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Single Cut basses, Just a fad?

Is there a Single cut bass in your future?

  • No way! I have no desire to own a single cut bass.

    Votes: 135 37.1%

  • Most certainly! I will definitely get one some day.

    Votes: 46 12.6%

  • I already have one and it's my forever bass!

    Votes: 40 11.0%

  • Single or double...It doesn't matter as long as it does what I need it to.

    Votes: 143 39.3%
  • Total voters
    364
#161
B-line said:


On the premise that you may be oblivious to who Richard Bona the "poser ham" is (rather than just trolling) i offer this video of him hamming it up on a SC.
...I might add that I post this mainly for the purpose of enjoying his playing, and admiring that beautiful SC bass he's using, rather than giving you the attention & replies you seek & crave!:laugh:
Click to expand...


Thats awesome.. nice post!
 
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#162
Its not about looks, or image, or neck stability, its about access to extreme upper frets. If you play a style where you solo and/or play a lot of chords on the bass, this is an important feature. Period. I own a single-cut Fodera and I never once, in the design/"choosing my bass" process, considered the appearance of my bass to others. I just wanted something that functioned a certain way.
 
#164
dpbass66 said:
Its not about looks, or image, or neck stability, its about access to extreme upper frets. If you play a style where you solo and/or play a lot of chords on the bass, this is an important feature. Period. I own a single-cut Fodera and I never once, in the design/"choosing my bass" process, considered the appearance of my bass to others. I just wanted something that functioned a certain way.
Click to expand...

Wait, are you saying that a singlecut instrument helps facilitate access to extreme upper frets better than a doublecut instrument does? That seems counter-intuitive.
 
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#166
dpbass66 said:
Its not about looks, or image, or neck stability, its about access to extreme upper frets. If you play a style where you solo and/or play a lot of chords on the bass, this is an important feature. Period. I own a single-cut Fodera and I never once, in the design/"choosing my bass" process, considered the appearance of my bass to others. I just wanted something that functioned a certain way.
Click to expand...
The cutout in a single cut isn't any deeper than the cutout of a double cut.
 
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#168
And I was going to build a new version of my little 'Steiny-donor traveler bass' as a SC with a Zebrano body... Will I be shunned for perpetuating this SC fad? :laugh:

Bah humbug, I don't care... I still think it will be cool!:):thumbsup::roflmao:

9257E6C8-975B-4BFE-8A9F-AAF0E23CF5C6.png
 
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#169
Watchootognbout said:
The cutout in a single cut isn't any deeper than the cutout of a double cut.
Click to expand...

Yeah- I’ve owned probably seven or eight singlecuts, and they don’t improve or hamper access to the upper frets at all. The only change they make is if you’re one of those players who anchors their plucking thumb on the top of the neck for tapping.
 
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#171
I played a Rumblekat the other day. Not only was it very pretty, and not all that heavy, it SOUNDED REALLY GOOD! I bought the guy's XZ-25 instead, 'cause I was looking for a 5, but if I'd have had the extra cash.....
 
#174
dpbass66 said:
Not sure what your basing your reply on but in my house it's not true. I attached images of two main basses... The single cut has access to the F (on the G string), while double cut has access to an A (on the G string). The 4 fret difference is important to me.

View attachment 3190807 View attachment 3190810
Click to expand...

The depth of the lower cutaway is specific to the particular bass, and does not depend on whether it is a single- or double-cutaway bass.
 
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#175
Bob_Ross said:
Wait, are you saying that a singlecut instrument helps facilitate access to extreme upper frets better than a doublecut instrument does? That seems counter-intuitive.
Click to expand...

Maybe I am not understanding something... the terminology used (single cut, double cut)? ....but the whole POINT to single-cut design was to improve access to extreme upper frets by removing some neck connection on one side and compensating for that by enhancing the neck connection on the opposite side. No? See my other post from today (October 24, 2018) with pics of my 2 mains bases, for comparison.
 
#176
mikezimmerman said:
The depth of the lower cutaway is specific to the particular bass, and does not depend on whether it is a single- or double-cutaway bass.
Click to expand...

It does, absolutely, because getting a cutaway that deep meant that the opposing side had to compensate for it. I suppose that the luthier could have done a ridiculous design by extending the upper horn WAY out and in a sense "forcing" a double-cut look. You could also have the neck be stupidly long, where those upper frets end up not being closer to the body, but then that messes with string length and scale, and that bass is already a long scale. In order to give me that range he had to use that design. If you are saying that he could have taken away that upper horn and the bass still would have worked, maybe, but it would have terribly unstable. It's a super long, heavy neck. I guess we could ask Vinny Fodera himself if it would be possible.
 
#177
dpbass66 said:
Maybe I am not understanding something... the terminology used (single cut, double cut)? ....but the whole POINT to single-cut design was to improve access to extreme upper frets by removing some neck connection on one side and compensating for that by enhancing the neck connection on the opposite side. No? See my other post from today (October 24, 2018) with pics of my 2 mains bases, for comparison.
Click to expand...

No, that's not correct. There is not any one, single "point" for using a single-cut design. Some designs are intended specifically to increase the coupling between the neck and the body for stability or resonance. A lot are just for looks. A large percentage of single-cut designs are simply modifications of existing double-cut designs, so there's no difference at all in the lower cutaway.
 
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#178
dpbass66 said:
the whole POINT to single-cut design was to improve access to extreme upper frets by removing some neck connection on one side and compensating for that by enhancing the neck connection on the opposite side. No?
Click to expand...

I'm not so sure that's the whole point. Or was even considered originally. Rather, I think that's a secondary benefit that some builders discovered after they started experimenting with singlecut designs.

Presuming of course that we're talking about the boutique Fudgie-The-Whale singlecut designs exemplified (and originated?) by Anthony Jackson's Foderas and since adopted by other builders such as Ken Smith, Roger Sadowsky, Rob Elrick, Warwick, etc. ...My understanding is that the original point of the extra material on the bass side was to provide neck stability, not to allow for a correspondingly/inversely deeper cutaway on the treble side.

Once they had the design I'm sure it became obvious that "hey, now we can remove some material over here without compromising neck stability!" but I've never heard anyone suggest that was the point or intention of the singlecut design.
 
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#179
dpbass66 said:
It does, absolutely, because getting a cutaway that deep meant that the opposing side had to compensate for it. I suppose that the luthier could have done a ridiculous design by extending the upper horn WAY out and in a sense "forcing" a double-cut look. You could also have the neck be stupidly long, where those upper frets end up not being closer to the body, but then that messes with string length and scale, and that bass is already a long scale. In order to give me that range he had to use that design. If you are saying that he could have taken away that upper horn and the bass still would have worked, maybe, but it would have terribly unstable. It's a super long, heavy neck. I guess we could ask Vinny Fodera himself if it would be possible.
Click to expand...

Counter-example, a double-cutway with access to the 32nd fret (and it's even a bolt-on!):

CIMG3487.jpg
 
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