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The ‘Franklinsteiner’ Recreation
Seeing that it is the Halloween season, I thought I would favor you with my creation… The Franklinsteiner!!!
A few moons back, my dear compadre Peter Baron dialed me up with an intriguing proposition. He and the venerable John Regan had conspired to pay homage to the legendary Peter Frampton. John, having stood faithfully by Peter’s side as his bass maestro for over three and a half decades, had some grand plans. Unfortunately, fate had other designs, and John left us just weeks before the repertory ensemble’s inaugural tribute show. In the spirit of rock ‘n’ roll, Peter was resolute about pressing forward, and he beckoned me to join in.
The setlist was a beautiful concoction of tunes from Peter Frampton’s iconic live double album “Frampton Comes Alive “(1976), with a sprinkle of Humble Pie classics. I, of course, couldn’t resist the siren call and gladly accepted the gig.
Now, here’s where the tale takes a twist.
You see, on that legendary live LP, the basslines were crafted on a fretless bass by the virtuoso Stanley Sheldon. To stay true to that recording, I embarked on a quest to find a four-string Fender fretless bass.
The lone warrior I found was the Tony Franklin fretless bass, and it became mine.
Now, if you’re anything like me, you’re always on the lookout for opportunities to make your instrument truly yours. So, my journey to customize this fine bass commenced from the headstock down.
I must tip my hat to Fender and Tony Franklin for birthing an instrument of pure sonic delight.
The ebony fretless neck is the heart and soul of this beauty. My first tweak was to replace the low E tuner with a Hipshot D tuner, but here’s the twist: on all my basses, be they six-string or four, I’m smitten with the “Double” edition, allowing for two unique tunings below the open note.
I then upgraded the strap pegs to Schaller strap locks, a tried and true choice that’s served me well over the years.
The pickups, though, I have a particular penchant for those crafted by the masterful Lindy Fralin. Thus, I switched to the PJ combo, featuring a P-Bass Neck and our Split Jazz +5% Bridge for Noiseless Operation. To add a touch of uniqueness, I opted for white pickups and swapped the black plastic pickup selector knob for chrome.
Venturing down the neck, I yearned for a different bridge, and the Babicz bridge, with their Full Contact Hardware (FCH) system, beckoned. FCH offers a larger contact surface between string and body, which translates to enhanced sustain and richer tonal resonance.
The input jack, a seemingly mundane detail, was not spared my scrutiny. After countless road miles, I’ve learned that it’s best to keep things secure. So, I’ve sworn by the “Pure Tone” multi-contact 1/4” jack, for safety’s sake.
And when I turned the bass over, I couldn’t resist one last flourish.
The signature neck plate, which once bore the name Tony Franklin, now proudly carries my own.
But my creative quest wasn’t quite complete. The “Lake Placid Blue” finish was just a tad too pristine for my rock ‘n’ roll sensibilities. And who better to unleash the weathered charm than Mark Jenny and the wizards at MJT Guitars? They are the artisans of choice, whether for fashioning new instruments or conjuring the art of relic-ing.
And there you have it, the saga of how a Tony Franklin Fretless bass became uniquely mine.
Don’t get me wrong; the original is a gem through and through. But, as any bass enthusiast knows, personalization is a rite of passage in our musical journeys. This, my friends, is my tale, and I’m sticking to it!
IT IS ALIVE!!!!!
Bass Player Health
Preparing for Performance with Dr. Randy Kertz
Preparing for Performance…
This month we discuss how to prepare for a performance and easy strategies that go a long way.
Dr. Randall Kertz is the author of The Bassist’s Complete Guide to Injury Management, Prevention and Better Health. Click here to get your copy today!
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Gear Reviews
The Frank Brocklehurst 6-String Fretless Bass Build
A few months ago, my Ken Bebensee 6-string fretted bass needed some TLC. You know, the one rocking those Pink Neon strings! I scoured my Connecticut neighborhood for a top-notch luthier and got pointed to Frank Brocklehurst, F Brock Music. He swung by my place, scooped up the bass, and boom, returned it the next day, good as new. Not only that, he showed up with a custom 5-string fretted bass that blew me away. I couldn’t resist asking if he could whip up a 6-string fretless for me.
Alright, let’s break down the process here. We’ve got our raw materials: Mahogany, Maple, and Holly. Fun fact – the Mahogany and Maple have been chilling in the wood vault for a solid 13 years. Frank is serious about his wood; they buy it, stash it away, and keep an eye on it to make sure it’s stable.
First up, they’re tackling the Mahogany. Frank glues it together, then lets it sit for a few days to let everything settle and the glue to fully dry. After that, it’s onto the thickness planer and sander to get it nice and flat for the CNC machine. The CNC machine’s the real star here – it’s gonna carve out the body chambers and volume control cavity like a pro.
While the Mahogany’s doing its thing, Frank goes onto the neck core. Three pieces of quartersawn maple are coming together for this bad boy. Quartersawn means the grain’s going vertical. He is also sneaking in some graphite rods under the fingerboard for stability and to avoid any dead spots. The truss rod is going to be two-way adjustable, and the CNC machine’s doing its magic to make sure everything’s just right.
Now, onto the design phase. Frank uses CAD software to plan out the body shape, neck pocket, chambering, and those cool f-holes. I had this idea for trapezoid F-holes, just to do something different. The CAD software also helps us map out the neck shape, graphite channels, and truss-rod channel with pinpoint accuracy.
Once everything’s planned out, it’s CNC time again. Frank cuts out the body outline, neck pocket, and the trapezoid F-holes. Then it’s a mix of hand sanding and power tools to get that neck just how we like it. Oh, and those f holes? We’re going for trapezoids of different sizes – gotta keep things interesting.
Next step: gluing that neck into the pocket with some old-school hide glue. It’s got great tonal transfer and can be taken apart later if needed. Then it’s onto hand-carving that neck-body transition.
For the custom-made bridge, Frank uses brass for definition and Ebony for tonal transfer and that warm, woody sound.
BTW, for tunes, Frank went with Hipshot Ultralights with a D Tuner on the low B. This way I can drop to a low A which is a wonderful tone particularly if you are doing any demolition around your house!
Now it’s time for the side dots. Typically, on most basses, these dots sit right in the middle of the frets. But with this bass, they’re placed around the 1st, 3rd, 5th, 7th, 9th, and 12th frets.
Frank’s got his pickup hookup. Since the pickup he was building wasn’t ready, he popped in a Nordstrand blade to give it a whirl.
It sounded good, but I was itching for that single-coil vibe! And speaking of pickups, Frank showed me the Holly cover he was cutting to match, along with all the pink wire – talk about attention to detail!
A couple of things, while it is important for me to go passive, it is equally important for me to just go with a volume knob. Tone knobs are really just low-pass filters and the less in the way of a pure sound for me, the better.
Finally, it’s string time! As usual, I went for the DR Pink Neon strings. Hey, I even have matching pink Cons…Both low tops and high!
Once we’ve got everything tuned up and settled, we’ll give it a day or two and then tweak that truss rod as needed. And voila, we’ve got ourselves a custom-made bass ready to rock and roll.
I want to thank Frank Brocklehurst for creating this 6 string beast for me.
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Bass Videos
Interview With Bassist Erick “Jesus” Coomes
Bassist Erick “Jesus” Coomes…
It is always great to meet a super busy bassist who simply exudes a love for music and his instrument. Erick “Jesus” Coomes fits this description exactly. Hailing from Southern California, “Jesus” co-founded and plays bass for Lettuce and has found his groove playing with numerous other musicians.
Join us as we hear of his musical journey, how he gets his sound, his ongoing projects, and his plans for the future.
Photo, Bob Forte
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www.lettucefunk.com
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Bass Videos
Working-Class Zeros: Episode #2 – Financial Elements of Working Musicians
Working-Class Zeros: Episode #2 – Financial Elements of Working Musicians
“These stories from the front are with real-life, day-to-day musicians who deal with work life and gigging and how they make it work out. Each month, topics may include… the kind of gigs you get, the money, dealing with less-than-ideal rooms, as well as the gear you need to get the job done… and the list goes on from there.” – Steve the Bass Guy and Shawn Cav
Preparing for Performance with Dr. Randy Kertz
Interview With Bassist Erick “Jesus” Coomes
Working-Class Zeros: Episode #2 – Financial Elements of Working Musicians
Tour Touch Base (Bass) with Ian Allison
