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Another non-turd - Kydd Basses

Modifications to Kydd Basses

About five years ago I found a Kydd Bass ( http://www.kyddbass.com/ ) at a local bass store here in D.C. - Jive Sound ( http://www.jivesound.com/home/ ).
Amazing instrument... I started using it exclusively at gigs with Jon Fritz.

Recently, I found another at a local Guitar Center - shown on the left in the photo. The older one (serial 200xx) is on the right.
The newer one seems to be a different wood, and has chrome hardware; the older one black. But pretty much the same...
The newer one (serial 23xxx) came with a different Manfrotto tripod - I found an old 3205 on ebay and changed it out.

I was looking to get a bit more sustain out of both - the Fishman's they come with are OK for stuff like Jazz and arco...
I then started using it at metal shows and at large venues, the Fishman would feedback. I had seen on the Kydd site that the guy from one of the Andrew Lloyd Webber orchestra's had mounted split EMG's to his...

So I decided to mod them using Lace USAB's ( http://www.lacemusic.com/USAB.php ) modified with additional N42 neodymium magnets at the poles for the three middle strings.
Once I got them where I wanted, I just epoxied them in place. I fabbed a bracket that allows me to slide them (kinda like the old Gibson Grabber) for various tones.

Works extremely well. On my o'scope the output of all the strings are within a half dB or so...

Also decided to CNC an aluminum bridge... got even more sustain.

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