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NBD - 38" Scale 6 string (Carl Thompson Content)
- Thread starter Zentner
- Start date
Since this thread is alive right now anyway...
Could you please share with us some of the more subtle attributes of this instrument you've discovered over the last year? What nuances do you especially like, and are there any you could do without?
And an unfair question... Are there any design features on your instument you'd change if you did it all over again?
I ask as an admirer of Carl's work, and someone who intends to order a CT or Hilton next year. Any and all responses are appreciated. Cheers!
Could you please share with us some of the more subtle attributes of this instrument you've discovered over the last year? What nuances do you especially like, and are there any you could do without?
And an unfair question... Are there any design features on your instument you'd change if you did it all over again?
I ask as an admirer of Carl's work, and someone who intends to order a CT or Hilton next year. Any and all responses are appreciated. Cheers!
Sorry I've taken so long to reply to this, but I've been out of town a lot, and you deserve a serious, thorough answer to this.
The biggest thing I've really come to enjoy about the bass is it's playability. We live in a time where people are incredibly picky about scale length, string tension, instrument weight, and balance. Although many of these concepts are important to playability and are very obviously recognized, some builders miss the mark in other areas. I definitely believe the more you spend on an instrument, the more specific you can be with regards to it's playability- the sum of all of these aspects.
A good example is this:
A very cool instrument- great woodwork, I'm sure it sounds fantastic, it's probably lightweight and comfortable to hold at a 2 hour gig... but there's an issue. The bridge isn't in the right place. One of the first things Carl told me when I was working this bass was to see if any of the bridges on my basses were in the right place. My response was that although I know a fair bit about instruments, I don't know if I have the tools or enough of a builder's understanding to know what was the right place. He assured me that I needed only my eyes to decide- that I should look at the base of the fretboard and see if the strings were centred on the board... to my surprise many of my instruments were WAY off. I'm sure you're thinking- if you spend that kind of money on a bass, of course the bridge will be in the right place. Maybe I'm being picky.. but everyone's so picky about weight, string spacing, and scale length- I think I'm entitled to be with an instrument at that price point.
Even this Jerzy Drozd looks a little funky to me... the 6th picture shows it a little better.
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It's this simple attention to detail that makes a Carl Thompson so playable. It balances absolutely perfectly, the action is even across the board, the fretwork is second to none, and the ingenious design of allowing the neck to sit back towards the player allows the fretting hand to fall into a natural playing position without reaching for the first fret. I truly believe it's as perfect as a hand built instrument can get.
In a similar sense, the pickup and electronics function exactly as I'd hoped. The balance from string to string is extremely even, and I really appreciate how each string- even the high C has a good amount of bottom end and fatness. All in all it's a modern sounding instrument, but I think the scale length actually lends itself to a more even response and allows for a more subdued top end which I typically look for in a vintage sounding instrument. Not sure if that makes sense, but because the string length is longer, I can get away with a slightly lighter set of strings and get more fatness as a result.
As far as nuances I could do without.... I'm not sure I can really say. It's a hand made instrument and every single one is going to have it's own vibe and characteristic. If anything was changed on it I can't say if I'd be as happy with it. It's not the greatest instrument in the world, or my most versatile instrument, or will sit best in the mix of all basses- but nothing sounds or feels like it. Nothing comes close.. it's completely it's own thing.
I guess if I could change one thing it would be that I could have better access to plucking closer to the bridge. I'm toying with the idea of having a thumb rest made between the pickup and the bridge. The bridge coil sounds how I want it to, but I think I'd get even better fingerstyle sounds if it was closer to the bridge. Changing this would unfortunately kill the visual aspect of the instrument for me... I wanted an instrument that appeared to have a single pickup, and I'm happy with how the instrument looks as it is.
Honestly if I did it all over again I wouldn't change much of anything. I'd like a 4 string fretted and a 4 string fretless from Carl as well, hopefully the next few years will allow me to do that, but I really did allow this instrument to cost as much as it was going to cost without anything held back. Carl's a very interesting guy to do business with, but if you're looking to have your hand held through the build- he is NOT your builder. I feel like I was lucky to have my instrument come out almost exactly as I'd envisioned it, but I can certainly understand how others might not have the same instrument at the end of their build process than what they requested. The big thing to remember is by the end- you probably won't end up with the idea in your head, but you WILL end up with the best instrument Carl could make as close to what you'd asked for as possible. This concept is difficult for some people to comprehend, but I assure you it's the reason why Carl's instruments are so special, and it's the only way to get him to put his name on something- it has to be good enough for him, not just for you.
Again, this is just my experience with Carl, and what I have to say about my instrument- and by no means are my experiences the same as what your experience might be in ordering an instrument from Carl. He's an absolute gentleman, and I can't wait to deal with him again soon. I also have nothing against any of the other builders mentioned, I'm just finding examples of how my instrument has felt like a good value and the way I had these simple little 'issues' explained to me.
I hope any of the above makes sense. It's hard to put some of these things into words, describing sound and playability has never been my strong suit. If I can better explain anything, please let me know.
Kevin
Sorry for the late reply. Here's a sound clip of the bridge pickup, tone rolled off a bit in to my Oliver P502 with a single 15. Recorded with my Microsoft surface sitting in front of the amp. It's a good representation of how it can do that qhole jazz bass thing pretty well. No EQing or compression from program, recorded straight with the Microsoft microphone haha.
The bass outro is my fretless CT 4 in to the same setup, but EQed to sit differently in the mix. Guitar was recorded the same way, same amp as well. Drums are a loop I found online, cuz I'm not recording drums in my apartment haha.
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The bass outro is my fretless CT 4 in to the same setup, but EQed to sit differently in the mix. Guitar was recorded the same way, same amp as well. Drums are a loop I found online, cuz I'm not recording drums in my apartment haha.
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Interesting about the bridge; I've thought that a lot when looking at high end instruments. Shoudln't the strings all be positioned on the fretboard evenly?? Funnily, a lot of the time they're not. I just chalked it up to photo angle.
Wonderful, thank you very much! I want to ask about its sound as well. Previously you mentioned it sounds more hi-fi, as the treble sits higher, bass is deeper etc. What do you think, how is that achieved?
Yeah, so the pickup is wound with silver instead of copper which has a greater sonic range. This material difference allows for better low and high end extension should the instrument provide it, so the top end is more shimmery and the lows are deeper. Keep in mind the bridge pickup was wound to be more midrange voiced and the neck more bass heavy, so within each pickup's voicing, they have that extension in terms of bass and treble.
The amp was set with treble at about noon and the bass rolled almost all the way off to about 9 o'clock. There's a lot of low end on board.
It's just astonishing. I would love to even touch your great instrument, not to mention play it for a while. It's absolutely incredible. I would love to have such an incredible piece of musical art in the future, with such a high quality pickups with silver wire, so ergonomic and with absolutely distinguish style and look. Your bass is one of most wonderful instrument I have ever heard of.
