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SC6 Fretless for Carlos. The spec that Carlos gave me included the need for 'power and definition for any style with a singing voice for melodies and solos' 'sound to be direct and clear but at the same time...velvet like, elegant and, above all, original'. It also had to have a low action and a weight below 4.5kg. Wow! Have I achieved it? I can say it has a low action and weighs in at under 4.5kg! Some details. The top is dramatic Irish oak burr (sometimes known as 'pippy oak') which has so many holes that some have to be filled with stained epoxy resin. The body wings are sapele and have been hollowed out internally to keep the weight down but still maintain the sustain. The neck is laminated from sapele and hard maple and has 8 pieces of carbon fibre under the ebony fingerboard which has enabled a very thin carving from front to back. Pickups are Kent Armstrong humbuckers with the coils wired in parallel and wide spaced - both of these things extend the frequency range. The pickups are made in ebony cases. The EQ is the U-Retro DeLuxe preamp made by John East and is one of the best I have ever heard (full of features and studio quiet) and I think I would need it for a week to explore all it can do. Carlos wanted both jack and XLR outputs. To keep the weight down Hipshot Ultralite machines are fitted and the excellent Schaller 2000 series bridge hold the strings in place. The fish inlay at the 12th fret position is MOP.
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