Variax Bass Transplant
That is a pretty sweet bass! Very impressive build. I love the cocobolo veneer.
7/19/2008 8:47:19 AM
He does fine work. A real pro. I love the magnetic cover idea!
7/19/2008 8:49:17 AM
Wow! That is an intense shine!
7/19/2008 10:53:41 AM
Heh, yeah. That was was my first impression when I saw the finished body.
7/19/2008 11:02:02 AM
I won't argue with the results... but looking at the photos... he was spraying the poly IN HIS STUDIO with no tarps over the carpet... ? ? ? ? ?
Yikes!
There's no way in HELL I'd ever spray finish around my gear.
Again, it LOOKS beautiful and he did a great job, but the man needs to either buy/build a booth or befriend someone who HAS one. :)
Nice stuff!
7/19/2008 11:30:50 AM
So: Novice question...
Is it safe to assume that any wood-choice is SOLELY cosmetic and/or weight choice and has NO BEARING on sound quality since the signal is fully emulated...?
Or does the difference in the wood's resonant properties actually affect (positive or negative) the way the bridge interprets the vibrations...?
I guess I'm curious if you'd notice much difference between body materials; plexiglass, carbon fiber, soft wood, hard wood, etc.
7/19/2008 11:38:39 AM
Wood choice generally is not cosmetic. Most luthiers select specific woods to achieve a specific sound. Based on their density, some woods are said to give a warmer sound, though these differences can be subtle.
I learned a lot about woods when I had my bass custom built at Rob Allen. I was like a kid in a candy store, thinking I could use any exotic wood I wanted. Wrong.
Rob Allen wouldn't use coco bolo or purpleheart for body construction because it would give the instrument a "brassy" sound. He recommended mahogany or swamp ask for body and maple or birdseye maple for neck. Brazilian rosewood is supposedly the absolute best "tone wood" for the fretboard, so buyer beware of the less expensive indian rosewoods of different tonality.
It seemed that every time I found a gorgeous piece of wood for the body or fretboard, it was the wrong choice acoustically.
Weight is another consideration. African wenge is extremely hard and is desired for rigid neck construction, but it weighs a ton. Check out some of the Warwicks which use wenge in both the body and neck. They're extremely heavy.
Most Alembic basses are constructed using mahogany as the primary body wood with laminates of show piece veneers of coco bolo or purpleheart used sparingly throughout.
7/19/2008 12:48:47 PM
Gary - you may have missed my point.
I am 100% aware that for traditional stringed instruments, the body material makes a HUGE difference in tonal quality.
BUT... I am asking specifically about THIS type of instrument - the Variax... where the sounds coming-out of the instrument are MODELED... Not coming from actual pickups.
I am curious to know if the resonant properties of the instrument have ANY effect on the way the Variax electronics read & interpret the signal - or if it is going to sound identical regardless of the material density or quality.
7/19/2008 12:59:57 PM
I'm unfamiliar with the Variax electronics...
By modeling, does it use built in MIDI to read signal?
7/19/2008 1:25:24 PM
No midi involved.
A piezo pickup sends the raw info from the strings to the modeling software, which then takes that info (pitch, duration,vibrato etc.) and shapes it to sound like a classic instrument that has been modeled.
7/20/2008 2:44:38 AM
Cool............but needs real pickups.
7/20/2008 2:49:23 AM
ThatGuy, I don't actually know the answer to your question, but I think it's safe to say that the physical construction of a Variax is not nearly as important to its sound as on a traditional guitar, but it may have some bearing on it. For instance, I'm guessing that sustain (when using a model known for sustain like a Les Paul) might be better if the guitar itself has more sustain, but I'm sure when using the banjo model, the model would cut short the sustain anyway, so it wouldn't matter. (obviously I'm talking about the guitar, the bass equivalent I guess would be comparing the Alembic model to the Hofner model)
Matt Fetters and Riff, have you guys noticed any difference between your original Variax body sound to your transplanted upgrades? Even if it's slight?
7/20/2008 2:50:40 AM
I haven't noticed....it may be slight.
7/20/2008 8:11:29 AM
To answer your question NO. In this case I doubt the wood type has any effect on the sound. I'm sure the bass is solid and provides a reasonable amount of sustain through the harware and neck to body connection. But the tone is completely controlled by the electronics.
I realize that the new bass he created looks and plays great. But I wonder why one would go through all this and not provide the option for passive pickups. I'm sure at the very least it plays better than the stock Variax bass.
7/20/2008 9:18:38 AM
Does that dude do work for hire?
I'm guessing the client has a million gorgeous basses, (I assume that since he can afford to have THAT bass made) and just wanted a great feeling, and looking Variax Bass. If he's not a regularly gigging bassist, or not in a cover band needing lots of stuff, he probably doesn't need the added versatility of trad. pick-ups added on.
Who knows, maybe he just bought it for the synth sounds, but wanted a cool looking bass!
I haven't done any gigs with my Variax bass, so I still can't really comment on whether I'd want trad pick-ups as well. (mainly playing bass in a Beach boy Tribute band, necessitates the standard white P-bass)
7/20/2008 9:33:08 AM
All I know is his projects are real deep in detail and he has lots of patience. His work always looks pristine!
7/20/2008 4:53:01 PM
The is some amazing work! I want one!
7/23/2008 2:13:57 PM
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