Forensically studying those examples, the trend we discovered is his ear prefers active pickups.San Francisco-based classic rockers, ORCHID, have released their highly anticipated new album, »The Mouths Of Madness« (album of the month / ROCK HARD Germany) today. So, one of the first steps in our design process was to have Corey compile links to audio clips and videos of bass sounds he likes. EMG PickupsĬhasing a specific sound through written description is somewhat like dancing about architecture. ![]() I definitely wish to explore walnut’s tonality before committing to a client instrument-in-progress. Walnut is highly esteemed for gunstocks, with a centuries-old reputation for durable wear and beauty even under harsh weather conditions, so it has strong theoretical potential. Walnut seems to be the best candidate for a dark fretboard, however it is virtually untested on instruments, with too many unknowns for inclusion in this project. I tried stain samples on hickory, maple, ash - but none were satisfying. We wanted to consider a North American species for the fretboard, but there is no species with appearance equivalent to ebony. I believe hickory will become an important future fretboard wood. Hickory is actually my personal favorite fretboard material, because it is nearly as hard as ebony, just as fast, grips fret tangs firmly and adds a little resilience and bounce to the tonality…both latter characteristics due to the structural elasticity of the species. We tapped into my decade-old stash for this revision. Blonde hickory matched to deep amber violin varnish on curly maple is probably equally valid, artistically, but something altogether new.Įbony is unmatched for density and rich blackness, and adds high frequency brightness. There is a centuries-old tradition of black ebony fretboards on upright acoustic stringed instruments, and that subliminal connection is strong. Tap into the rich history of the upright, in relation to jazz, an almost eponymous pairing.Ĭorey and I looked at the partially constructed hickory fretboard combined with curly maple neck and decided - although beautiful - the feel was drifting too far from an upright. One of our visual goals for this project is to achieve the vibe of an upright acoustic bass. Three-eighths inch diameter circles will become extended ovals once the neck is contoured. Glued and shaved flush against the maple and hickory, our neck remains a solid integrated structure, devoid of air, as the walnut assumes a structural role. Solid walnut plug blanks are machined with a drill press, tapped into the neck blank to the aircraft grade aluminum neck core. Hand positions are clearly delineated, eliminating the musician’s “hunch” so often seen as players struggle to view fret markers located on the fretboard, facing the audience. Lately I’ve been exploring contemporary aesthetics, eschewing fretboard inlay for oversized side markers. Designed and machined in New Jersey, USA.Ĭorey’s bass will receive our very first production bridges, coincidental with public launch. Townsend Machine brings aerospace CNC precision and AS9100 certification to the quality control process. I was fortunate to meet and partner with Bart Townsend, who shares with me this vision of developing the finest instrument hardware available. Individual modular string units minimize cross-talk and excel in multi-scale (fanned fret) applications. Additional organic warmth results, with pronounced discernible differences between tone woods. Adjustment and mounting screws are stainless steel.ĭesigned for spring-loaded tension, the bridge efficiently conducts string vibration directly into the wood of the instrument body, without the need to pass through a mounting plate. Aircraft grade aluminum, machined from solid blanks, forms the structure of the bridge, with an ecologically-friendly anodized matte subsurface coating that is electrically non-conductive. ![]() Strings meet smooth titanium saddles in contoured slots specifically designed to maximize sustain. ![]() Titanium is inherently musical, with deep warm bass, balanced midrange and clear upper harmonics. We, as musicians, invest significant thought and effort into choosing strings or pickups in search of “our” sound, not realizing that string contact points play an equally dynamic sound shaping role. One objective I set for myself was to explore, research and control string vibration in order to fully exploit sound wave transference between string and body (or neck) of the instrument.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |