T R A B E N 2 0 0 8

T R A B E N 2 0 0 8

WHY DO TRABEN BASSES HAVE THOSE BIG BRIDGES?A Traben Bass is easy to identify thanks to our bridges that are both large and distinctive. But why are those bridges so

big? Is it because they look cool? Indeed many people feel that they look cool, but that is not the real story. Long ago

bass players discovered that a heavier bridge improved tonal quality. At Traben, we took it a step further adding more

than weight. We added mass and bridge to body contact as we focused on maximizing sonic performance.

THE TRABEN CHALLENGEDOES A BIGGER BRIDGE CREATE BIGGER TONE?

DOES A BIGGER BRIDGE CREATE BIGGER TONE?We think so and players contact us constantly confirming that they think so, but we wanted to really put this claim

to the test. Under the supervision of a well respected studio producer we compared two Traben basses that were

exactly the same in every way, but the bridge. How did the larger Traben bridge impact the sustain? How about the

note definition? What about overall sound?

ADDED SUSTAIN?We tested the length that a single note sustained and

the strength of its sustain. Indeed the bass with the

bigger Traben bridge produced a substantially longer

sustain. The test was run through a Pro Tools studio

setup and the results captured graphically as well

as audibly. In the illustration to the left you can see

the length of the last note. Also notice the thickness

of the note which is nearly 50% stronger than the

performance of the bass with the regular bridge.

INCREASED NOTE DEFINITION?We all want to get clarity and well defined note

definition from our bass when we need it. How does

a bigger bridge perform in this area? Graphically,

you can see the strength of each note in the Pro

Tools screen shot to the left. Whether you are in a

live application or a studio situation, this increase in

sonic strength will help you cut through the other

instruments and clearly get your point across.

BETTER OVERALL SOUND?We think so, but that is not something that we can

illustrate in a Pro Tools interface that we are aware of.

We will leave the answer to that question up to you

and the rest of the bass world. We invite you to visit

your local Traben dealer to try one for yourself. See

the full Traben Challenge and hear the head to head

comparison for yourself:

www.TrabenBass.com/TrabenChallenge

ARRAY

SATI

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4-StringTRAA4SBK .............. Satin BlackTRAA4SBW .............Black Wash

5-StringTRAA5SBK ........ Satin Black

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4-StringTRAAL4S ..........Spalted Maple

5-StringTRAAL5S ........... Spalted MapleTRAAL5STRD ....... Spalted Red

SPALTED MAPLE

ARRAY LIMITED

Bridge: .............Tribal Flame Scale: .................34” 4-string 35” 5-string Construction: ...Bolt-on Pickups: ..............Traben SM Combo humbucker and soapbar Electronics: ........Traben T3 active pre-amp Controls: ............3-band EQ, volume & blend Body: ................. Basswood Top: ................... Spalted maple Fretboard: ........ Rosewood Neck ..................5-piece maple and walnut Nut: ...................Chrome plated brass

SPALTED RED

ARRAY NT

N

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Inlay: ...............A

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ARRAY SPECIAL

4-StringTRAAS4BKO ................ Black Out with black hardware

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ARRAY ATTACK

Humbucker and J-style pickupswith RockfieldTM active pre-amp

BLACK BURL

4-StringTRAAA4BKB .............Black BurlTRAAA4G ..................... Granite

5-StringTRAAA5BKB .....Black Burl

Bridge: .............Tribal Flame Scale: .................34” 4-string 35” 5-string Construction: ...Bolt-on Pickups: ............Rockfield® humbucker and J-style Rockfield® Electronics: .......Rockfield® active pre-amp Controls: ...........3-band EQ, volume and blend Body: ................. Royal paulonia Top: ................... Burled maple Fretboard: ........ Rosewood Neck ..................5-piece maple and walnut Nut: ...................Chrome plated brass Special: .............Soft contoured body

GR

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4-StringTRAN4 BK .............................Gloss BlackTRAN4 AWH .......................Aged White

with aged bronze hardware

B

ridg

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4-StringTRANL4S ..........Spalted MapleTRANL4SPBBK ...Spalted Burst

with black hardwareTRANL4ZW ............ Zebrawood

5-StringTRANL5S ......... Spalted MapleTRANL5SPBBK .Spalted Burst with black hardware

SPA

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PHOENIX

BLACK SHADOW

4-StringTRAP4BRD ...............Blood Red TRAP4BKS ......... Black Shadow

5-StringTRAP5BRD ..............Blood Red TRAP5BKS ........Black Shadow

Bridge: .............Phoenix Flame Scale: .................34” 4-string 35” 5-string Construction: ...Bolt-on Pickups: ............Traben Custom Combo Humbucker & J-Bass style Electronics: .......Traben T3 active pre-amp Controls: ...........3-band EQ, volume & blend Body: ................. Basswood Top: ................... Quilt maple Fretboard: ........ Rosewood Neck ..................5-piece maple and walnut Nut: ...................Chrome plated brass Special: .............Phoenix Flame inlay

BLO

OD

RE

D

Another unique sonic enhancement found

in the Chaos bridge system is the careful

selection of metal combinations. While the

external bridge is cast from steel the internal

bridge is made out of aluminum. The addition

of aluminum to this system enhances the

low end.

In addition to pulling off the bigger bridge

tone with an apparently smaller bridge, the

Chaos system features many other unique

and important features. This includes locking

saddles for added tuning stability and better

sonic performance. Strings can be mounted

from the external bridge or through the

body. The added length of the strings when

run through the body gives the bass a

tighter feel and can be used for just the low

B-string on a five-string to balance out string

to string feel. Going beyond the bridge the

design team found some new sweet spots

to position the humbucking pickups, further

enhancing the instruments performance.

Sure, the Chaos does not look exactly like

its sibling series, but rest assured these

basses are every inch and ounce Traben.

If you were thinking something like that

than you really get it, when it comes to tone.

Indeed, we are committed to maximizing

sound and performance by using bridges

that have more mass and bridge to body

contact. Some players however wanted a

slightly more traditional appearance with

that bigger bridge performance.

To accomplish this, our design team had to

think a little outside of the box (or maybe

outside of the bridge).

Visually the Chaos collection sports a

bridge that while still larger than most

industry standard bridges, is smaller than

a typical Traben bridge. In fact, the Chaos

bridge provides the same mass as the

Phoenix series, which is Traben’s biggest big

bridge version. How the heck is that? We

hide that extra mass under the top mounted

bridge. We have added a special Internal

BridgeTM to provide added mass and bridge

to body contact. The external and internal

bridges are connected to each other as well

as the body to maximize performance.

THE CHAOS CONCEPT

If a bigger bridge provides a bigger tone, what is the deal with this new Traben Chaos?

Heavy cast steel external bridge Aluminum internal bridge

CHAOS

4-StringTRAC4SBW... Satin Black WashTRAC4BK ............... Gloss Black

5-StringTRAC5SBW... Satin Black WashTRAC5BK ................Gloss Black

SATI

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CHAOS ATTACK

Fretb

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: ......Ro

sewo

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map

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alone and

pearl

N

ut: ................Synthetic

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lack hardw

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ridg

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s internal brid

ge

Scale: ..............34” 4-string

35” 5-string

C

onstructio

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lt-on

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ickups: .........2 R

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® humb

uckers

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nia

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4-StringTRACA4BKB .............Black BurlTRACA4G ..................... Granite

5-StringTRACA5G .........Granite

GR

AN

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BLA

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BU

RL

Humbuckers and RockfieldTM active pre-amp

4-StringTRACL4S ..............Spalted Maple

CHAOS LIMITED

Fr

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ard

4-StringTRACC4BV .............Black Vapor glossTRACC4WB ..........Whiskey Burl glossTRACC4BKW ........... Black Wash satin

5-StringTRACC5BV .......Black Vapor glossTRACC5WB ......Whiskey Burl glossTRACC5BKW ....Black Wash satin

Fretb

oard

: ......Ro

sewo

od

or

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le on b

lack vapo

r only

N

eck: ..............Slab m

aple

N

ut: ................Synthetic

Special: ..........B

lack hardw

are

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ridg

e: ..........Chao

s internal brid

ge

Scale: ..............34” 4-string

35” 5-string

C

onstructio

n: Bo

lt-on

P

ickups: .........2 R

ockfield

® humb

uckers

E

lectronics: ....A

guilar O

BP-3 p

re-amp

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ntrols: .........3-b

and EQ

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itch

Bo

dy: ...............Paulo

nia

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map

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OBP-3 active pre-amp

BLA

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VAPO

RM

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CHAOS CORE

GREG WEEKSSIGNATURE CHAOS

WEEKS’ BURL

4-StringTRAGW2 ................Weeks’ Burl

Humbuckers

OBP-3 active pre-amp

Bridge: ............... Chaos Internal BridgeTM

Scale: ................... 34” 4-string Construction: ..... Bolt-on Pickups: .............. 2 Rockfield® humbuckers Electronics: ......... Aguilar OBP-3 pre-amp Controls: ..............3-band EQ, volume, 3-way switch and mini toggle for coil tapping Body: ....................Basswood Top: ......................Figured maple Fretboard: ...........Rosewood Neck: ................... 5-piece maple and walnut Nut: ..................... Chrome plated brass Special: ............... Greg Weeks of The Red Chord Signature model

Holding down the low end for The Red Chord, bassist Greg Weeks can be seen and heard thundering away on his Signature Traben Bass.

The Red Chord is a grind-hardcore band from the north shore area of Massachusetts whose collective goal is to push the extremes of

aggressive music and to combine the best aspects of the hardcore, death, grind and metal genres. The Red Chord is on Metal Blade Records.

JOHN MOYERSIGNATURE HAVOC

5-StringTRAJMH5BV ............Black Vapor satin

Fretb

oard

: ......Ro

sewo

od

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map

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one

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ecial: ..........JM b

od

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ith

reversed

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B

ridg

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Scale: ..............35” 5-string

Co

nstruction: B

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s: .........2 Ro

ckfield® hum

buckers

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lectronics: ....A

guilar O

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, volume and

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itch

Bo

dy: ...............Paulo

nia

Top

: .................Burled

map

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BLA

CK

VAPO

RSatin o

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Map

le

Humbuckers

John Moyer of DisturbedTraben’s newest addition to its artist roster is also

one of our most notable. When the prominent hard rock band Disturbed hits the road, John can

be seen and heard laying down the foundation with his signature Traben Havoc Bass.

BOOTSY COLLINSSTAR BASS

Three OBP-3 active pre-ampsfor virtually endles tonal options

B

rid

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....

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5-st

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Fat Ass Jazz

Aerofunkaronics to the 5th level!Five pointed star, five Rockfield® pickups, the largest Bigger Bridge we’ve ever designed, three Aguilar® Amplification pre-amps and endless tone settings can only be found on the Bootsy Star Bass. From the funky mind of Bootsy, comes this over-the-top tone monster.

4-StringTRABZSTAR4 ...........Stardust White

STA

RD

UST

WH

ITE

TRABEN BASSARTIST

TANNER OWINGSINDORPHINE

www.myspace.com/indorphine

BOOTSY COLLINSwww.bootsycollins.com

JOHN COOPERSKILLET

www.skillet.com

JOHN MOYERDISTURBED

www.disturbed1.com

TREVOR ERBTUBRING

www.tubring.com

DERRICK MURDOCKTONIGHTSHOWBAND

www.myspace.com/derrickmurdock

GREG WEEKSTHEREDCHORD

www.theredchord.com

CHRIS KELLSTHEAGONIST

www.theagonist.net

ERIC LANGOISCRYPTOPSY

www.cryptopsy.net

SEBASTEIN PICHEDESPISEDICON

www.despisedicon.com

JOHNNY DUNNKILLOLA

www.killola.com

MATT DIRITOPOPEVIL

www.popevil.com

FREEK BASSwww.freekbass.com

w w w . t r a b e n b a s s . c o m

2 6 1 3 3 U S H W Y 1 9 N o r t h , S u i t e 3 0 0 C l e a r w a t e r , F l o r i d a 3 3 7 6 3

7 2 7 - 7 9 3 - 0 0 7 9

©2008 Traben Bass Company

All information contained within this catalog is believed to be accurate; however, specifications are subject to change without notice.

Special thanks to Traben artists Greg Weeks of The Red Chord, Trevor Erb of Tub Ring and Tanner Owings of Indorphine

www.theredchord.com www.tubring.com www.indorphine.com