Conference napalm::guitar

2368.0. "Keating 8-string bass" by RICKS::CALCAGNI (Don't fret!) Wed Nov 06 1991 14:05

Warning: long note to follow.  I had the opportunity to spend some time with
an 8-string bass recently and thought the details might be of interest to some
of you.  Please excuse the long-windedness. 

First, about the bass.  It's a prototype custom 8-string built by Tom Keating
of Peterborough N.H.  There are four normal root note strings with an octave
string for each, just like a 12-string guitar.  (Note, strings were GHS, light
gauge, from a set specifically for 8's.  I guess these sets can be ordered
through any dealer).  The body is solid with symmetrical lower bout and
assymetrical, somewhat pointy horns; nice curves, very well proportioned and
kind of "classic" looking.  The neck is one piece solid Brazilian rosewood and
runs through the body; the body wings are also rosewood and it has a rosewood
fingerboard.  You don't see too many solid bodies made out of rosewood and with
good reason; it's a very dense and heavy wood.  The body on this one is
relatively thin, and it's still a pretty heavy beast (11 pounds according to my
bathroom scale).  The headstock is rather narrow and elongated to accomodate
four-on-a-side tuners; Schaller tuners and 8-string bridge are goldplated. 
There are two J-bass style active pickups with Alembic electronics on board. 
The color of the center neck piece is sligtly lighter than the rich chocolate
brown body wings, and the gold hardware sets things off nicely.  While most of
the wood has a subtle natural beauty, there is a touch of flash on the
headstock; front and back are layered with some incredibly birds-eye maple
stained a light cocoa.  Workmanship is top-notch throughout.  The whole effect
of the instrument is one of understated elegance 

First thing you notice when you pick the instrument up, besides the weight, is
it's balance.  It hangs perfectly from the strap, neither neck nor body heavy,
and doesn't fight you when you shift it's position.  With the body being
relatively slender, the instrument almost disappears underneath you when
playing; a very nice feel.  The sheer density gives this instrument fantastic
ring and sustain, and unlike many heavy instruments, there's a lot of "wood" in
the tone.  If you've never had a chance to check out an all rosewood instrument
(I never did), it's like nothing else you've tried.  The neck is chunky, not
rounded like a baseball bat so much as wide, flat and thick.  The scale length
is 33", but seems even longer, perhaps due to the size of the neck.  I believe
Hamer makes their 8- and 12- string basses with 30.5" scales; one reason may be
that increased string length means increased tension, and you've already got
your hands full, so to speak, with multiple strings per finger.  Still, I
notice a big difference in tone in longer scale instruments and tend to favor
them.  I must say that in spite of weight and neck size, this instrument grew
on me pretty quickly and is a joy to play.  Note also that this is a prototype;
the builder said he'd be using lighter woods and a perhaps a slimmer neck
profile on future instruments. 

I like the sound of the Alembic J-style pickups more than many other active
systems; they seem less harsh than, say, EMGs.  I've heard these pickups on
other basses and the sound was similar.  There's a volume control for each
pickup and a master tone.  With both pickups on, the sound was rich and full.
When I rolled off a bit of neck pickup, however, the sound brightened and got
somewhat thin.  When I do this on my Fender Jazz bass, the sound brightens but
still retains a nice punch.  My guess was it has to do with pickup placement;
the bridge pickup on the 8-string is a little further back than on the Jazz.
The Alembic system is supposedly very modular, with lots of different options
for premap/EQ combinations, so it may be possible to compensate for this by
swapping in different preamp modules.  I suggested to the builder that he
consider moving the bridge pickup forward on future basses.  Interestingly, I
found some useful sounds by rolling off a bit of bridge pickup, something I
never do on the Jazz.  This tended to subdue the effect of the octave strings,
which was useful for some situations. 

Okay, so this was my first experience with an 8-string.  I was skeptical, but
after spending some time with the beast I love it!  The 8 has such a gorgeous
full sound, you don't want to put it down.  I took it to practice last week,
intent on trying it out for one or two numbers, and ended up playing it the
whole night.  The other members of the band REALLY liked it too (they've been
trying to talk me into buying it).  On listening back to the tapes from
practice, it was obvious that it didn't quite work on every tune; part of the
problem is that the 8-string requires a change in how you approach basslines. 
It's hard, for instance, to get percussive, staccato lines to happen.  Speed is
an issue; the sheer physical limitations put a damper on fast lines and quick
tempo changes.  I also found it harder to push the beat.  The fact that you're
hitting two strings per notespace means more spread to each note.  One
technique that helped here was to think of the bass more as a rhythm guitar,
trying to time each note like a chord.  Surprisingly, I didn't have much
trouble fretting the double strings, and rarely mis-hit even on my first time
playing it.  I was actually expecting more problems in this area.  The
instrument was very well set up and playable.  On some tunes, the 8-string
worked magnificently.  For low end funk vamps, I got this outrageous funky roar
happening.  The sound is unique and really adds depth and flavor to
arrangements, especially for a small combo.  It filled out the sonic space
noticably.  The upper register provided a gorgeous solo voice that worked
nicely on some things.  I'm still a long way from being able to really play the
8-string, but just this little bit of exposure was eye-opening and rewarding. 

One more thing about 8's.  String sequence seems to be an issue.  In a recent
BP article, it was mentioned that Hamer sets up their 8's and 12's differently
for pick vs finger style plucking.  Their idea seemed to be that you should hit
the root string first, octave string(s) second.  I play mostly pick style, but
the bass I tried was set up for finger according to the Hamer method.
I experimented a lot; what I found was that root first did give a more
percussive, bassy tone, but that octave first gave a lot more chime (like a
bass Rickenbacker 12!), especially with a pick.  I think I kind of like the
octave first sound a bit better; anyway, it's something to be aware of if you
check one of these out.

In case anyone's interested, I'll post Tom's address and number.  Note that I
have no personal or business connection with Tom in any way.  I will say that I
was impressed with the skill, quality, care, and art I saw in this particular
bass; it's a very special instrument.  Tom says he's working on another all
rosewood prototype with a shorter scale, and then he hopes to build more 4- and
8-string models based on this design, from other woods.  He's a custom builder,
so many things in his instruments are possible. 

Anyways, it's: 

	Keating Lutheries Ltd. / Thomas Keating
	33 Pine Street
	Peterborough, N.H.  03458
	(603) 924-6828

    -well, BUY IT!!!!!!!

    so, how much is it? does he just build basses?
    
    - Dave_of_the_single_income_who_can_still_dream

    No he doesn't just build basses, also solidbody guitars and perhaps
    acoustics (not sure).  He also does repair work that looks reasonably
    priced.  One thing I picked up in talking to him; he really seems to
    know his wood.
    
    Price of this 8-string was $1500.  This seems on par with what Hamer gets
    for theirs.  List price on the Hamer is $1900+, and I'm not sure if or
    how much that would be discounted since it's a special order item.
    Anyone know?  
    
    /rick

   So Rick,

You'll be getting me this instrument for Christmas, I can tell...
I'll let you play it once in a while, maybe on the "Earth Movers"
"World Tour".


biff n

   I had my Ovation Legend worked on by Keating. He did a wonderful job of
 replacing the nut and taking care of badly worn frets. It's like new perhaps
 even better than new.

   Bob

Are you sure that the neck is made of BRAZILIAN rosewood?  This instument would
be cheap given the cost of the wood.

Jim

Rosewood isn't cheap, but it isn't out of site either.
I wish it did cost a fortune. Maybe people'd buy less of it.
(sorry, i stuck my nose in where it didn't belong, i apologize)

Brazilian rosewood trees are extinct.  The wood has not been exported in lumber
form for about 25 years.  No rosewood is cheap.  I suspect that these basses
are made of Indian rosewood.  Nothing wrong with that.  I had just never 
heard of Brazilian rosewood being used for necks.

Jim

    I wasn't sure, so I double checked with Tom Keating last night.
    He says that neck, body, and fingerboard are all genuine Brazilian
    rosewood, genus Dalbergia Spruceana; supposedly this is a fairly
    high grade.  Tom hand selected the wood himself, and sent a sample
    to some government agency (Department of Agriculture?) to have the
    genus verified.  Most of what he bought is going into acoustic
    guitars (so I guess he does build em), but he's building one more
    all rosewood 8-string.
    
    As for price, I was first told that the instrument should retail for
    something like $3500, specifically because of the wood, but that this
    one was being sold for considerably less because it was a prototype,
    because he was interested in getting an instrument out and establishing
    a reputation (this is his first 8), and because he needed the money.
    I really didn't know how much truth vs salesmanship this was, but the
    bottom line price seemed reasonable regardless.  Tom did indicate that
    future instruments would not be as cheap.
    
    /rick
    
    ps in case you're wondering, yeah I bought it.  Anyone wants to check
    the bass out, I'll be bringing it to our band's gig (Alternate Quartet)
    tomorrow night at the Worcester Artists Group, 38 Harlow St, Worcester.
    Show starts at 8.  Come on down, I need the money :-)