LearnGospelMusic.com Community
Gospel Instruments => Bass Guitar => Topic started by: ddwilkins on November 13, 2006, 12:24:24 AM
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Will a finish like this be too much for Church? I'm thinking about a buckeye burl top for my next bass and it will look similar to this one. Tell me what you guys and gals think. I won't be going fretless though, this is just a picture of one of the custom basses that the luthier has made. I'm going with the same body design but with my specs as far as woods, hardware, and electronics.
(http://www.dpcustom.com/JS2.jpg)
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I dont see a problem with it. It wil stand out seeing it is marble looking but that bass body is kinda ugly to me. LOL I dont like the over hang on the top of the neck. I guess I would have to get used to that. It would be tight though if you had a matching drumset.
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I dont see a problem with it. It wil stand out seeing it is marble looking but that bass body is kinda ugly to me. LOL I dont like the over hang on the top of the neck. I guess I would have to get used to that. It would be tight though if you had a matching drumset.
Dude! You need to take your comments back! You don't know what you're talking about!
;) ;)
That bass looks sweet! And it's fretless too!!! So you that beautiful neck isn't getting spoiled by ugly metal frets! That little over hang--I forget what it's called---is suppose to help the sound. I didn't like it at first either, but now, I don't think it looks bad.
As far as the question....I don't think this is too much either. Now if you had skulls and crossbones, I would say otherwise, but this is just a bass.
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This is the same style that Matt Garrison plays in the video clips that were just posted. the overhang on the neck I believe is there for more resonance and sustain. As far as the look of the instrument, i see nothing in the Bible concerning the make, design, or type of wood used in the bass you play in church. If you showed up with that and played with a spirit of humility and offering I think Jesus would be OK with it. After all, if David can dance naked in worship, I'm thinking you can use a pretty fancy bass.
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thanks, I wanted to consult my fellow christian bass players to get honest opinions. As far as the body reaching out to the 12th fret, I just like that body style and it does help keep the neck straighter and helps with sustain. I first saw it on Fodera basses, then I seen my boy Jamareo Artis with his Pavel Aryel 5, then I came across this luthier here, www.dpcustom.com, and noticed that his basses weren't overkill in the price range. I've always wanted a custom bass just for me and I've found the luthier who's going to build it for me and it will be David P. check out his site. www.dpcustom.com.
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Dude! Those are some reasonable prices!
I think I saw that site before, but I must've forgotten about it. I might have to see how much they'll charge for a 7-string!
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Man,
Excellent chioce of body styles. I think you will be quite pleased with Davids work. Check out this TB thread for his latest creations. http://www.talkbass.com/forum/showthread.php?p=3518179#post3518179
;D
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Dude! Those are some reasonable prices!
I think I saw that site before, but I must've forgotten about it. I might have to see how much they'll charge for a 7-string!
That's the reason why I want to let him build my bass. I priced a custom pass with Pavel de la Fuente, www.pavelmi.com, and it was way more than what I would want to pay for an instrument. Ken Smith basses are kinda out of the range as well as Fodera, but when I came across this site, and I realized that he's a short drive from where I live, I decided that I would give him a shot. But the prices and his gallery, is what attracted me to letting him build my bass.
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That is a lovely finish and a really nice bass. I, however, am not a fan of single-cut bodies. To answer your question, I think only other musicians who really care will be looking at it anyway. I don't think the general congregation will care as long as the music is moving them!
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That body style of bass is simply called a single cut, as opposed to a Fender being a double cut.
Before you order a custom from Dave Pushic, or any other luthier for that matter, please consider these three pieces of advice.....
1) Make certain you know EXACTLY WHAT YOU WANT
2) Remember you will get ALMOST what you paid for
3) Make certain you know EXACTLY WHAT YOU WANT
There are a couple "legendary" DP Custom products floating around that were specced out and made to order for very accomplished bassists who THOUGHT they knew exactly what they wanted. Dave made what he thought was EXACTLY what they asked for. The results were like starting a bridge on opposite sides of the Mississippi and then trying to figure out why it didn't exactly come together in the middle.
I'm trying not to single Dave out, because my understanding is that he has improved significantly from those days about 3 or 4 years ago. Unless a luthier is really good at maintaining stability of the basics, the finished product can be tainted by the whimsy of the person ordering it. If the luthier is not skilled and knowledgeable enough to tell the customer "no, that does not make sense", the result can be interesting.
I currently own two custom basses. The first I ordered from Alembic. Alembic started the whole "boutique" or "custom" bass industry in the '70s and they know what they're doing. I chose from a lonnnngggg menu of available options and the store that I worked through (G Guitars ) and Mica Wickersham at Alembic were very instrumental (no pun intended) in telling me what made sense and what did not. That bass continues to be my main instrument. I'm not recommending that everybody go out and custom order an Alembic, because they were expensive when I ordered mine and wildly expensive today. Today a bass like mine would list at almost double the list of the bass I received in 2000.
I also ordered a custom bass from Jake Marchlewski. BEAUTIFUL bass with excellent craftsmanship, but it has its quirks.
(http://shutter12.pictures.aol.com/data/pictures/02/002/25/DC/F7/BC/0AmW64cdGeiLMvk1EFkSyWqjid4lj-3I02BC.jpg)
It is very difficult for me to adjust the action the way I like it (low) even though I specced it with an adjustable nut. Truss rod access requires removing the Birds-eye Maple pickguard. Because it's a very thin laminate, I cringe whenever I have to remove it because it would be too easy to break it. If I break it, then the routing marks for the neck pickup and control placement would be visible. That's like walking around showing your appendix scar. I also originally specced it with an 18 volt Bartolini pre-amp. Neither Jake nor I realized at the time that the small body and the difficulty involved in placing two 9V batteries in the small compartment would make things get a little....."warm"..... I sent the bass back to Jake and he replaced the 18V with a 9V which works very well.
The moral of that long story is that even though I specced the bass to include the best of things I liked from instruments I'd played for years, I still needed post-sale support from the luthier (Jake was great to work with pre, during and post sale) and there were still some unexpected quirks involved in having the instrument almost totally custom. My understanding is that Dave's post sale support depends on how defensive he gets about the quality of his work and how much of the issue he attributes to your choices. I chose the 18V circuit, but Jake changed it when he realized it wouldn't work for me. He did not take the "I made what you told me" approach. Some luthiers would.
The only thing I didn't spec on my Marchlewski was the body design. It was designed by another Talk Bass member. Here's the first of 4 basses that Jake made for him, so you can see the similarities...
(http://shutter13.pictures.aol.com/data/pictures/01/006/77/EF/E4/8E/PxoDNX41p2BZ2Ycq6eXxBUYw13atbaMh0300.jpg)
Don't want to pour water on your fire for getting a custom built instrument. Just looking to help you see some of the rocks you might trip over on your path.
Peace,
James
Almost forgot. You wanted an honest opinion on the bass you posted the picture of. I like it. I typically do not like single cuts, but that one is very nice. Some people love buckeye burl, others hate it. Audiences tend not to care. I also don't think the church will care at all what it looks like, as long as it doesn't look like Gene Simmons' "Axe" ax, or have skulls or satanic symbols painted on it. I've played the Marchlewski, my Alembic, and a Music Man Bongo at church services and nobody's kicked me out of a sanctuary yet ;)
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I can say that I do know what I want. That's why I'm going the custom route.
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That bass looks sweet! And it's fretless too!!! So you that beautiful neck isn't getting spoiled by ugly metal frets! That little over hang--I forget what it's called---is suppose to help the sound. I didn't like it at first either, but now, I don't think it looks bad.
Yeah your right it grows on you. LOL Still got to get used to that thing at the top. I didnt know what it was for.
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man i just bidded on a bass on ebay and i got outbidded and now im glad i did i think i will be putting in an order myself. you may wanna see about aa LGM discount or atleast a referral for yourself
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I can't really get into the single-cut style bodies. But I love Buckeye Burl. That bass is gorgeous. My dream bass is a Conklin, and I plan to get some type of Burl wood top on it. As for your question, nah, it's not too much. I really don't see why it would be. A bassist's axe is an extension of him/her. It's about playing what fits your needs musically as well as visually. Nothing wrong with owning a beautiful bass. I'm into the more high-end exotic-type basses myself. Along ith Conklin, I have researched Curbow, Warrior, Elrick, Sukop, Ritter, Alembic, Ken Smith, Warwick, etc. Even considered building myself a Warmoth bass, but I aint ready to undergo that. Now if you put some LED's up the neck...........
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Nah...don't worry about the looks of the instrument DW. If you played a BC Rich Warlock bass with the blood splatter paint job on it then maybe you will get scorned! That's a beautiful instrument and it will suit you very well sir! I love the look of buckeye burl on any bass, especially dark green/brown samples.
The single cut away body doesn't take that much getting used to. I have played a few basses with a similar design and it doesn't interfere with your playing as your thumb is well underneath the neck when you play that high anyway. Be careful if you buy a bass with a single cut away design if you suffer from back problems. They do tend to weigh more than the moon!
Malthumb...that bass is ill dude! That really is a work of art. I agree with your comments too. It took the third attempt of building a custom bass for my use until I was confidently satisified with what I ordered. As much as I love my Warwicks, I can openly confess that I am not 100% satisfied with them. The string spacing is too thin for me (16.5mm) , the high end is a bit overkill at times, very difficult to clean and are very heavy, but so far they have been the best basses I have ever owned and I have made good use from them. Looking for 'the one' bass for can be a never ending endeavor. Your tastes, styles and techniques will change over the years and you will often find that you will change instruments to accomodate.
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....... Alembic, ......... Now if you put some LED's up the neck...........
nyuk, nyuk, nyuk, ;D 8) (http://shutter14.pictures.aol.com/data/pictures/02/00A/7C/FE/D5/9F/h01vJNG3g3SzbgrFxQ4tZgosSj1SkrOr0300.jpg) 8) ;D
Poor photography, but you get the idea.
Peace,
James
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nyuk, nyuk, nyuk, ;D 8) ([url]http://shutter14.pictures.aol.com/data/pictures/02/00A/7C/FE/D5/9F/h01vJNG3g3SzbgrFxQ4tZgosSj1SkrOr0300.jpg[/url]) 8) ;D
Poor photography, but you get the idea.
Peace,
James
My Custom Warwick Dolphin and Custom Streamer Stage II have blue LED side markers. Very useful in low light conditions when you have a creative light engineer that likes to darken the stage a lot! One flick of the switch and hey...that's where the C# is! I don't have them on the fingerboard. Don't really see the point of having them on the fingerboard other than looking like a Christmas tree. If you like your bass to be all 'Saturday Night Fever' then check out Sims LED's based here in the UK. They do some awesome work! http://www.simscustom.com (http://www.simscustom.com). They can even retro fit their LED's into any bass, any shape, any colour! How the heck they do it is beyond me, but Warwick sent my basses to Sims to have my LED's installed.
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Folks,
I just wanted to add a link to this thread for those who are considering ordering a custom instrument. Again, I want to make it CLEAR that I have nothing against Dave Pushic. He is not even the subject of this thread that I'm linking to. And I have nothing against custom ordered instruments. I own two and have a third on the way.
This thread DOES however point out clearly
- How CRITICALLY IMPORTANT constant and consistent communication between customer and luthier will be
- How even VERY EXPERIENCED bassists working with VERY EXPERIENCED luthiers can still result in "issues". It doesn't come out in this thread, but the luthier involved built a bass for one of the former bassists for Jay Leno's Tonight Show and the bassist RAVED over it. As you can see, that's not the case in this thread.
- How no matter how well you plan things, SOMETHING will go strange. How well you and the luthier handle it will determine the final outcome. Different luthiers have different degrees of managing business operations and customer relations. My best experiences have been in the two situations where the bass builder(s) and the customer relations person were not the same person.
Here's the link. As in most disputes, there are at least three sides to the story, the Customer's, the Builder's, and the Truth. You'll get two of those sides.....
http://www.talkbass.com/forum/showthread.php?t=278143 (http://www.talkbass.com/forum/showthread.php?t=278143)
One of the lessons I learned earlier on is "luthier time". I have yet to communicate with a bassist who got his / her bass in the timing quoted by the luthier. My Alembic was the closest. Ordered in November 1999 with a promise date of March 2000. Got it in June 2000. My Marchlewski was promised for January. I got it in May or June. I have a Roscoe on order now that was supposed to be ready in August. Then October. Then November. My mental model says February. Thing is, since I understand luthier time, I have already factored that in and will not be disappointed if I get it anytime between now and February 28th. When you order yours, do not be surprised or disappointed if the build time is longer than quoted. Pray that it is not the same as the situation in the linked thread. :o :o :o
Guys, when you order your custom, make certain you understand every detail and communicate with your builder as often as possible. Good luck!!
Peace,
James
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Man I saw Jamareo play his Pavel Aryel 5 with Mary J. Blige on the Billboard Awards, I think he also has a Pavel Jazz Pro 5 too. I personally buy everything Jamareo has b/c I'm like his biggest fan and I even got 2 Spectors just b/c he has Spectors. His Spectors come from the Custom Shop so his sound alot different than the store bought ones but I still love his playing and I wish he could play my bass. I never had a chance to meet him before, is he a cool guy?