It was a very long time ago now - 32+ years or so! It was certainly a very nice bass, but I only played it for a couple of minutes so I can't really say exactly how nice or not. But I do know that I had read about it in a guitar mag review not that long before, which is why I knew what it was.
I had a go on the only one I ever saw on sale for about an hour once, again about 15 years ago. It was very comfortable, supremely well-balanced and had a really fast neck on it. I didn't realise at the time that it was a 32" scale length which made it feel a lot easier to play quick on. But I couldn't get my brain around the various controls- I needed longer than the hour I had with it. I would've loved to have bought it but it was over $3k secondhand back then. I shudder to think what one costs now.
"Music is in the air; it's my job to pull it out."- Jaco Pastorius
"The Symphony Steel guitar...a fretless instrument with great sound and endless sustain. The guitar is made with 1,5mm thick stainless steel fingerboard, stainless bridge and great locally made Humless pickups. Birch and okume body, multipiece mahogany / maple neck and oak layer under fingerboard gives it great resonance and presention."
"Music is in the air; it's my job to pull it out."- Jaco Pastorius
ChamberBass 5 Black dyed Quilted Maple top/Alder body.
I'm rather fond of this design, unorthodox as it is.
"Music is in the air; it's my job to pull it out."- Jaco Pastorius
You must agree that Stradi guitar is very much a love/hate shape, even if on a bass where that extended upper bout design is more popular. It does look like Stradi have taken their fretless bass shape and turned it into a guitar with very little modification. I'd put it in the ugly guitar thread. Others won't and that's fine.
Ignoring the looks, it must also weigh a ton/tonne as it's got a very thick body and that 1.5mm of stainless steel for a fingerboard is only going to add to the weight.
I just feel that Vigier (using an alloy fretboard) have done the fretless guitar concept in a better way. (I did have a look for demos of the Stradi guitar on YouTube but only found bass demos).
I do like that Kenneth Laurence bass though. Very nice. For some reason, bass designs can be quite outrageous and work, whereas they often seem wrong on guitars. Maybe it's just the smaller proportions of the guitar that limit what can be done to the shape without it looking 'wrong'.
That Guthrie demo is a big family fave!
"Music is in the air; it's my job to pull it out."- Jaco Pastorius
Owned and soon to be sold my Mike Gordon of Phish. Rare as rocking horse poop.
"Music is in the air; it's my job to pull it out."- Jaco Pastorius
That is a nice looking guitar!
sweet looking axe BG, why have we never seen this axe before ? how long you owned it for ?
Current Builds and status
scratch end grain pine tele - first clear coat on !
JBA-4 - assembled - final tweaks
Telemonster double scale tele - finish tobacco burst on body and sand neck
Completed builds
scratch oak.rose gum Jazzmaster - assembled needs setup
MK-2 Mosrite - assembled - play in
Ash tele with Baritone neck - neck pup wiring tweaks and play in
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