Cybersnyder's fair, reasoned and gentlemanly post was not deleted by me. As I recall it centered around the lack of a web site page summarizing Barker Bass models, options, prices, that sort of thing. He is right on. I am working on this commencing today, and when it actually appears on the site will depend on my webmaster's schedule. I will note the new page's presence on this thread, and I deeply appreciate comments such as Cybersnyder's. Kindly, Lee Barker
I deleted the post because I didn't know if it sounded critical -- you never know how text is read with different emphasis here and there. So, I deleted the post. In retrospect, deleting it was worse because it made it look like the "evil" Lee Barker used his mod powers and deleted the post. Definitely not the case. I'll add the tangent that I had in the original post: Some are critical of the Barker Bass because it's played upright, but it doesn't sound just like an upright. I went to a free concert at the Columbia, MD Lakefront last week to see a Hawaiian swing band. The concert had already started by the time I got there and as I was approaching the steps I could hear the bassist who was obviously playing a P-bass with flats. Would bet a million on it. Got to the top of the stairs and saw that the bassist was playing a traditional upright. So sometimes even uprights don't sound like uprights. I've been experimenting with the Boss AC-3 (acoustic simulator) pedal. Set to Enhance mode, add a little reverb, set the Body to 9-10 o'clock, Top to zero and add a mute to the strings. You get a decent impersonation of an upright. Not enough to use in an intimate acoustic jazz trio, but in a mix, it would do ok.
Lee, while you are updating your site, maybe you could include information on the foam damper (is that what it is called? Muffler? Sponge?) and flight cases. I've seen discussions about these products here in talkbass, but when I went to look for them on your website, I couldn't find them. Maybe they are there, though, I and just need to clean my glasses. And Cyber, thanks for the tip on the Boss AC-3. I've been asking around to see if someone could put a piezo pickup on my Barker to nudge it more taht direction, but I think I'll try this first. What strings do you use with this setup? I'm hearing a lot of praise for the "uprighty" tone of Thomastik-Infeld Electric Bass Nickel Flat Wound Roundcore strings. I'm ordering a couple sets tonight in fact to give them a while on my Barker (fretless, lineless 5 string), and on my Fbass AC6 (6 string, fretless, lineless).
I used some D'Addario flats that I picked up at Guitar Center. Can't remember the exact model though. I need to try TIs sometime. Also, I used the Piezo setting on the AC-3, not Enhance. Piezo keeps things a little more "boomy" but in a good way.