Stambaugh owners...sound off!

[Joe Turski]

Thanks again Joe for taking the pictures. A review and updated pictures will folow in a few weeks when I recieve the bass from Chris.

-POON

Anytime! I'm glad to hear your bass will be done soon. I'm sure you won't be dissapointed, she's a beauty! I look forward to reading your review.

And isn't Joe T. the man? He saved me from the insanity of waiting once as well. Now if Joe would post some pics of his as well.

You would have done the same for me if the tables were turned. Anything I can do to relieve some GAS pressure.

I'd post more pictures of my bass, but I don't have any more progress pics yet. I guess it's for the better, it would only make waiting even harder.

 

[KJung]

Hey Ken, how about a pic of your bass.

Here's the picture from the LAG site, where I purchased the bass. Mine's the one on the left..... 35" scale, mahogany body, maple/wenge neck with ebony board, Pope 4 band EQ with ebony knobs, Aero dual coils in ebony covers, solid, one piece walnut top. I do not have the ramp installed. Very nice bass.... it's actually being played by a good friend of mine as he waits (and waits, and waits....!) for his new Fodera Emperor II to arrive. He is very impressed with the bass and he sounds great playing it. I'm ready to get it back!

PS I bought this bass soon after I sold my Fodera Emperor 5 pictured on my profile page. I always liked the sound of that Fodera, but it was just too big (body and neck) and heavy for me, and my particular bass had a very fussy neck. So, with the Aero's and Pope preamp, I thought... well.. this might give me a Fodera-ish sound in a much smaller and lighter package. I am very happy with it. Of course, each bass has its own voice, and nothing sound like a Fodera except a Fodera. However, this bass is definitely in the 'Fodera family of tones'.... the neck is TOTALLY stable (never have had to adjust it at all), and the fit and finish is as good (or better) than my Fodera... especially the fretwork.

 

[emjazz]

Ken, how is the playability compared to your Fodera? Is there anything that you miss about the Fodera that you just can't get from the Stambaugh?

 

[KJung]

Ken, how is the playability compared to your Fodera? Is there anything that you miss about the Fodera that you just can't get from the Stambaugh?

Well..... probably due to the massive size and weight of the Fodera, the Fodera B string was much 'larger' sounding. However, I kind of like the B string to be more of an extension of the E string (i.e., the E string only lower), versus that massive 'B' string sound that so many boutique basses have. I found the fretwork of the Stambaugh much, much better than my Fodera and also compared to a number of others that I've played.... fret ends nice and smooth, etc.

Of course, many many Fodera owners love their basses... and they should. They are magnificent instruments. However, for me, the Stambaugh has a similar tone (especially with the Pope pre and Aero dual coils), and the differences are actually in the positive for me... especially given the size, weight, playability and IMO slightly better 'fit and finish'.

PS As you know, with basses as good as Fodera's, Stambaughs, Drozd's, etc.... it really comes down to personal preference versus 'one is better than the other'.

 

[Poon]

Friday...I get my new stambaugh. Review and pictures to follow.

 

[Copycat]

I haven't visited the boards for a while and haven't posted for even longer, now this evening I've posted twice, both in praise of Mr. Stambaugh. I have two of his basses: a four string fretted with eucalyptus burl facing, African mahogany body (lots of ribbon figure in that wood) and birdseye maple board; and a four string fretless with figured black walnut facing, Northern ash body (lightweight, go figure) and ebony board. When I first contacted Chris, I asked what his "standard" woods would be for $1400 for a four string bolt on. I was expecting a very short list. He went on and on with choices, many of which were not run of the mill. My fretless was built first and cost me between $1400 and $1500, if I remember correctly. The eucalyptus burl was a $100 upgrade, so that one came in at around $1600. You'll pay more for some Fenders, and you'll pay a lot more for almost every other worthwhile custom bass out there. I love both of my basses to death. The fretted is a great bass for fingerstyle and slap. The fretless is warm but never indistinct tonally. Both of mine have Aguilar OBP-3 preamps and dual Barts (X series in the fretless and a more recent Bart style in the fretted; both have dual Jazz style pickups). The fretted is so light that you almost think you have an empty case when you pick it up, and the fretless, even with the ash body, is much lighter than most of the basses I've owned in the past. The only other fretless that even came close in tone and playability was a Roscoe LG-3000 I owned for a while, but I actually like the Stammie better. Chris will do more than he's paid for, that's for sure. He even tried to talk me out of the black position dots for the maple board, saying he'd do nicer abalone dots and it woudn't cost me any more. But I wanted a vintage look, so he did the black, no problem, which look great because the board is bound in ebony. But that's Chris. He'll offer to do things for free that other builders would charge a lot more for, so I concur with others that have posted saying that he's more than fair. Couldn't be happier with mine. By the way, I've posted not so great pix of both basses in other threads. I just made the jump from a PC to a Mac, so my learning curve isn't at the image posting point yet. Do a search. You'll see them.