Inside the Stambaugh Designs Duo Switcho: A Double-Neck 8-String/4-String Bass With Retro Roots
Back in 2022, we shared Bob Kowal’s incredible “Retro Switcho” bass built by Chris Stambaugh. Kowal has written us again to share the follow-up, dubbed the “Duo Switcho.”
The new creation is a “double neck dual course 8-string/4-string bass in a ‘Retro/Modern’ style,” he explains, before adding that Stambaugh may be one of the only “anything goes” independent luthiers around.
“If he wasn’t on board, this project would never have happened,” Kowal says.
The Duo Switcho is inspired by the aesthetic of the 1960s Harmony “H-59” three-pickup hollow-body guitars. The two-headed beast is built with a chambered alder body with a bound 1/4-inch ash top. Each maple neck has a 32-inch scale length with a 24-fret Pau Ferro fingerboard. All in, it weighs 14.5 pounds.
“The peg heads were originally going to be slotted, but that seemed too vulnerable,” Kowal tells us. “They were changed to standard peg heads with slotted facades. The bass balances fine when seated and ALMOST balances well when standing. A locally fabricated strap extension eliminated the neck dive issues.”
Kowal gave us a great and detailed explanation of the pickups and controls.
“The six Kent Armstrong Split-Tube pickups are mounted and adjusted from the rear. The pickups’ polarity is set up so that the ‘neck/middle’ and ‘middle/bridge’ combinations are hum-bucking,” he writes. “The round rocker–style pickup switches are laid out to resemble the array of knobs on the H-59. This type of switch is typically found on motor boat control panels. The master volume and tone pots are laterally mounted onto a Fender Jaguar bracket. Custom 3D printed 1.5” diameter ‘roller’ knobs emerge enough from the body to make their numeric settings visible.”
Finally, the necks were given natural satin finishes while the black gloss body got a black/green burst top for extra splash.
Thanks to Bob Kowal and Chris Stambaugh for sharing this incredible bass!
Stambaugh Designs Duo Switcho Photos:
Stambaugh Designs Duo Switcho Specs:
| Construction: | Bolt-on |
| Scale: | 32″ |
| Body: | Chambered Alder |
| Top: | Bound Ash Top |
| Neck: | Two 2-piece Maple, (Dual Course 8=string/4-string) |
| Neck Shape: | ″4 string neck-roughly Jazz neck specs″ |
| Fingerboard: | Bound Pau Ferro |
| Frets: | 24 Medium |
| Inlays: | Side Dots |
| Pickups: | Three Kent Armstrong “Split-Tube” Jazz Bass Style Pickups for Each Neck |
| Controls: | Six On/Off Switches, Master Volume, Master Tone, 3-way Blade Neck Selector Switch |
| Bridge: | Schaller |
| Tuners: | Schaller Tuners with Pearloid Plastic Guitar Buttons |
| Finish: | Black Gloss Body With Black/Green Burst Top |
| Other: | Round “Rocker” style two-pin on/off pickup switches, 3D printed laterally mounted knobs, Outsourced aluminum strap extender, Banjo arm rest, Black “Gripper” Strap buttons, All white plastics |
| Weight: | 14.5 lbs |
In his time with No Treble, Kevin has met hundreds of amazing bassists and interviewed icons like Jack Casady, Victor Wooten, Les Claypool, Marcus Miller, and more. He's a gigging bassist performing jazz in Northern Virginia and bluegrass with The Plate Scrapers up and down the East Coast. Kevin appreciates all genres of music, from R&B to metal and everything in between. Connect with Kevin on Facebook and check his performance schedule on his website.
The prices are not mentioned for a reason. These instruments obviously were not designed and priced for the working class professional musician.cant even afford a volume knob. You wanna impress me, donate just 1 to any talented but broke down musician like…….ME!!!!