Rick Toone | Luthier

Steampunk'd Orchid

Through the window of his workshop last nite, I caught a glimpse of one of Santa's elves putting finishing touches on Orchid. At least that's what I think I saw.

The bass was Orchid, yet not quite.

Halie is adult now — biochemical engineering student — living in the city, wandering underground jazz clubs, frequenting Bassnectar. Steampunk purple aesthetic full on. Check out the crazy string hangers on that machine...

Bridges? Lavender?!

"It is BEAUTIFUL thank you thank you thank you!! Gorgeous. Perfect. I'm so happy to have her back."

Halie

Like I said, I'm not even sure I saw this. If not for these stolen snapshots, I'd seriously consider this whole thing an imaginative dream.

"Thanks for posting Steampunk'd Orchid. Orchid is one of the most beautiful shapes I have ever gazed upon."

KN

Vix Camps

PHOTO: Victor Wooten investigates 'Dirty Blonde' Orchid bass at Russo Music Center, Trenton, NJ.

Interesting how sometimes things settle slowly into our consciousness. We hear or see something unusual, unfamiliar, and our brain takes notes — holding that pinprick stimulus just inside the skull.

It could be a bird song, woven into the aural tapestry surrounding us. It could be an emerging concept or trend in our fluid culture: do you remember the first time you heard of Myspace, Facebook, or Twitter?

Remember what life was like before they existed?

This a survival mechanism. It would feel overwhelming (exhausting) to investigate every pinprick, but if one anomaly repeats — our curiosity is aroused. We explore, discover, capture, and dissect.

The unfamiliar becomes familiar, and enriches the lexicon of our life experience.

"I love that photo - particularly the contrast of the seated guy lumbered with the standard bass in the background."

G

Twice this year I made new friends...who both just happened to have attended Victor Wooten's Bass/Nature Camp. Both spoke of their experience there as life changing. I'd never even heard of the camp, prior to meeting them, and now two?!

It seems all waters trickle and flow downstream, to Victor Wooten.

Life Without Treble

Corey Brown's www.notreble.com bass-only web startup continues to gain press and visitors, with 47,000 fans on Facebook alone. Recent interviews include the great Les Claypool. Score!

Anyway, Corey kindly sent me this photo of him posing with Orchid, as he and Kevin proudly represent No Treble in a Winchester Star feature article.

Corey: "Hey Rick — our local paper did a story on No Treble, so I took the opportunity to showcase Orchid for the photo shoot.  My photo of the paper is pretty lousy, so I'll send you a real copy by mail."

Rick: "You look happy..."

Corey: "It is easy to look happy when holding Orchid :)"

Ah, that is so cute. Obviously it must be because he's simplified life to four strings. There's a rumor his bass even follows him on vacation.

We appreciate the folks at No Treble taking time to educate the guitar community. Short instructional video (below) demonstrates how to improve any guitar. The method is so simple, I've been thinking about trying it on my own builds.

"What do you call a bass player with no girlfriend? Homeless."

guitars2fix
YouTube

www.notreble.com & Delivering Corey Brown's Orchid Bass

PHOTOS: Kevin Johnson & Corey Brown doodle on Orchid sisters. Corey waxes poetic describing exciting features.

Delivering Corey Brown's custom 34" Orchid bass was a great opportunity to meet up with Corey again as well as to visit world headquarters for his excellent bass-centric website: www.notreble.com

(waiting)

Okay, now that you're back, yep, it was really cool to visit in person. After parking in a remote location and texting our arrival, we were escorted through labyrinthian passages to the secure skylit space replete with high-bandwidth interactivity and pre-release bass technology awaiting review.

We set up three stations for evaluation, including an Ampeg 15" combo, Hartke 4x10 powered by TC Electronic RH750 head, and Mackie + SansAmp Bass Driver DI into Sony MDR-7509s.

Evolving roster of bassists traded the instruments, in turns. Monster noticed reactions were always first to the patented Trapezoid Neck Profile™ including how unusual it looked and felt. He then noted each bassist went through an adjustment period of several minutes, watching the left hand and getting comfortable with the unfamiliar shape.

After a period of time, eyes gravitated to the right hand as the musician explored the sweet spots and tonal nuances created by plucking location. Left hand forgotten, content to fret notes. This behavior pattern was consistent for every new player.

We had a great time, meeting, re-connecting, and listening to skilled players. Marathon day of road tripping, talking bass. The next morning, Corey was kind enough to email:

"Just wanted to let you know I haven't put down the bass since Rick handed it to me yesterday (well, except for eating & sleeping a little).

"This bass is the most enjoyable instrument I've ever played, and I've played a lot over the last 32 years.

"It is hard to pick one thing that stands out... it looks incredible, it feels custom tailored for my body, it sounds amazing and it makes playing easier thanks to the incredible response.

"It took no time to get used to it. That surprised me, given the innovations in it which make it different than any bass I've owned.

"This entire process got me inspired to start seriously playing again, and Orchid is definitely going to make that continue.

"I can't thank you enough for this incredible gift.

"p.s. Anyone want to buy a few Fender basses?"

PHOTOS: Corey digs in on headphones, lost in a world of tapping and harmonics. Don't want to meet these guys in a dark alley — or between booths at NAMM.

Corey Brown | Orchid Bass

Corey Brown's 34" Orchid bass is sister companion to 32" Dirty Blonde Orchid bass. As you know, I built both basses in order to allow Corey to choose the scale length he preferred. We were exploring new territory, and I wanted him to be able to play them both before deciding.

It was also an opportunity to evaluate tonal differences via controlled experiment. Both basses are as identical as I can make them, with the only differences being scale length and finish. It is astonishing how similar they sound.

34" long scale offers slightly deeper fundamental lows, as well as slightly brighter twang in upper mids. 32" medium scale offers slightly rounder, smoother tones in upper registers. "Slightly" is the best word choice.

Both basses have piano-like chordal clarity, warmth, and chiming harmonics. Note volume is even and very consistent throughout the fretboard. Low notes are punchy, deep, and distinct...even detuned a whole step (D). Sustain is equal, between the instruments, and between open string vs. fretted note.

Choosing one bass over the other is a matter of personal preference, rather than performance. Most importantly, base your decision on how the instrument fits your body — 32" will typically be comfortable for smaller players. However, it is interesting to note Monster prefers the 32" scale, and he is 6'3" and 220 lbs. Corey prefers the 34" and he is 5'9" and 175 lbs.

Specifications for Corey's 34" Orchid (photos):

• Swamp ash body with curly maple top and walnut accents
• Quarter sawn curly maple neck and headstock with Spanish luthier's joint
• Patented Trapezoid Neck Profile™ (TNP™)
• TOONE & TOWNSEND Neck Core™
• Neck-into-body construction
• Ebony fretboard with stainless steel frets and walnut position markers
• Bone nut
• Hipshot UltraLite tuners
• TOONE & TOWNSEND bass bridges (stainless & anodized)
• EMG-JAX active pickups
• Altieri custom gig bag