yet to find its match. It sounds incredible and feels equally so.
My main bass is a Peavey Millenium 5, US made. I would say it is as close to flawless as I have owned. I have a few things I might like better if they were slightly different, but they are not flaws. The pickup balance could be better, the bridge MM humbucker is LOUD, and the neck J pickup is not nearly as loud. Flaw?? Nah. The neck, being graphite reinforced, is VERY thin. Solid, even, etc. The feel is a tad thin for my big paws. Overall, the bass plays VERY well, sounds GREAT, is very even, light, balances well, etc. I am reading lots of posts here about scratches and whatnot. Those are not flaws, by my read. To me, a flaw is a design issue, or a wiring problem, etc.
Im realizing my issues are almost non-existent:
Turner Renaissance: Be brunt of Lyndsey Buckingham jokes. Low output.
Rob Allen Deep 5: Crazy expensive. Close to perfect but could use more bevel/relief on front (feels like a deep jazz guitar)
Rob Allen MB2 -5: Had to have Rob thin the neck a touch. Some early serials were chunky.
Rob Allen Mouse: Looks like ukulele on me. Otherwise perfect
Shuker Artist: haven't found any real issue except could be a bit lighter for a "piezo" bass.
Tom Clement "Jon" Single cut 5 and 6: Not really a builder issue-- Aguilar preamp (which i chose) controls are too crude: Turn bass eq up a bit and windows shatter. IMO the design aesthetics where neck meets body needs to evolve--its pure function lacks beauty of rest of bass.
Veillette Single Cut 5 and Custom Minotaur Shortscale: Perfection except electronics are just too hot. Highest output basses I've ever played.
Ball Family Reserve Redwood HH4 - strangely low output for an active bass. Redwood top makes grown men cry.
Turner Renaissance: Be brunt of Lyndsey Buckingham jokes. Low output.
Rob Allen Deep 5: Crazy expensive. Close to perfect but could use more bevel/relief on front (feels like a deep jazz guitar)
Rob Allen MB2 -5: Had to have Rob thin the neck a touch. Some early serials were chunky.
Rob Allen Mouse: Looks like ukulele on me. Otherwise perfect
Shuker Artist: haven't found any real issue except could be a bit lighter for a "piezo" bass.
Tom Clement "Jon" Single cut 5 and 6: Not really a builder issue-- Aguilar preamp (which i chose) controls are too crude: Turn bass eq up a bit and windows shatter. IMO the design aesthetics where neck meets body needs to evolve--its pure function lacks beauty of rest of bass.
Veillette Single Cut 5 and Custom Minotaur Shortscale: Perfection except electronics are just too hot. Highest output basses I've ever played.
Ball Family Reserve Redwood HH4 - strangely low output for an active bass. Redwood top makes grown men cry.
john turner
You don't want to do that. Trust me.
when you have handbuilt, custom instruments like i do, made by someone who really knows what they are doing, like the guys who made mine (bill conklin, jens ritter and brian barrett/chris benevente (low end jazz)) there aren't a lot of -flaws- per se, but rather character elements.
for instance, i've conducted this experiment numerous times in the past with my conklins - my wife would blindfold me and then arrange all my conklin basses in some random order, face down, on our couch. she would then guide me to my basses and i would touch a 1 inch x 2 inch rectangular area at the back of the neck, behind the 5th fret of each bass, with an index finger.
i have always been able to immediately identify each instrument, based on its unique neck profile just in that one spot. every one of my conklins is hand carved, after all, completely hand made (no cnc or any kind of automated manufacture in any of the instruments).
to some folks, this kind of instrumental uniqueness might be considered a flaw, but to me it's just a constant reminder of how unique-in-the-world each and every bass i own is. if you don't like this kind of thing, don't buy a custom bass. this does not mean that things are unfinished in anyway - quite the contrary. the finishes and fit-and-finish on all my conklins is of the highest calibre. but they are hand made, over the course of 12 years. they reflect this, and frankly that's one of their greatest beauties.
as for actual flaws, there've been a few.
'93 conklin fretless 7 string, serial number 16
- original finish on fretboard wore out in about two years (Granted i put probably 4 to 6 hours a day on this bass every day during those two years, but the finish was not a good choice for a fretless). it got refinished with different finish in '96 by bill conklin and it's been flawless since.
'94 conklin fretted 7 string (no number, about the 40th 7 string bill made)
- original pickups (bartolinis) acted like they were microphonic (weren't really, it was the pickup screws holding them in were disrupting the magnetic field and making noise when i tapped the pickup). replaced them with lane poors. omg. best sounding pickups ever made, imo. man i miss that company.
-replaced the bart tmb in this thing with a demeter onboard pre running at 18v. HOT!
my main bass.
'96 doubleneck conklin 7 string fretted/7 string fretless.
- the design on the top of the doubleneck is slightly off center with the body, very slightly - less than 1/8th of an inch. part of the instrument's design is a section between the two necks where the two different body woods (wenge on the fretted side and ash on the fretless side) are joined together, with alternating strips of ash and wenge and a middle strip of purpleheart. this design is off from the body by a very small amount.
- the necks on both instruments came with no side dots. i didn't want board face dots, but i like dots on the side for both fretted and fretless necks. i painted some on, and they've been fine.
'97 conklin new century signature 7
- this bass originally had a fretted neck on it, with a wider nut. it was made for another guy but he ended up not wanting it, for some unknown reason. i sold the neck back to bill and had him make me a neck just like my the fretted neck on my doubleneck (maple board with inlaid flame tounges). originally it was going to be fretted, but i changed my mind and by then he had already cut the grooves for the frets. so he put wood in the fret grooves for the fret lines. i don't really like lined fretless, though, so this has always been a 2nd-string instrument for me, despite that it sounds fantastic. this was, of course, my fault for changing my mind halfway through. i eventually will make this fretted, i think, or else get another maple unlined board for it - this bass is just too awesome to not be a first string instrument.
- the replacement neck also lacks dots on the side. put em on myself.
'98 conklin fretless 8 string
- the "on" switch for the instrument electronics does not automatically turn "off" when the chord is removed. simple setup, should have been done from the shop that way. sort of a pain, thank god there's a nice bright blue led letting me know the bass is on.
- was experimenting with the electronics in this instrument, wanted to try and use a more common junction and cable for the built-in rmc piezo/synth than the roland 13 pin cable, so i had bill put a vga port in the instrument heh, with a breakout box. i ended up learning, to my horror, that the cable i wanted to use, much like many cable standards, is not hot on every pin (like midi, for instance, is 5 pins, but only 3 of which are actually connected). so i had to rig up a custom cable. blech. i ended up sending the bass back to bill to get the vga port removed and a regular 13 pin connection put back in.
bill has always indulged my bizarre ideas, btw - he was always such a saint, even when he kept forgetting i liked dots on the sides of my necks (for some reason lol).
'99 conklin 7 string hollowbody anniversary model.
- this bass took a little while to arrive - there were some personel shifts at conklin, and it and my 8 string fretted were in limbo for quite a while (almost 2 years from when i ordered to when i got).
- not too crazy about the preamp in this bass - the treble, mid and bass controls are centered at frequencies i'm just not that crazy about. flat it sounds great. i would replace the onboard pre with this thing in a second, except it's the rmc pre, wired into the rmc synth stuff. not sure how to go about it - it's a complicated circuit.
- of all my conklins, this is the only one i ever had to shim the neck on, and only a little - the shim is probably half the thickness of a creditcard, if not less.
2000 8 string fretted conklin
- as i said above, this instrument took a long time to show up. it was, of course, totally worth it when it showed up, but i was recording a lot at that time and i would have used it more on my recordings if i had it.
- this instrument had no dots on the side of the board above the 15th fret. considering this thing is a 36 fret instrument, having to just eyeball the higher register is crazy. i put them in myself, using a brass rod and a dremel tool to drill the holes. considering i'm not a luthier i did a great job on it, but it's not how it should be - the neck certainly needs to be refinished for it to be in "tip-top" shape, and the area around each of the dots is sorta scraggly.
this really annoyed me - what's the point of having a 36 fret insturment if you can't find yourself above the 15th fret. bill was going through a tough time professionally at that time and i guess the dots just got overlooked - he's always ran a small shop, and he was shorthanded severely at the time, before he hooked up with mike who's with him now. in fact, mike finished up this bass for me (The electronics are very complicated, and pretty much the main reason why it took so long for it to be finished.)
2001 conklin 7 string fretless hollowbody "wedding bass"
- this bass was a gift from my wife at our wedding. i wanted it to be exactly the same as the anniversary but white w/gold sparkles instead of black with gold sparkles.
- the body ended up being 1 inch thicker than the anniversary basses - they are about 2" thick, and this one is 3". not that big of a deal, but it is a little less comfortable to play.
- the width at the nut is 2.25". every 7 string bass i have ever had bill build me was 2" at the nut (and the 8 strings both preserved the string-to-string spacing and ended up being 2.25"). that was like the foundation requirement for me for every bass i ordered. the neck on this bass is very thin, though, front to back, so considering this, it's not -that- bad. i've gigged with it a lot and i could deal.
- the bridge he used is not the kind i like (abm). this instrument has the rmc piezo-synth on it too, like so many of my other conklins, but instead of having the piezo-loaded abm's like i have on 6 of my other basses (5 made for me and one i got on ebay) it has a bridge that i think is either a wikinson or schaller. the way i play, i dig in within an inch or so of the bridge to get the tone i like. when i do that on this bass, on the highest two strings, the bridge saddles lift up slightly and then snap back down with the string. quite obnoxious. if i had the dough i'd replace the bridge with an abm. i've gigged with this bass a lot back in the early 2000s, and it's not noticeable to anyone in the crowd, apparently, but to me it was like walking with a stone in your shoe.
i was propbably the most disappointed about the issues with this bass - this was a really special instrument, not only the 10th conklin custom i owned, but also the wedding-day gift from my wife. the nut width messup was pretty bizarre - i'd already gotten so many instruments from bill with a 2" nut, and had discussed the issue with him so many times, it was amazing that this ended up being this way - i guess when barbara ordered the bass she didn't specify the nut width -shrug-, and the bridge just always seemed sorta cheap to me. i mean, it works, but i shouldn't have to adjust my playing to compensate for poorly designed hardware. i have to admit, these issues made me feel like i was being blown off, a little. don't get me wrong, bill's always treated me very well, but the issues here just seemed really...
.
conklins i got off ebay :
'92 fretted conklin 7 string sn 6
- this is a very early conklin 7 string, one of the very first he made that ended up with a customer (the first few serial numbers were design instruments that weren't sold). the nut on this is his standard nut width - 2.25", and a little wide for me. i eventually will make this an 8 string, put another key on the headstock, cut a new nut and replace the bridge.
- neck is sorta chunky. like a "c" profile.
'98 fretted conklin 7 "ultimelt"
- this one also has the standard conklin nut spacing of 2.25", but this also has a thin neck and plays very well, so i can deal with it. it's not my ideal spacing of course, but it is quite playable.
- this bass came from the seller missing one of the bridge saddles. it's a piezo-equipped bass, and the brass saddle mechanism on piezos floats over the piezo element, held in place only with a little bit of silicone-type goop. i asked the seller about where the saddle was and he said it was there when he sent the bass
yeah right - dude probably lost it changing strings. anyway, this was a chance for me to get my dremel tool out and get cracking again. i cut a brass saddle out of some thin brass bars that are available at ace hardware. i completely copied one of the other ones, and now you can't tell the difference between them. was fun - sorta glad it was missing, i enjoyed doing that.
my non-conklins :
2004 ritter roya 7.
- the only gripe i've had with this instrument, and it's a minor one, is that the highest string is prone to buzzing a bit around the 11th fret. i've had to adjust the neck once or twice (Was spoiled with my conklins - other than having to shim the one bass about 9 years ago, i've never had to adjust any of the necks on any of them - bill is the undisputed master of necks). the last time i addressed this issue, a couple years ago, around 2006, it seems to have put it bed for good, because i've not had to deal with it since.
2006 lowend jazz geddy lee 7
- tbh, i have no real issues with this bass whatsoever - it is as good, if not better, a jazz bass that i've ever played (way better imo than my '77 fender jazz, even better sounding to my ears than a pretty sweet '63 i had the good fortune to play on around the time i got it). it'd be nice if there was a battery clip inside the cavity (the battery sorta wiggles around, and was not wrapped in foam) but that's really it. i can't recommend brian barrett's lowend jazz basses enough, to anyone who wants a jazz style bass on steroids. i'd put his 4's or 5's against any jazz-style instrument out there in a heartbeat, and the fact that i got a 7 made in the "paradigm" is pretty unique. not a lot of folks doing that.
wow. how's that for epic post? probably the biggest post i've made in years
for instance, i've conducted this experiment numerous times in the past with my conklins - my wife would blindfold me and then arrange all my conklin basses in some random order, face down, on our couch. she would then guide me to my basses and i would touch a 1 inch x 2 inch rectangular area at the back of the neck, behind the 5th fret of each bass, with an index finger.
i have always been able to immediately identify each instrument, based on its unique neck profile just in that one spot. every one of my conklins is hand carved, after all, completely hand made (no cnc or any kind of automated manufacture in any of the instruments).
to some folks, this kind of instrumental uniqueness might be considered a flaw, but to me it's just a constant reminder of how unique-in-the-world each and every bass i own is. if you don't like this kind of thing, don't buy a custom bass. this does not mean that things are unfinished in anyway - quite the contrary. the finishes and fit-and-finish on all my conklins is of the highest calibre. but they are hand made, over the course of 12 years. they reflect this, and frankly that's one of their greatest beauties.
as for actual flaws, there've been a few.
'93 conklin fretless 7 string, serial number 16
- original finish on fretboard wore out in about two years (Granted i put probably 4 to 6 hours a day on this bass every day during those two years, but the finish was not a good choice for a fretless). it got refinished with different finish in '96 by bill conklin and it's been flawless since.
'94 conklin fretted 7 string (no number, about the 40th 7 string bill made)
- original pickups (bartolinis) acted like they were microphonic (weren't really, it was the pickup screws holding them in were disrupting the magnetic field and making noise when i tapped the pickup). replaced them with lane poors. omg. best sounding pickups ever made, imo. man i miss that company.
-replaced the bart tmb in this thing with a demeter onboard pre running at 18v. HOT!
my main bass.'96 doubleneck conklin 7 string fretted/7 string fretless.
- the design on the top of the doubleneck is slightly off center with the body, very slightly - less than 1/8th of an inch. part of the instrument's design is a section between the two necks where the two different body woods (wenge on the fretted side and ash on the fretless side) are joined together, with alternating strips of ash and wenge and a middle strip of purpleheart. this design is off from the body by a very small amount.
- the necks on both instruments came with no side dots. i didn't want board face dots, but i like dots on the side for both fretted and fretless necks. i painted some on, and they've been fine.
'97 conklin new century signature 7
- this bass originally had a fretted neck on it, with a wider nut. it was made for another guy but he ended up not wanting it, for some unknown reason. i sold the neck back to bill and had him make me a neck just like my the fretted neck on my doubleneck (maple board with inlaid flame tounges). originally it was going to be fretted, but i changed my mind and by then he had already cut the grooves for the frets. so he put wood in the fret grooves for the fret lines. i don't really like lined fretless, though, so this has always been a 2nd-string instrument for me, despite that it sounds fantastic. this was, of course, my fault for changing my mind halfway through. i eventually will make this fretted, i think, or else get another maple unlined board for it - this bass is just too awesome to not be a first string instrument.
- the replacement neck also lacks dots on the side. put em on myself.
'98 conklin fretless 8 string
- the "on" switch for the instrument electronics does not automatically turn "off" when the chord is removed. simple setup, should have been done from the shop that way. sort of a pain, thank god there's a nice bright blue led letting me know the bass is on.
- was experimenting with the electronics in this instrument, wanted to try and use a more common junction and cable for the built-in rmc piezo/synth than the roland 13 pin cable, so i had bill put a vga port in the instrument heh, with a breakout box. i ended up learning, to my horror, that the cable i wanted to use, much like many cable standards, is not hot on every pin (like midi, for instance, is 5 pins, but only 3 of which are actually connected). so i had to rig up a custom cable. blech. i ended up sending the bass back to bill to get the vga port removed and a regular 13 pin connection put back in.
bill has always indulged my bizarre ideas, btw - he was always such a saint
, even when he kept forgetting i liked dots on the sides of my necks (for some reason lol).'99 conklin 7 string hollowbody anniversary model.
- this bass took a little while to arrive - there were some personel shifts at conklin, and it and my 8 string fretted were in limbo for quite a while (almost 2 years from when i ordered to when i got).
- not too crazy about the preamp in this bass - the treble, mid and bass controls are centered at frequencies i'm just not that crazy about. flat it sounds great. i would replace the onboard pre with this thing in a second, except it's the rmc pre, wired into the rmc synth stuff. not sure how to go about it - it's a complicated circuit.
- of all my conklins, this is the only one i ever had to shim the neck on, and only a little - the shim is probably half the thickness of a creditcard, if not less.
2000 8 string fretted conklin
- as i said above, this instrument took a long time to show up. it was, of course, totally worth it when it showed up, but i was recording a lot at that time and i would have used it more on my recordings if i had it.
- this instrument had no dots on the side of the board above the 15th fret. considering this thing is a 36 fret instrument, having to just eyeball the higher register is crazy. i put them in myself, using a brass rod and a dremel tool to drill the holes. considering i'm not a luthier i did a great job on it, but it's not how it should be - the neck certainly needs to be refinished for it to be in "tip-top" shape, and the area around each of the dots is sorta scraggly.
this really annoyed me - what's the point of having a 36 fret insturment if you can't find yourself above the 15th fret. bill was going through a tough time professionally at that time and i guess the dots just got overlooked - he's always ran a small shop, and he was shorthanded severely at the time, before he hooked up with mike who's with him now. in fact, mike finished up this bass for me (The electronics are very complicated, and pretty much the main reason why it took so long for it to be finished.)
2001 conklin 7 string fretless hollowbody "wedding bass"
- this bass was a gift from my wife at our wedding. i wanted it to be exactly the same as the anniversary but white w/gold sparkles instead of black with gold sparkles.
- the body ended up being 1 inch thicker than the anniversary basses - they are about 2" thick, and this one is 3". not that big of a deal, but it is a little less comfortable to play.
- the width at the nut is 2.25". every 7 string bass i have ever had bill build me was 2" at the nut (and the 8 strings both preserved the string-to-string spacing and ended up being 2.25"). that was like the foundation requirement for me for every bass i ordered. the neck on this bass is very thin, though, front to back, so considering this, it's not -that- bad. i've gigged with it a lot and i could deal.
- the bridge he used is not the kind i like (abm). this instrument has the rmc piezo-synth on it too, like so many of my other conklins, but instead of having the piezo-loaded abm's like i have on 6 of my other basses (5 made for me and one i got on ebay) it has a bridge that i think is either a wikinson or schaller. the way i play, i dig in within an inch or so of the bridge to get the tone i like. when i do that on this bass, on the highest two strings, the bridge saddles lift up slightly and then snap back down with the string. quite obnoxious. if i had the dough i'd replace the bridge with an abm. i've gigged with this bass a lot back in the early 2000s, and it's not noticeable to anyone in the crowd, apparently, but to me it was like walking with a stone in your shoe.
i was propbably the most disappointed about the issues with this bass - this was a really special instrument, not only the 10th conklin custom i owned, but also the wedding-day gift from my wife. the nut width messup was pretty bizarre - i'd already gotten so many instruments from bill with a 2" nut, and had discussed the issue with him so many times, it was amazing that this ended up being this way - i guess when barbara ordered the bass she didn't specify the nut width -shrug-, and the bridge just always seemed sorta cheap to me. i mean, it works, but i shouldn't have to adjust my playing to compensate for poorly designed hardware. i have to admit, these issues made me feel like i was being blown off, a little. don't get me wrong, bill's always treated me very well, but the issues here just seemed really...
. conklins i got off ebay :
'92 fretted conklin 7 string sn 6
- this is a very early conklin 7 string, one of the very first he made that ended up with a customer (the first few serial numbers were design instruments that weren't sold). the nut on this is his standard nut width - 2.25", and a little wide for me. i eventually will make this an 8 string, put another key on the headstock, cut a new nut and replace the bridge.
- neck is sorta chunky. like a "c" profile.
'98 fretted conklin 7 "ultimelt"
- this one also has the standard conklin nut spacing of 2.25", but this also has a thin neck and plays very well, so i can deal with it. it's not my ideal spacing of course, but it is quite playable.
- this bass came from the seller missing one of the bridge saddles. it's a piezo-equipped bass, and the brass saddle mechanism on piezos floats over the piezo element, held in place only with a little bit of silicone-type goop. i asked the seller about where the saddle was and he said it was there when he sent the bass
yeah right - dude probably lost it changing strings. anyway, this was a chance for me to get my dremel tool out and get cracking again. i cut a brass saddle out of some thin brass bars that are available at ace hardware. i completely copied one of the other ones, and now you can't tell the difference between them. was fun - sorta glad it was missing, i enjoyed doing that.my non-conklins :
2004 ritter roya 7.
- the only gripe i've had with this instrument, and it's a minor one, is that the highest string is prone to buzzing a bit around the 11th fret. i've had to adjust the neck once or twice (Was spoiled with my conklins - other than having to shim the one bass about 9 years ago, i've never had to adjust any of the necks on any of them - bill is the undisputed master of necks). the last time i addressed this issue, a couple years ago, around 2006, it seems to have put it bed for good, because i've not had to deal with it since.
2006 lowend jazz geddy lee 7
- tbh, i have no real issues with this bass whatsoever - it is as good, if not better, a jazz bass that i've ever played (way better imo than my '77 fender jazz, even better sounding to my ears than a pretty sweet '63 i had the good fortune to play on around the time i got it). it'd be nice if there was a battery clip inside the cavity (the battery sorta wiggles around, and was not wrapped in foam) but that's really it. i can't recommend brian barrett's lowend jazz basses enough, to anyone who wants a jazz style bass on steroids. i'd put his 4's or 5's against any jazz-style instrument out there in a heartbeat, and the fact that i got a 7 made in the "paradigm" is pretty unique. not a lot of folks doing that.
wow. how's that for epic post? probably the biggest post i've made in years
john turner
You don't want to do that. Trust me.
