How do I order a Kimmel bass?
Peter Coco made a Regular Order :
he chose a standard Milanese model with a redwood top, walnut sides and flatback, a myrtle removable neck, solo fingerboard, graduated tailpiece, etc
Glenn Dewey also made a Regular Order:
He chose a standard Milanese model with a sitka spruce top and walnut sides and flat-back, with a standard tailpiece and fingerboard.
Ordering a bass from me grants you a wide range of options.
When you make a Regular Order for a bass you get to choose from any of my current models which all have the same base price for the flat back version and the same base price for the carved back version. All are made of lovely, high quality Alaskan Sitka and Western Maple. The base prices include a choice of tuners, a soft bag (in a variety of colors) made in the USA by Messina Covers, a solid carbon fiber end-pin, a hand-made straight tailpiece, and shipping .
You choose all the add ons you want from there: removable neck or not, fancy wood upgrade, fingerboard and tailpiece designs, if/where you want fingerboard dots, solid or hollow CF end pin, custom inlay, and so on. Each option is priced á la carte style, so you are in charge of balancing your needs and dreams, and you get an amazing instrument tailored specifially to your life as a bass player.
My Pacific Violone model (which is largely based on Cooke Harvey's custom order from a few years ago shown below) is great for someone who wants to make an order with a few more options, such as string length and body size, but without going all the way to "custom."
A Custom Order is a whole other ball of wax. This means you get an idea in your head about a new, different kind of bass you would like to have. Perhaps you want a copy of an antique bass that is far too valuable to travel/gig with, or that your friend owns. Or maybe you want a three sting bass--who knows?! You call me and together we try to figure out the feasability of the project. Design work and set up costs add to the price, of course, but you get a uniquely new instrument.
Clients really seem to enjoy going through the building process, whether it was a regular special order or a custom order. If this approach sounds intiguing to you, please get in contact.
Another custom bass, for Cooke Harvey:
SIX strings, 5/8 size, Walnut back, maple sides, spruce top, sound ports, purple stain. Designed to be played amplified.
Cooke Harvey made a Custom Order :
Pine and Quilted maple, 5 strings, 5/8 size. He says it changed his life.
In Cooke's own words:
"...it is true that 5 string changed my life and the way I approach the bass.
I would say for both basses, it is important to find an instrument that fits you like a glove, is easy to play and offers musical opportunities that other basses don't, and both my Seth Kimmel custom basses do that. It is really important for people to know that Seth works with the client closely, listening to requirements and translating those into different wood combinations, size variations, unique artisitic statements as well as beautiful sounding transformed trees!
He works focused, fast and fair.
That is why I came to Seth and why I built the two basses I did."
Cooke Harvey is a free lance bassist in the NYC area.
Click on the images below to see some of the personalized inlay and carving ideas various clients have opted for in the past few years. It costs a little extra, but it definitely makes for a unique bass.
