Let's see
Here's Danish comedian and musician Jacob Haugaard's shovel guitar with an actual fretboard in place of the shovel shaft (couldn't find any larger pictures):
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Tone wood
- Thread starter doomprophet8
- Start date
Here's Danish comedian and musician Jacob Haugaard's shovel guitar with an actual fretboard in place of the shovel shaft (couldn't find any larger pictures):
[Invalid or Expired Link Removed]
He seems to be diggin' in (I know, I know)
Well, in Danish an electric guitar is actually commonly sometimes called a "spade", which is the Danish word for "shovel" (I guess "spade" is actually a word we have in common. A "spade" being a "spade", and a "shovel" being a "skovl" in Danish, to be exact), so there's that.
Been a bass player and recording engineer more than 20 years and a silent forum lurker around more than 10 years. Seen so many great looking custom made laminated expensive exotic wood combinations with real expensive hardware guitars and basses sold because they sounded barely better than $300 cheap instruments. They were just expensive furniture.
So don't go to custom route. Get a brand that you are inspired by and pray that you will get lucky. Even if you get a mid tier instrument there is always a brand value when you want to sell it later to get something else. Customs are just expensive hobby for bored musicians.
So don't go to custom route. Get a brand that you are inspired by and pray that you will get lucky. Even if you get a mid tier instrument there is always a brand value when you want to sell it later to get something else. Customs are just expensive hobby for bored musicians.
Yes we have. In french we say (for campfires and the like) "ramène ta pelle", which literally means "bring back your shovel", and everyone knows that you should bring your guitar (and condoms, eventually).
You figure, Ibanez / Fujigen has the capital to make a lot of prototypes. Yamaha, a division of Toyota has almost infinite compared to a local luthier. They know what they are doing. Especially Yamaha. They don't dick around.
I was told that I should stick to a major brand if I have no idea of what I want, and this was coming from a Fodera dealer. The manager told me that unless you get a signature Fodera, it will be hard to sell it on the use market, since it is my sound .
That said, you could just imitate some other brand's configuration and slap some nice top, custom shape, nicer hardware. This is a good way to go, but once again you need a general direction to achieve this. The OP has a general direction. All he needs is a template to copy.
Yes sir but just a well made bass with good hardware and decent wood and liutherist is still much better than a 300$ dollars one. You can buy it used for the triple and you can play happy for still a life.
My friend’s son left for Belgium to study with a world renowned clarinet teacher. He traveled with his two $25,000. clarinets. This conversation gets ridiculous. Those folks don’t let instruments hold them back and don’t say that a rental secondary school instrument is the same as the instruments concert musicians use.
You can’t know what’s right for anyone but you. You can know if your playing is about feel and growth and interpretation and listening. You find that some instruments just get out of your way and even allow inspiration through tomorrow that you don’t have today.
I’ve heard amazing players killing it on one bouteeqee only to find it wasn’t me at all.
If you’re buying because you think the price insures you’ll be a better player or others will be impressed than your point is taken. But who cares? If a hobbyist can afford it who cares? I went from a Smith BMT Elite G to a Roscoe that was $1K less and found my grail. In studio and live recordings I sound like me on the Smith. I sound like me on my Roscoe. The Roscoe is bolt on average maple top yet it rattles the strap locks when I’m sitting. The Smith was polite.
I’ve been playing 50 years. I won’t tell you with whom or where I’ve played because Jerry Garcia told me not to name drop.
That’s a joke my drummer tells. Meanwhile I have a ‘51 MIJ Precision that is absolutely unbelievable. Because of the exchange rate I paid $300. for it.
No one has our unique touch and ears but us. In the end it’s about the Music.
Musicians are a strange breed. They can be hypersensitive on some subjects about their instrument, and completely indifferent (even contemptuous) on others. At least, this is what TalkBass learned me.My friend’s son left for Belgium to study with a world renowned clarinet teacher. He traveled with his two $25,000. clarinets. This conversation gets ridiculous. Those folks don’t let instruments hold them back and don’t say that a rental secondary school instrument is the same as the instruments concert musicians use.
You can’t know what’s right for anyone but you. You can know if your playing is about feel and growth and interpretation and listening. You find that some instruments just get out of your way and even allow inspiration through tomorrow that you don’t have today.
I’ve heard amazing players killing it on one bouteeqee only to find it wasn’t me at all.
If you’re buying because you think the price insures you’ll be a better player or others will be impressed than your point is taken. But who cares? If a hobbyist can afford it who cares? I went from a Smith BMT Elite G to a Roscoe that was $1K less and found my grail. In studio and live recordings I sound like me on the Smith. I sound like me on my Roscoe. The Roscoe is bolt on average maple top yet it rattles the strap locks when I’m sitting. The Smith was polite.
I’ve been playing 50 years. I won’t tell you with whom or where I’ve played because Jerry Garcia told me not to name drop.
Meanwhile I have a ‘51 MIJ Precision that is absolutely unbelievable. Because of the exchange rate I paid $300. for it.
No one has our unique touch and ears but us. In the end it’s about the Music.
I'm glad you got learned up good.Musicians are a strange breed. They can be hypersensitive on some subjects about their instrument, and completely indifferent (even contemptuous) on others. At least, this is what TalkBass learned me.
I like the new avatar picture too. But, I also liked the old one!
Indeed sir, we have at least two things in common!Ha! Thank you.
Just a couple of general comments.
First, most bass guitars sound slightly or not so slightly different from each other. The only exception I can think of were the mono block early Steinbergers.
Second, it is shabby and sad that TB seems to be unable to host civil discussions about the fairly complicated materials and constructions that make up the bass guitar. Our instrument is a non trivial fabrication of many different materials and technologies. We should be able to exchange interesting, if differing views about this complex topic.
Third, wood is a very complex natural composite material, with substantial variation in structure and properties even within a single species. Posts which trivialize these differences are not well informed.
Come on folks, be kind. That doesn’t mean you have to be nice. Just means you need to be respectful. I guarantee there is no one posting here who has all the answers.
First, most bass guitars sound slightly or not so slightly different from each other. The only exception I can think of were the mono block early Steinbergers.
Second, it is shabby and sad that TB seems to be unable to host civil discussions about the fairly complicated materials and constructions that make up the bass guitar. Our instrument is a non trivial fabrication of many different materials and technologies. We should be able to exchange interesting, if differing views about this complex topic.
Third, wood is a very complex natural composite material, with substantial variation in structure and properties even within a single species. Posts which trivialize these differences are not well informed.
Come on folks, be kind. That doesn’t mean you have to be nice. Just means you need to be respectful. I guarantee there is no one posting here who has all the answers.
.......and if something is purpose built to sound a certain way or fit a certain way of course that’s going to cost more.
These small makers have to pay for insurance and retirement for one or six employees. It’s a great world that I can choose from the different makers. Some I know are just as meticulously assembled but just aren’t me. If a “hobbiest” is buying then great it keeps my cost down.
What is a hobbiest anyway? Some one who appreciates the art of the instrument but doesn’t play or is struggling through Eagles’ covers? Is that person less than a bassist with a good $300.00 mass produced bass blazing through Eagles’ covers 6 nights a week? Aren’t we all just people loving bass? Okay the collectors who took all the vintage Fenders and Gibsons and have them in cases......okay. Oh well.
The mass produced ones provide that huge excitement when you find that gem that’s the right combination to you, of the right characteristics of individual pieces of wood species, that just feels right! I have a P that I had photographed for sale because it never was other than pretty. Gigged once. I changed strings from D’Addario nickels to Elixir nickels and it became a tone monster! Deep bass, phat mids and smooth treble. You could hear the difference in the room unplugged. You could feel it through the whole bass. You could hear it with your ear on the upper horn. You could hear it plugged in. Transformation.
These small makers have to pay for insurance and retirement for one or six employees. It’s a great world that I can choose from the different makers. Some I know are just as meticulously assembled but just aren’t me. If a “hobbiest” is buying then great it keeps my cost down.
What is a hobbiest anyway? Some one who appreciates the art of the instrument but doesn’t play or is struggling through Eagles’ covers? Is that person less than a bassist with a good $300.00 mass produced bass blazing through Eagles’ covers 6 nights a week? Aren’t we all just people loving bass? Okay the collectors who took all the vintage Fenders and Gibsons and have them in cases......okay. Oh well.
The mass produced ones provide that huge excitement when you find that gem that’s the right combination to you, of the right characteristics of individual pieces of wood species, that just feels right! I have a P that I had photographed for sale because it never was other than pretty. Gigged once. I changed strings from D’Addario nickels to Elixir nickels and it became a tone monster! Deep bass, phat mids and smooth treble. You could hear the difference in the room unplugged. You could feel it through the whole bass. You could hear it with your ear on the upper horn. You could hear it plugged in. Transformation.
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Hypersensitive? About what? Who you callin' hypersensitive?
There are some people that think we're living in a simulation. Which means somewhere there'a a Universe even bigger than ours, and some kid (with tentacles, not arms) is running us as his after school homework. Anyway, assuming they're right, I bet he just throws in "tone wood" every once in a while to watch us squabble - for his own entertainment.
