LOTS OF PROJECTS NEARING COMPLETION...

[woodyng]

Yes,and loving that headstock shape,too,Paul!

[Grey]

A 12 string...bass?

[electrofaro]

A 12 string...bass?

+1

[cassius987]

I'm pretty sure it's been discussed before by Mark Walker as an even bigger-sounding version of an eight string. He made some cool recordings to simulate what it would sound like. One fundamental string and two octave courses by the look of it but I could be wrong. (What's the nut width and "string-group spacing", guys? Pretty tight I imagine?) Looks great, Kenny and Paul!! Kenny, I bet we'd all appreciate some recordings!

[antipodean]

I'm pretty sure it's been discussed before by Mark Walker as an even bigger-sounding version of an eight string. He made some cool recordings to simulate what it would sound like. One fundamental string and two octave courses by the look of it but I could be wrong. (What's the nut width and "string-group spacing", guys? Pretty tight I imagine?) Looks great, Kenny and Paul!! Kenny, I bet we'd all appreciate some recordings!

Josh, you have the string arrangement absolutely correct.

IMHO the octave strings on an 8-string provide a relatively "subtle" overtone to the fundamental (the much smaller gauge strings producing noticeably less volume than the fundamental). The octave string pairs on a 12er provide something more like a wall of sound, with each octave pair rivalling the relevant fundamental for volume. This is great for certain genres of music and for "filling out" sonic space when playing with a sparse line-up. The downside is that the 12er is a lot more demanding on one's fretting hand. I find the added string tension far more challenging than the extra fretboard width.

I'd note that really talented musicians can make a 12er sing in ways that I could never contemplate. For instance, Eden (Weemac) can make his Waterstone sound like a duo playing bass and classical guitar simultaneously.... Amazing!

There aren't a lot of really good 12-string basses around, so Kenny's one-off is an incredibly exciting venture.... I'm really interested to see how Paul makes it all come together. The fact that it's Ruby makes it even more special IMHO....

[s4001]

(I can't get my breath!)
Wow wow wow ...

Congrats, John!

I foresee something like this in your future...

[jingle_jangle]

Been awhile, huh?

I had to struggle through finals this semester with nearly 700 students to track and no secretary since mid-March. Good news is my new assistant, Michael (a young Chicagoan, like yr. hmbl. svt.) started on the 21st of May, and is in training right now, so things should ease up shortly.

My builds and restos are moving along nicely, though. This weekend I finished the 12-string stage bass for Kenny Howes, and it shipped today. Here are some shots. Ruby color, custom neck with 30.5" scale, strings arranged with low on top, just like any other Rick 12er. This one sounds very big, and remains compact with a lovely slimmish neck. The Hamers and Waterstones I've played have necks like baseball bats Lincoln Logs, and this one is close to a 4-string (Fender Precision?) neck in feel. It also does not neck-dive, though it's heavy with headstock hardware!

Here are some photos of pre-assembly, setup and the finished instrument:

















The truss rod cover is 18% larger than stock, and was done that way for 2 reasons: a standard-sized one got lost on the foot-long headstock, and the larger one reads better when Kenny's on stage. Note that with the shorter scale, bridge moved back about 5/8", and monster headstock, it still was sized to be exactly as long as a standard 4001/4003, so it fits into a form-fitted '80s 4001 case like it grew there. No gig bags for Mr. Kenny!





Catch Kenny with PatDiNizio (Smithereens) at the Riviera in LV in "Confessions of a Rock Star".

Lots more coming up including a BB 1998 and a '66 360-12 that was found floating in the water after Katrina, which was brought back to life and finished 3 weeks ago.

Hang in there!

[cheyenne]

Extremely cool.

[kennyhowes]

Extremely cool.

Extremely!!!

[cjj]

Extremely cool.

Extremely!!!

Extra extremely!

[8mileshigher]

Extremely cool.

Extremely!!!

Nice ! ! ! Congrats Kenny and Paul W !

What kind of pickups and potentiometers are on that Ruby 12er ?

[kennyhowes]

What kind of pickups and potentiometers are on that Ruby 12er ?

Stock, as seen in '80s 200/2000 series instruments.

[bigbajo60]

Wowza!

[Grey]

Oh my. I have to hear what this monster of a bass sounds like.

[woodyng]

Very cool 12-er! The wide necks have been one of my chief complaints with trying to grapple these beasts,i bet this one's a treat to play! Looking forward to hearing sound clips on this!