Stanley Clarke Signature Deluxe 2004

[adriaan]

Pierre-Yves,
 
The reason you never see this on an Ibanez is because they use machines to install the hardware.
 
The alignment of the string over the length of the neck is also simpler with a one-piece bridge like on an Ibanez - with the separate tailpiece and bridge, I can imagine they must really be positioned in-line to make the strings vibrate cleanly.
 
One can only guess what might have gone wrong when they installed the hardware on this particular bass - although I doubt that it has any negative effect on playability or sound.

[pierreyves]

of course that it has any effect...just the finition (?). I now that Alembic are entierly hand made but there is a little difference of 3 mm !!

[jazzyvee]

Interesting, i've never noticed it before but having just looked at my Europa 5, the centre point of the alembic bird tailpeice is aligned with the lower edge of the centre purpleheart laminate. However looking down the neck, the strings are perfectly aligned and straight down on both sides of the bridge. So I guess it's a fine tuning bit of re-positioning.
What's a couple of millimetres between friends :-)  
 
 
 
Just had a look at the bass Alembic made for clarkee and that looks bang on centre.
 
http://www3.alembic.com/img/inst/13195_tailpieceL.jpg
 
 
Jazzyvee

[pierreyves]

I know this bass, Dragon's Breath !! Yes it's nothing in the ground of my mind...it was JUST a question, but the Dragon's Breath is perfectly aligned (?).  

 

  (Message edited by davehouck on December 07, 2006)

[jazzyvee]

I guessed it was just an observation,and it made me look at mine as well.:-)
 
I was having a look at your video's on your site last night. I love the look and the sound of your bass, it sounds very much like my sc deluxe.
They are awesome basses.
 
I must get out and take some really good photo's of my bass. Mine has a coco bolo top and back and really changes colour from deep red through brown to a glowing orange colour depending on how the light catches it..
keep on plucking.....
 
Jazzyvee

[mica]

Hi Pierre,
 
Your tailpiece, like most of the instruments we make, is not symmetrical itself, and is not centered to the neck laminates, but rather to center of the string spread.  
 
When I look at the picture jazzyvee linked to, the top of the tailpiece seems centered, but the bottom point is a little to the right. When I look at my other pictures, there is some variance in position for the tailpiece. The person setting up the bass decides on the best position for the hardware to make the playability the best possible.  
 
I'm afraid that there isn't much to be done except to build a new tailpiece to fit better, but it still would be unlikely to be perfectly centered, although I agree it can be improved.  
 
Sadly, I think I would need to whole bass here to do the work. Maybe if you are planning a trip to visit San Francisco sometime, we can coordinate and get measurements from your bass and then send the tailpiece to you when the finish work is completed. I placed a note in this instrument's file so that if we do get our hands on it again, we'll know what to do.

[jazzyvee]

I had a look at my sc deluxe and the tailpeice is smack in the middle of the centre purpleheart laminate so I guess according to Mica's explanation, variance was in my favour on that bass. :-)
 
Jazzyvee

[pierreyves]

ouh lala !! To much english here for me. I will do a translation with a friend !!
Please wait !!! If I have well understood, the man who assembly final the tail piece do the best as he can to make the best playability ?
Mica, you think the best to do is to build a new tailpiece ? Well, it's not so important, for me the sound is perfect, the tailpiece can wait, as the heaven !!!

[mica]

Yes, Pierre, when James or Jon do the setup, they decide exactly where to place the tailpiece to maximize playability. Glad the sound is perfect for you, I hope you keep enjoying this bass.

[pierreyves]

many thank's Mica, It was just I would like to read!! Of course I will never come to LA with my bass!
French translation from Mica words:
J'ai bien peur qu'il n'y ai pas grand chose ? faire mis ? part faire un nouveau cordier mais sans pour autant garantir qu'il soit parfaitment au centre. Cela dit, je suis d'accord on pourrait am?liorer.
Malheureusement, je pense que nous aurions besoin de cette basse dans nos ateliers pour faire le boulot. Peut-?tre tu planifie un voyage dans les
prochains temps ? San Francisco. Dans ce cas, nous pourrions prendre les mesures et refaire un cordier que je t'enverrai une fois termin?.  
 
J'ai pris note de ce probleme et l'ai rentr? dans notre base de donn?es afin que nous
sachions quoi faire.
 
These last words are the most important for me: we will do something for the future !!
Best regards Mica

[georgie_boy]

Smack in the middle of my 1976 Series 1 too!!
G

[jacko]

It's no more than a 32nd out on my rogue. In fact I'd never even have thought about it till Pierre's thread.
 
Graeme

[cozmik_cowboy]

Well, this thread has removed all doubt - the custom I'll never be able to afford would be BTC.  That way there's no stringers to gauge the centering by  
 
Peter

[jazzyvee]

Good plan Cozymik_cowboy, although you may see the join between the two halves and then maybe you would expect the tailpeice centre to be bang on that too. ;-)
Maybe a single piece of non bookmatched or bookmatched top to bottom would remove that feature.
Anyway I hope you manage to get a custom at some point. I still have that dream too.
Jazzyvee

[jazzyvee]

Hey PierreYves, I was just listening/watching your campo americano de Stanley Clarke.
 
I love that track. Haven't heard it for years, I think I'll go get the CD.
Jazzyvee