7string

ACG are based in Moffat, about 50 miles or so from Glasgow. It's only a cheap, 1 hour flight away from Stanstead.

[quote name='Scoop' post='194310' date='May 7 2008, 11:59 PM']I can't decide which of you I respect more, or which of you is the more insane - you for having it built or Alan for accepting the challenge. I'm certain that this will be a [i]very[/i] special instrument. Props to you both. And the woods you have chosen are simply stunning. One question, tho'. The spalted maple fretboard that you've chosen is clearly bookmatched, isn't it? It has to be. If so, I'd guess that's the first bookmatched 'board I've ever seen. It won't be unique in having a join in it, I recall that maverick guitars used to use a fretboard with a diagonal maple / rosewood split on some models, but it certainly makes it really bloody special.[/quote] This will be the 2nd 9 string that Alan has built, making him the most experienced ERB luthier in the UK. The first one was a superb instrument, so I have no worries about this one at all. You're right that the fretboard is bookmatched. The problem is that the fingerboard has to be so wide that we needed the other one as well. [quote name='d-basser' post='194312' date='May 8 2008, 12:00 AM']yes he is mad, but I cant wait to see this, will be a beast[/quote] Oh yes, it will be !! [quote name='Finbar' post='194314' date='May 8 2008, 12:04 AM']I know what you mean on the leap from 7 to 9... I have only ever thought I could do with a 9 once. For learning one song which used the very top and bottom notes on my 7. I really don't think I could do it justice enough. I wish you the best of luck with it [/quote] If you're in a band that lets you use a ERB to the ends of it's range, that's a great place to be!!

I think that I'm so used to playing a 7 that the 9 doesn't seem that much bigger! I think I was madder when I went from a fretted 4 to a fretless 6 It's definately going to be a special instrument.

I'm extremely proud to announce that I have ordered an ACG Recurve Single Cut 9 string bass [url="http://www.acguitars.co.uk"]www.acguitars.co.uk[/url] We've been working on the spec for this bass for the last 5 months or so, but we decided only to announce it when some progress has been made. Now that the neck blank has been assembled, it's the right time to tell all about the instrument. As you can gather from my username, I own a 7 string already and I'm having an absolute blast playing it. Everything is possible from 'meat and potatoes' bass through to chordal and solo ideas. I really love having all the options open to me, so started to look in possibility of 9 strings. To me, this is about as far as you can go whilst still having a useful and playable instrument. I know that some have gone to more than 9, but I prefer to stop here. I could see how having a low F# (or even a low E) could be used to bolster 'regular' basslines and how an extra string on top would give even more range for chordal and solo ideas. This bass isn't meant to be a one-trick pony or only to be played on special occasions, it's an extended range bass which must deliver great tones across it's whole range and have the playability to match. I sent out some e-mails to builders in the UK and abroad, receiving back fewer replies that I expected. Alan at ACG is only about 50 miles away from my home in Glasgow and was really enthusiastic about this build. I'd been down to Moffat a couple of times before, had played his basses and was really impressed not only by the basses being made, but by Alan's easy-going personality, work ethic and openness to any ridiculous idea that I came up with! Many e-mails were sent to and fro and after a couple more visits, we had the spec agreed. Here it is [b]CONSTRUCTION Set-neck 35" scale Swamp ash body Black veneer Mahogany top Swamp ash cavity cover 7 piece maple/wenge neck Acrylicised spalted fingerboard 24 frets Mahogany headplate Wenge backplate Black headstock veneer 77mm at nut Flat fingerboard radius M.O.P. side dots No front dots HARDWARE Hipshot Type A bridge fitted with piezos Hipshot Ultralite tuners Black hardware ELECTRONICS ACG pickups ACG Pre-amp Ghost PE-0340-00 Acousti-Phonic mono/stereo bass preamp CONTROLS ACG Pre - Volume/balance stack knob ACG Pre - Filter/peak stack knob ACG Pre - Treble stack ACG Pre - Filter/peak stack knob 2 way mini toggle switch - Controlling bridge pickup - Series / Parallel 2 way mini toggle switch - Controlling neck pickup - Series / Parallel Ghost PE-0111-00 Quickswitch (for Acoustic-phonic pre) 3 position switch which selects between magnetic / piezo / or both Ghost PE-0206-00 Push/push mid boost volume control OUTPUTS Stereo 1/4" output John East XLR output [/b] I decided upon a set-neck as it seemed a good compromise between a thru-neck and a bolt-on. To me, 9 string singlecut bolt-on's have a pair amount of metal joining neck and body and so the coupling between the pieces may not be complete (just my thoughts !). I have a thru-neck already and as Alan makes a fair few set-necks this seemed a different and exciting way to go. The neck is the great blend of hard/soft, maple and wenge. The body is going to be made of light, but tonally great swamp ash and be topped with an extraordinary piece of mahogany. The fingerboard is another extraordinary piece of timber. This is a spalted maple fingerboard. Problem is that wood is usually too brittle to be used as a 'board, so it has been through an acrylisation process which injects monomers into the wood, making it hard enough to be used as a fretless fingerboard if required. We did tinker with the idea of making this a MIDI bass as well, but due to a recent change in my recording setup this proved not to be needed. We did keep the piezos though which will add another dimension to the sound. The Ghost preamp will handle the piezo signal. Amazingly, the ACG filter-based preamp (which has to be used to be believed) actually responds down to just 20Hz, so it easily copes with the 23Hz F#. Nothing on this pre-amp has to be adjusted to cope with the super-low note. A real tribute to Alan's design. Thanks for reading the beginning of this build thread. I really looking forward to seeing this progress and can't wait to get my hands on it.

Very cool collection!! First Wishbass that I've seen on this forum. I've been tempted by them when I've seen one on eBay...

I wouldn't say it's an ERB, looks more like a guitar. With an ERB it is possible to play rhythm guitar parts, but with this instrument I don't think you could play bass parts. Have a look at some of the ERB manufacturers and see how they compare to this.

Buy with your ears and not with your eyes.... MM's and Jazz's are so different, so go with the one which fits your style and don't worry about which is safe or not!

[quote name='d-basser' post='192137' date='May 5 2008, 11:31 AM']well you can have a play next lesson, I'll need to book one soon. p.s. hope you had a great trip, congrats and everything on the marriage[/quote] Cheers! It was a great trip and married life isn't so bad

Can't go wrong with that great quality setup!

That's a ccol catch you have there. I've heard nothing but great things about Dingwalls !!

Welcome to the forum. Loads of great info on here and don't be afraid to ask anything as someone on here has the answer

Cool foursome I really like that paintjob on the '83 Jazz...

Well I'm on my way down south, turned on the laptop to do some work and found there's free Wi-fi on the train. How cool is that !! Thanks for all your kind words. It's going to be a great trip and I'm lucky to have a partner who's as great as my wife-to-be. If I can find a bargain, there will be some bass shopping. I aim to keep a note of what I find in each shop in each stop so I can report back on the state of affairs stateside. Thanks again, Mark

The prices on the Sei website are the prices you pay. OK, it's expensive but it does enable potential customers to price up their instrument. Every Sei owner gets treated the same, when your spec has been discussed and you have everything you want (and every you don't need) it gets clearly filled out on a price list form. You then get a copy, Sei HQ keeps a copy and that's used as your order.

Well from one Londoner to another I hope you grab a bargain before you return to Blighty !! Well that's me for a month or so. Off to see relatives and friends down south before we fly off. Many thanks to all those who have written on this thread and indeed to all those who make this forum possible. There's a great friendly vibe here and I really enjoy reading and typing on here. Well married life and lots of music shops await!! Peace, Mark

It has to be my Sei for a fretted... and my Conklin GT7 as a fretless (de-fretted and ramped by Jon Shuker) Photo courtesy G.Jones Reminds me, I definately need to check those Bongos out. They look strange but I've heard nothing but rave reviews.

Yup, fretless is far from a one-trick-pony. I do think they're handy for a covers gig, but when you start playing a fretless it quickly becomes part of your overall playing. Like others on here, I switch between fretted and fretless for a variety of stuff and not just fretted=fast, fretless=ballad. They can be a pain to play in tune, but persevere and the results are fantastic. By the way, Tony Franklin on the first Blue Murder album and Marco Mendoza on "Screaming Blue Murder" prove that a fretless can hold it's own in a heavy rock setting!!

I really should have updated this sooner and I apologise to all those who have contacted me. My fiancee and I are going away to the USA for a month, during which we're getting married in Las Vegas. This means that I'm not available for lessons until May 3. After that date, I'm back to normal and both lessons and the times of those lessons are offered to work around your requirements and commitments. Daytime, evening and weekends lessons are still available and the first introductory lesson is free. Please also remember, that if a student's bass needs a set-up that is done free of charge (just supply a fresh set of strings). Again, apologies for not posting these details sooner and thanks to all those who are waiting until I get back to start/continue their lessons. Regards, Mark Daniels - [i]Dip.Mus.(Open)[/i]

Hi, I give lessons in Glasgow just a couple of miles from the City Centre. For more info, check out my details in this Bass Tutor part of Basschat, or e-mail me at [email protected]

Yup, a great thread indeed. Like others, I'd love to have a go at this although I'm no Mr.D-I-Y

You gotta love that M16. Thank goodness those at your church have a sense of humour !!

Thanks for that. Another piece of paper for the notebook !!

Very cool. Glad to hear the baptism went so well !! ACG's really do balance well. Who wants to feel like they've been in a boxing match after a gig. Really cool instruments.

Waiting for a custom build is painful. However, it is worth the wait. Hang in there, CK

6 strings aren't that different from a 4. I went from 4 to 6 as I thought if I going to be confused, I might as well get really confused !! That chambered Modulus is something else though. Great lookin' bass