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For more on this Kubicki one-off (above) click here.
1989 Fender Custom Shop Kubicki by Pamelina, who formally did almost all of the high-end Custom Shop graphics for over a decade and now does custom orders on her own.
Super-rare Coral/Pink Kubicki body.
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You wouldn't notice it without them side-by-side but the actual Fender Kubicki hardware is NOT of the same finished quality as the real Kubickis. There are rough edges on the metal, places where the pieces aren't quite aligned, etc....sort of like a Ford versus a Mercedes (possibly this is also why the string action is a problem.) Oddly enough, after setting all the basses' intonation with a Sabine rack tuner, the two Fender Kubickis' saddles were identical to one another...but noticeably different from the real Ex Factors in the way they lined up. Strange. As most everyone here knows, except for the very early 1989 Fender Kubickis that used some left over real Kubicki parts stock, Fender changed the electronics...as easily spotted by the 5-position rotary tone selector (as opposed to the original Kubicki 6-position one.) Side-by-side, the original Kubicki electronics SMOKE the Fenders. They seem to have more output and better choice of tone presets to start from. So...it becomes obvious that the roughly $250 that Phil Kubicki charges to "swap out" the Fender guts and install his real guts is a wise upgrade. The Key Factor 5-string uses the same real Kubicki pickups and electronics and sounds every bit as good as the Ex Factors. Actually, it sounds better on the few low notes below the E only because of the girth of the low B (but obviously you are trading off a sleek 4-string for a wider neck.) If you don't really need the few extra notes below the extended Ex Factor drop D, then you problably would be just as happy without the true GROWL of that B. Another nice thing about the Key Factor 5 is that the string spacing is .700-inch, fairly close to the .750-inch of the Ex Factor so you don't notice the difference. The Key Factor uses a 34-inch scale length because it is necessary for the low B's tension. While it is not as "easy" feeling as the shorter 32-inch Ex Factor (yes, 36-inch on the D extension), it is still comfortable and pretty much the "standard" scale length for basses on the planet Earth (which includes Korea, Japan and Mexico...) While I would prefer the Key Factor 5 to have the bridge tuner system like the Ex Factors and the multi-laminated maple neck, it does not. Phil Kubicki told me that this was because the end-user price would have been too high. There is ONE prototype 5-string with that sort of bridge that Phil did (and still has) during the Fender Kubicki years...to the tune of some $75,000 in research and development money. The good thing about the Key Factor bridge is that the saddle "barrels" are a meaty .44-inch in diameter (7/16-inch) and made of annodized aluminum. Great sustain. As far as the 5-string neck...I guess the closest general comparison for feel might be to a Fender...not "baseball battish" like a Gibson/Hamer (not meant as a negative comment) or "flat" like an Ibanez. It's a nice in-between (Stuart Spector-ish maybe) with a comfortable radius. Kubicki's website specs say it's a 7.5-inch radius like the Ex Factor, although it doesn't seen quite that tight |
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(but the Kubicki site also says the 5-string has a laminated neck...untrue, it's a one-piece.) Also the 5-string has 24-frets/two octaves, always one of my pet peeves about the Ex Factor - one fret short. I wish the Ex Factor was offered with a two-octave neck at least as an "option."
My Key Factor 5 has a rosewood fingerboard which is nice, although I prefer the Ex Factor's ebony board or even a maple one. But hey, I bought it used and got a great deal. Can't have everything.
NOTE: To my great amazement, my "prototype" Fender Kubicki with the Precision Deluxe electronics and pickups, SMOKED the Fender Kubicki's standard electronics. I still don't know why/when this Kubicki was made at the Custom Shop (no serial number...see "mc2NY KubickiPics" photo gallery pics "Mystery Kubicki") but someone had some good ideas. It seems that it was closer to what Stu Hamm actually ended up playing after he modded out his stock Fender Kubickis. Outside of a minor grounding problem on this one, the volume, pan (wired backwards), and stacked active multi-band electronics boost/cut have considerably more output and tonal control. Closer to the quality of the real Kubickis. This would've helped Fender if they'd used this setup instead of changing the real Kubicki setup the way they did.
ERGONOMICS:
Well, all four Ex Facors here have the same great Kubicki ergonomic feel (except for the higher string action on the Fenders.) So, time to dwell on the Key Factor 5...
Guess what? It's actually lighter-weight by a half-pound than the Ex Factors, probably due to the absence of the big Kubicki bridge to tune on the body. So, even with the head tuners, it's only 8 pounds! The tuning machines are also unusual in that they are custom Schallers that are close to guitar-sized tuners but with larger slots to string bass strings. This is a simplification because they are also somewhat more "beefier" than normal guitar tuners but you get the idea.
The body of the Key Factor 5 is near identical to the Ex Factor...same width, .25-inch SHORTER, only .125-inch deeper. The only real difference is that the overall length from tail to head is an extra 2.25-inches more to accomodate the tuners. But the bass remains as well-balanced as the original Ex Factor largely due to the clever design of those Schaller mini-bass tuning machines. So, NO neck dive! By the way, I use 3.5-inch wide straps that Silver Eagle stopped making...wide leather on each of the ends and tight macramae-like woven center. Durable, comfortable and they don't slide. Wish I could find a bunch of these somewhere...
CONCLUSION:
So, what does all this mean? OK, here's where everyone gets pissed off and I assign total points to each bass to simplify things.
a) Real Kubicki Ex Factors: Still a GREAT design with the super playable 32-inch scale. GREAT electronics. Only personal gripes are the lack of the 24th fret and that the neck is sometimes sensitive to weather changes if you don't baby it.
Rating...9.6 out of 10
b) Fender Kubicki (stock): Close to the real ones but not the same. However, since most people know this, you can pick one up second-hand for at least one-third cheaper than a used real Kubicki. This would allow you to spend the few hundred to swap out the electronics for real ones, have the neck sealed and grind the saddles, etc. You could make it into a great one maybe for a little less than a real used Kubicki if you are on a tight budget...or at least do it in stages as you could afford it and, in the meantime, at least own a Kubicki. There also seems to be a lot more used Fenders floating around. Even though the hardware is not as "refined" as the real Kubickis, it is still good.
Rating...8 out of 10
c) Fender Kubicki (prototype): Well, since this is most likely the only one of these, rating it is irrelevant for purchase but it will give you an idea of how it compares here. Has the string action shortcomings of the Fenders but the electronics are far superior, despite the minor grounding/reversed wire problem it had when I got it. Its six-piece AAAA flame maple front and back also give it points.
Rating: 9 out of 10
d) Kubicki Key Factor 5-string: This thing plays and sounds almost every bit as good as the original Kubicki Ex Factors. Although it's not quite as amazing as the 32-inch scale of the Ex Factor, it needs the 34-inch scale because of the low B-string. Same body, same electronics...but no on-body tuning. Might actually look a bit "weird" with the mini-tuners but that's a subjective thing I guess. String height adjustment actually better than the Ex Factors.
Rating 9.3 out of 10
OK...there you have it. Enjoy the pics and send your hate mail to the boss :)
-jon
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[Jon Maye has worked as editor of The Music Paper and Musicians Exchange magazines and the trade magazine The Music & Sound Retailer and the former field TV reporter for NAMM-TV News at the NAMM trade shows. He was also in charge of the Music & Sound Awards for six years. He co-founded MSN: Musician TV the television network for musicians and has been a contributing editor for numerous US and foreign publications and written equipment catalogs for manufacturers such as Ibanez/Hoshino, as well as numerous equipment reviews. As a professional bassist/songwriter and producer he has had Billboard Magazine credits, national radio airplay and speaks as a panelist at music conventions in the US and Europe. A former radio DJ who still does voiceover production, avid photographer/videographer with an award from The American Film Institute... he has been playing bass for more than 25 years, primarily headless 4- and 5-string models (Kubicki & Leduc), as well as 8- and 12-string ones (Hamer & Pedulla) through vintage SUNN tube amps or modern SWR amplifiers.
(c)2001 mc2 international, inc.
