TomRichards

I am posting this here for all aspiring bassists who are looking for a company to endorse you. As we speak i am waiting for an artist to return my call who has not lived up to his deal. When a company agrees to endorse you, you have some basic obligations. You must use the bass in public, you must have some photos of you doing such and possibly some YouTube video doing same. You must link to the company on all your social media sites. Since there are different levels of endorsement, the particular obligations are tailored to your situation. For a full endorsement you get gear, swag, your face in advertising, paid appearances at specific events and full support of the factory tech team. In exchange you are exclusive to the companies basses and gear, it is with you at all appearances you make, you must be available for the company to take pictures and you are obligated to make a few appearances that work with your schedule gratis. Not too bad a bargain. Lower level endorsements would include artist pricing on basses and gear and a minimum number of promised public uses of the gear, as well as pictures and video of you playing the bass along with social media exposure on your sites. While generally it is expected that the basses would be used mostly, you may or may not be required to be exclusive. Since artist pricing is normally at or below dealer cost, that still is not a bad deal, period. I recently found this particular artist did not use our instruments on the first leg of the tour and now wants more and more expensive gear. Aint gonna happen. If you seek an endorsement and can't live up to your obligations, then you aren't ready for one. If the industry discovers you used a tour or project to become a gear "whore" we will blackball you and you will never get gear or support from any company, ever, again.

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/430854338/retronix-r-800-r-800b-by-j-backlund-guitar-project This may interest you too.

http://m.youtube.com/results?q=backlund%20bass This is the new J. Baclund Design JBD-800B bass, serial #0001, which is now my new bass. Jbacklund.com is their website. This is just one cool bass and i can pull just about any tone out of it, and its passive!

[quote name='Ancient Mariner' timestamp='1343423035' post='1750725'] BTW I've pledged for a guitar & bass. [/quote] Excellent! I know you will be happy. I will be putting some clips up on youtube this week.

Oh, and I wanted to add, I've been working with Bruce for a couple of years trying to get a bass made in the JBD-100 or JBD-400 style body. The 400 is more likely, but the design dimensions to make a bass, even a short scale, happen, just didn't work. The 100 style would be my choice, but you would have to really expand the body and there was no way to incorporate a lot of the cool pick guard type work and look good. The -400 has more potential, with those cool body "horn and tail", but again, same problem, body dimensions and design make it hard to work. I'm sure at some point we'll come to a design that will work. The Strat style pickup configuration was something that Bruce has always wanted to do, but could never find a way to do when with other companies. John Backlund came up with the more "standard" 800 series and the body design and dimensions worked perfectly with the bass and also it was a little more conventional without being the same as everything else. It also opened up a few more custom options like different trem systems, hardware and electronics. I wish the bass was more "Backlund" and less conventional, but I have already gotten TONS of attention from using it just on one gig already since I got it last week. I already pledged for a Korean one so I have a backup for this one. And, I'll have time to think about color.

J. Backlund Designs is famed builder Bruce Bennett, formerly of Warrior Bass fame. He has been building the Backlund Guitars now for many years. At Summer NAMM this year they introduced a bass, the JBD-800B. You can Google it and also see it on Jbacklund.com. I own that white bass, serial number 0001. You can really pull a ton of tones out of the start style pickup arrangement, and the design is comfortable and the neck is FAST. Jazz type but a little thinner and a smoother profile. The Retronix series will have all the same design elements, with the differences being in the body and neck woods and the electronics will most likely not be Seymour Duncan. I also played the prototype Retronix guitar, and it is an amazing, Korean made guitar. The tones from the prototypes are great. $500 US is and will be very cheap. Pledge on the kickstarter page and you can get the bass for that pledge. Definitely worth it. Most Korean made basses by most companies street for over $1000. To give you a price comparison, the MTD Kingston ZX series is made in Indonesia and streets for $1200, and this bass is and will be, IMHO, well above that bass in quality, build and tone. You can go to my Facebook page and see the YouTube review from Premier Guitar as well as see pix of the bass. Sonny Kenn, Asbury Park, NJ guitar legend (Bruce Springsteen actually learned from him) has a Backlund JBD-100 guitar, with Lace Alumitones, that just screams, and its passive as well. For those of you who are curious, you can even call me at 732-966-3385 here in the US. I'm in NJ, so I'm 5 hours behind ya. Go and get one of those basses or guitars on the kickstarter page. You pledge now, and when they reach the goal THEN you get charged. Cool concept. tom

There were only about 25 or so Super Swede's ever made, so when they appear they disappear just as quickly. I had the opportunity to grab one a year ago but unfortunately I was exactly 31 minutes late in my contact with the seller. The new Hagstroms are very good basses, especially for the price. They use the Hagstrom rod design which does keep the necks in excellent straightness. They sound good. The body designs are definitely unique, or at least look way different then anything else on the market, so they are cool onstage as well.

Please go to the US bass forum, Talkbass.com, and send a message to RogerBMiller. He is the resident expert on all things Aria Pro II and he probably has a diagram or can tell you how it should be wired. I don't have his direct email otherwise I would give it to you. tom

I will chime in here, as DR is a NJ, USA company with deep roots in the industry, and they do things sorta the old fashioned way. Every string is made here in NJ. QC is sick good, and they do spend a lot of time making string sets so they are balanced. While it may add to the cost, well worth it. Lo-Riders are the only DR string over a hex-core. So they are more like a standard string you would find in any shop, and have a similar response, at least I've found that. To me they are high end steel bass strings, but definitely have more low and definition in the low. DR strings is owned and founded by Mark Dronge. Mark is the son of Al Dronge. You would know Al Dronge as the owner and founder of GUILD. Sadly, Al passed away many years ago, but left his son with a great legacy that still continues today at DR. tom

I have owned several Kubicki basses, to include the Ex Factor, Factor and Key Factor. The Ex Factor has a 32" scale and by flicking a lever goes down to a full 36" scale D, the Factor is a 34" scale without the lever, and the Key Factor is 34" scale with regular tuning keys/head. Phil Kubicki is known for his superbl necks. The ones on Kubicki's are perfectly between a classic P and J bass, super fast and comfortable. The 18V onboard electronics are extremely versatile, but do lean slightly toward "modern Fender:" sound, as Phil worked in the original Fender R&D shop from 1964 till the early 1980's. Phil now builds out of his shop in New Hampshire, USA. One of the first and few basses that come standard with active and passive modes. I enjoyed mine more then most. They are exceptional for tapping and slapping, and you can also get some cool vintage tone out of them. I just sold my last ones for $2000 USD. They can be found on eBay and on other forums for around $1400-$1900 USD regularly in very good condition. The only thing I didn't really like about them was that in the passive mode there is a significant drop off in gain. Most active/passive switchable systems do this, but Phil's proprietary design for some reason goes down more then most. What I found was that I just used the hi-z input in my amp and kept the volume lower in actrive modes, so that when I needed to drop to passive mode I could turn the bass up and still maintain basic volume levels without having to run to the amp and do it there. Hope that helps. tom

[quote name='Fat Rich' timestamp='1337183421' post='1656830'] This is interesting, I was talking to Bernie Goodfellow and he said that routing a slot for a second truss rod takes almost as much strength out of the neck as the second truss rod adds. Although he does build his necks out of several laminates of expensive wood so that probably helps structurally over a one piece. [/quote] Bernie is correct. Anytime you take something structural away from the neck, you take away strength. Its intuitive. The more holes I drill in a piece of wood, the less strong it will get. It also depends on how you are using the double rods. Most installations are probably parallel. Makers with higher string ERBs often use diagonal dual truss rods. My engineering head says that while you are removing the same amount of wood, you aren't doing it all in one place, distributing the defect, as you will. Of course, to a degree, the loss of strength from the rout is balanced by the strength of the rod. clearly steel and metals can be vastly stronger then wood, and many builders are even using carbon reinforcements for strength over weight. Phil Kubicki uses the 34 laminate neck on the Ex-Factors specifically to add strength to counter act the pull of the strings on the neck of his basses as they do experience a higher tension at the head then a normal bass. I deally you would thicken the neck as you go wider, but then they would be unplayable. So it remains, the wider the neck, the thickness to width profile gets smaller, the more susceptible to the stresses of string tension. And contrary to popular belief, its NOT the 135 you should be worrying about, its the G which is probably a 50, 0r 55. That is where the tension really lies. You could of course increase the rod diameter as you go up, but no one really does that. So you wind up with a rod optimized for 4 string width and tensions trying to counteract another string and more tension over a wider area. However, again, normally it should not be an issue. There are sooooo many factors. Fretboard wood (Maple vs. rosewood vs. ebony vs. ebonol vs phenolic) glue strength, direction of the neck wood cut (flat sawn vs quarter sawn, etc.), number of laminates, and yes, even the finish adds some strength. So it becomes tougher to tell, but usually its workable by focusing on the truss rod. A properly working truss rod can cure many neck ills. If they couldn't, there wouldn't be a cheap import that was playable, IMHO. Obviously, when the wood is unfinished, its more susceptible to moisture then finished wood, just like a hardwood floor. Finished woods are more humidity resistant. And as I said, some finishes even add strength, as the coating itself has some strengthening properties. If I had a dealer in the UK I'd send you a Brubaker so you could send your MM out to pasture, but alas, the shops over there have not yet succumbed to my charm. If you have any issues, just keep posting them here. Kevin Brubaker and I will look at them and if we can add anything to help you, we will.

At Brubaker we have made a reputation for 5's. While maybe 2-3% ever really experience changes due to climate and other changes, with a 5 string you can often see many different situations that you will never see on a 4 string. What most builders will never tell you is that just the simple change in neck dimension going from 4 to 5 drastically changes the stresses on the neck as well as puts the single truss rod method of reinforcement at its limits. Changing to a thicker string at the same scale definitely increases the tension. You are basically putting stresses on the neck to its design capacity. That being said, even with 2 truss rods early Rickenbackers had issues, which is why they changed the design when roundwounds became the norm. And that was on a 4 string. I don't know the particulars of your MM, but it sounds like your particular bass may have a truss rod issue, or there is definitely a neck wood issue. My climate is not that far from yours, and I don't store my basses in precise climate control nor do I put my basses away other then in a stand when I'm using them regularly. I don't seem to experience these issues, but again, it could be your unfinished neck, although unless the humidity is near 100% day in and day out I can't see this as a normal occurance. Have a luthier check it out. My guess is that a new truss rod, maybe even a titanium one, might solve the problem for good.

I think that the Streamline clearly sounds more "modern" whereas the L2 and XL2 sound more "traditional". The L2 was Ned trying to redefine the shape and material of a bass, but still give you a bass, which in the late 70's was totally dominated by P and J basses. So, closest to P and J that he could get with carbon fiber and minimalist design. The Streamline is like the L2 or XL2 with a healthy dose of steriods, and I mean that in a good way. Really built with artistic, almost sensual look and design, much more advanced composite material and a much more versatile electronics package. And, the Streamline and all Status basses really excel for slapping, something still relatively new to bassists when the L2 was designed and produced. I always stare for hours at the Streamline, and I'm especially drawn to the peacock blue/green ones.

[quote name='NancyJohnson' timestamp='1336419425' post='1645424'] Call me a philistine, but VVT every time (and all ramped up 100%). P [/quote] I'll let Glen Matlock call you "Philistine". But thanks for the input!

Hey four string friends! For most of my life my basses have had pickup selector switches, or at best the annoying VVT. I find using VVT takes some of the tone away from the bass because of how it effects overall volume levels. I recently have been using a ton of basses with blend pots. I'm finding them very interesting and useful, especailly on my new Brubakers. So, I'll ask you, what is your preferred or current bass, and what is the pickup selection configuration? VVT? selector Switch/toggle? Blend pot? Also, how do you use them effectively? Thanks my brothers from the other side of the pond!

Hey guys, in America there is almost nothing for 5 strign instruction that really excites me. Do you have anything you guys use on your side of the pond you might recommend? Remember, I'm a 4 stringer for over 35 years who recently went to 5 for the regular gigging axes. Help. I'm a lost ex-pat with what appears right now to be one too many strings....

[quote name='steve-soar' timestamp='1334991029' post='1624369'] Wow! And i love the MTV Spector, brilliant. [/quote] The MTV Spector was Dweezil Zappa's and he used it on his MTV hosted show. The bass was commissioned back in the early '80s and is a Kramer era Spector NS. I wish I had Fly's 20/20, as it would be all pretty when I played her. However, I'll live. Someone asked the story of why the bass was in Mexico, well, I'm not sure. The "seller" was on Craigslist and said he was in California, but based on the poor English and the extremely poor pictures I knew something was up. I was able to hagglel the seller down to an acceptable price ($400 USD) and took the risk. When the bass arrived, it was in a small box all disassembled and covered in dirt. Not like any picture. The shipping from address was clearly in Baja California, which is actually Mexico. The box arrived all moldy and busted. In this case, I feel it payed off. I put another $200 in her in new old stock pots, an expert rewire and new tuning keys and washers and a couple of weeks of labor, and well, the piece of history, while "relic", is a player.

Hello all! Here is a bass I "rescued" from Mexico. It was all in pieces when i got it, and covered in dirt. Electronics were shot. After putting in two weeks of love, here it is . Amazing bass! Truly "reliced" or "road worn". Enjoy. http://www.flickr.com/photos/56204228@N05/7097284787/ Tom

[quote name='thisnameistaken' timestamp='1334785581' post='1621405'] Ooh a Basschatter in Asbury Park. I used to live in Belmar (and Point Pleasant, and Tom's River, and Bayville, and Jackson...). I hear the boardwalk's been redeveloped and the town is on the up? [/quote] Asbury is better then ever, okay, not ever but it has com WWWAAAYYYYYYY back. Lots of places with live music, a ton of really great restaurants, and you can walk the streets of most of the town late at night with no worries. So, what made you move to the other side of the pond?

It is, the saddles have plenty of travel. I played it personally at NAMM.

Here is the link to Ned introducing the new bass at NAMM: [url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SAB0H4far4o&feature=related"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SAB0H4far4o&feature=related[/url]

The law, by the way, really only applies to companies and independent builders and makers. Vintage instruments are sort of grandfathered, as they are definitely made with what would now be considered illegal woods. Just tell them you are a liberal, super Democrat at immigration and that you love President Obama. You should be fine.....

If you are coming on holiday, and you own the bass and are not planning on "working" or "selling", you shouldn't have any problems. In this case your guitar is like a set of golf clubs or a tennis racquet. I just recommend you check it as luggage/baggage. Shouldn't be any customs issue, as you aren't "importing" anything. Importing assumes you are bringing a product here to sell or that you have bought from an overseas vendor and having shipped directly to you. In this case you are bringing your personal bass with you as baggage.

[quote name='Shockwave' timestamp='1334696497' post='1620020'] Sounds interesting, whats the string spacing on the 5 strings? Who? [/quote] 19mm on the 5 strings. You can find the videos on the Brubakerbass channel on YouTube or search Kevin Walker Brubaker

I have some pix from NAMM, however if you go to YouTube there is a video of Ned introing them and one review of them. The head and neck are like Kubicki, the body Is a blend of Bolin/NS Design and a Steinie Q4 and the tuner is all Ned.