My Carl Thompson Thread.

GSR · Unread post by **GSR** » Thu Apr 13, 2006 6:03 pm

Kahn wrote:Im seeing Les soon in Ft. Lauderdale

Awesome! I'm thinking about going to NYC, boston, and providence I think, since there are no CT shows.

Here's the mp3 of One Better, taken from the podcast in my last post. It's from Les' new album, Of Whales and Woe, which he'll be touring for in june and july. You'll definitly hear this song live, so you should download. Plus it's awesome.
http://www.sendspace.com/file/d39jhe

Here's another mp3 of "Burning Man", the studio cut, from Electric Apricot. Also B.A.
http://www.sendspace.com/file/fbu6mr

Coldchillin · Unread post by **Coldchillin** » Thu Apr 13, 2006 7:22 pm

So when are you getting your bass?

bassman462 · Unread post by **bassman462** » Thu Apr 13, 2006 7:27 pm

2-3 years. said around 5 times in this thread.

...we really need a search engine within single threads.

Coldchillin · Unread post by **Coldchillin** » Thu Apr 13, 2006 7:52 pm

Sorry that it hurt you so bad to repost it.

GSR · Unread post by **GSR** » Thu Apr 13, 2006 8:24 pm

Yeah probably another year or two, CC.

Coldchillin · Unread post by **Coldchillin** » Sat Apr 15, 2006 4:14 pm

What a day that will be when you get it.

GSR · Unread post by **GSR** » Sat Apr 15, 2006 4:22 pm

You're telling me!!!!!!!

GSR · Unread post by **GSR** » Fri Apr 21, 2006 12:40 am

On the Road with the Fancy Band.

Footage from the crew and fans, filmed at Toad's Place (the show I was at!) and other locations, with some live footage as well.

http://www.joshmobile.com/vid/On%20the% ... %20mov.mov

GSR · Unread post by **GSR** » Tue May 09, 2006 12:26 pm

GSR · Unread post by **GSR** » Fri May 12, 2006 3:58 am

I don't know if I want a 36" or a 38" scale....

yourheadesplode · Unread post by **yourheadesplode** » Fri May 12, 2006 1:56 pm

38" seems pretty beastly... in my personal opinion if i were to get an extended scale id probably pick either 35 or 36 inches, but never played one anyway so i cant tell the difference. get a double neck with both scales haha... except that would be the most useless thing ever i think

i like tictacs · Unread post by **i like tictacs** » Fri May 12, 2006 4:49 pm

38 is fucking huge. i can't believe you want more than a 34!

bassman462 · Unread post by **bassman462** » Fri May 12, 2006 5:21 pm

go for 36...

GSR · Unread post by **GSR** » Fri May 12, 2006 7:40 pm

34 is laaaaaaaame. :wink:

CTbasses.com wrote:Aaron: What are your thoughts on finishes changed the sound of a bass?
Carl: Probably I don't have any thoughts on that. I never thought about it. I can tell what is going to change the sound of a bass real quick though.

Aaron: Practice?
Carl: Player. Player will change the sound more than-People get too involved in all that stuff about finishes and wood. Change the scale length and you'll really know the difference. If a guy comes in with a piece, a bass like this and it's made out of Mahogany or it's made out of Walnut or Cherry or Swamp Ash or any of those things that they talk about all the time. And somebody comes in with the same bass made out of a totally different wood. I'll bet if people couldn't see it they wouldn't know. But I'll tell you one thing that would change it: the scale length. If one of them had a 36-inch length and one of them had a 34-inch scale you'd hear a difference right away. I'm not saying that woods don't have different properties and different sounds but I don't think-It's pretty hard to tell. That's so close. A piece of Maple is going to sound brighter than a piece of Mahogany probably but which piece of Maple is it and which piece of Mahogany is it? And who's playing it? And what pickups are you using? What kind of amplifier? What kind of strings are on it? If you're going to get that particular about that area then you better get particular about it all. Because it just doesn't happen.

...

Aaron: You were talking about the scale lengths. Do you only use a 38-inch scale for things like 6-string basses or 5-strings with a B string? Or do you suggest it for a 4-string bass too?
Carl: I made a couple of 4-strings. I'll make one for myself too. David Moore has one. In fact, the one he has, a lot of guys have basses I was making for myself. I made that neck back when I was working in my kitchen. And I kept it here and Dave was talking about something, he was trading this in or trading something or selling something to somebody, I don't know. And he liked that neck so I just gave it to him and made him a fancy four string for it.

Aaron: Does it really make that big of a difference between a 36-inch and a 38-inch?
Carl: [Laughs] Oh, it does. Oh yeah. That's a big difference. And the top notes up in the high register, especially in the 6 string basses because usually even with a 36 inch scale or 34, it's almost like a guitar up there. When you get up around there it gets guitar sounding. No matter what kind of bass it is or what kind of pickups you use. But you stretch that thing out over 38 inches-because I got a couple-because I made a couple 6 string 38s. And what happens is the C string, you know up in the high register, it gets almost like a cello kind of sound. It's more in that timbre than the usual guitar kind of sound. Like a real trebly kind of sound. It gets a real warm, thick kind of sound because, I think, maybe because of the string. I could be wrong. I don't know. I think that's what it is. I know it's a big difference. It isn't like a piece of Swamp Ash and a piece of maple. This is a big time difference.

I walked into the club one night. I played Dave's bass. And they were already playing when I walked in. And they came around to the top of the tune again and I remember playing a low F on the E string for the first note of like they come around for the second chorus and both Steve and Harry went like and they looked at me like wow what was that? And it wasn't like it was loud it or anything. It was just very strong very, very clear note. Yeah, that's what I'm going to do for myself when I make my own bass: 38. A little harder to play. There is no way I'm gonna be able to-I'm going to have to move my hand around a lot, you know. But that's ok, you know, if the sound is there. I'm going to make it fretless too. Hmm.

...

Aaron: What type of nut materials do you use and how do you choose between them?
Carl: Any piece of hardwood if it looks nice. Just like I choose anything else. Sometimes I use graphite. I think Les specified graphite nut so I used a graphite nut for him. Sometimes I use graphite. But mostly I use Ebony or Cocobola. Or sometimes I just make it nice, like a trim nut. Like I did for you. I think Steve made it out of Purple-no not Purple Heart. He used Bloodwood and Rosewood. A combination. Once you get past the open string the nut is gone. All it is anyway is a string spacer. If you are going to do is sit around and play open strings all day then you might want to think about using something like, maybe, cement or something. Something really hard and dense. Something that is going to ring forever if that is what you want.

I know a lot of people say "Brass nuts and brass bridges" and all these things to get more sustain. I always tell people "how much sustain do you want?" I can play a note, any note on one of my basses, walk away and ten years later the bass is still ringing. "Now what do you want? Oh, you want eleven years." I mean how much sustain-You know, I mean really, that's such a dumb word. I mean, how much do you want? I mean even a Fender it sustains OK as far as I'm concerned. I didn't find it-A couple of notes G, some of the G-string on a 34-inch scale. I don't know why that is. On the G-string around C and C# and D. You get some dead notes from time to time. I was told by this engineer it was the scale but I don't know if anyone ever investigated it. But it seems to be a lot. I know when I go to 36 that seems to clean up pretty good, you know. It doesn't seem to matter anymore. But other than that, Fender sustains real good. Something about picking up an old Fender with an old pickup or whatever. Enough sustain for me.

...

aron: What are you're thoughts on building short scale instruments?
Carl: Piccolo bass. 32 inches that's it. I don't know. I'm making a special bass for a guy right now. I'm making him a 30-inch scale. But it's a 6 string piccolo bass. I've never made one so I don't know what it's going to be like.

When you're talking about sound again. That would-why would you want to make a short scale bass? Unless you don't want to sound like a bass. If you want it to sound.-well short scale basses, the shorter the scale, the looser the string is. I just can't imagine why anyone would want that. Unless it's just somebody who is just playing around the house and doesn't want to go out and play a gig, doesn't want to work for anybody. Any real bass player shouldn't be playing that. I don't know. Shouldn't even be playing 34. That really is my opinion there. It has nothing to do with fact that's for sure.

GSR · Unread post by **GSR** » Fri May 12, 2006 7:43 pm

38"

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My Carl Thompson Thread.

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