Weird & Wonderful Basses

[phaedrus123]

[quote name='BigRedX' post='78582' date='Oct 23 2007, 03:46 PM']Next up is [url="http://www.vikingmovie.com/phaedrus/"]Phaedrus[/url]

This is called the Quadrant. Here's a view looking from the 'body' end


A close up of the machineheads and pickup


And Ned Steinberger checking one out at NAMM


Phaedrus takes the Steinberger concept of a minimal bass the it's extreme. This is bassically a 3/8" strip of steel with strings, a pickup, and associated electronics attached to it. There's 3 versions, the 4-string Quadrant, 5-string Destructor and the single string Proton. I'm not sure exactly what the availability of these basses is at the moment. When I first came across them the site had it's own domain, but now it's piggy-backed onto vikingmovie.com. Phaedrus inventor Thayer DeMay isn't brilliant at answering emails, but lat time I was in touch, the Quadrant was at a special offer price of $500[/quote]
[center]Hi... i'm the guy who did the Phaedrus Instruments, and the address is changed permanently [url="http://www.skylabdigital.com"]www.skylabdigital.com[/url]. There's all sorts of new stuff on there, with Youtube links, etc.

Sorry, none of these are for sale (they are all one-of-a-kind prototypes), but feel free to try to make on of your own. Cheers!

-Thayer[/center]

Edited April 22, 2008 by phaedrus123

[BigRedX]

Welcome to BassChat Thayer.

Great to hear that you're still making instruments even if they're no longer for sale :-(

Unlike some of the threads in other bass forums where your work appears on, I hope that you can see that this one celebrates the creations of those who want to build and play something other than the designs of Leo Fender.

Should you ever change your mind about creating instruments for others to buy, I am still seriously interested in a Quadrant bass.

[Ghetox]

These are most freakin guitars ever, some of them are even not identified:
[url="http://meatexz.com/cheesyguitars/guitars.html"]http://meatexz.com/cheesyguitars/guitars.html[/url]
I had a Jolana D-bass it's in the list LOL.

[tauzero]

[quote name='phaedrus123' post='182517' date='Apr 22 2008, 08:15 AM']Hi... i'm the guy who did the Phaedrus Instruments, and the address is changed permanently [url="http://www.skylabdigital.com"]www.skylabdigital.com[/url]. There's all sorts of new stuff on there, with Youtube links, etc.

Sorry, none of these are for sale (they are all one-of-a-kind prototypes), but feel free to try to make on of your own. Cheers![/quote]
I'm curious about them. Did you need to use a truss-rod with them or were the necks stiff enough not to have to?

[paul, the]

[quote name='phaedrus123' post='182517' date='Apr 22 2008, 08:15 AM'][center]Hi... i'm the guy who did the Phaedrus Instruments, and the address is changed permanently [url="http://www.skylabdigital.com"]www.skylabdigital.com[/url]. There's all sorts of new stuff on there, with Youtube links, etc.

Sorry, none of these are for sale (they are all one-of-a-kind prototypes), but feel free to try to make on of your own. Cheers!

-Thayer[/center][/quote]

'though I like the basses, the The Impossibilitron is definitely my favourite of your creations .

[OldGit]

[quote name='paul, the' post='183958' date='Apr 23 2008, 05:08 PM']'though I like the basses, the The Impossibilitron is definitely my favourite of your creations .[/quote]

A Fantastic box!

Is that one of Stockhausen's tunes?

[BigRedX]

I have to agree that the Impossibilitron is one of the coolest non-bass instruments I've seen in a while.

The eastern European guitar site was fascinating too, although the somewhat mocking tone tends to put me off. There's little doubt that the instruments shown are more weird than wonderful, but I keep thinking there must be some good guitars and basses being produced too - surely they can't have been uniformly crap? Time to do a bit of research I think...

[BigRedX]

In the mean time here are some more basses made from Aluminium from the [url="http://www.electricalguitarcompany.com/"]Electrical Guitar Company[/url]

Two versions of what they call the Standard Bass





And a 4 and 5-string Wedge Bass





There's also a very TB2000-esque HT Bass but only very small photos of it on their Italian distributor's site.

The construction of the all Aluminium models combines a hollow T6061 body with a billet T6061 neck.
There's much more information on their [url="http://www.myspace.com/electricalguitarcompany"]MySpace page[/url] and loads more pictures including some very nice wood and aluminium guitars.

[matt_citizenbass]

i'm really annoyed i can't remember it but ages ago i found a really great website with all these weird italian basses on it.

and i really want it to track them down and to show you guys.

anyone got any suggestions of what it might be?

it was a pretty huge site.

{EDIT} found it just now actually :

[url="http://www.fetishguitars.com"]http://www.fetishguitars.com[/url]


here are some of my favourite:

Edited April 29, 2008 by matt_citizenbass

[BigRedX]

Fetish Guitars - what a wonderful web site. Unfortunately, it's a pity that most of them aren't really all that good, and even the innovators like Wandre didn't really have the manufacturing facilities to do the instruments he was designing justice.

When you look at the history of the bass guitar it becomes obvious how far ahead the big two American manufacturers were in terms of design and build quality, right up until the mid 70s. Their instruments had a quality look and feel that the other manufacturers just didn't seem to be able to achieve (with a few notable exceptions such as Burns, although that was mainly for guitars rather than basses). It might be that because the Fender and Gibson designs have been around for so long that were now used to them, and their quirks are now accepted features, but it does strike me that there's too many "Heath Robinson" style constructions on most of the other early basses that ultimately let them down when considering them as usable instruments.

I'm glad that nowadays it is possible to buy an unusual bass and not have to put up with substandard hardware and other design compromises, that was the norm in the 50s and 60s.

[liamemac]

[quote name='BigRedX' post='59594' date='Sep 12 2007, 11:39 PM']I like the Spalt Hybrids too.

Another interesting bass that's sold short by the pictures on the poorly desined (and never updated site) - the last three pics you posted show the instrument off so much better than the "official" ones. Does that belong to someone here in the UK? I'd love to have a go on one. I exchanged a few emails with Michael Spalt a couple of years ago, but in the end I decided I couldn't justify getting one without playing it first as there's a couple of design aspects that might not sit well with my playing technique.[/quote]
They look like klingon federation weapons!

[Sugden]

[quote name='BigRedX' post='190925' date='May 2 2008, 10:55 PM']I'm glad that nowadays it is possible to buy an unusual bass and not have to put up with substandard hardware and other design compromises, that was the norm in the 50s and 60s.[/quote]

If anything an unusual bass these days HAS to be above standard in terms of quality so people will buy them over the other more image orientated designs theres no choice in it. It just wouldn't fly making a alternative design to leading names and putting sub standard parts on them companies wouldn't go anywhere. Ortho this has always made me wonder how fender get away with putting instruments out that most enthusiasts instantly replace most of the parts on apart from the wood.

[BigRedX]

Time for something new...

Here's a pair of Quakes form [url="http://knuckleguitarworks.com/"]Knuckle Guitar Works[/url].





All looks pretty standard really - except these basses have a 39 1/2" scale length!

The extra scale length allows either thinner strings to be used which allow the higher harmonics which help define the note to be produced more clearly. Alternatively with the appropriate strings you can tune down to an octave below the standard bass.

The standard 5-string model costs $2749 - 4 and 6 string models are also available.

[wotnwhy]

i'd love to try one of those

[Jobiebass]

[quote name='benwhiteuk' post='181832' date='Apr 21 2008, 02:01 PM']I've not looked through all 19 pages so I don't know if these have been on but I think they're quite comical...

[attachment=8002:double_n...corvette.jpg]
[attachment=8003:electra_bass_big.jpg][/quote]


someone made a white version of that pink one, sold on ebay for a few hundred. there is a thread about it somewhere on basschat

[Sarah5string]

[url="http://www.thomann.de/gb/rks_guitars_a_bass_maple.htm"]http://www.thomann.de/gb/rks_guitars_a_bass_maple.htm[/url]

RKS A-Bass Maple Cherry Sunburst

[url="http://www.thomann.de/gb/rks_guitars_symbass_solid.htm"]http://www.thomann.de/gb/rks_guitars_symbass_solid.htm[/url]

RKS Symbass Solid Black

Edited May 14, 2008 by Sarah5string

[Sarah5string]

Danelectro Longhorn

[url="http://www.thomann.de/gb/rks_guitars_symbass_solid.htm"]http://www.thomann.de/gb/rks_guitars_symbass_solid.htm[/url]

[Sarah5string]

Guild/Dearmond Ashbory FR... apparently has rubber strings to sound like a double bass????

[url="http://www.thomann.de/gb/guilddearmond_ashbory_fr.htm"]http://www.thomann.de/gb/guilddearmond_ashbory_fr.htm[/url]

[Sarah5string]

Not a bass but... WTF?????

[url="http://www.thomann.de/gb/epiphone_airscreamer.htm"]http://www.thomann.de/gb/epiphone_airscreamer.htm[/url]

[knuckle_head]

[quote name='BigRedX' post='196673' date='May 11 2008, 12:28 PM']Time for something new...

Here's a pair of Quakes form [url="http://knuckleguitarworks.com/"]Knuckle Guitar Works[/url].





All looks pretty standard really - except these basses have a 39 1/2" scale length!

The extra scale length allows either thinner strings to be used which allow the higher harmonics which help define the note to be produced more clearly. Alternatively with the appropriate strings you can tune down to an octave below the standard bass.

The standard 5-string model costs $2749 - 4 and 6 string models are also available.[/quote]

Too cool that you found me - I build these. Hope you don't mind me posting something recent;

[BigRedX]

Welcome to BassChat knuckle_head.

That new bass looks interesting - more details please, especially since it appears to be fretless. Is that 39 1/2" scale too?

[knuckle_head]

[quote name='BigRedX' post='199257' date='May 14 2008, 11:48 PM']Welcome to BassChat knuckle_head.

That new bass looks interesting - more details please, especially since it appears to be fretless. Is that 39 1/2" scale too?[/quote]

This one is a bolt on - 36" scale length, and very light. I bet the bass weighs about 7 pounds. Maple/carbon neck with a limba body, it has Nordstrand classic single coils with a volume/tone pot per pickup. The detail players seem to like a good bit is the jack inset;



I am in process of adjusting pricing (upward I'm afraid), so this bass would go for $2500 US. Quakes are now in excess of $3000.

Edited May 15, 2008 by knuckle_head

[ped]

Welcome to the forum! I love the look of that fretless, very similar in 'poise' to my Vigiers.

[BigRedX]

I'm definitely going to have to find a way to check out a Quake at some point.

But in the mean time, that new Knuckle fretless bass is very nice indeed - thanks for posting. Cool details like that jack socket location always make instruments more appealing to me.

Quite similar in feel to this Tune which is also 36" scale



BTW Ped would you like to do a post on the new Vigiers - especially on the Arpege and Passion (if possible with the Delta Metal finger board). I would have done something on these earlier, but I think it would be best in this case left to the expert.

[knuckle_head]

[quote name='BigRedX' post='199607' date='May 15 2008, 06:32 AM']I'm definitely going to have to find a way to check out a Quake at some point.

But in the mean time, that new Knuckle fretless bass is very nice indeed - thanks for posting. Cool details like that jack socket location always make instruments more appealing to me.

Quite similar in feel to this Tune which is also 36" scale[/quote]

I appreciate your having found me - I am still obscure, and am working at getting more well known.

There are only three Quakes in Europe right now, with two more basses headed that direction this summer. None in England at present.

I can live with a Tune comparative - though it is an unintended likeness.