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MGR/Golem « Takamine B-10 Archtop »
Published on 03/15/09 at 16:00Playing in small ensemble, no drums, and usually small venue as well, I can really hear my bass, so this baby is the ultimate. However, it's a pretty BIG baby. It's 34" 4-string and it barely fits in its crib, a hardshell cello case !
Unable to afford a new one, I got a mint used one for about half of the discount new price. I got it from the GC in Nashville ... so it's got a few good Nashville vibes in it !
This is the reall deal FL URB mimic of the bass "guitar" world. It's built like a violin family instrument, not like an acoustic geetar. About the only thing that is not 'fiddle famerly' is the lack of deep fiddle-like reverse curves to allow arco playing. The out line of the body is like a single-cut geetar so you can actually put it across your leg and play it horizontally.
On a strap, it hangs vertically. It comes with NO strap buttons, so I installed them to allow vertical on-strap playing. It also comes with a SERIOUS end pin for stand-up [not like the Gibby-Epi joke of an endpin].
The neck is like an URB neck scaled down to 34". It has the huge profile, tight radius, wide spacing, and high bridge of and URB so pizz-URB cadence and playing style are imposed. It has the long tail piece and true viola-style archtop build, so the it has the sound to complement the style.
The tail piece is more advanced than the traditional viola type. It's two parallel pieces of differing length [like a jazz guitar] but there is another feature adjusts the pressure the tailpiece bears onto the top of the body. It's NOT a true trapeze or viola style. The pivot is relocated so it's above the archtop and about 2" inward ["neckward"] from the rear [butt end] edge of the archtop. Anywayz, it's not just a pivoted tail piece ... it's also a lever. On eend has the string anchors and the other end bears on the body [via a brass plate]. The bearing pressure is adjustable and affects the tone and resonance. Verrrry cool.
It has a floating bridge, anchored only by string pressure. Therefore, there are no side markings on the neck. The headstock is kinfa 'Giant Gibson', IOW not a fiddle famerly scroll.
It has a piezo and Takamines top of the line solid state module with reverb, user presets, etc. It can be quickly and easily interchanged with their OTHER top line module, a tube driven thing, which is now standard on newer B10s.
Height adjuster wheels would be welcome on the bridge.
I replaced the tolex "bullet" case with a cello case, cuz the "bullet" case design just doesn't scale up to this size in a manner that is user friendly or lightweight.
The digital EQ-pre runs on two AA batteries that last about 10 hrs. Not expensive, but inconvenient, and the battery door is not attached. If you drop it and step on it, you are all done playing. I carry a spare which was "no-charge" from Takamine, so I guess they are aware of this.
Instead of a bass bar and sound post, it has two bass bars. Compared to a cello, the body is about 3" shallower and the neck joint is about 6" closer to the butt end, but the width is the same. Overall length of the whole ax is the same, cuz the scale is 4" longer. Quality is similar to any decent plywood URB, and the finish is more like a guitar, complete with binding. Bridge is much like any wooden archtop bridge, but huge. Bridge has not heght adjuster wheels, and the piezo is INSIDE it. It does have intonation compensated shape for the saddle area.
There is a removeable hatch on the rear in case you need to service anything inside.
The neck DOES have a truss rod.
This is an amazing ax. It is the furthest thing imaginable from a general purpose bass guitar, and even very dissimilar to any "acoustic bass guitar", but if you have a context in which to play it, it's quite versatile in its own way, and very closely challenges an URB at half the size.
It is the only 'production model' bass of its genre. The [2008] street price is about $3K. All others are luthier-built basses in the $5K to $10K range [google Bill Moll archtop bass]. TWIMC, it's built in Japan.
None of my minor complaints cast enuf shadow on the special qualities of this well made ax to deprive it of a '5' rating, which is not to say I'm comparing it to the luthier-built giant archtops. This is the only "factory" model, and it's built as well as any Martin geetar, plywood URB, or other top shelf, non-custom, acoustic stringed instrument. A '5' it truly is !
This review was originally published on http://www.musicgearreview.com
Unable to afford a new one, I got a mint used one for about half of the discount new price. I got it from the GC in Nashville ... so it's got a few good Nashville vibes in it !
This is the reall deal FL URB mimic of the bass "guitar" world. It's built like a violin family instrument, not like an acoustic geetar. About the only thing that is not 'fiddle famerly' is the lack of deep fiddle-like reverse curves to allow arco playing. The out line of the body is like a single-cut geetar so you can actually put it across your leg and play it horizontally.
On a strap, it hangs vertically. It comes with NO strap buttons, so I installed them to allow vertical on-strap playing. It also comes with a SERIOUS end pin for stand-up [not like the Gibby-Epi joke of an endpin].
The neck is like an URB neck scaled down to 34". It has the huge profile, tight radius, wide spacing, and high bridge of and URB so pizz-URB cadence and playing style are imposed. It has the long tail piece and true viola-style archtop build, so the it has the sound to complement the style.
The tail piece is more advanced than the traditional viola type. It's two parallel pieces of differing length [like a jazz guitar] but there is another feature adjusts the pressure the tailpiece bears onto the top of the body. It's NOT a true trapeze or viola style. The pivot is relocated so it's above the archtop and about 2" inward ["neckward"] from the rear [butt end] edge of the archtop. Anywayz, it's not just a pivoted tail piece ... it's also a lever. On eend has the string anchors and the other end bears on the body [via a brass plate]. The bearing pressure is adjustable and affects the tone and resonance. Verrrry cool.
It has a floating bridge, anchored only by string pressure. Therefore, there are no side markings on the neck. The headstock is kinfa 'Giant Gibson', IOW not a fiddle famerly scroll.
It has a piezo and Takamines top of the line solid state module with reverb, user presets, etc. It can be quickly and easily interchanged with their OTHER top line module, a tube driven thing, which is now standard on newer B10s.
Height adjuster wheels would be welcome on the bridge.
I replaced the tolex "bullet" case with a cello case, cuz the "bullet" case design just doesn't scale up to this size in a manner that is user friendly or lightweight.
The digital EQ-pre runs on two AA batteries that last about 10 hrs. Not expensive, but inconvenient, and the battery door is not attached. If you drop it and step on it, you are all done playing. I carry a spare which was "no-charge" from Takamine, so I guess they are aware of this.
Instead of a bass bar and sound post, it has two bass bars. Compared to a cello, the body is about 3" shallower and the neck joint is about 6" closer to the butt end, but the width is the same. Overall length of the whole ax is the same, cuz the scale is 4" longer. Quality is similar to any decent plywood URB, and the finish is more like a guitar, complete with binding. Bridge is much like any wooden archtop bridge, but huge. Bridge has not heght adjuster wheels, and the piezo is INSIDE it. It does have intonation compensated shape for the saddle area.
There is a removeable hatch on the rear in case you need to service anything inside.
The neck DOES have a truss rod.
This is an amazing ax. It is the furthest thing imaginable from a general purpose bass guitar, and even very dissimilar to any "acoustic bass guitar", but if you have a context in which to play it, it's quite versatile in its own way, and very closely challenges an URB at half the size.
It is the only 'production model' bass of its genre. The [2008] street price is about $3K. All others are luthier-built basses in the $5K to $10K range [google Bill Moll archtop bass]. TWIMC, it's built in Japan.
None of my minor complaints cast enuf shadow on the special qualities of this well made ax to deprive it of a '5' rating, which is not to say I'm comparing it to the luthier-built giant archtops. This is the only "factory" model, and it's built as well as any Martin geetar, plywood URB, or other top shelf, non-custom, acoustic stringed instrument. A '5' it truly is !
This review was originally published on http://www.musicgearreview.com