Philip Kubicki EX Factor 4 Birdseye Maple

A Factor bass with a style that's remained unchanged for over 40 years.

This time, we've got a chic and stylish birdseye maple top in stock.

What you'd never guess from this shape is that the maker, Kubicki, is originally from Fender.

At first, it may seem like a quirky, new bass with no real connection,

but once you touch it, it feels very much like a bass.

First, when I picked it up...the overall balance doesn't feel like it's headless.

The neck end doesn't feel like it's floating, and the distance from your holding position to the nut feels natural.

The naturalness of the 32-inch scale, which you might not notice if you weren't told it was 32 inches, makes you wonder if the overall balance was carefully considered.

With a short scale, you might be concerned about the playability and tension, but it has quite a solid feel.

It's not loose, it responds quickly, and vibrations are transmitted firmly to the body.

Looking at each part, we can see that the top is made of traditional birdseye maple.

The birdseye isn't too gaudy, and the pale amber gives it a sense of elegance.

It's a standard bolt-on guitar, but the center extending from the fingerboard is also made with an ebony top, creating a sense of unity.

The alder back is also one-piece, a luxurious finish.

The neck is Factor's signature 34-ply maple.

It also has a truss rod, so you can be sure it will last.

The ebony fingerboard only extends to the end of the neck, and features another signature Factor-based feature: the extended Low D system called "STRING CLIP."

Lift the clip with your thumb, and with your remaining finger, slide the string toward the D string.

When you then lower the clip, it changes from open E to open D.

What sets it apart from systems like the Hipshot that change tuning pegs is that even when you switch to open D, you can use your existing frets and get the same sound.

Even if you need a slightly D key down, as long as you keep in mind that only the open 4th string changes the sound, you can play with the usual fingering.

The bridge looks like something straight out of a Ghibli movie, mechanical and complicated, but in fact it's actually a very simple structure.

The original instruction manual is included, so you can rest assured (in English).

While I don't think this is patented, the large, distinctive knobs require a little study.

From the neck side, the top of the stack is the master volume, and the bottom is the pickup balancer.

(The balancer is a reverse type, with clockwise rotation being the rear.)

The center knob is boost-only for both the bass (top) and treble (bottom).

The last knob is not a volume knob, but a selector, and switches with a firm click.

From clockwise to counterclockwise:

1. Standby (Mute. It is stated that it does not consume power.)

2. 1. Active Flat (Treble Bass Enabled)

2. Active Mid-Cut (Treble Bass Enabled)

3. Passive Flat (Treble Bass Disabled)

4. Passive Flat (Treble Bass Disabled)

5. Passive Mid-Cut (Treble Bass Disabled)

6. Passive High-Cut (Treble Bass Disabled)

A wide variety of specifications are available.

This level of attention to detail is possible because everything from the pickups to the preamp is original.

It's amazing that this was even thought of 40 years ago.

Perhaps there were few amps at the time that could output the clean, not-too-powerful humbuckers and clear preamp as they were.

Playing it with a modern amp seems to bring back the sound Kubicki was aiming for.

From a sharp, aggressive sound to a slightly mellow, yet fast, sound.

Tweaking it all over, it's becoming more and more fun to play, and it seems like it's rare to find a headless bass that makes you forget it's headless.

[Key Specifications]

・Color: Amber

・Body: Birdseye Maple (Ebony Center) / Alder (One Piece)

・Neck: Laminated hard rock maple bolt-on neck, 23 frets, 32 inches (plus 2 extra frets)

・Fingerboard: Ebony

・Pickups: Two Kubicki humcancelling pickups

・Preamp: Kubicki 18v Preamp

・Controls: Volume/Balance, Bass/Treble (Boost Only), 6-Way Rotary Switch

・Tuning Tuners: None

・Bridge: Kubicki with internal tuning machines, 19mm pitch

・Weight: 4.15kg

・Hard case included

・Warranty: 1-year manufacturer's warranty

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