7string

Great news about the gig, although a shame there's not a few more UK shows (3 shows in Spain?). The tour schedule is so tight that it doesn't seem as though an extra UK date could be squeezed in. Here's hoping for next time around.

I remember reading a old copy of Bass Player where Neil talked about his Tyler bass. There's also a video of his clinic on the Bass Player Live website. Abe Laboriel is another esteemed Tyler player. He even had his own signature model.

That build went by a bit quick didn't it Congrats on a superb instrument.

[quote name='LeftyJ' post='517326' date='Jun 18 2009, 12:49 PM']Love the Tyler! Does it have that incredible Demeter preamp?[/quote] Yup. The Tyler has the Demeter pre. Its 3 bands act on quite a small range focussing on the mids, rather than 3 bands over a wide range of frequencies. The 3 centres are switchable too. I have found about 4 other Tyler owners, none of them in the UK though !! [quote name='eude' post='517346' date='Jun 18 2009, 01:05 PM']Absolutely brilliant collection mate. I've personally played each and every one of those basses and I'm inconsolably jealous of you Mark! You're a lucky dog Hope you're doing well man Oh, and [b]LeftyJ[/b] - the Tyler was an absolute dream to play! Cheers, Eude[/quote] Thanks Eude. I'm not doing to bad thanks. The Tyler plays so well. I've played a lot of 4 atrings and the Tyler is the best one I've played. [quote name='Shockwave' post='517391' date='Jun 18 2009, 01:55 PM']mmmm i want that fretless.[/quote] Conklin GT7's are available from Bass Central and Bass NW in the States. The exchange rate means that their not as cheap as they were though. Bought mine for $800 (inc. shipping) some 7 years ago now. Jon Shuker did a great job on the de-fret and ramp. [quote name='josh3184' post='517403' date='Jun 18 2009, 02:09 PM']that is one hell of a lot of wood![/quote] All good wood though

First time I've managed to get a shot of Jezebel (Sei 7) and Minnie (ACG 9) together. From left to right: [b]Conklin GT7[/b] - de-fretted and ramped by Jon Shuker. [b]Jackson 'Kip Winger' 4 string[/b] - had this bass for many, many years and it still sounds and plays great,. Going to treat it to some new pots (ooooo !!). [b]ACG 9 string[/b] - you'll find the build thread link in my sig. [b]Sei Offset Flamboyant 7 string[/b] - the idea for a lacewood top and back came from owning the Jackson [b]James Tyler 4 string w/D-Basser ebony ramp[/b] - Tyler basses are as good as his guitars (if a lot rarer). My Dean 12, my old Yamaha BB400 fretless and Kinderbasje 1 string are just out of shot. They are still played and needed though

Very cool! When you get it make sure you're not scared of playing it because it looks so good.

Just brilliant

[quote name='urb' post='505350' date='Jun 4 2009, 11:13 AM']OK, I know, I'm rubbish, just pathetic.... I just couldn't resist putting up this one pic of the bass as it was yesterday when I popped in. [/quote] Yes, you weak pathetic fool. But I would have done exactly the same I'll have 5 string version, lacewood top, strung thru the body. Sigh

Have to say that the emerald green looks superb. Could it be the first green ACG bass? Really classy looking instrument and it'll sound superb as well

There's a few players from Glasgow on here, one especially comes to mind who also has an EBS Fafner

Real clean looking, classy bass

Last year, I got a James Tyler 4 string which is hands-down the best 4 string bass I've ever played. I wasn't looking for a new 4 string bass at all, but when a James Tyler bass came up at literally the bottom of the used list on The Bass Gallery's website, it was such a unique opportunity that the wife and I went and bought it. I'd never held a Tyler bass before, let alone seen one in the flesh so it was bought on James Tyler's reputation for instruments that are beautifully made and have a great feel. Compared to my old Jackson (which I still have), the Tyler is lighter, the neck profile is a slightly different shape, the sound has more punch and presence (with a great Demeter preamp) and the overall build quality is way higher. Really it's a bit unfair to compare a late 80's/early 90's mass-produced bass to a hand-made niche built bass.

I'll sling in my 2 cents as well !! I'd have a look at ACG's website [url="http://www.acguitars.co.uk"]www.acguitars.co.uk[/url], click on News and read about the new Graft basses. A hand-made bass for less than a USA factory one, got to be worth looking at

Looks like next week's going to be an anxious wait !! No doubt you'll be checking all your leads and amps work in readiness for your ACG

Not my thing, but it's a very brave and functional design. Kudos to Iceni for taking on such an unusual build..

Very cool! Bass looks great

I think that there has to be a degree of latitude when applying double bass technique to bass guitar. The 1-2-4 technique in the lower registers might not suit everyone and could even be painful.

Welcome Stevie D !! The period from 1985 to the advent of grunge has to be my favourite era. "Still of the night" woke me up in the morning. Judas Priest, Motley Crue help me get to work. In the evening I'd try to work out how to play Mr.Big songs. Ah, the good old days

Good to know that Overwater offer such services. I started doing my own setups as I don't trust anyone to look after my basses If I have to have any serious work done I'll definitely be giving Overwater a call. The quality of the instruments that they build reassures me that the quality of any work they do is of a very high standard. I was looking at this thread again and remembered that I started putting ramps on my basses in the late 1980's I had a Hohner Jack bass and I couldn't put my thumb in the right spot to play. I cut the side of a Kaolin and Morphine bottle (because it was thick plastic) and stuck it on the bass. It worked great but looked absolutely rubbish

I've now posted a complete review of my ACG 9 in the "Bass Reviews" section of this website.

Thanks for the kind words about the review. I really enjoyed putting it together. I have no idea how to post soundclips. If I can record an mp3, how do I get it to this website? Is there a sound version of Photobucket ?

Lookin' good.

I've played one of those as well and they're pretty darn good.

The problem is that there's no definitive method to play a bass guitar, unlike the orchestral instruments. There's no right or wrong way to learn or to play only opinions on what's correct or not. The most technically excellent players aren't necessarily the ones who are the most successful or the ones who most people look up to. It's a minefield

[size=1][b][i][color="#FF0000"]Please note: This review has been written for the sheer enjoyment of writing. I am not connected with AC Guitars in any way, only as a customer The review has not been requested by AC Guitars nor was prior warning given to AC Guitars before posting.[/color][/i][/b][/size] [size=2]This is a review of the ACG 9 string bass which I took delivery of in January this year. This bass may have a larger than normal body and neck, but at the heart of it is a solid sounding, traditional electric bass guitar. AC Guitars have been making a name for themselves over the last few years. The vision of one man, Alan Cringean, ACG instruments are instantly recognisable with their original silhouettes, high build quality and stunning woods.[/size] [size=3][b][u]Construction and hardware[/u][/b][/size] [size=2]This ACG 9 string has the “Recurve Singlecut” shape and uses a set-neck, a glued joint, instead of the more usual thru-neck or bolt-on. This set-neck design is well executed and shaped with no ungainly mounds or troughs in the join between neck and body. The neck and body sandwich a “transition block” of wenge which, as well as being used when the neck and body are glued, gives a clean and handsome look to the finished joint. The neck itself is a 7 piece laminate of maple and wenge. The back of the headstock has a wenge backplate to mirror the wenge of the neck whilst the front of the headstock mirrors the wood used on the body of the bass, which is a smart touch. The headstock carries 9 Hipshot Ultralite tuners which have been angled slightly towards the body. This both makes tuning physically easier and reduces the size of the headstock to help with the balance of the whole instrument. The neck carries an acrylicised, book-matched, spalted maple fingerboard (!) which is completely flat (i.e. no radius). Supplied by Gallery Hardwoods in the USA, the “stabilized figured woods have been impregnated with monomers and acrylics to produce a dimensionally stable wood*” As well as allowing woods which were previously considered too fragile to be used as fingerboards the “stabilized woods minimize or totally eliminate: shrinking, cracking, expanding, warping*”. ACG have embraced this new innovation and are one of the only (if not the only) luthiers in the UK to offer acrylicised fingerboards to their customers. The ACG 9 has a 35” scale, has 17mm string spacing at the Hipshot bridge and a wide fingerboard which grows from 79.7mm (3.14”) at the nut to 126.4mm (4.98”) at the 24th fret. The neck is very shallow at 20.2mm (0.8”) and is very slighter narrower at the body joint. The frets themselves are fat and not too high measuring 2.58mm tall (0.1”) and 1.55mm high (0.06”). The entire bass is 118cm (46 ½”) long and 38cm (15”) at its widest point. Surprisingly, the big ACG 9 string weighs just 5.4kg (just under 12lbs) and fits in an off-the-shelf Hiscox case. The neck joint and body cutaway gives access to all of the 24 frets. The range of the ACG 9 is 5 octaves plus a major third (4 frets)!! The body is swamp ash and the piece has been specially selected for its light weight. A black veneer is sandwiched between this and the mahogany top. The top not only has stunning figuring but the colour varies from light, orangey hues to dark brown. The black hardware compliments the colouring of the whole bass. The whole instrument is finished in an acid catalysed lacquer with the “sheen level” adjusted to make a satin, smooth finish on the back of the neck and a high gloss everywhere else. On many basses, a thick gloss finish coats the whole instrument necessitating 0000 wire wool (or similar) to be used on the back of the neck to make it smoother and easier to get around on. This clever control of the “sheen level” makes the bass great to play straight away. The quality of the finish is really impressive with no bubbles, runs or other defects.[/size] [size=3][b][u]Electronics and controls[/u][/b][/size] [size=2]The ACG -01 preamp is only available on ACG basses (the 02 version, with reduced functionality can be purchased from ACG direct) and is a filter-based system. This does take some getting used to but, as with all things in life, the work you put in pays dividends. Sounds range from dark, thick and soupy to harsh, thin and trebly. Not only can separate sounds be set on each custom wound ACG pickup, they can then be blended together as well. If that wasn’t enough to shape your tone, each pickup has coil switching controlled by the relative toggle switch below the bridge. The controls are on 4 stacked knobs and the first of these takes care of volume and pickup blend. The next two stacks are low pass filter stacks, one for each pickup. The further the bottom of the stack is rotated clockwise, the more high frequencies are let through the filter. Importantly, the bottom end of the sound is not affected as it would be on a regular eq-based preamp. The top controls the “overshoot peak” essentially enhancing the frequencies passing through the filter. The fourth stack is a high-pass filter which affects the whole sound. This time, the lower ring controls the amount of low frequencies passing through and the top enhances those frequencies. It all sounds complicated, but in essence the stacks are volume/blend, tone shaping for neck pickup, tone shaping for bridge pickup and a stack to add treble to the whole thing. The 9 string also has a third toggle switch to select either the bridge pickup or the piezo pickup in the bridge. Instead of blending in a flat piezo signal to the magnetic pickups, either the bridge or piezo signal runs through one channel of the ACG EQ-01 preamp. This means that the piezo signal can be shaped as well, creating a totally new range of sounds. The pre goes down to 20Hz, so even affects the low F# string. This ACG bass also has a low-battery indicator, so the 9V battery can be changed before it’s completely exhausted. This avoids the huge embarrassment caused when your bass cuts out mid-gig.[/size] [size=3][b][u]Playability and sound[/u][/b][/size] [size=2]All of the previous would count for nought if the bass was a swine to play. As mentioned before, the fingerboard is very wide but because it’s flat, and so does not have a radius or a ‘curve’ to it, this makes getting around surprisingly easy. The fingerboard feels very smooth and hard, but even smoother than a traditional varnished maple fingerboard. This at first feels a little strange, but after a minute or so this is forgotten and you find that the fingerboard is ultra-fast. The 9 strings come from S.I.T. in the USA, are tuned in fourths from F# B E A D G C F and Bb and measure .165, .135, .105, .80, .60, .35, .30, .19 and .12. The lowest 5 strings are taper-core so exposing the core at the bridge and over the bridge saddle. It’s important to note that the 9 strings are based around a ‘conventional’ 4 string set of .35, 60, 80 and 105 with a .135 making the low B of a ‘conventional’ 5 string set. This essentially makes the instrument a 5 string bass with extra strings added and makes the adjustment to playing this “Extended Range Bass” as painless as possible. Straight from the workshop, the action was really low. This hasn’t been adjusted at all ever since and measures 1.6mm (4/64”) on the lowest string and 0.4mm (1/64”) on the highest string. At the 12th fret the action is 2mm (5/64”) and 0.6mm (1 ½ / 64”). There is a tiny bit of relief of 1.6mm (1/16”) in this neck. This low string height added to the glassy-smooth fingerboard combine to make the ACG 9 an incredibly easy instrument to play. The wide neck takes some getting used to but this is by no means an impossible mountain to climb. Frets end have been carefully bevelled and there are no protruding fret ends to catch flying fingers or thumbs. The crowns of the frets have been nicely shaped and polished to a high shine. Being really picky, the only criticism of the setup is that the strings are too low in the nut slots. There are some repairers and luthiers who would dictate that half of the string diameter should be exposed in the slot and that the sound could be muted because of this. Overall though, the setup is really low and buzz free which is all us bassists could ask for. The balance is also spot on. The neck strap button lives above the 10 fret giving a fulcrum which the headstock and tuners cannot outweigh. The bass is heavy, but not overly so. Wearing the bass with a thick, padded strap means this bass can be worn for extended periods during practice, rehearsal and gigs. Even with the preamp set totally flat, the sound of the ACG 9 is full and round and from there it is possible to dial in, literally, any sound you can think of. Even that low F# is audible and usable, even through a 40 watt 12” practice amp. The bass continues to sing all the way up the entire range with no dreaded ‘dead spots’. It has to be said though, that the preamp does need some getting used to as you start to understand how each control affects the sound. However, after a short time it gets easier to dial in sounds quickly and easily. As of now, I have one sound that seems to work for everything I need so I add bass or treble from that favoured setting. The pre even affects the low F# string so the entire range of the bass can be shaped. With this and the huge range of the bass, the ACG 9 becomes a very powerful tool indeed. The highest tribute I can pay to the ACG pre it is to say that, when finances allow, I will have one fitted into my Sei bass and sell the 3 band Schack circuitry that lives in there at the moment.[/size] [size=3][b][u]Conclusion[/u][/b][/size] [size=2]These “Extended Range” basses are definitely a niche market, so it is to ACG’s great credit that they even took the order for such an instrument. This is no publicity stunt though, but a serious instrument which shows ACG’s attributes of original design, high build quality and stunning woods. The acrylicised fingerboard is a revelation both in looks and playability and the ACG 01 preamp is a refreshing approach, addressing the limitations of the more conventional banded eq setup. All through both the consultation process on the specification and the build itself, communication between myself and ACG has truly been a two-way process. Ideas have been aired and used or left by the wayside according to what would serve the bass best. The instrument leads the way and Alan Cringean doesn’t impose his preconceptions or preferences during the build. I couldn’t be more pleased with this ACG 9 string. It sounds great, plays great, looks great and is wonderfully made. I have no qualms in recommending ACG for anyone looking for a new bass regardless of the number of strings required.[/size] [size=3]Further information on all ACG basses can be found at [url="http://www.acguitars.co.uk"]www.acguitars.co.uk[/url] A full explanation of the ACG filter-based preamp can be found directly at [url="http://www.acguitars.co.uk/docs/news/63.pdf"]www.acguitars.co.uk/docs/news/63.pdf[/url] [/size] [size=1][b][u]* Taken at 19/5/09 21:55 BST from [url="http://www.galleryhardwoods.com/stabilized.htm"]http://www.galleryhardwoods.com/stabilized.htm[/url] [/u][/b][/size]