BITE Guitars Posted October 27, 2019 Share Posted October 27, 2019 (edited) posted Edited October 27, 2019 by BITE Guitars posted Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BITE Guitars Posted October 27, 2019 Share Posted October 27, 2019 (edited) Hi everyone, This is Wolfgang from BITE Guitars. You guys have been sceptical but fair, thanks, I appreciate this. Yes, we do things differently, from the product design to our online configurator to the way we organize production. Whenever you do things differently, it's bound to raise eyebrows and questions. I'd be surprised if it didn't. So here are a few explanations. We are not in it for the quick buck, we do nothing on the cheap and we do not source in China. We try to be as transparent as possible, pls check out "Guitar Building 4.0" on our ABOUT US page. Our production is highly digitalized for consistent quality and still our head of production is a licensed luthier who also builds violins with the craftsmanship of his own hands (in Austria you need several years of training, a craftsman examination and a compulsory license to build guitars). Our basses were developed in cooperation with professionals from the University of Music and Performing Arts Vienna, the venerable luthier school in Hallstatt, and scrutinized and tested by the knowledgeable audience of the Guitar Summit's boutique area, notably trade journalists and bass professionals. Response was overwhelming and till this day we havn't had a single quality complaint. How many bass manufacturers employ graduate bass professionals to QC and test slap each instrument? We do anyway. On 18/09/2019 at 18:20, Lfalex v1.1 said: That headstock is not good. Seems overly long and clumsy. A straight headstock like ours gives maximum firmness for output and sustain (unlike an angled one). As for straight headstocks, we all have grown to appreciate the 4-left tuner arrangement as industry standard. So why does BITE arrange its tuners 2-left-2-right? 4-left is a pretty crowded party. All 4-left shapes differ slightly between manufacturers for trademark reasons. There are clearly beautiful 4-left shapes out there, but elbowing our way into the 4-left crowd just didn't seem right to us, we wanted to create something of our own. Our headstock is almost an inch shorter than the ubiquitous 4-left headstock. Since our bodies are also a little reduced in size, the overall proportion between body and headstock is right. This counterweight is important for eliminating dead spots. In addition, our necks have a D-profile that players generally find pleasant and relaxing and that also adds strength along the entire neck and thus contributes to consistently strong output across the whole fretboard. Another reason for our headstock shape could be called contingency product planning. You don't want to go through trademark registration every time you add a product variation. Our headstock leaves enough space for adding a fifth or even a sixth machine head and also to flip it and reposition the logo for a left-handed version. To put our headstock in perspective, here's a video of Overdriver Duo (Brazilian sensation with over 2bn clicks and counting). It shows their Jawbone PJ from various angles. On 18/09/2019 at 15:13, BassApprentice said: Also don't think the price is right either - lots of well respected Jazz/P basses around about €1,000 We are talking custom bass. Over a billion choices in custom quality, a fast and visualized online configurator, immediate ordering, worldwide direct shipping, zero tropical wood, high output pickups, etc. This is completely new terrritory in many aspects. It's impossible to offer all of this at entry level prices. On 19/09/2019 at 19:37, Cato said: Are we 100% sure those are the actual pickup covers that come with finished bass ...? Yes, but we meanwhile offer our pickups also with plain white and plain black covers. Why did we brand them in the first place? They are a proprietary development. We had Germany's foremost scientific pickup experts contributing, GITEC president Prof. Manfred Zollner, GITEC board member Tillmann Zwicker and renowned pickup physicist Helmuth Lemme. We finally achieved what we had in mind: passive pickups with a record output but still a clearly articulated growl that cuts through the mix even with tone rolled off, no muffled mud. Hear it for yourself in Nathan Navarro's review. On 19/09/2019 at 16:54, Twigman said: hardly 'custom' with such a limited options list, particularly when it comes to finishes. For technical reasons and for easy use we focus our configurator on the most popular choices. We can do a lot more than that, ranging from special body finishes, including oil & wax, all the way to implementing special wiring ideas. Those are things that need a little interaction between you and us and require individual pricing, that's why we offer them separately in our SECRET MENU. Edited October 27, 2019 by BITE Guitars 7 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeteHantzios Posted December 2, 2019 Share Posted December 2, 2019 Hi Wolfgang, I was somehow waiting for a response from you, since I explored first your site and read what's written, and then I found the thread. Allow me to say, your instruments look pretty nice, like the classic thing done right as far as sound playabitlity construction and looks:) go- I really wouldn't mind that funny headstock on an instrument that potentially sounds as good(and play) as some of the online videos indicate. As a potential near-future client, I really hope for a very high quality per price ratio - from what I've gathered so far. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LukeFRC Posted December 2, 2019 Share Posted December 2, 2019 On 27/10/2019 at 05:21, BITE Guitars said: that's why we offer them separately in our SECRET MENU. FYI you've got wee flags on the languages section of that page - we stopped using that version of the Union flag in 1801 ... 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jazzmanb Posted January 19, 2020 Share Posted January 19, 2020 On 19/09/2019 at 17:21, Pea Turgh said: I had a pop to see if one of the options involved a nice headstock. Alas, no cookies... It does, on the "sh" neck option the headstock is smaller Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wateroftyne Posted January 19, 2020 Share Posted January 19, 2020 Not with that headstock. Sorry, folks. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stewblack Posted January 19, 2020 Share Posted January 19, 2020 Looks interesting to me, the only surprise is that all the negativity centres around the headstock. No one has mentioned the hideous, anaemic, yellow fingerboard. What's that all about?? Can't afford a nice bit of dark wood? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wateroftyne Posted January 19, 2020 Share Posted January 19, 2020 On 27/10/2019 at 05:21, BITE Guitars said: A straight headstock like ours gives maximum firmness for output and sustain (unlike an angled one). Hi Wolfgang Can you explain this in a little more detail, please? I wasn't aware angled headstocks were inferior to straight. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stewblack Posted January 19, 2020 Share Posted January 19, 2020 All joking aside (I know some of you are very passionate about maple boards 🍁) if the shape is determined by improving the instrument musically then really that ought to matter more than the look of the thing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richard R Posted January 19, 2020 Share Posted January 19, 2020 (edited) I had a play with the configurator, and you can make a pretty nice looking bass, as well as some wacky options. The headstock shape isn't a problem for me - there are worse and it's definitely distinctive and would stand out on stage. However the white/orange logo on the end really isn't my taste, I'd prefer something more something more subtle-- a black stencil on the bass below would be good. However - they key thing is what they play and sound like. If they play well and sound good then that's the main thing, and hopefully there is a decent target market for bands who want a great sounding bass that does the job they want and that they can customise to suit. Good luck to @BITE Guitars - I wish you every success. 👍 Edited January 19, 2020 by Richard R 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jrixn1 Posted January 19, 2020 Share Posted January 19, 2020 (edited) 17 minutes ago, Richard R said: However the white/orange logo on the end really isn't my taste, I'd prefer something more something more subtle-- a black stencil on the bass below would be good. Actually they do just that, in the fretboard options - it's called "SH" (short headstock). Edited January 19, 2020 by jrixn1 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stub Mandrel Posted January 19, 2020 Share Posted January 19, 2020 No sustain issues on my headless basses. Through neck is what really makes a difference. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jazzmanb Posted January 20, 2020 Share Posted January 20, 2020 21 hours ago, jrixn1 said: Actually they do just that, in the fretboard options - it's called "SH" (short headstock). similar to the one I came up with inc short headstock but black hardware to match .We're so used to the Fender head stock,its a design classic that its really hard to accept anything other than imitations of it.The headstock is what made me say "what is that ?" when I saw the bass on youtube 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BITE Guitars Posted February 16, 2020 Share Posted February 16, 2020 On 19/01/2020 at 14:16, wateroftyne said: Hi Wolfgang Can you explain this in a little more detail, please? I wasn't aware angled headstocks were inferior to straight. There are two ways you can go about building an angled headstock. The first one is pictured below, you route it all from one piece. It's a bad idea because it gives you the short grain in the headstock, prone to break and bad for resonance. Alternatively, you can glue it together from two pieces as a so-called scarf-joint, still you have a glue joint where you don't want to have one for strength and stability reasons. The second picture shows the leverage forces at work in an angled headstock. The third picture shows how we route our neck-headstock transition: we leave an extra amount of wood underneath the neck's weakest spot. You can compare our drawing with Fig. 4 pictured. This is the extra plus of stiffness our basses have for strong output and sustain. Source: https://www.premierguitar.com/articles/26529-whats-in-a-neck?page=2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wateroftyne Posted February 16, 2020 Share Posted February 16, 2020 Thank you. I have to say neither of the angled Maruszczyks I've owned have lacked resonance. I'm not aware of any breakages either. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BITE Guitars Posted February 16, 2020 Share Posted February 16, 2020 @jazzmanb @jrixn1 @Richard R @stewblack @wateroftyne @edstraker123 @mcnach @Pea Turgh @Graham @Jean-Luc Pickguard @BrunoBass @Lfalex v1.1 @BassApprentice @PeteHantzios Yes, we now offer a shorter headstock option in our configurator (still full 34" long scale), and it comes with a more traditional logo (pictured here with our original headstock for comparison). Since we were experimenting with different logo colors, we still have a limited number of logo variations on stock: black-outlined gold, black-outlined silver, charcoal and brown. If you want any of these on your short headstock, just add a line in the comment area of our online checkout or send us your configuration without any commitment via the ASK US A QUESTION button and we take it from there. Have an awesome Sunday! Wolfgang 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pea Turgh Posted February 16, 2020 Share Posted February 16, 2020 It’s nice to see manufacturers engaging with a forum. Hats off to you, chaps! 6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
edstraker123 Posted February 16, 2020 Share Posted February 16, 2020 Thanks for the input Wolfgang. Does the longer headstock and therefore additional weight cause neck dive at all ? I also flagged an Adamovic bass as exquisite in the ebay section of the marketplace and the headstock shape of that one has been universally condemned too. I guess beutry is in the eye of the beholder. Good luck with the brand. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BITE Guitars Posted February 16, 2020 Share Posted February 16, 2020 14 minutes ago, edstraker123 said: Thanks for the input Wolfgang. Does the longer headstock and therefore additional weight cause neck dive at all ? I also flagged an Adamovic bass as exquisite in the ebay section of the marketplace and the headstock shape of that one has been universally condemned too. I guess beutry is in the eye of the beholder. Good luck with the brand. Thanks a lot! And no neck dive known to mankind. Our longer headstock is still ard. 20 mm shorter than Fender's and carries only compact tuners. Our bodies are made from alder, a bit downsized and pool routed, so the average BITE bass weighs between 3,8 and 4 kg and is well balanced. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stewblack Posted February 16, 2020 Share Posted February 16, 2020 Have to say, if you'd had this made but then decided to sell it for say 750 I'd be tempted Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
prowla Posted February 16, 2020 Share Posted February 16, 2020 On 19/09/2019 at 18:21, Pea Turgh said: I had a pop to see if one of the options involved a nice headstock. Alas, no cookies... Likewise - I thought that maybe the headstock was just their advertising/clickbait, but the configurator Fretboard & Headstock section didn't give any options. They only offer the Gotoh folded-plate bridge too. I have to say that I can't see any circumstance under which I would buy one of those. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stewblack Posted February 16, 2020 Share Posted February 16, 2020 2 minutes ago, prowla said: Likewise - I thought that maybe the headstock was just their advertising/clickbait, but the configurator Fretboard & Headstock section didn't give any options. They only offer the Gotoh folded-plate bridge too. I have to say that I can't see any circumstance under which I would buy one of those. SH = short headstock when you choose fingerboard Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LukeFRC Posted February 16, 2020 Share Posted February 16, 2020 3 hours ago, BITE Guitars said: There are two ways you can go about building an angled headstock. The first one is pictured below, you route it all from one piece. It's a bad idea because it gives you the short grain in the headstock, prone to break and bad for resonance. Alternatively, you can glue it together from two pieces as a so-called scarf-joint, still you have a glue joint where you don't want to have one for strength and stability reasons. The second picture shows the leverage forces at work in an angled headstock. The third picture shows how we route our neck-headstock transition: we leave an extra amount of wood underneath the neck's weakest spot. You can compare our drawing with Fig. 4 pictured. This is the extra plus of stiffness our basses have for strong output and sustain. Source: https://www.premierguitar.com/articles/26529-whats-in-a-neck?page=2 I think it’s called a volute Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
prowla Posted February 16, 2020 Share Posted February 16, 2020 23 minutes ago, stewblack said: SH = short headstock when you choose fingerboard Ah, I see it - the picture changes as you select the option. It's just slightly less hideous! (IMHO, of course...) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
prowla Posted February 16, 2020 Share Posted February 16, 2020 7 minutes ago, LukeFRC said: I think it’s called a volute Not an 'eel then? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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