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Single Cuts! Here to stay?


rodacademy
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[quote name='TheGreek' timestamp='1380403852' post='2224958']
Before I had one I wasn't a big fan...I got one, now I can see why people are...not adding much to the debate though...
[/quote] did you get hold of the bass i think you did? ... ;)
[quote name='Jus Lukin' timestamp='1380465132' post='2225640']
Ok, ok, 'Singlecut' is a misnomer. Can we just get over the fact and accept that we all know what kind of basses we are discussing as' singlecuts'? Or should we start calling them Extended Body Range Basses for the avoidance of doubt?

'Bolt on' necks are actually screwed on, but we all seem to be cool with that.
[/quote] the alpher singlecut that's been meantioned above would have a bolt on neck then... hex bolts and threaded inserts I think they use

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[quote name='steve-bbb' timestamp='1380521578' post='2226394']
is there such a thing as a treble cut?

there must be one somewhere and undoubtedly a whole degree of magnitude better than a double cut

... i bet it's good for metal :ph34r:
[/quote] count them cuts, one, two, three.
not sure what it's good for playing sorry, but I bet orangatangs can get the most from them

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[quote name='LukeFRC' timestamp='1380523277' post='2226401']
count them cuts, one, two, three.
not sure what it's good for playing sorry, but I bet orangatangs can get the most from them
[/quote]

thats great ... just needs a few more sharp pointy bits and a respray :ph34r:

or wait ...

maybe a quadruple cut? now that would be good

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[quote name='BigRedX' timestamp='1380480908' post='2225979']
And the OP isn't a bit of a troll post in the first place?

All I was trying to do was to point out that single cut basses come in a wide variety of styles (just like double cuts) and whether or not you find a particular bass attractive looking is entirely down to personal taste.
[/quote]

For the sake of clarity , maybe we should draw a distinction between the single cutaway body shape , such as the Les Paul, Telecaster[i] et al[/i] , and singlecut construction such as that used on these modern basses , because the two really have bugger all to do with each other . The singlecut is essentially a double cut bass with one of the cuts left undone, if you see what I mean.

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OK, so to get back to the OP, and not confuse the issue with posting photos of old-style single cuts...

Of course they are here to stay. Pretty much every new development in the history of electric stringed instruments lives on in some form or another. The "modern" single cut may become less popular than it is at the moment, but you can pretty much guarantee that someone somewhere will be making them and others will still be playing them no matter how "fashionable" they are deemed to be.

Just look at basses with aluminium necks. They may not be so common nowadays and there aren't any well-known manufacturers making them right now like Travis Bean and Kramer in the 70s, but there are still several small companies turning out contemporary instruments with aluminium necks. The same goes for just about every development in the electric bass since the original P-Bass was introduced.

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[quote name='Dingus' timestamp='1380542736' post='2226715']
For the sake of clarity , maybe we should draw a distinction between the single cutaway body shape , such as the Les Paul, Telecaster[i] et al[/i] , and singlecut construction such as that used on these modern basses , because the two really have bugger all to do with each other . The singlecut is essentially a double cut bass with one of the cuts left undone, if you see what I mean.
[/quote]

But a lot of the "modern" single cuts have a lot more in common with the Telecaster shape than the stereotypical Fodera type single-cut shape. Even what is considered to be a modern signal cut comes in a wider variety of shapes from the Warwick to the Ritter, with many others in-between.

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[quote name='BigRedX' timestamp='1380543200' post='2226726']
But a lot of the "modern" single cuts have a lot more in common with the Telecaster shape than the stereotypical Fodera type single-cut shape. Even what is considered to be a modern signal cut comes in a wider variety of shapes from the Warwick to the Ritter, with many others in-between.
[/quote]

I agree. Even construction techniques such as neck -thru-body that were extremely fashionable and commonplace thirty years ago , and generally thought to be superior at that time , are now a niche design , but it will always be around as a way of building that is the most appropriate for certain basses and a certain kind of sound . I don't doubt that certain singlecut basses are terriffic instruments that are aided in no small measure by virtue of that singlecut construction . As ever though, a lot of companies and custom builders just jumping on the bandwagon trying to exploit the trend , and inevitably , the final in terms of basses results will be mixed .

Edited by Dingus
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[quote name='BigRedX' timestamp='1380543200' post='2226726']
But a lot of the "modern" single cuts have a lot more in common with the Telecaster shape than the stereotypical Fodera type single-cut shape. Even what is considered to be a modern signal cut comes in a wider variety of shapes from the Warwick to the Ritter, with many others in-between.
[/quote]
I think the length of the upper bout compared to the lower is the difference between the modern single cuts (Fodera et.al) and the traditional sort (archtop guitar inspired).
Comparing the "double cutaway" Strat to the "single cutaway" Tele is interesting, as the Strat actually adds a horn rather than having more material cut away. The modern single cut basses are closer to that Strat/P-bass descended shape, only with the space between the upper horn and the neck filled in.

Edited by Beer of the Bass
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[quote name='Beer of the Bass' timestamp='1380544102' post='2226748']
The modern single cut basses are closer to that Strat/P-bass descended shape, only with the space between the upper horn and the neck filled in.
[/quote]

Yep, quite a few designs like that.
I have been using one for over eight years now, the only fretted Bass I have.
It is just a five stg Jazz Bass design, with the top horn filled in (a coffee table type of course)
Mine is certainly here to stay. :)[size=4] [/size]

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[quote name='Dingus' timestamp='1380543805' post='2226740']
I agree. Even construction techniques such as neck -thru-body that were extremely fashionable and commonplace thirty years ago , and generally thought to be superior at that time , are now a niche design
[/quote]

Surely you're not saying that the Peavey Grind is a niche instrument?

Just because Fender don't do neck-throughs doesn't mean that they're not commonplace.

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[quote name='jaydentaku' timestamp='1380552005' post='2226942']
Neck through is hardly niche and as for single cuts being of no use after the 12th fret? :huh:
[/quote]

Bolt on single cut basses are starting to appear on the market quite a lot lately with different carvings around the neck and heel to give a bit more access to the dusty end, but I have never struggled to play either a bolt on or thru neck single cut all the way up to the 24th fret.

It depends on your playing technique and hand posture. If you are a player that throws their thumb over the top of the neck whilst playing (not resting your thumb behind the neck and leaving a gap between your palm and the neck) you will always struggle to get up to the higher notes no matter if you play a single or double cut bass.

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[quote name='tauzero' timestamp='1380550983' post='2226913']
Surely you're not saying that the Peavey Grind is a niche instrument?

Just because Fender don't do neck-throughs doesn't mean that they're not commonplace.
[/quote]
[quote name='jaydentaku' timestamp='1380552005' post='2226942']
Neck through is hardly niche and as for single cuts being of no use after the 12th fret? :huh:
[/quote]

Neck through certainly is a niche market in comparison to the period from the late 1970's to the early 1990's when the trend in basses was for them to take advantage of whatever structural and technological "advancements" that had been made since the late Sixties by pioneering builders such as Alembic . Neck throughs are far less common nowadays than they once were , and that whole approach to bass building and the sound and design aesthetic associated with it is very out of fashion for the mass market . Just look at how many boutique bass builders who previously championed neck through have added bolt-on neck basses to their product lines in the last twenty years to try and retain some market appeal .

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[quote name='Dingus' timestamp='1380554518' post='2227003']
Neck throughs are far less common nowadays than they once were
[/quote]

Far more common at the budget end of the scale. I will agree that some higher-end makers have brought in bolt-on versions of models that were formerly neck-through only.

Edited by tauzero
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