Gear Reviews
Greenboy fEARful 12/6/1 Cube – A D.I.Y. Bass Cab Adventure
A D.I.Y. bass cab adventure in building my own Greenboy fEARful 12/6/1 Cube…
Background
I needed a compact, light weight, good sounding bass cabinet for some cool gigs where my 8×10 Fridge wasn’t welcome. After a good deal of research, I came across some discussions on Talkbass about a guy called “Greenboy” who lives in a remote cabin in Montana who had designed some kick-ass full range bass cabinets that readily reach down to a low F# and are lightweight to boot. The real kicker is that Greenboy, Dave Green, is also generous – he has made the Greenboy™ fEARful designs available, free of charge, to any home builder for personal use only. All of Greenboy’s fEARful designs use Eminence Kappalite 3012LF or 3015LF high excursion woofers paired with a midrange driver and an optional high frequency driver.
Choosing the Design
The more I read, the more I became intrigued with the idea of possibly building one for myself, but which one? To answer this question, I went to the source: Designer Dave Green’s website: greenboy.us This website provided access to the fEARful™ design plans, links to authorized builders of Greenboy™ Audio products, lots of additional information and a link to the Greenboy/ fEARful™ users and builders forum. (Note: you may have to sign up and log-in to view)
I found the users and builders forum to be extremely useful and entertaining as I studied the various designs and read the posts provided by other builders on their DIY experiences. Many of the builders have posted detailed descriptions and photographs of their builds as well as posting their own questions and comments. After much review, I decided on the 12/6/1 cube which utilizes the 3012LF woofer, Alpha 6 midrange and ASD 1001 compression driver – all Eminence products. In order to simplify the process, I purchased a kit from Leland Crooks at Speaker Hardware that included all the drivers, crossover components and other parts necessary for construction. Speaker Hardware even offers a Flat Pack that includes all the lumber pre-cut, but I opted to purchase the plywood locally and cut my own. I also purchased Duratex paint, internal dampening foam and speaker grilles from Speaker Hardware at an additional cost.
The Build
I purchased some 1/2 inch Baltic birch plywood from a local supplier and made the cuts spelled out in the cutting diagram and parts list by Greenboy.
Here’s a photo of all the wood cuts:
I then started gluing and clamping the cabinet together. Greenboy is a big proponent of using PL Premium polyurethane construction adhesive to fasten everything together. In short, this stuff is amazing – it gives an incredibly strong bond and will fill any minor imperfections between the bonding surfaces. Big Hint: use gloves with this stuff – it will stick quite well to skin too!
After the cabinet was constructed, I painted it flat black with a can of spray paint and over coated it with Duratex – a super durable coating that is specifically designed for speaker cabinets. I just rolled the stuff on with the provided textured foam roller. I am not a skilled painter and I think it came out looking great – this stuff is pretty easy to use.
The next step was cutting up the foam and gluing it in using spray adhesive
It was now time to wire it all up. I opted to use pre-printed circuit boards provided by Speaker Hardware, where I just put the electronic components in the correct locations on the circuit board and soldered them in place. I also wired up the various drivers to the crossovers and to the speaker jack plate.
And here is the final product:
In Use
The cube weighs in at about 48 pounds and is small enough in dimensions that I can easily carry it with one hand. This makes it a real joy to load into a gig. It is also, without a doubt, the most versatile bass cabinet I have ever owned. At indoor gigs I can easily keep up with live drums, two fairly loud guitars, a keyboard and a full PA system – this is pretty impressive for a single 12 inch woofer paired with a 6 inch midrange driver.
There is so much presence in the midrange driver that I often have the HF compression driver turned off. Turning on the HF driver turns the 12/6/1 cube into a miniature F.OH. system. Just for grins, I hooked it up to a powered mixing board and fed it some music from my iPhone – it sounded just like any good PA would, faithfully reproducing the full spectrum of the instrumentation for a well balanced sound. Recognizing that these Greenboy™ designed enclosures are full spectrum cabinets is important when one first starts using one for bass. I find the midrange and even upper mid’s to be more forward on the 12/6/1 Cube, in comparison to my other cabinets, and I therefore adjust my amplifier EQ accordingly.
In Retrospect
I really enjoyed the process of building my own speaker cabinet. I have completed other DIY projects and they haven’t always given me this sense of fulfillment. I attribute my contentment to the following:
1. The Greenboy™ products are very well thought-out, meticulously documented designs using high quality components.
2. The owner and builders forum provides guidance, support and a sense of community. During my build, I had mistakenly glued in one of the internal braces in the wrong orientation. The folks on the forum were very thoughtful and kind in pointing this out and they offered a few different, very practical suggestions to remedy the problem.
3. The end product really sounds good.
As far as cost goes, I invested about $500.00 in the wood, components, paint, etc. and a few weeks worth of time total. It is not the cheapest way to go, but I feel I got a huge bang for the buck. The retail cost of a similar product is considerably higher.
If, after reading this brief account of my latest DIY adventure, you are fired up to break out the saws and screw drivers – be careful and have fun! If you feel the DIY route is not for you, but that you are interested in Greenboy™ designs – take heart, there are a few options for you. There is a list of authorized builders on the Greenboy website for both Greenboy’s fEARful and FEARLESS products.
In Closing
I would like to thank Dave Green (Greenboy) for his talent, time and generosity in making these designs available free-of-charge to the bass community. I would also like to give some brief shout-outs to Leland Crooks, of Speaker Hardware, for making sure I got all the right parts and Joseph Hawley, of JHawk Customs and Greenboy Audio – for taking the time at NAMM to introduce me to the Greenboy™ product line of fEARful and FEARLESS products. You can learn more about the speaker components listed in the article at Eminence.com.
Gear
New Joe Dart Bass From Sterling By Music Man
Sterling by Music Man introduces the Joe Dart Artist Series Bass (“Joe Dart”), named after and designed in collaboration with the celebrated Vulfpeck bassist.
Above photo credit: JORDAN THIBEAUX
This highly-anticipated model marks the debut of the Dart bass in the Sterling by Music Man lineup, paying homage to the Ernie Ball Music Man original that all funk players know and love. The bass embodies many of the original model’s distinctive features, from its iconic minimalist design to the passive electronics.
The design process prioritized reliability, playability, and accessibility at the forefront. Constructed from the timeless Sterling body, the Dart features a slightly smaller neck profile, offering a clean tone within a comfortable package. The body is crafted from soft maple wood for clarity and warmth while the natural finish emphasizes the simple yet unique look.
Engineered for straightforward performance, this passive bass features a ceramic humbucking bridge pickup and a single ‘toaster’ knob for volume control. Reliable with a classic tone, it’s perfect for playing in the pocket. The Dart is strung with the all-new Ernie Ball Stainless Steel Flatwound Electric Bass Strings for the smoothest feel and a mellow sound.
The Sterling by Music Man Joe Dart Bass is a special “Timed Edition” release, exclusively available for order on the Sterling by Music Man website for just one month. Each bass is made to order, with the window closing on May 31st and shipping starting in November. A dedicated countdown timer will indicate the remaining time for purchase on the product page. Additionally, the back of the headstock will be marked with a “2024 Crop” stamp to commemorate the harvest year for this special, one-of-a-kind release.
The Joe Dart Bass is priced at $399.99 (MAP) and can be ordered globally at https://sterlingbymusicman.com/products/joe-dart.
To learn more about Joe Dart, visit the official Vulfpeck artist site here https://www.vulfpeck.com/.
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.
Gear Reviews
Review Transcript: BITE Custom Bass – The Black Knight PP Bass
This is a written transcript of our video review of the BITE Custom Bass Black Knight PP Bass originally published on March 4, 2024
BITE Custom Bass – The Black Knight PP Bass Review…
Bass Musician Magazine did a review on a Steampunk bass from BITE Guitars about three years ago, it was an amazing instrument, and we were very impressed. Now we’re happy to bring you another BITE bass, the Black Knight PP.
Everybody needs a P-type bass, it’s the standard of bass. If you’re recording, they want you to have a P bass. So why not have something that gives you a little more by having two instead of one P pickup. That’s the idea of this bass, it’s the first thing that leaps out: the double P pickup configuration.
Installing two of their 1000 millivolt split-coil pickups, BITE then went one step further and wired them up in a 4-way parallel/series circuit, a look at the controls reveal a 4-way rotary selector:
The first position, marked “B”, gives you the bridge pickup by itself.
The second position, marked “P”, gives you the bridge and neck pickups in parallel mode, that’s the traditional J-type circuit, it reduces output due to the physical law of parallel circuits.
Position number 3 is marked “N”, it gives you the neck pickup by itself.
And finally, number 4, marked “S”, gives your bridge and neck in a series (humbucking) mode which adds up resistances and thus boosts output. The other two controls are master volume and master tone.
What’s more, like every BITE bass, this one also has a reinforced headstock heel designed to give it extra output and sustain. The BITE website features a graph and explanation of what they have done to the heel, as compared to traditional headstocks.
A look at the body reveals a beautiful Black Blast body finish and underneath that we have alder wood. The bass has a matching headstock with a 4-in-line tuner setup and the traditional bite out of it, so everybody will know what kind of bass you’re playing. The pickguard is 3-ply black, the neck is vintage tinted hard maple and it has a satin speed finish at the back which keeps your thumb from sticking.
On top of that, there’s a clear-coated roasted black locust fretboard with black blocks marking the frets. The nut is a black Graph Tec nut, we’ve got diamond dome control knobs, and the tuners are lightweight compacts with cloverleaf buttons and a 1:17 ratio precision gear. The bridge is a Gotoh brass bridge with 19-millimeter string spacing.
Overall measurements: we’ve got a standard 34″ scale, a 1.65″ width nut and a C neck profile. This bass weighs 8.2 pounds, or 3,7 kilograms for our metric friends, and it uses standard 18% nickel silver frets.
Taking a closer look at the sound, this bass is a joy to play. The BITE proprietary 1000 millivolt pickups deliver an extraordinary amount of output which is surprising considering this is a passive instrument. You may even want to set your amp to active mode because of all of the juice you’re getting out of this guy.
The tonal possibilities are very versatile, it’s a straight P if you want but also much more with those different arrangements of the circuitry. So why have multiple basses when you’ve got one that can give you your basic P plus a lot more?
To sum it up, the Black Knight PP is an amazing instrument. The attention to detail that BITE puts into their basses is second to none. This bass is also amazingly balanced and gorgeous to hold and feel with the satin neck finish.
For more information, visit online at bite.guitars/product/black-knight-pp
Bass Videos
Reviews: Phil Jones Bass Compact Plus 450 and Bass Engine 17
Phil Jones Bass Compact Plus 450 and Bass Engine 17 Reviews…
In this issue, we take an in-depth look at two new amps from Phil Jones Bass, the Compact Plus 450 and Bass Engine 17.
For more information, visit online at pjbworld.com
Bass Videos
Video Review: BITE Custom Bass – The Black Knight PP Bass
BITE Custom Bass – The Black Knight PP Bass Review…
I am sure many of you saw my review of the Snobby Steampunk Bass from BITE Guitars back in February of 2021 and will remember what a remarkable bass it was. BITE has been building custom basses since 2019 and has a unique custom approach where you can configure your bass to your specs.
I am very excited to have another Bass From BITE Guitars in my hands, The Black Knight PP Bass!
The need for a P-Bass in one’s armamentarium is pretty standard for bass players and I recall chatting about this with Marty O’Brien about a year ago. It turns out that Marty and BITE Guitars got together and came up with this excellent configuration that gives you a P-Bass with a whole lot more. Marty even played his own Black Knight PP bass at the 2024 NAMM show. You can see his review here.
Join me as I take an in-depth look at this very cool instrument and share all the details.
Here is The Black Knight Bass from BITE Guitars!
For more information, visit online at bite.guitars/product/black-knight-pp
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
New Gear: Spector Woodstock Custom Collection Volume II
Preparing for Performance with Dr. Randy Kertz
This Week’s Top 10 Basses on Instagram
The Frank Brocklehurst 6-String Fretless Bass Build
Guy Pratt, Not Your Average Guy – May 2024 Issue
