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Show us your Martin Keith Basses

#841
Weekly bump. Now hating Paypal. Sold some photography gear to fund downpayment for a MK. That deal fell through last Friday due to PP placing (out of the blue) a 3 week hold on the funds and the buyer backed out. Placed the ad again today, and it sold ASAP (for $350 more!) but again, PP placed a 3 week hold on the funds. The buyer is cool with the delay, the hold is still there, but PP will lift the hold as soon as I submit a tracking number. Ugh. First time in 20 years.

I think as soon as my Elfin build is paid off I'm DONE with Paypal.
 
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#844
swartzfeger said:
Weekly bump. Now hating Paypal. Sold some photography gear to fund downpayment for a MK. That deal fell through last Friday due to PP placing (out of the blue) a 3 week hold on the funds and the buyer backed out. Placed the ad again today, and it sold ASAP (for $350 more!) but again, PP placed a 3 week hold on the funds. The buyer is cool with the delay, the hold is still there, but PP will lift the hold as soon as I submit a tracking number. Ugh. First time in 20 years.

I think as soon as my Elfin build is paid off I'm DONE with Paypal.
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I still use PP for some things, but Venmo and Zelle are much better. Sorry, man. Glad it sold again!
 
#846
Jeff Scott said:
People still use PrayPal?
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emjazz said:
I still use PP for some things, but Venmo and Zelle are much better. Sorry, man. Glad it sold again!
Click to expand...

Unlike Zelle and Venmo, Paypal is "technically" insured. But like USPS shipping insurance, it can be a hassle-to-impossible to get a refund if things go south.
 
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#849
Just reading back through this thread...

@swartzfeger , if you can get your hands on a Warwick or an Ibanez SR series (which tend to be pretty common), the 5's and 6's have 16.5mm spacing, which may give you some idea how comfortable that is for you.

I've "inherited" my new wife's deceased husband's Warwick Corvette 5, and while it's a great sounding bass and it makes her happy to see me playing it, I have definitely found that the narrow 16.5mm spacing is really not my preference...

emjazz said:
I've been playing a 6 with 16.5mm spacing for many years now. I experimented with different basses to find what worked for me. Can you get your hands on something with more narrow spacing to try first? I have smaller hands so it's perfect, but it's not for everyone. If you want to play more chordally then the narrow spacing is great.
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#850
mikezimmerman said:
Just reading back through this thread...

@swartzfeger , if you can get your hands on a Warwick or an Ibanez SR series (which ten to be pretty common), the 5's and 6's have 16.5mm spacing, which may give you some idea how comfortable that is for you.

I've "inherited" my new wife's deceased husband's Warwick Corvette 5, and while it's a great sounding bass and it makes her happy to see me playing it, I have definitely found that the narrow 16.5mm spacing is really not my preference...
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Smart woman choosing another bass player....

I remember having an Ibanez 6 years ago. It felt right for my right hand. 16.5mm. Years before that I had tried a Modulus bass and immediately loved the 2" nut width. Based on those two experiences I have been using those widths on both ends and have always felt super comfortable. I can play others of course, but for a 6 that works for me best. I could never play the 20mm string width that Mike plays, but that's why these things are so personal.
 
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#851
mikezimmerman said:
I've "inherited" my new wife's deceased husband's Warwick Corvette 5, and while it's a great sounding bass and it makes her happy to see me playing it, I have definitely found that the narrow 16.5mm spacing is really not my preference...
Click to expand...

Deepest respect to you for honoring your wife's deceased husband. :thumbsup: That would be tough duty for me because I'm horrified by spacing that narrow*, but I'd like to think that I'd also do the right thing if I were in your situation.


*My hands aren't particularly large, but I've spent over 4 decades on 19-20mm, 'nuff said.
 
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#852
mikezimmerman said:
Just reading back through this thread...

@swartzfeger , if you can get your hands on a Warwick or an Ibanez SR series (which ten to be pretty common), the 5's and 6's have 16.5mm spacing, which may give you some idea how comfortable that is for you.

I've "inherited" my new wife's deceased husband's Warwick Corvette 5, and while it's a great sounding bass and it makes her happy to see me playing it, I have definitely found that the narrow 16.5mm spacing is really not my preference...
Click to expand...

Totally agree. I purchased a cheap Ibanez 6-string as a "test bass" with 16.5mm bridge spacing thinking I would prefer the narrower bridge spacing over wider. I'm glad I did this first. Much to my surprise, it showed me that my hands are actually more comfortable and less cramped playing chords and such on a wider spaced neck...and I played much narrower spacing on classical guitar before picking up the electric bass guitar.
 
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#853
Well, the Warwick sounds really great for some things, and it's a lovely older German model, so it's a pleasure to play for a few songs (plus, it makes my wife happy!). But playing it makes me think about ordering a custom Broadneck with spacing to match my other customs...as if I could afford a Warwick Custom Shop instrument :roflmao:

Maybe Martin can build me a wenge/bubinga bass?

Fuzzbass said:
Deepest respect to you for honoring your wife's deceased husband. :thumbsup: That would be tough duty for me because I'm horrified by spacing that narrow*, but I'd like to think that I'd also do the right thing if I were in your situation.


*My hands aren't particularly large, but I've spent over 4 decades on 19-20mm, 'nuff said.
Click to expand...
 
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#854
mikezimmerman said:
Just reading back through this thread...

@swartzfeger , if you can get your hands on a Warwick or an Ibanez SR series (which tend to be pretty common), the 5's and 6's have 16.5mm spacing, which may give you some idea how comfortable that is for you.
Click to expand...

Good stuff Mike, thank you!

FWIW, if anyone is interested, here is what Martin told me about string spacing for headless:

As to string spacing: for headless instruments, I use the Hipshot bridge/tailpiece system.

That is available in 16.5mm, 18mm and 19mm. I would be happy to use any of those spacings.
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And here's what Martin said about string spacing in general (I was also asking about a shorter 33" scale for context):

I don't personally find that shorter scales have a direct logical connection to narrower spacings - it's more an issue of right-hand comfort. However, I also know that I always thought I preferred wider spacings, and only realized after about 15 years that my old Modulus which I love dearly was 16.5mm. Go figure.
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Just FYI for posterity for future MK owners. :D
 
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#855
mikezimmerman said:
Well, the Warwick sounds really great for some things, and it's a lovely older German model, so it's a pleasure to play for a few songs (plus, it makes my wife happy!). But playing it makes me think about ordering a custom Broadneck with spacing to match my other customs...as if I could afford a Warwick Custom Shop instrument :roflmao:

Maybe Martin can build me a wenge/bubinga bass?
Click to expand...

I know he’s a fan of wenge :thumbsup:
 
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#860
swartzfeger said:
Has anyone had Martin make a wenge neck?
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My 6 string, that Martin originally made for himself, has wenge, but isn’t all wenge. I like it on that bass and I’ve come close to ordering it on others.

image.jpg
image.jpg
 
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