Mechanical Extension. Not my best idea.

[Samuel Budnyk]

First off: Let the pictures speak, than I will ask the two or three questions I have.
Here are all the pics of the extension and scroll work.
This one is the only exception. Its of the breaking -_-




And the final pic of that entire side of the scroll:

[Samuel Budnyk]

OK, sorry for the poor writing and any mispellings. It was written on the iPhone. But here are my questions:
1.) Is there any cosmetic recourse for the hole drilled in my scroll?
2.) What work (that costs money :P ) is required if I remove this extension from the bass (other than having to buy another, non-extended, string)?
3.) Would your answer to the above change if I plan on having another extension (albeit NOT mechanical) put on my bass?

[Thomas Erickson]

1. The hole is no big deal. You can probably use it to run the string from another type of extension, or if you don't use one, just ignore it. If it really annoys you, plug it and varnish it over.

2 + 3 - Hard to say for sure, but adding a different extension probably won't cost any more than installing that extension would on a bass that had none to begin with.

All that said, I'd keep the mechanical and fix it. Just 'cuz.

[Samuel Budnyk]

lol I think this extension has given me PTSD -no combat-related component, however.
I personally can't deal with the rattling anymore. It requires constant tweaking and then THIS happened. Just frustrating all together.

[Thomas Erickson]

Armed Forces solution -

Blame the ammo and put a prophylactic device on it.

[Ken Smith]

Originally Posted by Samuel Budnyk

lol I think this extension has given me PTSD -no combat-related component, however.
I personally can't deal with the rattling anymore. It requires constant tweaking and then THIS happened. Just frustrating all together.

Can I see a picture of the FRONT of the Extension to see what the pads look like that press down the String?

Also, what kind or brand of Extension is this and, where did you get it.

Changing to a similar extension fitted to the same board will be cheaper than starting over again, I think.

Do NOT worry about holes in the Scroll. They are never 100% perfect and if You change to a different extension, you will need to plug that hole and trill another. Varnish touch-up is not a big deal. Even if you put a new extension of the exact same kind, the re-fit may not work with that hole either so forget about that hole meaning anything. It is the extension and how it works that counts.

Also, welding new Keys onto your fingering system might be a possibility as well. Some of these Extensions are made in China and are doomed to fail if not rebuilt including others made in Europe. These new ones are not as good as the old ones from decades ago. They call this, 'Progress'.

[tim givens]

Can't you just remove the metalwork, leaving a fingered extension? you'd have to come up with an E stop solution.

[Samuel Budnyk]

The metalwork and "capos" (i dont know the correct term) are all one unit. I cannot remove the mechanical part without removing all of the fingers -and Ken, I do not know if the wood is actually thick enough to insert a capo, and if it is it would be JUST there.

[Eric Hochberg]

A "fingered" extension is one with just an E stop. Using your fingers only to stop the other notes.

[Samuel Budnyk]

To tell the truth -I would LOVE that over this.

[Ken Smith]

Originally Posted by Samuel Budnyk

To tell the truth -I would LOVE that over this.

Sam, what Extension is that that fell apart?

I know players that swear buy each type (not brand) of extension as that's what they like to use best between the Fingered Ext., Chromatic Ext. and Mechanical Ext.. The old original Facwett and Stenholm are the mainstays of the worlds bass sections. There are a few shops that make great handmade Chromatic extensions with mostly Ebony Capos that you can 'HIT' moving back to open them in a hurry without breaking any bones or cutting any Arteries. There are some that will injure you and those I can't stand to play on. Cheaper and easier to install yes but not easier to operate or use in the long run. You get what you pay for when it comes to labor, if you are lucky.

Having a single E capo MADE or buying a completely new Facwett or Stenholm re-issue would be my choice for that bass as the extended fingerboard is not the best for a fingered conversion from what I can see.

Asking these questions on the internet you get answers from veteran extension players, people that sell them and players that just have an opinion. Good luck with your decision with this.

[Samuel Budnyk]

Mr Kolstein as always is providing excellent customer service. He has offered to replace it with a fully chromatic or partially fingered extension in exchange for the broken mechanical.

Originally Posted by Ken Smith

Sam, what Extension is that that fell apart?

I know players that swear buy each type (not brand) of extension as that's what they like to use best between the Fingered Ext., Chromatic Ext. and Mechanical Ext.. The old original Facwett and Stenholm are the mainstays of the worlds bass sections. There are a few shops that make great handmade Chromatic extensions with mostly Ebony Capos that you can 'HIT' moving back to open them in a hurry without breaking any bones or cutting any Arteries. There are some that will injure you and those I can't stand to play on. Cheaper and easier to install yes but not easier to operate or use in the long run. You get what you pay for when it comes to labor, if you are lucky.

Having a single E capo MADE or buying a completely new Facwett or Stenholm re-issue would be my choice for that bass as the extended fingerboard is not the best for a fingered conversion from what I can see.

Asking these questions on the internet you get answers from veteran extension players, people that sell them and players that just have an opinion. Good luck with your decision with this.

[Samuel Budnyk]

Oh, and as far as type I believe he said it was an english extension... But its buttons are NOT in reverse like the old ones.

[Ken Smith]

Originally Posted by Samuel Budnyk

Oh, and as far as type I believe he said it was an english extension... But its buttons are NOT in reverse like the old ones.

The German Stenholm was in reverse. The English Facwett was not. Was your English Extension a New one he put on or something 30 or more years old? Was it the new English 'made' one or the English 'copy' he is having made for his shop? Big difference here between the three. Tom Martin supplies the new ones from England. The Old English ones are gone for decades now. Kolstein might have something else from what I have heard.

Well, I hope it works out.

[Jeff Campbell]

This is a Fawcett machine made in England circa early mid-1970s. I had one on former bass and I love it. The only problem was that while all the cams were made of stainless steel, the mechanism that held it all together was made of aluminum. Eventually, it wore out and I had a machine shop fab a new part. After that, it worked great. I eventually sold the bass - so no more Fawcett extension. After a while, Fawcett stopped making these and at some point, the English Luthier, Ronald Prentice bought the patterns and started production on them (Mr. Prentice sent me a few minor parts (springs etc.). Now the machine is sold by Thomas Martin's shop - I don't know if he makes them or contacts them out but they are shown on his website.

The Fawcett machine was a designed to finger in the same chromatic manner as you would on the fingerboard - a departure from the German ones that finger in reverse - although I have seen at least one Fawcett machine that was designed like the German ones. Martin has redesigned the keys and they don't look like the 'open hole - clarinet keys' from the original Fawcett. It may be likely that new keys could be purchased from Tom's shop.