Show your Extensions!

[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.