# Fanned 40"-37" Kalium Guitar Works Quake. Production run of 5 Quakes



## ixlramp

The 2 guys that are Kalium Strings are both bass luthiers and are rebranding their designs as Kalium Guitar Works, to join the other Kalium sub-brands Kalium Electronics, Kalium Sound and Kalium Strings.
This one is of course the Quake bass of the former Knuckle Guitar Works. This is part of a production run of 5 bolt-on 5 string Quakes that will be cheaper than the former custom quakes. 4 are not claimed yet.

The post on the Knuckle Guitar Works FB page:
"I'm jumping in . . . .

Production Quakes are a thing. 4 initial variants, and all of them 5 strings; parallel Jazz and Humbucking, and fanned Jazz and Humbucking. This one will be emerald green and will live with my business partner.

I have 4 unfinished basses in the queue - anyone interested?"

The other half of Knuckle Guitar Works is the former APC Instruments, and will include this design, the 'Churchill':


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## laxu

Those body shapes are so weird. The first one looks like it is way too narrow.

I guess this is for those who downtune their basses a lot?


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## BrailleDecibel

Gahhh, that headstock is ugly as sin! I like the rest of it, though...if I still played 8-string and needed a bass for drop-E, I'd rock this, with a better headstock.


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## jephjacques

It will probably sound great but that headstock is god-awful.


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## SD83

Good luck playing something even slightly complicated on that behemoth. 40''... sure great for low tunings, but even with huge hands I found 36'' to be too much most of the time. And I have to agree with the headstock being amongst the most ugly ones I've seen so far. The body looks like it was designed for a significantly shorter neck (just like the "Churchill" might look cool on a 4 and maybe even a 5 string, but the way it is, it looks way too small)


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## Winspear

The body looks narrow because it is elongated to make the bass balance with the bridge further out to the right than usual. Check out some reviews on the old Quakes - people report them as incredibly comfortable. Of course, stretches are stretches, but it helps a hell of a lot not having the nut way out to your left. Not a fan of the headstock either but it was for weight relief I believe. Headless would make more sense I guess.
I have a 39.5" custom bass from another luthier on the way some time, can't wait to check it out. It's funny, I ordered that bass at the time because Quakes were too expensive and uncommon. Of course, typical luthier failure means that I still don't have that bass, and Quakes are now coming into production Save
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## ixlramp

The Quake body may look narrow partly due to the length of the bass. It's not at all weird, just a sleek super-P, fairly restrained.

> The body looks like it was designed for a significantly shorter neck

The horn reaches the 12th fret though. Maybe you mean it looks narrow.

> Good luck playing something even slightly complicated on that behemoth

It's only a slightly larger distance to cover, you could play more difficult stuff higher up the neck.
The Quake is essentially a 35" bass with 2 frets added, it shifts the bridge 1 fret to the right, so the nut is only 1 fret further out.

Another Chuchill:






Another APC design, the ECF45 first built as a custom for Edo Castro:


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## ixlramp

Added a better Churchill 7 string photo to the first post.


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## ixlramp

Another design from Knuckle Guitar Works was the Cascadia 36" scale:


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## SD83

ixlramp said:


> The horn reaches the 12th fret though. Maybe you mean it looks narrow.



That. Just made a quick mockup, and after cutting away the two top frets, it doesn't look narrow at all anymore. Sure, it makes sense to only scale up the length, just as it makes sense for a seven+ string bass to only scale up the neck in width and not the body, it's just appears out of proportion because I'm used to different proportions.


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## ixlramp

NAMM 2017
Kalium Guitar Works Quake production model in F# standard, 39.5" scale.
Is for sale for around $2000.
In shipping to NAMM Kalium's prototype amplifier was destroyed, so it and the Kalium Tru-Sub cabinet will not be present.


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## ixlramp

Better photo in previous post, gorgeous bass!
Yes i know 'ugly headstock' but far preferable to an oversized knob-end Fender headstock (which are for me the most ugly headstocks in existence).
Watching some FB videos of this the tone is just stunning.


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## Hollowway

I put a down payment on one (a fanned one) last month. Skip said he won't be able to finish them until after NAMM (of course). I just have to pick a color. I was going to do a pink/purple burst stain, but after seeing that black I may have to change my mind! I have a NG2 in F# standard, so I'm going to go to C# standard on this one.


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## A-Branger

Hollowway said:


> I put a down payment on one (a fanned one) last month. Skip said he won't be able to finish them until after NAMM (of course). I just have to pick a color. I was going to do a pink/purple burst stain, but after seeing that black I may have to change my mind! I have a NG2 in F# standard, so I'm going to go to C# standard on this one.



nooooo keep it pink!


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## bostjan

OP:

Thanks for posting. I was not aware that these were going to be a production item.

RE: Narrow body: I think it looks kind of cool.

RE: Headstock: I agree, the aesthetic is not pleasing to me in the least. To the point where it's a real turn-off.

That said, I really really wish they had redesigned the headstock. I don't think there is any way that these will be affordable enough for my opinion to matter, but it seems apparent that I'm not the only one who is not a fan of the headstock. A ~40" bass as a production item, though, is a win for the community. Maybe Brice will make a monster scale length electric bass available if these take off.

The funny thing is, for me, that I obtain these extended scale instruments with the intent of tuning them down, only to decide that they sound better than standard scale length instruments when tuned standard. 39.5" might be enough to make trouble for a high G, though, so it might push me over the edge.  I went from 34"-35" in order to go down from B to A, but it just opened my eyes that B at 34" sounded like mud or clang, depending on string gauge, so I stuck mostly with B at 35", but then, I wanted to tune to F, and got a 37" NG2, only to fall in love with the way the B string sounded at 37". So, here I have this 37" bass I got for low tunings, and it spends 99% of the time tuned either standard or drop A.  Same on the guitar side of things, with me going from a Les Paul to an RG to 27" to 28.625" and beyond, and I still tune standard. I just really love the clarity of the tone.



SD83 said:


> Good luck playing something even slightly complicated on that behemoth. 40''... sure great for low tunings, but even with huge hands I found 36'' to be too much most of the time. And I have to agree with the headstock being amongst the most ugly ones I've seen so far. The body looks like it was designed for a significantly shorter neck (just like the "Churchill" might look cool on a 4 and maybe even a 5 string, but the way it is, it looks way too small)



Lots of people play extremely complicated stuff on Dingwalls at 37" on the low end, so...

It's not the scale length that makes an instrument feel clunky. It's the design. In the case of Dingwall, the designs are really good. Other instruments might take a 34" scale design and just stretch it out to 37", then everything will be awkward. I've played some cheap 34" scale basses that felt like too much.

I see that sentiment very often: "Oh, the scale length is too long," and all I'm saying is give it a try, then decide. Scale length is certainly a factor in comfort, but it is not the dominant factor by any means.


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## ixlramp




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## Winspear

bostjan said:


> 39.5" might be enough to make trouble for a high G, though, so it might push me over the edge.
> ......
> It's not the scale length that makes an instrument feel clunky. It's the design. In the case of Dingwall, the designs are really good. Other instruments might take a 34" scale design and just stretch it out to 37", then everything will be awkward. I've played some cheap 34" scale basses that felt like too much.
> 
> I see that sentiment very often: "Oh, the scale length is too long," and all I'm saying is give it a try, then decide. Scale length is certainly a factor in comfort, but it is not the dominant factor by any means.



Very true! 
Regarding the high G, you're good  Even a high C of regular 6 string would be fine (treated like a high F of a 7 string, though even easier. Guys go even higher on 34" with plains, not a fan myself)

Can't wait to see more of these around!


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## Hollowway

bostjan said:


> OP:
> 
> Thanks for posting. I was not aware that these were going to be a production item.
> 
> RE: Narrow body: I think it looks kind of cool.
> 
> RE: Headstock: I agree, the aesthetic is not pleasing to me in the least. To the point where it's a real turn-off.
> 
> That said, I really really wish they had redesigned the headstock. I don't think there is any way that these will be affordable enough for my opinion to matter, but it seems apparent that I'm not the only one who is not a fan of the headstock. A ~40" bass as a production item, though, is a win for the community. Maybe Brice will make a monster scale length electric bass available if these take off.
> 
> The funny thing is, for me, that I obtain these extended scale instruments with the intent of tuning them down, only to decide that they sound better than standard scale length instruments when tuned standard. 39.5" might be enough to make trouble for a high G, though, so it might push me over the edge.  I went from 34"-35" in order to go down from B to A, but it just opened my eyes that B at 34" sounded like mud or clang, depending on string gauge, so I stuck mostly with B at 35", but then, I wanted to tune to F, and got a 37" NG2, only to fall in love with the way the B string sounded at 37". So, here I have this 37" bass I got for low tunings, and it spends 99% of the time tuned either standard or drop A.  Same on the guitar side of things, with me going from a Les Paul to an RG to 27" to 28.625" and beyond, and I still tune standard. I just really love the clarity of the tone.
> 
> 
> 
> Lots of people play extremely complicated stuff on Dingwalls at 37" on the low end, so...
> 
> It's not the scale length that makes an instrument feel clunky. It's the design. In the case of Dingwall, the designs are really good. Other instruments might take a 34" scale design and just stretch it out to 37", then everything will be awkward. I've played some cheap 34" scale basses that felt like too much.
> 
> I see that sentiment very often: "Oh, the scale length is too long," and all I'm saying is give it a try, then decide. Scale length is certainly a factor in comfort, but it is not the dominant factor by any means.



Surprisingly, they're only $2000. Which is way more affordable than the first generation of these.


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## TedEH

Honestly, I kinda like the blocky headstock. It's unique.


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## Hollowway

TedEH said:


> Honestly, I kinda like the blocky headstock. It's unique.



Yeah, it definitely doesn't fit the body, but no one can accuse them of copying someone else's design.  

I also think it looks cool. In an 8-bit Atari sort of way. It would be cool to see if there was something more in line, body-wise, and keep the theme for the overall instrument.


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## LordCashew

bostjan said:


> Lots of people play extremely complicated stuff on Dingwalls at 37" on the low end, so...
> 
> I see that sentiment very often: "Oh, the scale length is too long," and all I'm saying is give it a try, then decide. Scale length is certainly a factor in comfort, but it is not the dominant factor by any means.



True. There are people, even small people, that can shred in the low end of an upright bass, and those are typically 41-42" scale. The overall design of the instrument design is certainly a factor, as you mention. Technique is also a big part of the picture. It could be something as simple as adjusting the angle of the instrument in playing position (which relates to design), or something a little more involved like developing a left hand approach that involves more movement along the strings to compensate for the greater distance between frets in the low end.

The bottom line is "the scale length is too long" _may_ be true for _some_ if they aren't willing to adjust their approach to fit the instrument. But I've seen enough videos of kids shredding full-size basses to know that it has to be possible to come up with technique that works just fine on these.


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## bostjan

Hmm, $2000? Is that the street price?

Maybe at that price, the headstock will grow on me a little...

These used to run, what, $4k or so?

Also, regarding large scale lengths:


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## ixlramp

Hate to post a link to a FB video (because those not signed up may not see it) but this sounds good https://www.facebook.com/kalium.chris/videos/1803718039901539/

The original Quakes were full custom and with Q-tuner pickups. These are 'production' and this first batch of 5 had their basic body and neck construction done by someone other than Skip (no idea who), Skip then finishes them off with wood finish and hardware.

Longer scale basses are certainly needed but there is a chicken-and-egg problem with strings and the fact that bass strings must taper between nut and tuner (a serious limitation and problem).
String manufacturers won't make superlong strings until superlong instruments become popular, instrument manufacturers won't make superlong instruments until superlong strings are widely available, hopefully DIngwall and Kalium can slowly change this.

If instrument design was different and didn't need string taper to fit in a particular 2" gap this would help too. I'm thinking either headless plus string clamp or linear, clamping headstock tuners (headless tuners on the headstock).


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## Hollowway

bostjan said:


> Hmm, $2000? Is that the street price?
> 
> Maybe at that price, the headstock will grow on me a little...
> 
> These used to run, what, $4k or so?



Yeah, that's street. I don't know if there's anything BUT street price, because you can only buy these directly from Skip. 

The nice thing about these is that the some people are making both the bass AND the strings for the bass. So no worries about compatibility. 

And I know the temptation to keep this in B (or even higher). But I really want to go lower! I'll have my 34-37" Oni in B, my NG2 in F#, and this in C#. And I got a MAS-112 used a couple of months ago to reproduce those lows as best as possible.


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## LordCashew

ixlramp said:


> Hate to post a link to a FB video (because those not signed up may not see it) but this sounds good



Holy crap! The F# on that thing sounds fantastic! I've heard some good ones, but that's the first time I've heard that level of piano-like clarity. Thanks for posting.


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## ixlramp

Yes it has a depth, clarity and growl that seems to go beyond what i've heard before.
So much has been done to improve the tone of sub-E basses but there's something quite simple that is not being done much, and which is the most effective of all: scale length.


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## ixlramp

The NAMM Quake is up for sale from Skip at Kalium Guitar Works https://www.facebook.com/Knuckle-Guitar-Works-106693119386852/

"Available for immediate sale; NAMM bolt-on 5 - pure passive with Nordstrand NJ-5's, volume/volume/tone, back battery compartment is for your . . . . picks. Matching knob set is on hand but not installed. 39.55" scale length, currently tuned to F# standard."
Around US$2000.

(BTW i have no association with the company).


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## Hollowway

Yeah, I aaaaalmost bought that one. I've been talking with Skip and Chris online for a couple of days, but I finally decided to stick with my original vision of the fanned model with a pink/purple finish. It's more expensive than the demo model there, but I gotta do my shocking pink finish! 

On of you guys should snap up this one though!


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## ixlramp

That NAMM bass is down to $1700 now plus gigbag.


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## bostjan

ixlramp said:


> That NAMM bass is down to $1700 now plus gigbag.



That's amazing, considering the price these things used to sell for.


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## ixlramp

Demonstration and introduction to this bass at NAMM https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uq9DbbRSaXw
Unfortunately the F# is not played but the B sounds amazing, the scale allows a thinner string, here a .118. Completely passive instrument too.


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## A-Branger

ixlramp said:


> Demonstration and introduction to this bass at NAMM




fixed for ya 

though it was kinda funny to see the guy all "cowboy" playing such a huge dj0nt bass...... but man the old man can play


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## ixlramp

Another video with some low F# near the end https://www.instagram.com/p/BQgCeEQl0Tk/


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## DeKay

Man that thing sounds amazing, I just wish for a more neutral headstock.


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## ixlramp

^ 39.55"











^ 37"-40"

Uploaded photos as the direct links to FB images are now broken.
The black one is the NAMM bass and is going for a reduced price, silver tone knob only due to the last minute panic for NAMM.
Apparently the other ones are selling at around 2000 USD including gigbag. Next batches are either 6 or 4 string.


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## Hollowway

Finally got around to doing a build thread for mine...
http://www.sevenstring.org/forum/showthread.php?t=321833


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## ixlramp

The next one has been sold. 37-40" scale, custom Nordstrand pickups.
The NAMM bass from last winter NAMM continues to fall in price, $1200 now, but apparently it is a used bass that is being lent out to people to use.


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## ixlramp

For those not on FB or not aware, there is a Quake special offer happening for the next batch of production 5 stringers.
(I have no affiliation with Kalium apart from long time internet communication with Skip and being a fan of what he does).

From Kalium's new FB page https://www.facebook.com/KaliumMusic/
"Here’s a deal two decades in the making - the Quake bass turns 20 years old this year. CELEBRATE WITH US! Get 20% off the base price of a bolt-on 5 string - only $1600* plus shipping!

The bass will be alder-bodied with a maple neck, completely passive and will come in a Protec gig bag. Your choice of trans-red or black, Nordstrand silent Jazz or humbucking pickups, parallel or fanned frets.

This will be a limited time offer - it expires February 28th, 2018. And only 10 of them will be offered at this price - no Quake will cost this little again. First in line will receive their completed instrument in late spring - the further down the list you are the longer it will take to deliver. Approximate build times are three months - first come, first served.

Let’s talk about your perfect Quake - and get you in the Queue!

*excludes any applicable sales tax, VAT or import fees."

I assume scales willl be as the previous batch, 39.55" (35" plus 2 frets) or 37-40" for fanned.
They'll be at NAMM sharing a stall and i assume a production Quake will be there to try out.


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## Hollowway

Yeah, I saw that post. I kind of jumped in a little early (last year), as I have the $2000 passive single coil version. Another early adopter mistake of mine.  But, at least I get mine in a pink to purple burst. Unfortunately, the original Quakes were routed for standard depth single coils, so I can't get the noiseless variety. But, Skip is putting an additional tone circuit in to help take a little of the high end shimmer off. And, it might actually sound better to have a true single coil, as I'm tuning it to C#0, so I'm going to want it sounding as thin and bright as possible.


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## Esp Griffyn

Wow, I had no idea this design was 20 years old. I guess it's never really taken off, I remember these being discussed on Talkbass years ago but I didn't realise it was such an old design.


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## ixlramp

Apart from Dingwall it's surprising ultra long scales are still so rare, but then maybe it's not surprising due to the chicken-and-egg problem with string availability.
Also i'm rather fed up with the 'fixed position one finger per fret' obsession wich is working against longer scales. I consider it bad (unhealthy) technique to play tight strings with your fingers stretched into extreme positions. When i started playing basses another bassist said 'you should do this ..' one finger per fret covering frets 1-4, i was thinking WTF you expect me to play like this?


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## Bigfan

ixlramp said:


> When i started playing basses another bassist said 'you should do this ..' one finger per fret covering frets 1-4, i was thinking WTF you expect me to play like this?



From what I've heard, a lot of bassists basically omit the ring finger when playing stretchy stuff, instead using the finger 1-2-4 on three consecutive frets. As a guitarist it feels unnatural at first, but it makes a lot of sense at 34"+.


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## LordCashew

ixlramp said:


> Also i'm rather fed up with the 'fixed position one finger per fret' obsession wich is working against longer scales. I consider it bad (unhealthy) technique to play tight strings with your fingers stretched into extreme positions. When i started playing basses another bassist said 'you should do this ..' one finger per fret covering frets 1-4, i was thinking WTF you expect me to play like this?





Bigfan said:


> From what I've heard, a lot of bassists basically omit the ring finger when playing stretchy stuff, instead using the finger 1-2-4 on three consecutive frets. As a guitarist it feels unnatural at first, but it makes a lot of sense at 34"+.



I generally use 1-2-4 over 3 frets in lower positions, switching to one finger per fret in higher positions - kind of analogous to how upright bass fingerings transition from 1-2-4 half steps to 1-2-3 half steps. There's obviously still a big difference from my 42" upright to my 35" electrics, but 1-2-4 certainly feels much more relaxed. It goes without saying that would apply even more so at 37" or 40" on electric, very good point.

Much like ixlramp, I've had guitarists tell me that bassists who don't use 1-2-3-4 in all positions are making excuses, and that it's perfectly reasonable to stretch and hold that position to play challenging passages in low positions. Yeah, OK bro. I will use one finger per fret for certain runs where shifting to a new position is impractical, but I will actually shift back and forth slightly _within _the position, and go back to a more collapsed hand posture whenever possible. I know from experience that it makes a difference, and I have pretty big hands LOL...


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## A-Branger

I use my 4 fingers per fret as much as I can, thats how I learn and thats the only way I can play Dream Theater stuff. You cant do that with 12-4 fingers. Unless you changing to another string and the fingering would be eassier to cahnge your pinky note for the ring finger so you can then land on the picky on the next string up, so you keep pressing the new note with new finger instead of jumpiing strings with the same finger. You accomodate for the riff.

also I dont leave my hand streched all the time, thats stupid. You move a little sideways. which for a fast passage its more efficient to move you hand a tinny bit to do 1-2-3-4, rather than the jump shift to do 1-2-4 ..... this IF you are playing over 4 frets. which is usually the case, barely you see a riff of 3 notes that it is over 3 consecutive frets

but I do use my pinky on the bass way more than my ring, specially when the riff are 5th/8th notes from the previous one, or note closer in shape between strings


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## LordCashew

A-Branger said:


> You move a little sideways. which for a fast passage its more efficient to move you hand a tinny bit to do 1-2-3-4, rather than the jump shift to do 1-2-4.



That's exactly what I meant by shifting back and forth "within the position." Maybe it was a somewhat ambiguous way of describing it. I wouldn't play something like the main chromatic riff from Erotomania with 1-2-4 either, the shifting absolutely would make it too convoluted to be worth it on electric.

But if you put sheet music for that line in front of a legit upright player, their fingering _would _involve extra shifting, probably in the form of repeating a finger over certain adjacent notes, and use only 1-2-4. I posit that increasing the scale length of a bass guitar will at some point make using one finger per fret generally impractical. Exactly when that would happen I don't know, and would depend on the player. Both of us (maybe you more than I) can make it work at 34". But I've never seen anyone do it on an upright at 42" and these quake basses are approaching that mensure.


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## A-Branger

yeh I guess at 42" scale things gets different. Im pretty keen to try a dingwall 37"/34" and maybe stuff you would do as a 1-2-4 you would 1-1-4. but again in my mind is still more efficient to move my hadn a litle and change the finger instead to repeat a finger in order to reach the next note quicker. But again, it all depends on the riff and more importantly the speed of it. If its slow who cares, use one finger for everything, but at higher speeds you playing changes

like for example that Erotomania initial riff, you have frets 2-3-4-5, then you change to the A striing for 2-5-4 and back to the E with 3

so:
------------------
------------------
----------2-5-4-
2-3-4-5--------3-

for the A string part I would use my 1-4-3 fingers, so then I could land the G note with my middle finger and not change my hand possition. I could easily play that A string part without my pinky, but then my hand goes into a twist angle so I could do the weird stretch to reach and tehn I would have to use my index finger for the final G note(and re-use the same finger for the next lick), or string skip my middle finger, which both options arent efficient when you could just leave your hand in the general area and use the 4 fingers. a 34" bass helps for this of course..... or worse play it with 1-4-4 or 1-4-1 or something like that which takes accuracy out when you are repeating the same finger for a different note as it can sound as a slide or one of the note wont be fully pressed/played. ect ect

if not having a 37" bass would push me even more to use my 4 fingers to have the less amount of travel between notes and be able to play the riffs at speed, by not using one finger Im pushed to move my hand further between notes and obiously my hand doesnt stretch to 37" scale gaps.


reason guitar players skip a finger is because their gaps are smaller and its more comfortable with 3 fingers. Plus having a finger ready for the next note on a different string, or simple because its pretty hard to bend or do vibrato with your pinky hehehe


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## saved

ixlramp said:


> Hate to post a link to a FB video (because those not signed up may not see it) but this sounds good
> .




I dont have FB,is the video uploaded anywhere else?


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## bostjan

ixlramp said:


> Apart from Dingwall it's surprising ultra long scales are still so rare, but then maybe it's not surprising due to the chicken-and-egg problem with string availability.
> Also i'm rather fed up with the 'fixed position one finger per fret' obsession wich is working against longer scales. I consider it bad (unhealthy) technique to play tight strings with your fingers stretched into extreme positions. When i started playing basses another bassist said 'you should do this ..' one finger per fret covering frets 1-4, i was thinking WTF you expect me to play like this?



My fingers aren't super long (maybe a tiny bit longer than average), but I am blessed with some pretty stretchy hand and finger joints, and I still sometimes have trouble covering one fret per finger, even at 35". I don't see why anyone should be expected to hurt him/herself for the sake of some 1:1-ness that doesn't really matter to anyone who doesn't have severe OCD.

I used to play the flute (thanks to Focus and, to a lesser extent, Jethro Tull), and I was loaned a bass flute for a time. I'm not sure if non-flute-players are aware of this, but on a "regular" soprano flute, your fingers go over the holes. You have some levers and whatnot to make sure certain other holes plug up, but, the main holes are 1:1 and onto finger positions. On a bass flute, though, the damn thing is too long for that to make any sense without ripping your hand apart, so there are keys that are way off from the hole positions.

Anyway, I could see ultra-long scale basses taking a similar approach (fretted only, of course) by going with a mechanism to keep the player from having to stretch so far. I think the concept might be totally outrageous for bass players, but I don't see a problem. You could still get vibrato, not that you'd really need it for the first three fret positions that much anyway...

But yeah, play however you feel most comfortable.


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## Esp Griffyn

I don't can't think of any credible bassists who use a one finger per fret approach, certainly not in the lower registers, it's just a fast track to an injury. I can't think of any bass educators that advise it, though I can think of may who specifically advise against trying to employ it.

I don't think it's fair to say that a technique that no accomplished bassist (as far as I can think of) uses is "working against longer scales".


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## ixlramp

Good that's a relief, i had some bad advice then.

saved, that FB video isn't much good, you're not missing much, the youtube one i posted later is much better,

The other issue that needs sorting out is how most basses are shifted too far to the left when on a strap. This seems to be unfixed since Fender designed the P-bass (most basses are still essentially P-basses). The nut is difficult to reach to and causes unhealthy hand / wrist posture, while the bridge can easily go a few inches to the right with no issues. Consider how more shifted to the right a bass is when sitting and how it becomes more playable, that shift should be preserved when on a strap.

You can fix this on any bass by moving the rear strap button to the front of the body, at the top about halfway along the body, this also improves balance.


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## Esp Griffyn

You think the nut it hard to reach on a P Bass? Fender basses hand very far to the right, the nut is very easy to reach. Something like a Thumb will put the nut further to the left, but I don't struggle reach it as a 6 foot bloke.

The first problem most bassists seem to be suffering from is wearing their basses too low on a strap. People moan about Thumbs, Streamers, Spectors etc being uncomfortable and it turns out they're wearing them low like they're some bang-em-out metal bassist or something.


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## xwmucradiox

Wearing a bass low makes the geometry of playing easier for some folks. You can angle the neck more sharply upward which requires less reach to play on the low end of the neck. When I play my Dingwall with a strap I usually play it pretty high but the 3rd string tuner is at the very furthest end of my reach. I'd I played it lower and angled it up tuning would be no problem.


----------



## saved

Just waned to hear this F#


----------



## ixlramp

saved,
This video has bad audio and is over the noise of NAMM, but this Quake is tuned low to high G#00 (13Hz) C# F# B (standard 5 string B as top string). The F# is played a few times near the start of the video.


----------



## ixlramp

Esp Griffyn said:


> You think the nut it hard to reach on a P Bass? Fender basses hand very far to the right, the nut is very easy to reach. Something like a Thumb will put the nut further to the left, but I don't struggle reach it as a 6 foot bloke.
> 
> The first problem most bassists seem to be suffering from is wearing their basses too low on a strap. People moan about Thumbs, Streamers, Spectors etc being uncomfortable and it turns out they're wearing them low like they're some bang-em-out metal bassist or something.


I don't touch Fender type basses, loathe them, but the horn button is above the 12th fret which is good and similar to many modern basses like my BTB in the avatar. However this still shifts the bass too far to the left compared to sitting.

It's not a case of trying to reach the nut, it's a case of keeping a healthy wrist posture while playing there. Most bassists are used to it so won't be aware of a problem, but i can't play a conventional bass on a strap due to this shift, and i'm 6ft. tall too.

A low bass greatly improves playing ergonomics as long as the neck angle is also increased, it brings the nut closer and reduces the twisting of the wrist. Unfortunately conventional basses are neck-heavy even when horizontal and become rapidly more imbalanced at higher angles due to the poorly chosen placement of strap buttons (hasn't been rethought since the 1950's).


----------



## saved

I know thie video but the sound is awful.thats why i am trying to find an other one.
I wan to compare other basses F#0 with mine.
I have a p-bass with mudbucker and it can turn realy dark sounding.
Other basses with F#0 i found on youtube dont sound good for me


----------



## ixlramp

Better photo of the latest Quake.
The new FB page for all Kalium departments (strings, basses, cabinets, amps) is https://www.facebook.com/KaliumMusic/
If anyone is seriously interested in ordering a Quake and can't get in touch with Skip, PM me i might be able to get you in touch.


----------



## bostjan

Dang, that looks nice. 

I'm still not 100% on board with the headstock, but as an entire package, I _really_ like that bass (not that there are other options for a 39.55" multiscale bass).

That clip is cool, but I'm disappointed that he doesn't play anything at all musical to demonstrate. G#00 might just be too much for some people. At this point, I'd just love something with a low E0 or F#0 that sounds better than the other stuff available.

Maybe it's the Mandella Effect, but I swear I recall seeing a bass in a magazine that was supposed to be tuned down an octave lower than a standard four string. It would have been mid-1990s. I want to say it was a Warwick custom shop instrument, but I must be wrong, because after years of searching the internet, I find nothing anywhere about it.


----------



## Winspear

bostjan said:


> Dang, that looks nice.
> 
> I'm still not 100% on board with the headstock, but as an entire package, I _really_ like that bass (not that there are other options for a 39.55" multiscale bass).
> 
> That clip is cool, but I'm disappointed that he doesn't play anything at all musical to demonstrate. G#00 might just be too much for some people. At this point, I'd just love something with a low E0 or F#0 that sounds better than the other stuff available.
> 
> Maybe it's the Mandella Effect, but I swear I recall seeing a bass in a magazine that was supposed to be tuned down an octave lower than a standard four string. It would have been mid-1990s. I want to say it was a Warwick custom shop instrument, but I must be wrong, because after years of searching the internet, I find nothing anywhere about it.



I agree, I'd love to see more application. So far outside of metal down to E0 I've only really heard Yves Carbonne who is of course fantastic and uses notes down to B00 to reinforce his music with sub lines - sounds great on a good system and due to his layering you don't miss the lines on a bad system either. 
For myself I just want a fantastic E0 too. 
There is the Warwick Dark Lord? It's only 35" but marketed as an F# bass purely due to the strings and nut slots it comes with I guess.


----------



## eggy in a bready

i am the owner of the quake you see above.

i can say that this is, without a doubt, one of the best basses i have ever played. i have a low F0, and it is shockingly clear. intonation is perfect up the board, very minimal fret buzz, etc. the nordstrands sound great through high gain. i didn't bat an eye at the 40" scale length, either, as the fanning helped immensely. i dunno if i'd do super technical runs on this thing (although you totally could if you had better finger dexterity than i), but for just chunking out some grooves, the quake is littttt.

not to mention, skip is a great guy and took care of me very well.


----------



## saved

@eggy in a bready is it possible to record a view bass lines with the F and the B (include open strings) to hraer that bass?but not with miced cab and the less procesing possible?
And please,give us a foto of the headstock from the side


----------



## saved

@eggy in a bready is it possible to record a view bass lines with the F and the B (include open strings) to hear that bass?but not with miced cab and the less procesing possible?
And please,give us a foto of the headstock from the side


----------



## ixlramp

eggy in a bready good to see you have one of these.

I feel like investigating the advantage of the scale (using the Kalium tension calculator).

For a tight 39 lbs tension B on a 34" scale you would need a .136.
For the same tension on 40" you only need a .114.
You gain flexibility from a smaller gauge, however the extra length helps too.
I will consider string flexibility to be roughly determined by the ratio of length to gauge.
For a .114 on a 40" scale it is 40 / .114 = 351.
This is equivalent flexibility to, on a 34" scale, 34 / 351 = .097 gauge, a light E string.
A 40" scale gives you a tight B with the flexibility, and therefore clarity, harmonicity and tone quality, of a standard length light E.

This is surprisingly effective, i had not expected such a good result.


----------



## ixlramp

The price offer on the next batch of 5 string Quakes, detailed in this earlier post http://sevenstring.org/threads/fann...on-run-of-5-quakes.317662/page-2#post-4822191 starts 1st February (tomorrow) and ends at the end of that month.


----------



## ixlramp

.. and the email address to contact is [email protected]


----------



## Fathand

For some strange reason I'm tempted by this offer. It's radically different to what I've played before, or play now but....


----------



## ixlramp

Apparently 4 of the 10 have sold, 2 weeks left for the price offer.


----------



## ixlramp

Ola Englund's VLOG in the Meshuggah studio:
3:00: Kalium Quake 5 string with no strings. Actually it's an older Quake from Knuckle Guitar Works days.
7:34: Kalium Strings 5 string set 40" scale, from a low A00 14Hz, gauge .266. "Strings for Dick's new bass".


----------



## I play music

ixlramp said:


> Ola Englund's VLOG in the Meshuggah studio:
> 3:00: Kalium Quake 5 string with no strings. Actually it's an older Quake from Knuckle Guitar Works days.
> 7:34: Kalium Strings 5 string set 40" scale, from a low A00 14Hz, gauge .266. "Strings for Dick's new bass".



Where do you have that A00 14Hz thing from? Does he say this in the video?
If that's correct, I really wonder why he chose that tuning, for me it would make the most sense to just tune it to F, one octave below the gutars


----------



## Winspear

Agreed, I'm surprised he'd be tuning that low if experimenting with this for Meshuggah. But I suppose it could be an entirely personal thing. With a .266 it's quite certain he IS going that low though!


----------



## I play music

Winspear said:


> Agreed, I'm surprised he'd be tuning that low if experimenting with this for Meshuggah. But I suppose it could be an entirely personal thing. With a .266 it's quite certain he IS going that low though!


Ah, yeah just noticed it says "A tuning" on the package.


----------



## ixlramp

If used for Meshuggah i expect it would be for recording the more experimental bass lines, he probably prefers a normal bass scale for the usual riffing. On the last album sometimes i seem to hear some very low bass frequencies, not sure. They do experiment and detune their guitars sometimes.
Skip, the guy behind Kalium strings and basses is a huge Meshuggah fan and has been in contact with Dick for a long time.


----------



## ixlramp

For those not on FB, the story is:
"Long-is story; Dick owns Quake 2 - I originally lent it to an artist I knew wouldn't take care of it to see how sturdy my builds are. After owning it (and abusing it) for 3 years it was returned to me, and I took it to a Meshuggah show tuned an octave down on the chance I could connect with Dick. Post-show, a security guy passed a message to the band about the bass and he said the band wanted to see it. As beat as it was, Dick offered me cash for it. That's 15+ years ago."


----------



## bostjan

As someone who's done a lot of bass and guitar gigs, I will emphatically say that you don't *have* to tune the bass in any specific way, relative to guitars, and, in fact, tuning the two instruments independently helps innovation. I think the reason most people think that the bass has to be either the same tuning or one octave down from the guitar is that we are a board mostly composed of people who do home recording on guitar, then add a layer of overdubbed bass, so it's easier to switch back and forth if the tunings are parallel to one another.


----------



## I play music

bostjan said:


> As someone who's done a lot of bass and guitar gigs, I will emphatically say that you don't *have* to tune the bass in any specific way, relative to guitars, and, in fact, tuning the two instruments independently helps innovation. I think the reason most people think that the bass has to be either the same tuning or one octave down from the guitar is that we are a board mostly composed of people who do home recording on guitar, then add a layer of overdubbed bass, so it's easier to switch back and forth if the tunings are parallel to one another.


I get your point and for some kinds of music I definitely agreee, but... playing Meshuggah songs without an F string seems really like over-complicating things to me.


----------



## bostjan

I play music said:


> I get your point and for some kinds of music I definitely agreee, but... playing Meshuggah songs without an F string seems really like over-complicating things to me.


But how complicated you or I think it is has no bearing on what the actual bass player does. If he likes the tuning, I'm just trying to explain a possible reason why. If he thought that the tuning made things unnecessarily complicated, then I don't think he'd be using it.

I think to address your point directly, I'd just say that you might like it if you tried it.


----------



## I play music

bostjan said:


> But how complicated you or I think it is has no bearing on what the actual bass player does.


Of course he is free to do whatever he wants, but I think that tuning might rather suggest that either: 

 Meshuggah is trying a different tuning (also on guitars)
 Dick has a side project where they use a different tuning (For example the guitarist who played in M.A.N (also Swedish I think) has an 11 string guitar with a low A string I think and a playing style not sooo different to Fredrik Thordendal. Far fetched, but just an idea I had)
 he just likes this bass to toy around unrelated to Meshuggah
But we'll see ... except if it's 3 ;-)


----------



## Dayn

I play music said:


> Of course he is free to do whatever he wants, but I think that tuning might rather suggest that either:
> 
> Meshuggah is trying a different tuning (also on guitars)
> Dick has a side project where they use a different tuning (For example the guitarist who played in M.A.N (also Swedish I think) has an 11 string guitar with a low A string I think and a playing style not sooo different to Fredrik Thordendal. Far fetched, but just an idea I had)
> he just likes this bass to toy around unrelated to Meshuggah
> But we'll see ... except if it's 3 ;-)


I've heard about this in the past and am pretty sure it was just something personal to toy around with. Unfortunately. So I won't be getting any hopes.

That being said, I'll get one of these basses... some day.


----------



## I play music

Dayn said:


> That being said, I'll get one of these basses... some day.


If it wasn't so difficult/expensive to buy the fitting strings I'd also be interested in one. Is there even any other company that sells string gauges that high?


----------



## bostjan

Either Kalium themselves (who are, I suppose, the #1 supplier of ridiculously thick strings), or from Garry Goodman or another small string maker dedicated to ERB.


----------



## bostjan

Either Kalium themselves (who are, I suppose, the #1 supplier of ridiculously thick strings), or from Garry Goodman or another small string maker dedicated to ERB.


----------



## Winspear

Newtone in the UK will make all sorts and go up to extreme lengths over 40 too  Their guitar strings aren't cheap but the .200 bass set I bought was very affordable compared to what I'm used to


----------



## I play music

bostjan said:


> Either Kalium themselves (who are, I suppose, the #1 supplier of ridiculously thick strings), or from Garry Goodman or another small string maker dedicated to ERB.


Yes, from what I've seen it's very expensive, especially ordering from outside the US. I do think it would be cool to have such a thing to toy around but not cool enough to be worth the cost for me personally. Which is why - to come back to Dick - I'd be happy if Meshuggah used something like this as it would greatly increase popularity and therefore cause more offerings for a better price. I guess.


----------



## Dayn

I hope so. I tune to F#0 at 35" but I want E0 at least, but the .182 doesn't go that low for me and I don't want a quad-wrap string. Still, $35US~ a pop is very expensive, plus postage to Australia. ...Plus the rest of the strings, and the guitar strings. Worth it, though.


----------



## ixlramp

The Letts Basses 13 string used custom Rotosounds, lowest was .240 and around 39" length.
Pyramid of Germany can make up to .200 on request, not sure about their maximum scale length though.


----------



## saved

I have talked on the past with a few european string manuficators.
The most of them have minimum order a few string sets,and thats becomes more expensive.
For me the best solution in EU is newtone strings.
I am dealing with them at least 4 years in many gauges and lenghts


----------



## I play music

ixlramp said:


> The Letts Basses 13 string used custom Rotosounds, lowest was .240 and around 39" length.
> Pyramid of Germany can make up to .200 on request, not sure about their maximum scale length though.


Didn't think of Pyramid, might be worth looking into them!


----------



## ixlramp

2nd batch of production Quakes are being made, here's the first red one.
Note the saddle blocks are intentionally reversed because, due to the break angle, the force on the saddle is angled slightly towards the headstock. This creates a more solid and stable support for the string.
Also note the string tapering point is close to the saddle, Kalium Strings of course.




I found an image and made a meme:


----------



## saved

ixlramp said:


> 2nd batch of production Quakes are being made, here's the first red one.
> Note the saddle blocks are intentionally reversed because, due to the break angle, the force on the saddle is angled slightly towards the headstock. This creates a more solid and stable support for the string.
> Also note the string tapering point is close to the saddle, Kalium Strings of course.
> 
> View attachment 62834
> 
> 
> I found an image and made a meme:
> 
> View attachment 62835



What kind of pickups does it have?
Looking for some nice soapbars to replace the artec my vig cobra select-5 has on it


----------



## ixlramp

Specs for this batch:
"The bass will be alder-bodied with a maple neck, completely passive and will come in a Protec gig bag. Your choice of trans-red or black, Nordstrand silent Jazz or humbucking pickups, parallel or fanned frets."


----------



## BryanBuss

Guys! I bought this quake! Literally the one in this video.

http://geargods.net/namm-2017/namm-2017-kalium-quake-bass/

I emailed Skip to see what he wanted on hand, turns out he was willing to part with “Coco”. I may alter the spelling to Koko in memory of Koko the gorilla.

I have wanted a quake for about 11 years, and after trying E0 on my Dingwall Combustion, it just didn’t cut it. So I listed my Dingwall in Reverb, and now I await the Quake In the mail!

It’s so hard to find videos on the Quake, so I promise to do some.
When it lands, I’ll post some photos.


----------



## Hollowway

Ah, very cool. I almost got that too, but ended up with the pink to purple burst one from the original batch of 5. 

I kind of wish I'd have waited til the production run, as I could have saved some money, but I guess that's the bane of the early adopter.


----------



## ixlramp

BryanBuss that's good to know.
There is a lack of good recordings of very low Quake pitches so any would be appreciated.

I have found samples of a production Quake tuned to very low C# F# B E A used with overdrive. I don't think the artist created a particularly good tone from the instrument but it works well in a mix. Use headphones or good sound system to hear the low pulsing from the bass.
In a mix https://soundcloud.com/insaniarecs/kalium-quake-riff?in=insaniarecs/sets/kalium-quake-bass-5-test
Bass only https://soundcloud.com/insaniarecs/...?in=insaniarecs/sets/kalium-quake-bass-5-test


----------



## I play music

ixlramp said:


> BryanBuss that's good to know.
> There is a lack of good recordings of very low Quake pitches so any would be appreciated.
> 
> I have found samples of a production Quake tuned to very low C# F# B E A used with overdrive. I don't think the artist created a particularly good tone from the instrument but it works well in a mix. Use headphones or good sound system to hear the low pulsing from the bass.
> In a mix https://soundcloud.com/insaniarecs/kalium-quake-riff?in=insaniarecs/sets/kalium-quake-bass-5-test
> Bass only https://soundcloud.com/insaniarecs/...?in=insaniarecs/sets/kalium-quake-bass-5-test


Those samples are actually good! Kinda makes me wish that Dick from Meshuggah actually used his Quake bass for Meshuggah stufff ;-) Excited to see what BryanBuss will do with his


----------



## LordCashew

ixlramp said:


> BryanBuss that's good to know.
> There is a lack of good recordings of very low Quake pitches so any would be appreciated.
> 
> I have found samples of a production Quake tuned to very low C# F# B E A used with overdrive. I don't think the artist created a particularly good tone from the instrument but it works well in a mix. Use headphones or good sound system to hear the low pulsing from the bass.
> In a mix https://soundcloud.com/insaniarecs/kalium-quake-riff?in=insaniarecs/sets/kalium-quake-bass-5-test
> Bass only https://soundcloud.com/insaniarecs/...?in=insaniarecs/sets/kalium-quake-bass-5-test



Whoa. The way the overdrive interacts with the ultra-low frequencies makes some of the notes sound wildly different from each other. I think his drive settings and pick attack would benefit from a little more subtlety, but it still certainly adds something cool to the mix.


----------



## ixlramp

Thought i'd post this here since it doesn't much deserve a new thread.

This is a photo from the Octave 4 Plus FB page of their custom 'Extreme Super Subcontra' set.
The lowest gauge is a .412 (the largest bass string gauge i know of) and is for tuning to F000 (5Hz).
F A# D# G# C# F# so it is the sequence of 6 strings in standard tuning below a bass low B.

But before we post about how the lower strings are musically useless, i think most would agree, even O4P. It is a rare custom set so someone is doing some extreme sonic experimentation and 'envelope-pushing', which is good. O4P only list gauges up to .270 (for roughly standard G#00 13Hz) on their site which shows their own opinion of practical maximum gauge. Likewise Kalium consider their .266 as difficult to surpass while keeping a reasonable standard of string behaviour, and prefer to go longer instead of thicker after this.


----------



## I play music

ixlramp said:


> View attachment 63243
> 
> 
> Thought i'd post this here since it doesn't much deserve a new thread.
> 
> This is a photo from the Octave 4 Plus FB page of their custom 'Extreme Super Subcontra' set.
> The lowest gauge is a .412 (the largest bass string gauge i know of) and is for tuning to F000 (5Hz).
> F A# D# G# C# F# so it is the sequence of 6 strings in standard tuning below a bass low B.
> 
> But before we post about how the lower strings are musically useless, i think most would agree, even O4P. It is a rare custom set so someone is doing some extreme sonic experimentation and 'envelope-pushing', which is good. O4P only list gauges up to .270 (for roughly standard G#00 13Hz) on their site which shows their own opinion of practical maximum gauge. Likewise Kalium consider their .266 as difficult to surpass while keeping a reasonable standard of string behaviour, and prefer to go longer instead of thicker after this.


What bass are those strings for?


----------



## BryanBuss

Hollowway said:


> Ah, very cool. I almost got that too, but ended up with the pink to purple burst one from the original batch of 5.
> 
> I kind of wish I'd have waited til the production run, as I could have saved some money, but I guess that's the bane of the early adopter.



Your quake is so, so cool! I’ve been eyeing it up for the last little while, and it really was the final push! How have you been utilizing it? Are you tuned to a low C#? I can’t remember now.


----------



## BryanBuss

ixlramp said:


> BryanBuss that's good to know.
> There is a lack of good recordings of very low Quake pitches so any would be appreciated.
> 
> I have found samples of a production Quake tuned to very low C# F# B E A used with overdrive. I don't think the artist created a particularly good tone from the instrument but it works well in a mix. Use headphones or good sound system to hear the low pulsing from the bass.
> In a mix https://soundcloud.com/insaniarecs/kalium-quake-riff?in=insaniarecs/sets/kalium-quake-bass-5-test
> Bass only https://soundcloud.com/insaniarecs/...?in=insaniarecs/sets/kalium-quake-bass-5-test




Oh thanks so much for sharing these! Great clips. I like that insaniarecs also posted a version of the song without the Quake bass. It’s almost unlistenable without the crushing low end. Haha! 

I have a friend who loves making test videos under his YouTube page “ Wilkinson audio”. I am absolutely going to do some tests with my new Quake. 

I can’t wait!


----------



## BryanBuss

I play music said:


> Those samples are actually good! Kinda makes me wish that Dick from Meshuggah actually used his Quake bass for Meshuggah stufff ;-) Excited to see what BryanBuss will do with his



I totally agree, that would be so heavy! I hope they try it. 

So I have been playing a lot of postrock / ambient music for the last 8 years, but actively still listen to a lot of metal, prog, whathaveyou. So my next album I am going to attempt to mix these elements together. It will be fun, but will probably take a while. I’ll post some stuff in this thread once I get going on it


----------



## Hollowway

BryanBuss said:


> Your quake is so, so cool! I’ve been eyeing it up for the last little while, and it really was the final push! How have you been utilizing it? Are you tuned to a low C#? I can’t remember now.



Yep, C#. I was considering going down to G#, but even I think that would be totally unusable. The tension at that length needs to be really high to prevent floppiness, and, as Skip will tell you, the G# is barely enough to be usable. For the C#, I think even that is borderline at best. And don't plan on playing indoors, because it makes everything in the room resonate.  You'll think you have a bad speaker or something, because the whole house starts rattling.


----------



## ixlramp

I play music said:


> What bass are those strings for?


All O4P have said is that they're for a 36" or possibly 37" scale bass.


----------



## BryanBuss

Hollowway said:


> Yep, C#. I was considering going down to G#, but even I think that would be totally unusable. The tension at that length needs to be really high to prevent floppiness, and, as Skip will tell you, the G# is barely enough to be usable. For the C#, I think even that is borderline at best. And don't plan on playing indoors, because it makes everything in the room resonate.  You'll think you have a bad speaker or something, because the whole house starts rattling.



Hahah. I can’t wait! I have a couple bass rigs to try out, but ultimately I’d love to get a green boy, or those beaaautiful speakers Kalium are making now. 

What are you using for amplification ?


----------



## ixlramp

With good timing Kalium has posted a string photo on FB also.
All roundwound, .266 bass, .182 bass, .182 guitar, .021 guitar.


----------



## I play music

ixlramp said:


> All O4P have said is that they're for a 36" or possibly 37" scale bass.


For that tuning I was expecting something extra long, 37" almost sounds short for this


----------



## ixlramp

Certainly too short, a .412 on a fairly normal scale will of course be very 'stiff' in terms of the ratio of width to length. This ratio is what primarily determines the stiffness/inharmonicity/dullness of a string. Bass low B and the low F# of an 8 string guitar both suffer due to a problematically high ratio, despite the best efforts to make strings as flexible as possible for their gauge.
The 40" scale of a Kalium Quake (which apparently is surprisingly playable) makes a low B possible with this ratio equal to that of a light gauge E string.


----------



## Hollowway

BryanBuss said:


> Hahah. I can’t wait! I have a couple bass rigs to try out, but ultimately I’d love to get a green boy, or those beaaautiful speakers Kalium are making now.
> 
> What are you using for amplification ?



I was going to get a fEARful, myself, but I did some research, and it looked like the Mike Arnopol 112 got lower before the roll off (for the fundamental) so I decided to pick up one of those (used on talkbass). I want to get a better amp, but right now it’s just a Peavey Minimax. Which is good, but, like any good forum-goer, I’ve convinced myself I’d instantly be a better player if I get a Darkglass. 

Anyway, here’s the MAS-112 specs. Check out the greenboy forums and the forums on the MAS page. Lots of good info there!

I was thisclose to buying a true-sub Kalium from Skip, but couldn’t rationalize throwing more money at low frequencies. I don’t even play live, so it’s getting a bit ridiculous for me to be doing this to the extent I am. 

http://www.masoundworks.com/manage.numo?pid=23&module=shopping_cart&component=catalog


----------



## BryanBuss

Oh thanks for the link Hallowway!
That mas-112 looks amazing! I might have to go down that road one day....
I know what you mean about throwing money at low frequencies. 

For now, for my Quake that arrived today! I am using some bass head (I can't remeber, haha) through an 
Acoustic 301 18" and a trace elliot 1 x 18" . It is loud! 

The Acoustic has some good rumble, and the trace elliot is quite clear and tight. 

Same here, I am not playing live with this rig, so no reason to invest a crazy amount. That whole bass rig I am using was about $400 and a lot of luck.


----------



## ixlramp




----------



## eggy in a bready

If anyone is interested, i'm looking to sell my Quake. It's a crazy good bass, i have just come to the slow realization that i'm not super low tunings like i used to be.

It's the all-black mahogany neck-thru fanned Quake that was posted a few pages ago. PM me if yr interested.


----------



## eggy in a bready

*correction... bolt-on, not neck-thru


----------



## ixlramp

That's cool, but thought i would mention, the long scale benefits low B too, you can get a B with the flexibility and clarity of a light E.
Plus, it can be used as a tap bass with a string dampner and not lose any scale length when played from fret 2 up.


----------



## ixlramp

New page up about the Quake. They are using an interesting hum-bucking triple single coil blending pickup configuration https://www.kaliummusic.com/quake-bass/


----------



## Dayn

I saw that page. Knowing very little about bass electronics, that new configuration seems to be the best of all worlds.

I wish there was a 6-string available, but I guess 5 will do for the type of music I'd use it for...


----------



## ixlramp

The chat on Facebook suggests a 6 will happen in a future batch, and Skip might make it a headless in order to fit inside the gig bag provided with the bass (the 5s barely fit in the gig bag).


----------



## I play music

ixlramp said:


> The chat on Facebook suggests a 6 will happen in a future batch, and Skip might make it a headless in order to fit inside the gig bag provided with the bass (the 5s barely fit in the gig bag).


Now THAT sounds interesting!
Btw, do those basses have SS or NS frets?


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## Winspear

Cool! I was always surprised basses this length weren't headless to start with, but I suppose hardware was much more challenging back then.


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## saved

Here is my 34"scale vig cobra bass,a 40"p-bass and a 47-44"scale headless bass (not finished yet,now its at the painting stage).
The headless and the p-bass are both the same total length,but i like more basses with headstock


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## ixlramp

Wow that headless is stunning. I can see you have placed the lower waist to shift the bridge well to the right. Make sure to show this to Skip at Kalium sometime. Really good to see this project.


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## saved

The body shape is for easier playing and reduce weight.Its only 4.5 kg the bass.And for this enormous scale,4.5 kg is featherweight.It also is torzal twisted design and mr.Ola Strandberg,allowed me to use his endourneck design.
Any way.This topic is for Kalium quakes.Dont want to hijack it.
When my bass will be ready (it took me more than 2 years because of my limited time,is the bass with my goat friend) i am gonna make a topic for this.
Just posted the pic to saw you a headless bass longer than 34" scale


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## Winspear

^ That torzal twist 47" is pretty incredible, wow!

Thanks @eggy in a bready ! over the moon to finally own a quake


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## eggy in a bready

yo, you got it! hell yeah!


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## ixlramp

Wow congratulations! A Quake here in the UK.


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## saved

Quake bass inside Europe..now i become jealous..


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## Fretless

Y'all made me have to get one. Will be great for designing bass pickups on. I also wanna put a piezo in mine possibly.


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## Winspear

Fretless said:


> Y'all made me have to get one. Will be great for designing bass pickups on. I also wanna put a piezo in mine possibly.


You didn't tell em the most special part


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## Hollowway

Winspear said:


> You didn't tell em the most special part


 OK, it's been 24 hours. WHAT'S THE MOST SPECIAL PART?! I need to know!


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## A-Branger

Fretless said:


> Y'all made me have to get one. Will be great for designing bass pickups on. I also wanna put a piezo in mine possibly.



meh, I had piezzo on my Ibanez EDA905 for years..... On live situation it helps to cut trough the mix beautifully, but its not that muhc improvement of the overall sound of the bass...... Mind you my bass only had one humbucker in the middle, and one bass knob for it, and one treble knob for the piezza so not the best EQ system.... I also spend many years wihtout knowing that I had couple of EQ controls for the piezo in the back..... (which I never tweaked lol)... 

piezzo for bass?, meh...


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## saved

I have a piezo bridge on my 40"scale p-bass.
When i use it,i cut mids and trebles,and boost the bass.It sound so clean,but its not forgiving the smallest mistake you play..


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## A-Branger

saved said:


> I have a piezo bridge on my 40"scale p-bass.
> When i use it,i cut mids and trebles,and boost the bass.It sound so clean,but its not forgiving the smallest mistake you play..



yeh I think that was my problem, I only have the highs to mess with on the on-board EQ, which I always left at the middle unless I was on a gig situation were I couldnt hear much of myself. I should ahve messed with the back controls

but yeah, you hear every little zing. Just like an acoustic I suppose


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## hodorcore

wow that bass is amazing. the only thing i dont like about it is the headstock. the rest of the bass is very smooth and rounded and the headstock looks a bit less sophisticated


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## Fretless

A-Branger said:


> yeh I think that was my problem, I only have the highs to mess with on the on-board EQ, which I always left at the middle unless I was on a gig situation were I couldnt hear much of myself. I should ahve messed with the back controls
> 
> but yeah, you hear every little zing. Just like an acoustic I suppose


Yeah, that is my one fear, and on top of that, mine is going to be fretless.


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## ixlramp

Short Kalium documentary video


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## ixlramp

"End-of-run special - limited stock remaining on both multi-scale and parallel fret 20th Anniversary Quake 5 string basses. Special pricing applies until inventory is gone. Email; [email protected] for details."

https://twitter.com/Kalium_Music
https://www.instagram.com/p/BrX9wLjH_5S/


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## Hollowway

ixlramp said:


> "End-of-run special - limited stock remaining on both multi-scale and parallel fret 20th Anniversary Quake 5 string basses. Special pricing applies until inventory is gone. Email; [email protected] for details."
> 
> https://twitter.com/Kalium_Music
> https://www.instagram.com/p/BrX9wLjH_5S/



I saw that and talked with Skip, hoping to snap up another one. But the prices are actually higher than the 20th anniversary pricing. Still a good deal, as they’re less than the custom pricing, but probably out of my impulse buy mentality!


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## MF_Kitten

I have one of these! I love it! Tuned it FCFCF, and will be using it alongside my 8 string guitar 

The clarity and tone is hilarious, and it's the one being played in that documentary


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## LordCashew

Just saw in a FaceBook post that the remaining 20th Anniversary Quakes are marked down to $1750. Seriously alluring but my wife got me a Dingwall that should be here any day. If one of these shows up, I'm dead.


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## ixlramp

Just saw that too, the remaining ones are all fanned apparently. Excellent price and it's good to know Skip has sold almost 20 now.
I did wonder who owns the brown one played in the video, unusual colour for a Quake.

In other news, the RIM (60" scale EUB tuned D#G#C#F#B, a 5 string with a bass low B as the highest string, lowest string sub-10Hz) won't be at this NAMM but is a 2019 project.


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## LordCashew

ixlramp said:


> In other news, the RIM (60" scale EUB tuned D#G#C#F#B, a 5 string with a bass low B as the highest string, lowest string sub-10Hz) won't be at this NAMM but is a 2019 project.



That concept has been in development for a LONG time. I'm fascinated by the idea, and the prospect of developing a system of fingerings for that scale length. In Simandl, the left hand spans a whole step at roughly 41". What will happen at 60"?  I can't wait to find out.


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## BigViolin

So cool.

My inner ERG(B) nerd is doing cartwheels.


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## Winspear

I am SERIOUSLY keen for that 60". I have no interest in tuning below E0 but I'd be interested to try it tuned to minor 3rds (for stretch reduction) from E0 with some thin strings. Not sure what kind of tension such length would require for stability, but a regular B string should get close! 3rds across 5 strings would give E0-E1, with a 30" shortscale regular E1 thirds tuned bass halfway up the neck. That's all kinds of cool... Perfect platform for microtonal fretting too. Perhaps tuning it lower would still be useful to reduce reach to more typical useful pitches


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## Winspear

5'9" man to scale. I'm really curious how this will be designed and at what height the neck will begin from the floor!


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## LordCashew

Winspear said:


> 5'9" man to scale. I'm really curious how this will be designed and at what height the neck will begin from the floor!



Huh. Seems like right hand placement may need to be a little farther from the bridge than typical just because of the instrument's size. Probably not a big issue for pizz, but might make a bigger difference for arco playing if that's in the picture.


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## GenghisCoyne

ixlramp said:


> Short Kalium documentary video



got a real robert durst vibe at 8:21. yikes.


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## ixlramp

A customer cancelled their order so there's a Quake available immediately:
https://www.instagram.com/p/BzujoH_HDVd/
"Looking for a 5 string Quake? 3-pickup parallel fret with glow markers and 20th Anniversary inlay available immediately. $1995 - reach out to [email protected]"


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