angelboy Posted July 31, 2007 Share Posted July 31, 2007 Seems that Kubicki owners seem to rave about these basses but I've never had the chance to get close to one. Has anyone owned/owns one and can give me the gen? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rich Posted July 31, 2007 Share Posted July 31, 2007 You & I know of a bloke called FarOn who used to have a Key Factor a few years back. I seem to remember he was very keen on it. I tried an X Factor many years ago... it felt good to play & they have a slap sound to die for (Stu Hamm, Vail Johnson...). The little drop-D lever is a cool idea. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ped Posted July 31, 2007 Share Posted July 31, 2007 They have one of my fave all time bass sounds. I have not played one for years but I really wouldn't mind one!! There are a couple of owners on here... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TPJ Posted July 31, 2007 Share Posted July 31, 2007 I had one about 10 years ago. The neck is great, the sounds where versatile and the drop D was a great addition. It is a capo so you don't have to change your fingering when you dis-engage it. The balanced was great, was 32" scale so no long reach. I think some peoples' issues where when Fender took over and the circuitry changed, and some say not for the better. I never noticed that. Now that I'm thinking of it, I only traded it because I was looking for a bit more vintage sound at the time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
warwickhunt Posted July 31, 2007 Share Posted July 31, 2007 I had one for about 6mths and loved the neck/body/hardware but couldn't coax a consistently good sound out of the pups and/or electrics. I'd have one again just to see if it was me being picky or the other gear I was using. IIRC didn't John Taylor of the Duranies play/record with these! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MacDaddy Posted July 31, 2007 Share Posted July 31, 2007 I've had 2, a Fender Custom Shop, and a regular Phil Kubicki. Of the 2, the Fender Custom shop had the better electronics (sorry TPJ) and was tidier inside. The drop D is an awesome idea, meaning the notes on the fretboard stay the same (unlike with a hipshot) plus you still get the E and Eb. Trouble is, the spring in the mechanism that frets at the nut, tends to lose some of its tension over the years resulting in a nasty fretbuzz type sound, even when playing other notes on the same string. Only single balled strings are needed, which is good, but trying to re-string is a pain, as some kind of ratchet (that I never had) is needed to tighten the bridge, so the fine tuners can do their thing. All the sounds are there, passive and active, various filters cutting and boosting, and coil tap options. And if you like the jazz type neck (like me) the playability is fantastic and well balanced, if a little heavy. I found recording worked best from passive, live full on active. Hope this helps. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MacDaddy Posted July 31, 2007 Share Posted July 31, 2007 [quote name='warwickhunt' post='39695' date='Jul 31 2007, 08:00 PM']IIRC didn't John Taylor of the Duranies play/record with these![/quote] yep! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ba55me15ter Posted August 1, 2007 Share Posted August 1, 2007 I've owned a pre-Fender Kubicki since 1990. It 's one of those 'I'll never sell it' basses. The neck is fantastically easy to play, the drop-D gadget is great (no tension problems on mine) and it slaps like a dream. The truss rod adjustment is really good - just stick a philips screwdriver in the end of the headstock. I've also had no problems changing strings and actually prefer it to regular tuning pegs. The only problem I have is that the electronics just don't seem right to me. The first active setting is pretty much the only one of the 5 that sounds good to me as the passive settings seem to all have excessively low output level (and the other active setting is just too scooped). I think this may be a fault on mine - anybody else notice this? Apart from that you can spot the tone a mile off so it doesn't suit every situation, but it really is fun to play! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Golchen Posted August 1, 2007 Share Posted August 1, 2007 I've always thought of them as really ugly, shape-wise. Having said that, I just LOVE the sound of the bass on Stu Hamms first solo album - beeeutiful! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
3V17C Posted August 1, 2007 Share Posted August 1, 2007 yeah..must admit i've always quite fancied on of these - aren't the necks made from loads of skinny bits of wood laminated together? i guess they are looking a bit dated these days maybe as alot of them seem to have really 80's looking paint jobs, although some of the natural finish ones on their site are sweeeeet. peace c Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TPJ Posted August 2, 2007 Share Posted August 2, 2007 [quote name='3V17C' post='40069' date='Aug 1 2007, 04:25 PM']yeah..must admit i've always quite fancied on of these - aren't the necks made from loads of skinny bits of wood laminated together? i guess they are looking a bit dated these days maybe as alot of them seem to have really 80's looking paint jobs, although some of the natural finish ones on their site are sweeeeet. peace c[/quote] Mine was very similar to that but with an Ash or Alder body that wasn't so figured. Great looking, they are Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marcus Posted August 4, 2007 Share Posted August 4, 2007 A mate had a couple....... !! Possibly the most "bouncy" and "alive" slap tone i've heard....... I suspect that tone wouldn't translate well into a regular gigging situation......... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EdwardHimself Posted August 4, 2007 Share Posted August 4, 2007 personally i think the idea of having a fingerboard extension to change from standard to d-tuning is a bit silly, you may aswell just get a 5 string if you really want to keep your fingering that much. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
warwickhunt Posted August 4, 2007 Share Posted August 4, 2007 [quote name='EdwardHimself' post='41182' date='Aug 4 2007, 09:00 AM']personally i think the idea of having a fingerboard extension to change from standard to d-tuning is a bit silly, you may aswell just get a 5 string if you really want to keep your fingering that much.[/quote] Got to disagree. I've tried a couple of 5's and apart from having to rethink playing across strings (I'm aware this would have become second nature), most of all I just couldn't get on with the neck width and/or narrower string spacing; you don't have that problem with the Kubicki. Admittedly you can only go down to D but in 95% of the songs that I've ever needed a lower tuning, D has been it! They may not be everyone's cup of tea (which is just as well) but they will be the ultimate bass to some people. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rich Posted August 4, 2007 Share Posted August 4, 2007 [quote name='EdwardHimself' post='41182' date='Aug 4 2007, 09:00 AM']personally i think the idea of having a fingerboard extension... is a bit silly[/quote]Why? Double bassists have been doing it for centuries! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EdwardHimself Posted August 4, 2007 Share Posted August 4, 2007 ^that's not what i meant you silly boy! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MacDaddy Posted August 4, 2007 Share Posted August 4, 2007 [quote name='warwickhunt' post='41200' date='Aug 4 2007, 09:57 AM']Got to disagree. I've tried a couple of 5's and apart from having to rethink playing across strings (I'm aware this would have become second nature), most of all I just couldn't get on with the neck width and/or narrower string spacing; you don't have that problem with the Kubicki. Admittedly you can only go down to D but in 95% of the songs that I've ever needed a lower tuning, D has been it! They may not be everyone's cup of tea (which is just as well) but they will be the ultimate bass to some people.[/quote] a BIG +1. I've got a 5 and a 6, and my experience is that at the moment the subtle difference in string spacing, affects things like slapping. Keeping it real with [i]normal [/i](sic) fingering works for me, and when I had mine it was the Eb that came in quite useful too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rich Posted August 4, 2007 Share Posted August 4, 2007 [quote name='EdwardHimself' post='41231' date='Aug 4 2007, 11:49 AM']^that's not what i meant you silly boy![/quote]What [i]did[/i] you mean then, Captain Mainwaring? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EdwardHimself Posted August 5, 2007 Share Posted August 5, 2007 i meant extending the fretboard by 2 frets on just one string just so you can play 2 notes tuning without changing fingering seems a bit like overkill to me. i think the whole point in d tuning is to change the fingering to make certain songs easier to play. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kubickiboy Posted August 6, 2007 Share Posted August 6, 2007 Here's mine. I had been lusting after one after first getting my hands on one ages back. This is by far the best bass I've had - followed closely by my Status S2 5. It feels and sounds right - mind you, I play a lot of slap. If you can get hold of one I definitely recommend you snap it up. And if you hear of any for sale give me a shout..! What it used to look like... What it looks like now... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
warwickhunt Posted August 6, 2007 Share Posted August 6, 2007 I'd have another given the opportunity but it'd have to be one of those tidy spalted maple ones as I'm such a tart! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lownote-LA Posted November 18, 2007 Share Posted November 18, 2007 This is my first posting, and I apologize in advance for what may be a bit of a tease. I split my time between Los Angeles and Scotland, working as a bassist in both locations although I primarily play upright. In both Scotland and L.A., I have a Kubicki ex-Factor in my small collection of basses. In Scotland I've ordered a Status Graphite Streamliner which is scheduled for deliver this Tuesday. Assuming I like the Streamliner, to help pay for this purchase, and to keep the size of my "herd" manageable, I'm planning on selling the Scottish Kubicki. The question is should I lug it back to Los Angeles to sell, or put it on the market here? If I do sell it here, I won't be doing so until late December/early January so that I can bring back the hard shell case for it since I brought it over in a gig bag in an SKB Bass Safe. It is bright red, has the Fender Custom Shop label on it, although it was made in 1989 and has the six position pre-amp. I think it is one of the first basses sold after Kubicki sold out to Fender since it is exactly like my other Kubicki which was made by Phil Kubicki before the first Fender transaction (he subsequently bought back the company.) Thanks in advance for your thoughts. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kubickiboy Posted November 19, 2007 Share Posted November 19, 2007 I'd sell it here if I were You. Kubicki's are hard to come by in the UK. The odd one pops up on ebay from time to time and usually go for a good price - all depending on condition of course. Any chance of any pix, and how much would you be looking to sell it for? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lownote-LA Posted November 19, 2007 Share Posted November 19, 2007 [quote name='Kubickiboy' post='90625' date='Nov 19 2007, 12:36 AM']I'd sell it here if I were You. Kubicki's are hard to come by in the UK. The odd one pops up on ebay from time to time and usually go for a good price - all depending on condition of course. Any chance of any pix, and how much would you be looking to sell it for?[/quote] I'm not sure on price yet--I sort of want to see how the auction on US eBay at the moment finishes on Tuesday. I will get some pictures taken in the morning when there is better light and post them. The bass is in nearly mint condition. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
far0n Posted November 19, 2007 Share Posted November 19, 2007 (edited) Hiya Rich and Chaps, I did indeed have a Key-Factor, fabulous bass which I went for mainly 'cos of the 34" scale length rather than the Ex-Factor's 32". Trouble is the Kubicki bass's bridge is inset quite far into the centre of the body, so the whole scale length moves to the left. Consequently a 32" bass feels more like 34".... my 34" Key-Factor unfortunately felt like a 36" bass. Had real problems reaching the first fret notes on it without it hurting. Not nice. So I'd deffo go for the Ex-Factor, the slap sounds from them are just astonishing. Such a unique sound, instantly recognisable. Edited November 19, 2007 by far0n Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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