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Single Cutaways - love the look / hate the look?
- Thread starter Jafri
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- single cut
Sooooome are a bit much on the massive hump (one poster called it a tumor in another thread), and others are pretty snazzy.
I just got me an Ibanez Cerro, which, as one might expect, I found to be on the snazzier side. Tasteful shape, more compact body to offset the seemingly greater mass, and the "hump" more understated than on a lot of other singlecut basses I've seen. Great contours all around on it.
Now THIS...looks like the core of an epic steampunk design, one that actually looks awesome and not just weirdly anachronistic.
I just got me an Ibanez Cerro, which, as one might expect, I found to be on the snazzier side. Tasteful shape, more compact body to offset the seemingly greater mass, and the "hump" more understated than on a lot of other singlecut basses I've seen. Great contours all around on it.
Now THIS...looks like the core of an epic steampunk design, one that actually looks awesome and not just weirdly anachronistic.
I saw Anthony up close playing that bass... It looked great... But not $35,000 worth of great.Ridiculous
I suppose I'd have to play it in order to give an uncolored opinion based on more than the ... IMO,
"absurdity" of paying that much for an electric bass.
The funny thing is, that he had his roadies setup his rig... But, it sounded pretty bad really. In a club
with 35 people roughly in the audience, I expected a full, wholesome sound. I can attest that I've heard many
Ampeg 8 x 10's that ALL sounded better than what I heard that night...
That is amazing, what is it? I might have to change my vote....nah.
A whale, eating a longboat, is what I see as the inspiration for a lot of the designs.
Oh my freaking GOD! I hate, HATE, H A T E the look of these things! >.<
The odd thing is I can't actually come up with a valid reason for my (over?) reaction, I just totally and utterly abhor the look of all single-cut basses!
(does that make me a bad person?)
I think it looks like a giant severed human ear, which creeps me out. So there's my reason.
I guess if you're into severed ears it's cool.
I have played a few in music stores. When I play bass, I usually play with my thumb on the upper neck. Yes, I tuck it under the neck and play with my other four fingers. But I also use my thumb on the E string (four string) to hit notes/frets, like Jimi Hendrix used his thumb. You can see his technique on many videos. Seems to me it would be better appreciated by a guitar player or, of course, a very talented bass player which, alas, I am not.
Guess I'm a traditionalist. I'll play a single cut like a Silvertone/Jerry Jones, or Hofner Club, or similar…..MAYBE an ASAT but even those still seem a little "wrong" to me
I don't even like Les Paul basses either for the same reason. And those modern Anthony Jackson-looking ones are WAY too "coffee table" for my taste!
I don't even like Les Paul basses either for the same reason. And those modern Anthony Jackson-looking ones are WAY too "coffee table" for my taste!
Ibanez has brought Single Cut bass Terra Firma and Cerro to mass product for the last few years.
The 5 string Terra Firma is my current gigging bass. It doesn't use exactly exotic woods, but still love the look...
Looks like a whale with its mouth open
It depends what you consider "single cut."
I like the way Gibson Les Paul style, Hofner Club, etc. look. Throw in the T-bird, Explorer, Mockingbird styles as well.
I don't like the way the Ibanez BTB single cut looks.
I like the way Gibson Les Paul style, Hofner Club, etc. look. Throw in the T-bird, Explorer, Mockingbird styles as well.
I don't like the way the Ibanez BTB single cut looks.
For me, traditional single cutaways are cool: Les Paul shapes, Tele/ASAT shapes, Explorer shapes, Thunderbird shapes (reverse and nonreverse).
Some of the modern single cutaways are a little hard on my eyes, but aesthetics are subjective. What I seem to find odd looking are the upper bouts that are as large as the lower bouts. The more you shrink them the better they look to me.
Part of the issue is that most of these new single cutaways are 24 fret necks, so the cutaways are intended to give you access to the high notes. But the strap button is still in line with the 12th fret to avoid neck dive, so you wind up with this really out of balance look.
If you put a 24 fret neck on a LP or Thunderbird or an ASAT, you'd get more balance issues than you already have.
So for my vote, single cuts are cool, but not with long fretboards. Gotta sacrifice some notes or some balance to make that look good.
Some of the modern single cutaways are a little hard on my eyes, but aesthetics are subjective. What I seem to find odd looking are the upper bouts that are as large as the lower bouts. The more you shrink them the better they look to me.
Part of the issue is that most of these new single cutaways are 24 fret necks, so the cutaways are intended to give you access to the high notes. But the strap button is still in line with the 12th fret to avoid neck dive, so you wind up with this really out of balance look.
If you put a 24 fret neck on a LP or Thunderbird or an ASAT, you'd get more balance issues than you already have.
So for my vote, single cuts are cool, but not with long fretboards. Gotta sacrifice some notes or some balance to make that look good.
I have always like the look but I also like the double cut basses too. Here is the my current Lorita Century:
I have really enjoyed reading the comments about why people think they are not that great looking especially the ones about it looking like a whale eating a boat and it looking like a cut off ear!
I have really enjoyed reading the comments about why people think they are not that great looking especially the ones about it looking like a whale eating a boat and it looking like a cut off ear!
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Easily. The half with the lower strings looks cool. If they'd made the other half symmetrical except for the cutaway, it would be awesome looking to me. But they didn't.
From a purely aesthetic point of view? Me no likey. However, I'd most likely choose sound over looks. (Note to self: DO NOT EVER test drive a Fodera. You can't afford it anyhow
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