NGD: Kania Fretless 6-String Carl Thompson Tribute Build (for the Les Claypool Fans!)

[Emperor Guillotine]

Back in February 2022, I received this absolutely mind-blowing bass that was a custom commission masterfully handcrafted by Krzysztof Kania - a very skilled, highly prodigious luthier based out of Poland.

Specs:
• Body wood: mahogany core sandwiched between a solid bubinga top and back
• Additional body wood: maple stringers tracing along the mahogany core to separate it from the bubinga top and back
• Body finish: hand-rubbed, natural oil finish
• Scale length: 914mm (36")
• Neck construction: neck-thru
• Neck wood: 7-piece neck comprised of wenge (2) and mahogany (1) with maple stringers (4)
• Neck finish: hand-rubbed, natural oil finish
• Neck profile: D
• Fretboard wood: ebony
• Fretboard radius: unknown
• Fret line markers: alternating maple and mahogany lines
• Pickup: EMG DC45
• Preamp: EMG BQC 4-knob preamp system
• Controls: volume knob, semi-parametric 3-band EQ, mid-range frequency selector is stacked with the mid band boost/cut control on a concentric knob
• Bridge: hand-cut, orchestral-style bridge saddle with a modern string-thru plate design
• Tuners: Schaller tuning machines (black)

This bass is a tribute to the work of the legendary Carl Thompson, baring a heavy influence and several striking, aesthetic features akin to what you would find on a Carl Thompson instrument while also being its own unique thing.

The reason that I mentioned Les Claypool of Primus (and many other projects/bands) in the title of this thread is because the vast majority of musicians nowadays would recognize Carl Thompson's iconic handiwork from his instruments being in the hands of Les Claypool for many, many years up until Claypool retired his famous CT builds.

While I absolutely cannot afford an actual build from Carl and his apprentices nowadays, this tribute build by Krzysztof Kania is a truly phenomenal alternative in every possible way. The craftsmanship still amazes me. Without a doubt, this is the best bass that I have owned and played to this day.

 

[Crungy]

Holy balls.... I figured a bass like that would still be Carl Thompson money with all of that detail. It truly looks amazing. Is the bridge held on strictly by string tension like an upright bass/cello/violin/etc?

I dig the nods to CT as well with the badge and fretboard edge/binding.

 

[Emperor Guillotine]

Is the bridge held on strictly by string tension like an upright bass/cello/violin/etc?

I am not sure, as I have not had to re-string the bass yet. Only then will I know.

I was operating under the assumption that it was glued to the top of the body because of how firm and secure it feels. However, you could be right in that it could be held down just by string tension.

 

[odibrom]

Damn, that's a beauty. I remember seeing pics and some MTV videos of Primus back in the day (mid 90's) and seeing the Carl Thompson' Rainbow bass... that became iconic that's for sure. This one does a good tribute to those basses.

Questions, is the saddle/bridge adjustable for the strings' action? What is the saddles material? Ebony?

Flatwound strings there, right?

 

[beerandbeards]

Love it as a Claypool fan. I’d love to have an instrument of this caliber.

 

[Emperor Guillotine]

Questions, is the saddle/bridge adjustable for the strings' action? What is the saddles material? Ebony?

Check the specs that I typed out.

Also, no. The saddle itself is exactly like any orchestral, stringed instrument's saddle. If you want to adjust the action, you have to either sand the bottom of the saddle and then reset it on the body, or you have to file the notches (that the strings rest in) deeper.

Flatwound strings there, right?

Check the photos. You can clearly see that those are flatwound strings.

 

[ToRNOuTLaW]

I like everything apart from the body shape. I'd personally prefer an asymetrical bottom.

 

[Hexer]

Sweet! Can you say how much something like that costs from Kania?

 

[Emperor Guillotine]

Sweet! Can you say how much something like that costs from Kania?

I do not publicly discuss the cost/price of anything that I own.

 

[olejason]

That type of bridge is normally held on with string pressure to allow for intonation adjustment. I have them on a few basses and they can kind of be a pain when changing strings if you need to pull all the strings off at once for some reason. When changing strings, especially if changing string gauges, keep an eye on it as the bridge will want to push forward as string tension is applied.

Cool bass!

 

[LordCashew]

That's a beautiful bass. Is it heavy with all that bubinga and wenge? I'd love to hear it if you happen to have used it on any recordings.