Show your Extensions!

[Robert Anzellotti]

Originally Posted by Ken Smith

... Did you save a lot of money using those generic latches as opposed to hand made Ebony ones to match your E closure?

I have tried those on other peoples basses and when I reverse 'ridge hand' it to open them up on the fly they hurt or almost cut me IF I can open them. The rounded Ebony fingers just feel so much smoother whacking them when in a hurry as I don't usually use my fingers as clamps to move them open, just the side edge of my hand/fore finger/knuckle.

This is the first tunable Chromatic Ebony fingers C/X that Arnold made for me using tunable Brackets;
Then, Arnold had some more brackets made up and made these two for me back to back;

I've had others made from both Jeff and Arnold and the ones they currently make which have slowly evolved are the best I have seen anywhere as far as function and workability goes. Well worth the difference in price if you are serious about what you put on your bass.

Ken, Ken, Ken... Generic? No, Justin has the real deal installed on his bass. There are some cheap copies out there, like the ones you have on your basses. BassCapos were the first to use an adjustable U-slot design for the mounting bracket. In developing the bracket I worked to create something that was both highly adjustable and aesthetically pleasing. Your copy brackets not only look like a car part, but they don’t appear to adjust laterally. This adjustability is important for getting performance just right. You want to be able to angle them a bit forward for higher action and camber, and back a bit for lower, flatter setups.

You talk about sharp edges and hurt fingers. No one else has complained. Leather is actually softer than ebony, if I’m not mistaken. You clearly have a bias toward ebony fingers. That’s okay. Bassists who feel this way can always use my brackets and have their luthier make the fingers. Also, I have a generous return policy. If my BassCapos were as bad as you say, then I would think that many bassists would have asked for their money back. So far, not a one, and I’ve been selling them for over fifteen years. Ken, you’re all alone out there.

[Ken Smith]

Ron, Rob, Rob, Rob...You're a funny guy.

My capos adjust finer than your twist around ones.

By Generic I mean you BUY them and put them on. You can't BUY the Fingers on mine from a store. Mine have hand made Ebony fingers, rounded without any sharp edges at the end.

I have played yours and they are not as comfortable to use as mine. Also, the Ebony is lighter in weight than the rubber covered brass. Just check the specific gravity between ebony and brass and compare, please!

You invented the screw type adjustment? Well then, they are copies if that's the case!

It is good for Luthiers out there that can just stick something on an extension and not have to make it by hand. Much much easier to do and cheaper labor wise. It's just not as good in my opinion.

I am not alone out here on this. Most people with professionally made C-Extensions (all of it) are professionally employed and too busy to talk on Forums. Between rehearsals and concerts they have to practice.

[Robert Anzellotti]

Originally Posted by Ken Smith

Ron, Rob, Rob, Rob...You're a funny guy.

My capos adjust finer than your twist around ones.

By Generic I mean you BUY them and put them on. You can't BUY the Fingers on mine from a store. Mine have hand made Ebony fingers, rounded without ant sharp edges at the end.

I have played yours and they are not as comfortable to use as mine. Also, the Ebony is lighter in weight than the rubber covered brass. Just check the specific gravity between ebony and brass and compare, please!

You invented the screw type adjustment? Well then, they are copies if that's the case!

It is good for Luthiers out there that can just stick something on an extension and not have to make it by hand. Much much easier to do and cheaper labor wise. It's just not as good in my opinion.

I am not alone out here on this. Most people with professionally made C-Extensions (all of it) are professionally employed and too busy to talk on Forums. Between rehearsals and concerts they have to practice.

Ken, Ken, Ken,

Okay, I'll bite.

Adjustability? One turn changes the height by 1/24th of an inch. That is the rough adjustment. From there you can adjust the vertical position or angle of the mounting bracket on the extension via the screws. Your brackets don't seem to offer this flexibility. What do you do for adjustment, add washers?

Weight? I never talked about weight. Sure ebony is lighter than brass, but still I bet my fingers are lighter than yours. My standard finger (including threaded stud, and there is no nut) weighs 18 grams. Also, LEATHER, no rubber!!!

"stick something on"? Well that was the whole idea of my product. Why should a luthier (who is not a machinist or engineer) have to make something like this over and over again, one at a time? Do the best luthiers always make their own endpin sockets or tailpieces? Does doing so improve the instrument? Also, how is it that your copy brackets are not "sticking something on"? Is each unit custom made? They all look pretty much alike too me.

"You invented the screw type adjustment?"
I didn't really invent anything. I was, however, the first to employ U-slots for C-Extension mounting brackets. The idea seems obvious now, but I was doing it commercially for like 12 years before any copies appeared. As far as the "screw adjustment", if you mean adjusting height by number of turns, then I'm still the only one who does it.

"Most people with professionally made C-Extensions (all of it) are professionally employed and too busy to talk on Forums".
Yeah! and many of them are enjoying a high quality closure device - made by me!

Ken, I know that I won't turn you around on your opinion of my product, but I do respect you for letting my posts stand on your forum. I'm probably doing myself more harm than good by writing here anyway, but best wishes!

[Ken Smith]

I don't mind at all the discussion or arguments. Some swear the Mechanical Extension is better. There, we stand in the same ditch fighting together. And then, there are the 5-string players telling all of us that Extensions are a cheap fix for not having a 5er.

For me, I like moving the capos without looking when moving fast. If I forget to open the C or any other note, I bend my wrist and quickly slide it upwards along the extension opining all the 'fingers' with my forefinger knuckles near my thumb. In Martial Arts we call this 'ridge hand'. I do it with the fingers pointing down and my wrist up as I hit it back fast opening it in a second or so between notes having forgot to open it before. Even when not forgetting, I use this method to open it so its like a reverse or upside down ridge hand.

Normal hand/fingers like this;

With your Capos Rob, they are a bit small for one and the outer edge with the covered brass shows is sharp or squared there and not rounded or softened around the edges like the ebony fingers. Can you make the fingers bigger and with rounded edges?

[Arnold Schnitzer]

OK, I'll join the fray. Rob, I think your capos are a good second choice for making an extension chromatic. If they were the best thing out there, you'd see Robertson's, Mario Lamarre, Dan Hachez, Jeff Bollbach, Robbie McIntosh and me using them exclusively. I do use your capos on occasion when retro-fitting an existing extension or when a player needs to economize. But I prefer ebony for its aesthetics and feel. If you made brackets that looked as pretty as your current ones, that worked with standard 1/4 x 20 hardware, and they stood off a bit more, I would buy them. I believe there is a place for both pre-made capos and custom ones. Ken has an opinion that you don't like, but the world is full of people who disagree yet get along.

[Robert Anzellotti]

Originally Posted by Arnold Schnitzer

OK, I'll join the fray. Rob, I think your capos are a good second choice for making an extension chromatic. If they were the best thing out there, you'd see Robertson's, Mario Lamarre, Dan Hachez, Jeff Bollbach, Robbie McIntosh and me using them exclusively. I do use your capos on occasion when retro-fitting an existing extension or when a player needs to economize. But I prefer ebony for its aesthetics and feel. If you made brackets that looked as pretty as your current ones, that worked with standard 1/4 x 20 hardware, and they stood off a bit more, I would buy them. I believe there is a place for both pre-made capos and custom ones. Ken has an opinion that you don't like, but the world is full of people who disagree yet get along.

Well, Geez! why didn't you say so before? I'd be happy to make some mounts to fit your needs. I agree that there are advantages to wood fingers. They can be shaped artistically to fit a particular bass, and even a special wood or finish chosen. There are those like Ken who simply prefer a larger surface for finger contact, and some people want a tail so they can have thumb operation. I designed my fingers to be simple, compact, unobtrusive, and universal. It's impractical for me to offer too many options, and I can keep my price low by offering only the single design in two lengths.

Many bassists and luthiers are happy with my finger design (otherwise I wouldn't be in business!) but I realize that this doesn't fit everyone's needs. For them, I encourage the use of wood fingers, which can be easily mated with my mounting hardware. I am happy to sell the brackets by themselves, so the luthier can go wild making the fingers, and not have to worry about machining.

One final note. I use the slightly larger stud because it is not only more stable, but allows for my "internal brake" which eliminates the need for a locknut for resistance adjustment. Also, the threaded approach makes for simpler height adjustment. This makes the assembly simpler (fewer parts), lighter, more reliable, and easier to install than with the traditional approach. I think that these innovations are a step forward on the design side, but I conceed that it also makes later resistance adjustments more difficult. I am no fundamentalist. Arnold, if you want a bracket with a 1/4" thru hole and appropriate races for washers, I'd be happy to accommodate you! Let's talk.

[Arnold Schnitzer]

Originally Posted by Robert Anzellotti

Well, Geez! why didn't you say so before? I'd be happy to make some mounts to fit your needs. I agree that there are advantages to wood fingers. They can be shaped artistically to fit a particular bass, and even a special wood or finish chosen. There are those like Ken who simply prefer a larger surface for finger contact, and some people want a tail so they can have thumb operation. I designed my fingers to be simple, compact, unobtrusive, and universal. It's impractical for me to offer too many options, and I can keep my price low by offering only the single design in two lengths.

Many bassists and luthiers are happy with my finger design (otherwise I wouldn't be in business!) but I realize that this doesn't fit everyone's needs. For them, I encourage the use of wood fingers, which can be easily mated with my mounting hardware. I am happy to sell the brackets by themselves, so the luthier can go wild making the fingers, and not have to worry about machining.

One final note. I use the slightly larger stud because it is not only more stable, but allows for my "internal brake" which eliminates the need for a locknut for resistance adjustment. Also, the threaded approach makes for simpler height adjustment. This makes the assembly simpler (fewer parts), lighter, more reliable, and easier to install than with the traditional approach. I think that these innovations are a step forward on the design side, but I conceed that it also makes later resistance adjustments more difficult. I am no fundamentalist. Arnold, if you want a bracket with a 1/4" thru hole and appropriate races for washers, I'd be happy to accommodate you! Let's talk.

Good stuff, Rob. I agree with you that the bracket should be threaded. One other thing I've been doing is using small machine screws to mount the brackets. It's a pain in the butt drilling and tapping all those holes in the ebony, but the excellent hold makes it worthwhile.

[Vince Jesse]

Hi guys. I installed another C extension and would like to show it around here. This time I benefited from earlier experimentation and I'd like to think this one is a bit more refined. No need for the bottom of the extension to be flat and straight for the thumb because the side rail takes care of that duty.

Thoughts?

[Ken Smith]

Originally Posted by wayne holmes

Rob-thanks - I have to say that this last extension that I made was the easiest because I used Rob Anzellotti capos. I don't see anything about them to complain about and they are really easy to install.They are well made with more than just turn the stop and hope for the best engineering.

No matter how good the stops, gates, or whatever you want to call the things you turn - it's hard not to look to see if it's right.

The great thing about Rob's capos is that they can be added on so easily. I would go so far to say that anyone who can use a screw driver can install the side-mounted capos. However, it would be best to let a bass luthier install them for the best result. This is my opinion and experience.

Ken- my favorite of all the extensions pictured was yours- the one that you had on the last post-I think- not much brass showing-very cool!

Which Bass was that Wayne. I have had so many of them. As far as Rob's Capos, I agree they are easy and ready made as compared to the hand made/fit Ebony Capos I get on my Extensions from Arnold and Jeff BUT, I have played Basses with those Capos as well. You get what you pay for. They are not as easy to use as far as flipping them open fast or playing them blind above your head and they do not adjust as fine as far as tension goes. You have limits there to the fixed ration of the screw threads.

If you can't get them handmade or afford them to the quality of the ones made by hand by the better Luthiers that do these then Rob's would be better than bad handmade ones. I would place them as an alternative but not as a premium choice, in my opinion.

I am about to get three or four more extensions made in the next few months. These will be on the new inspired Storioni copy bass, the Storioni (former att.) bass itself, the Mougenot by Jeff and possibly the Malvolti labeled Florentine bass I just got. I don't seem to be able to do without one now that I've been using an Extension of this grade for the last several years. I played some Jazz sets last week and even used it there. Having it and not using it seems a waste, written for or not! (don't tell the conductor, please..)

[Ken Smith]

[quote=wayne holmes;20746]

Originally Posted by Ken Smith

Which Bass was that Wayne.

The one on the "Big Gamba" on page 2----it just has a lot of class-it looks perfectly made


hows come the pictures show up sometimes and sometimes don't?

Originally Posted by Ken Smith

We finally took new pics of the Big Gamba and updated the webpage so here's some shots of the new Bollbach Chromatic Ext..

Pics don't sometimes? I have no idea why. That is an Extension from Jeff, the 2nd of 3 he has made for me so far. All 3 seem about the same master quality. The 4th is yet to come, on the Mougenot he is restoring now.

[Adrian Levi]

Originally Posted by Ken Smith

I don't mind at all the discussion or arguments. Some swear the Mechanical Extension is better. There, we stand in the same ditch fighting together. And then, there are the 5-string players telling all of us that Extensions are a cheap fix for not having a 5er.

For me, I like moving the capos without looking when moving fast. If I forget to open the C or any other note, I bend my wrist and quickly slide it upwards along the extension opining all the 'fingers' with my forefinger knuckles near my thumb. In Martial Arts we call this 'ridge hand'. I do it with the fingers pointing down and my wrist up as I hit it back fast opening it in a second or so between notes having forgot to open it before. Even when not forgetting, I use this method to open it so its like a reverse or upside down ridge hand.

Normal hand/fingers like this;

With your Capos Rob, they are a bit small for one and the outer edge with the covered brass shows is sharp or squared there and not rounded or softened around the edges like the ebony fingers. Can you make the fingers bigger and with rounded edges?

Now THATS one mean hand !!

I'd hate to be in the pit next to you !! One could loose ones entire scroll (if not your life ) in a split second if something went wrong whilst
trying to martial art the extension into tune !

I would opt to wear a bikers helmet or even have a sniper on standby in the wings just in case !