Bruce Johnson's Scroll Bass

[Dave W]

Congratulations. Seems like you've been waiting for it a long time.

[Rhythm N. Bliss]

Coooool as hell! More pics & further evaluations, por favor.

[nofi]

a very nice bass, indeed. i would prefer the fretted version as well.

[gweimer]

I've been dinking with it today.  The frets on this bass are the smallest I've ever seen.  I also never knew that the fretboard has an arch, much like an upright.  It's been pretty easy to adjust to it.  Anyone know what the three output jacks are for?  I didn't get any documentation on it.  I think the hardest thing to get used to is the headstock.  It's a monster compared to most other basses.  It just looks/feels so different.  Otherwise, this is a pretty comfortable bass, with a nice mellow sound.  Can't wait to get it in an open room with a live band.

[Dave W]

Separate output jacks for each pickup and a third for both? I can't see from the pic, does yours have two pickups?

[gweimer]

Found this update from 2001 on his website:
-A new tailpiece assembly has multiple string anchor holes to allow the use of different length strings, including the commonly available "Extra Long Scale" "Long Scale Plus" and "Super Long Scale" sizes, as well as the special "Ampeg length" strings. This will give you much more choice in string brands and gauges. I normally will ship your Scroll Bass with D'Addario Chromes flatwounds in the special Ampeg Length, unless you ask for something different.

-There are now two pickups, and a new controls and output jack configuration, with three output jacks and volume, tone, and blend controls. Two of the jacks are direct "hotwire" feeds from the pickups, and the other is a "normal" output, blending the signals from the two pickups and passing it through the volume and tone controls. Any of the jacks can be used simultaneously, which can be very handy in the studio or on stage. The entire pickup system is mounted to a sturdy brass plate that shows through the pickguard.

-The fretted AEB-2 model now has very tiny #764 mandolin-size frets. These work great with the flatwound strings and make the neck exceptionally smooth and fast feeling.

[chromium]

Wow, Gary - man that is beautiful!

Cool- I see you found that info on the jacks.  Somewhere, I had seen a page with more detail on the pickups.  The basses pictured on his site have - what looks like - four soapbar pickups, but its really just two p-bass pickups.  Each soapbar contains 1/2 of a p-bass pickup coil.  The design would enable you to rearrange how each pickup's bass and treble coil was oriented.  

I'd love to see a closeup of your pickup - wondering what's under there    If that is a single pickup cover on your bass, I'd guess that there are two distinct pickups hiding underneath it. 
 
In addition to the pickup design change, it also looks like he went to more of a traditional Ampeg-style tailpiece on this bass - instead of the individual anchors for each string.

I love it!  Let the copious amounts of hi-res macro pics commence!!  

[Highlander]

We don't have a "sub-zero" emoticon, Gary...

Jealousy has a name, and it is "Scroll"...

Al... or "Scrollian - in Bass, no one can hear you scream..." 

[gweimer]

I'll get some close-ups of the pickups.  I think they've changed again.  Looks like 4 separate poles, and each has a separate cover.  Also need to find out about the jacks.  One jack seems to be a wide-open mix of both pickups with no knob controls at all.

[gweimer]

Here's what I got from Bruce today, regarding the pickups and controls:

Here's a quick overview:

The M-pickup is the cluster of 4 coils in the center of the body. They're made to give a thick, warm electric bass sound. You can adjust them individually in height with a 3/32" Allen wrench, to change the balance in levels between strings. Each coil has three 1/4" Alnico V magnets, so they're quite powerful.

The P-pickup is down inside the body, under the bridge. This is a mechanical/percussive pickup unlike anything on any other bass. The bridge is mounted on a suspension system of tuned spring bars, so it physically twitches and moves when you pluck the strings. The motion is similar to how the bridge moves on an upright bass, and it adds a pop and warble to the attack profile, and some sympathetic harmonics across the strings. The effect is very dynamic; the harder you pluck, the more you hear. Two magnets hang down from the suspension frame into a pair of coils mounted deep down in the body, which capture the movement and turn it into signal.

The output jack closest to the knobs is the "normal" output, which you'll use most of the time. The Volume, Tone, and Blend controls only work through the Normal output jack.

The knob at the bottom is the Tone control. It's a passive high roll-off, with a progressive rate. Fully clockwise is wide open; counter-clockwise cuts off most of the high end above 1khz.

The knob nearest the tailpiece is the Blend control, which is a linear blend between the M-pickup and the P-pickup. Fully clockwise is all P-pickup; fully counter-clockwise is all M-pickup.

The two output jacks up against the strings are the Bypass jacks. The one nearest the bridge is for the M-pickup, and the one nearest the tailpiece is for the P-pickup. When you plug into either of the Bypass jacks, it disconnects that pickup from the rest of the circuit and connects it directly to the Bypass jack. You'll find that the sound directly from each pickup is clearer and has more frequency range than it does going through the control circuit. In the studio, you can plug two cords into the Bypass jacks, running into two channels in the recording console. This will allow you to do one take, and have two separate tracks of the two pickups, fully isolated and synched together. You can them blend them as you like during mixdown.

I also use the M-pickup Bypass Jack (the one closest to the bridge) to quickly plug in my electronic tuner. The thick, warbling tone of the P-pickup can confuse some electronic tuners.

A quick note about your bass: While #066 was here, I did some experimenting with its P-pickup, trying some new ideas and comparing the sound to my own #060. I learned a few things and ended up incorporating two design changes in #066 that worked very well. They will now become standard, and I may retrofit #060 and others. One change was switching to larger 3/8" x 1" Alnico 5 magnets, in place of the previous 1/4" x 1" magnets. This boosted the output level of the P-pickup some, but mostly it boosted the very low subharmonics. The second change involves the shape of two rubber damping blocks that reduce two harmonic points in the spring bars. Without them, the P-pickup would have a slight annoying ring at two spots on the fingerboard. Previously, I had been using rectangular rubber blocks that clamped around the spring bars which worked okay. However, experimenting on #066, I found that small wedge-shaped rubber blocks worked even better. They damped the harmonics, with out as much overall damping of the pickup's tone. The R & D never ends here!

Other trivia: #066 is the first fretted Series IV model that I've built. I spent some time playing it, and even took it (along with #060) to one of my bluegrass jam sessions. I photographed it well, and it will be shown prominently in my upgraded web site....whenever I get it finished!

[Dave W]

I'd need an engineering degree to play it. More than one pickup and I get confused.   It does sound like he has some interesting concepts, I hope you can dial in your sound without too much trouble.

[OldManC]

Wow, that bass has quite a history already. That's really cool...

[Rhythm N. Bliss]

I asked Bruce if it would be possible to make mine with no pickguard & he said No.
I wonder if he could minimize it tho. Look at the pics on his site of the painting process stages.
The Scroll looks AWESOME without a pickguard!!! 
Also asked him about custom colors & he said he's done a Cobalt Blue & Black burst that turned out real nice & recently an Emerald Green & Black burst that is also gorgeous!!
He did a gold & black burst but said it was a pain & wouldn't wanna do it again.
I've still got a year or 3 wait to decide about all the details.

[gweimer]

I took it out to the gig on Saturday.  For starters, let me say that it's probably not a good idea to get 2 new basses within a few weeks of each other, nor is it a good idea to bring them both to the same gig.  It was so hard to pick between the two.  I used the Scroll bass for the first two sets.  This is a very unique animal.  The arched fretboard gives it a different feel.  The bass balances nicely, and feels pretty comfortable.  It has a very warm, defined sound, along with one of the most dominant E strings I've ever had on a bass.  Everyone said it sounded great out front, and also has a nice close-up presence.  I'd almost say that the Scroll has one of the most natural sounds I've played.  I played around with the blend of the two pickups a bit, using more of the pickup under the bridge for the more traditional country stuff.  I was told you could hear the thumping out front pretty well, even though I didn't detect a lot of change from the stage.

Now for the BachBird.  Beast, I tell you, beast!  This has that Thunderbird roar that I love so much.  You don't hear it so much on stage, but you KNOW it's hitting the back wall quite nicely.  It's a better fit for some of the all-out rock songs, but still has enough warmth to cover the older country stuff like "Memory of a Memory".  This bass is good enough as is, that I'm almost worried about what will happen when I swap the pickup out.   

[Highlander]

Gary... re your BB... the oldest rule in engineering is "if it ain't broke, don't fix it..." 
and re your Scroll... just checked the lottery... Damn...! still on the wish list...