Bombella BB00H6

The strings stay perfectly straight because the tuning pegs have been repositioned.

Photo by Suna

When I have taken Beccano to his guitar lesson the over the last month, I have studiously avoided eye contact with a new bass at the music store. All that ended today when Suna accompanied us to the store. “Look at this pretty bass, Lee. You should play it,” she encouraged.

So I did. That was it.

The bass is hand crafted in Mexico City by an acquaintance of the music store owner. Some of the other customers have also met the luthier, Bombella, is also reputed to be an excellent bass player and a very nice guy. He brought his first lot of basses to the US to sell, and Danny Rae got one because of their friendship.

The woodwooking originally attracted me to this beautiful instrument.

Photo by Suna

Bombella carved the instrument from a single piece of maple and inlaid two pieces of walnut on the body for dramatic effect. The fretboard is rosewood with what appear to be stainless steel frets. The instrument has incredible sustain in spite of a lightweight bridge—probably because the tuning pegs are offset so that the strings align perfectly from bridge to peg with no deflection.

The electronics are all active—the first time I have used this type. But after getting used to them, it will be hard to play my old ’72 Jazz bass again. And it did take a while to get used to them because there are no booklets to explain them. (This is, after all, a handmade bass, not a mass produced commodity.) Here is what I figured out:

• The tone controls are stacked on the left (looking down as you play). The bass control is at the bottom, and the treble is on top. Both lock into a flat position in the center and can either attenuate or boost the frequency range they control.
• The center knob controls the balance between the bridge and neck pickups. It also locks into the center or balanced position.
• The right stack controls the pickup volume. The lower knob controls the bridge neck and the upper one, the bridge.

Because of the active electronics, the string alignment, and the single-piece construction, the instrument has an extremely wide frequency response. Harmonics and slaps balance perfectly when playing through a Fender 250 2-10 combo using minimal compression. It delivers a wide range of sounds with the same attack, depending on where you attack the string. Varying the attack only increases the variety of sounds you can achieve.

The Feast

A pretty Lilly in the front bed

I bought this Asiatic Lilly when I stopped into the home center several days ago. I bought it because it was such a pretty shade of red, and I thought it would go nicely in the front beds.

When I was putting it in the ground yesterday, I noticed that its name is “Orange Pixie.” The tag didn’t list the Latin name. We’ll just have to see if it turns more orange as it matures. Right now, it looks pretty damned red to me.

Suna posted another view to her Flickr account.

Friday’s Feast

Appetizer: Given the choice, would you prefer to live in the country or in the city?

No question about it—I would much prefer to live in the country. Ideally, I wouldn’t be able to see my nearest neighbors—just acres and acres of ranchland or trees.

Soup: Who is the cutest kid you know?

That is an unfair question, but I would have to say Beccano because he smiles rather than scowls.

Salad: Fill in the blank: I couldn’t believe it when I heard ___________.

…the latest Linda Ronstadt album— Adieu False Heart, the one she did with Ann Savoy. I am used to hearing Ronstadt sing in Spanish; French is something else entirely. And they sing so well together!

Main Course: If you could star in a commercial for one of your favorite products, which one would you want to advertise?

The Fender Jazz Bass. I bought mine new in 1972. It has such a wide range of possible sounds and an easy action!

Dessert: What type(s) of vitamins and/or supplements do you take on a regular basis?

Stresstabs and Osteo Biflex. I sometimes take Centrum Silver as a substitute or supplement to the Stresstabs. The Osteo Biflex keeps my fingers from aching.