Here are some of the questions that we are frequently asked.
We sell our basses direct to the customer. Please see The Bass page.
Because there are no keys on the headstock to counteract the weight of a vibrating string, the neck had to be made stiffer. Using a 34-laminate neck addressed this issue. The laminates are glued perpendicular to the ebony fingerboard with the added benefit that the accumulated glue joint tension makes the neck unwilling to twist.
The truss rod adjusting nut is located in the head end of the neck and uses a standard screwdriver – either Phillips or slotted. While sighting down the neck, rotate the nut to increase or decrease the curvature created by the pull of the strings.
The Ex Factor 4 features a patented “E to D” string clasp. To go from E to D, hold the bass in playing position and push the clasp arm up with the thumb of your left hand. Pull the E string toward the G string with your middle finger, and release the clasp arm, which drops into its recess in the fingerboard. Then let go of the string, which now lies over the clasp arm. You are now in concert tension “D”, and all the notes on the scale remain the same – no transposing. To go back to E, pull the E string toward the G string, push the clasp arm up, let the string slide back under it, and release the clasp arm onto the string. It’s very quick and easy to become adept at this. When the string is in “D” tuning, you also have a “D#” note available.
The patented bridge/tuner module is a body mounted tuning system that replaces tuning keys on the head. To install a string, place the ball end into a bronze cup in the head of the neck. The tail end is then inserted into a hole in a wheel in the bridge. Bend the string towards the neck and with the string off the saddle, roll the wheel by hand to ratchet up all the excess. Lift the string onto the saddle. The tuning knob can then be rotated to tune the string to pitch.
The tuning knob glides on a ball bearing and tunes at an 80 to 1 ratio. Removing a string involves loosening the tuning knob until the string is loose, removing the string from the saddle, then pressing down on the ratchet spring head while controlling the spin of the wheel, allowing the wheel to rotate in the opposite direction as the string is pulled off.
The patented bridge is an integral part of the tuner. The bridge head holds an assembly comprised of a saddle post that is threaded into a saddle slider. The saddle slider can be adjusted to achieve intonation and can then be locked in place with a screwdriver. The saddle post can be adjusted for string height by rotating it up or down. The saddle and saddle slider are made of stainless steel.
Yes, with a few exceptions. We do not sell the bridge/tuner as a complete assembly. It is modular, therefore, to repair you only need to purchase specific parts. You also cannot buy the bridge frame, housing cover plate or clasp arm without returning the original.
The 9 volt preamp was originally engineered for the Key Factors. It was subsequently standard on the Fender Custom Shop Ex Factors. It has fewer preset tones than the 18 volt preamp. It offers a user-adjustable mid-boost (internal adjustment), and a tone control in passive mode. While all Kubicki-made Ex Factors use the 18 volt model by default, some customers prefer and specify the 9 volt version. Click here for a detailed comparison.
On our Store pages, add items to your cart and pay at checkout. We accept PayPal, debit or credit cards, and Apple Pay or Venmo if your device supports them.
For a bass, or anything not in the Store, we’ll email you a PayPal or Wise invoice to pay online. We also accept checks and money orders; orders paid that way ship once the payment has cleared.
For now the only instrument available is the Ex Factor 4 bass, fretted or fretless. We make each one to order, in any color on earth, including bursts and metallics, or with an exotic wood veneer. Custom fret markers are available too, and if you have something else in mind, just ask.
Ex Factor – Extended E fret and Zero Nut Fret are 0.118” wide x 0.058” tall (Dunlop 6000). All other frets are 0.103” wide x 0.046” tall (Dunlop 6155).
Factor 34” – 0.103” wide x 0.046” tall (Dunlop 6155)
Fretless Ex Factor – Extended E fret and Zero Nut Fret are 0.106” wide x 0.036” tall (Dunlop 6130)
1–22: Kubicki prototypes.
23–761: 02/85 to 02/88. Made at the Kubicki shop in Santa Barbara, CA.
1000–1292: 02/88 to 02/89. Made under the Fender license agreement at the Kubicki shop in Santa Barbara, CA.
1293–3049: 03/89 to 02/91. Made at the Fender Custom Shop in Corona, CA.
3050 and up: 07/91 to the present. Made after the Fender agreement ended.
We don’t sell decals, but we do permit them to be ordered from online suppliers to whom we will supply the artwork.
When using a decal, the painter really needs to be the one to determine what the right one is since it depends on the type of bass body finish used as to whether you need a vinyl rub-on or a lacquer waterslide decal.
If nitro or lacquer finish is used, a waterslide decal is recommended. Rothko and Frost sell the Kubicki body decal in black or white.
If urethane or a polyester finish is being used, more than likely you’ll need a vinyl or foil rub-on type decal. Let us know if your painter does not have a source and we will locate one for you.
The Blaster Bass was never licensed for manufacture by Philip Kubicki. We did negotiate with a Japanese company to make instruments for the Japanese market only, and they made us a sample Blaster Bass along with another sample of an Extender Bass for approval. We did not approve either of the basses, and no agreement was ever signed.
About ten years later, more of these basses began to turn up. We don’t know when they were made. We suspect the company expected an agreement to be signed and built more than just the samples, then sold them off when no agreement came. Only a limited number seem to exist, and replacement parts are not available.
Unfortunately, some enthusiasts buy these basses thinking they were licensed and that we can support them. But most of their parts, including the bridge/tuner, are not interchangeable with Ex Factor 4 parts, so we are unable to help.
Yes. Philip Kubicki Technology designed, patented and produced Factor basses beginning in 1985 with serial number 1. Under a licensing agreement with Fender Musical Instruments, serial numbers 1293 through 3049 were made at the Fender Custom Shop in Corona, California, from March 1989 to February 1991. All Factor basses since then have been made by Kubicki. We service all Factor basses.
We maintain a stock of all parts. Please see Repair Parts in the Store.
The shorter 32″ scale of the Ex Factor 4 bass requires the use of slightly heavier gauge strings – .045, .065, .085, and .105. The overall length needed for the .045, .065 and .085 is 42″ with 38″ full wrap. The overall length for the .105 string is 46″ with 39 1/2″ full wrap. Packaged string sets may be purchased in the Store on the Strings page.
Allen Wrench Size:
3/32″ – Tuner Strap Button Screw
3/32″ – Pickup Mounting Screw
5/32″ – Neck Mounting Screw
5/32″ – Tuner Mounting Screw
5/64″ – Tuner Housing Cover Screw
5/64″ – Knob Set Screw
1/8″ – Clasp Mounting Bolt
0.050″ – Key Factor 4 and 5 Saddle Height Screw
Active electronics are sensitive to EMI (electromagnetic interference) emitted by nearby lights, motors, or other electrical devices. To keep it out, the control cavity is painted with conductive shielding paint, and its plastic cover is lined with self-adhesive aluminum, creating a shielded capsule around the preamp. The shielding is grounded where the jack is tightened against it. As the shielding ages or wears, that connection can degrade. If the jack has worked loose or has been changed a few times, the paint around it can wear away, leaving the shielding ungrounded. The pots and switch on the preamp also need to stay well connected to the shielding; if they lose contact, you’ll hear noise when you touch the knobs.
To correct these issues, repaint the control cavity with conductive shielding paint, paying particular attention to the areas that contact the jack, the pots and the switch. We use StewMac’s Conductive Shielding Paint when building our basses.
We also recommend grounding the backs of the pots and the switch frame directly, by soldering a wire to the backs of the pots and ending it under the screw on the switch frame. The wire is a continuation of the green wire from the jack and the bridge ground wire on the board. This way the pots and switch no longer depend on the shielding paint for their ground. The photos below show the modification on the 9 volt and the original 18 volt preamps; it applies to the Red Board as well. If you are not familiar with soldering on printed circuit boards, we recommend having this work done by a competent technician.
