The Wing Travel Bass has Arrived

[Andy Brown]

In a quest to find a suitable travel bass that would be a minimal compromise, I came to the conclusion I needed to design something myself.

Chris Stambaugh was kind enough to take on this project and he delivered in spades. If anyone is going to NAMM next week, you can try it out if you like. I'll be at the bass bash at JT's probably both nights.

Specs:

* One-piece Mahogany body.
* Rosewood board, glued directly to the body (no truss needed)
* Nordstrand pickup (humbucker)
* Hipshot headless tuners/bridge
* Passive, but there is room in the cavity to experiment (octave-down, headphone amp)
* About 2 pounds
* 20" long and will fit in my carry on bag
* Standard spacing (17mm)
* Standard strings (tuned E-C)
* Tuning is one-octave up, as if you placed a capo at the 12th fret of a standard bass.

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[2cooltoolz]

Gorgeous!! What is the scale? Going for mass production, or is this a one off? What kind of price point are you shooting for if produced??

 

[mark beem]

WOW!!! VERY NICE!!

 

[wvbass]

Interesting. And bizarre.

What tuning does it use, and what does the string tension feel like? This looks like it could be a good compromise between traditional "feel" and compact size.

Edit: Missed the E-C tuning the first time around...

 

[Andy Brown]

Gorgeous!! What is the scale? Going for mass production, or is this a one off? What kind of price point are you shooting for if produced??

Technically the scale is 33". The idea is to have the feel of a bass with a capo at the 12th fret. Actual measured is 16.5".

I'd love to produce these as I know there will be somewhat of a market. Not sure the method yet, but I'm exploring options. The price point will of course depend on the cost, but I'd shoot for under $1,000.

 

[Andy Brown]

Interesting. And bizarre.

What tuning does it use, and what does the string tension feel like? This looks like it could be a good compromise between traditional "feel" and compact size.

Tuning is E-C using standard gauge strings. The tension feels really good, just a tad tighter than if you placed a capo at the 12th fret on a standard bass. I can't put this thing down, it's incredibly fun to play.

 

[wvbass]

Technically the scale is 33". The idea is to have the feel of a bass with a capo at the 12th fret. Actual measured is 16.5".

I'd love to produce these as I know there will be somewhat of a market. Not sure the method yet, but I'm exploring options. The price point will of course depend on the cost, but I'd shoot for under $1,000.

Pretty well thought out.

 

[Runnerman]

There will definitely be a market. Would love to have one of these. Pricing needs to be reasonable IMHO because you won't be using this bass as a performing bass or even when you are at home I don't think. So it will be pretty much a single purpose travel practice bass only. There are plenty of bass playing travellers like myself that will be interested. I see no problem with passive as it is easy to do silent practice through the IPhone with the Ampltube app plus an iRig. Do it all the time now with a full scale bass in my office.

Bottom line....I love it!

 

[bholder]

Technically the scale is 33". The idea is to have the feel of a bass with a capo at the 12th fret. Actual measured is 16.5".

I'd love to produce these as I know there will be somewhat of a market. Not sure the method yet, but I'm exploring options. The price point will of course depend on the cost, but I'd shoot for under $1,000.

Ah, now the "octave down" comment for the control cavity makes more sense. So basically a piccolo bass.

 

[Andy Brown]

Ah, now the "octave down" comment for the control cavity makes more sense. So basically a piccolo bass.

Oh yes. I should have mentioned that before. As I said, it's the same as if you capoed your 12th fret.

 

[Andy Brown]

There will definitely be a market. Would love to have one of these. Pricing needs to be reasonable IMHO because you won't be using this bass as a performing bass or even when you are at home I don't think. So it will be pretty much a single purpose travel practice bass only. There are plenty of bass playing travellers like myself that will be interested. I see no problem with passive as it is easy to do silent practice through the IPhone with the Ampltube app plus an iRig. Do it all the time now with a full scale bass in my office.

Bottom line....I love it!

Thanks, I agree with your assessment of the market... so what would you deem reasonable?

 

[Woodsbass]

I probably wouldn't pay much more than 400$ for one of these, just due to how often I would use it. If you went cheaper with the electronics and hardware you may be able to offer it at a better price point, or even have a few models (practice vs performance).

 

[Andy Brown]

I probably wouldn't pay much more than 400$ for one of these, just due to how often I would use it. If you went cheaper with the electronics and hardware you may be able to offer it at a better price point, or even have a few models (practice vs performance).

Thanks for the feedback.

 

[Gorn]

The octave down and headphone amp are the only things that would make something like this worth while, in my opinion. Otherwise it's a funky lookin E-C 5 string piccolo bass, which isn't necessarily a bad thing.

 

[Andy Brown]

The octave down and headphone amp are the only things that would make something like this worth while, in my opinion. Otherwise it's a funky lookin E-C 5 string piccolo bass, which isn't necessarily a bad thing.

That very well may be the case.

 

[Rip Topaz]

Ok, now that is just COOL. What a great idea!

 

[Runnerman]

I'd look at current travel basses and guitars out there and judge by their price point. I think you could charge a premium for this due to the size as it is shorter than anything out there except a collapsible bass and that becomes too bulky when you fold it up. This is the primary reason I have not bought a travel bass until now. The 20" size is brilliant in my opinion because it can fit in a standard carry on. For me that is critical as I carry a computer bag and a carry-on suitcase when I travel so I cannot carry another item unless I check my bag which I usually do not do. I would definitely emphasize that it fits in a standard carry-on in your marketing. And perhaps add a very simple bag with a drawstring (felt or other soft material) so that it can be easily packed, not damage any items in the suitcase and not be damaged itself. The octaver and headphone amp should be an option...maybe in a higher priced version IMHO.

Edit: I thought about adding an onboard tuner but there is no shortage of Iphone or other apps out there to do that....so not necessary.

 

[Andy Brown]

I'd look at current travel basses and guitars out there and judge by their price point. I think you could charge a premium for this due to the size as it is shorter than anything out there except a collapsible bass and that becomes too bulky when you fold it up. This is the primary reason I have not bought a travel bass until now. The 20" size is brilliant in my opinion because it can fit in a standard carry on. For me that is critical as I carry a computer bag and a carry-on suitcase when I travel so I cannot carry another item unless I check my bag which I usually do not do. I would definitely emphasize that it fits in a standard carry-on in your marketing. And perhaps add a very simple bag with a drawstring (felt or other soft material) so that it can be easily packed, not damage any items in the suitcase and not be damaged itself. The octaver and headphone amp should be an option...maybe in a higher priced version IMHO.

Edit: I thought about adding an onboard tuner but there is no shortage of Iphone or other apps out there to do that....so not necessary.

Thanks for the input! Much appreciated.

 

[2cooltoolz]

I'd love to produce these as I know there will be somewhat of a market. Not sure the method yet, but I'm exploring options. The price point will of course depend on the cost, but I'd shoot for under $1,000.

I probably wouldn't pay much more than 400$ for one of these, just due to how often I would use it. If you went cheaper with the electronics and hardware you may be able to offer it at a better price point, or even have a few models (practice vs performance).

I'm not seeing anything near this quality in the $400 range. I get the limited appeal of the "travel" concept, as I have been looking myself lately, but this is still a fine instrument, which I think I would look forward to playing frequently.

I know they wouldn't all be Stambaughs, and I think $1000 would be pushing the threshhold for a less than boutique incarnation, I do think there is a spot for it well above $400 and < $1000.

 

[Runnerman]

Thanks for the input! Much appreciated.

My pleasure, I hope you are super successful with it.