+ Reply to Thread
Page 5 of 5 FirstFirst ... 345
Results 41 to 48 of 48

Thread: The thread for us to talk about gear we've tried out

  1. #41
    Join Date
    Sep 2010
    Location
    Elk Grove California
    Posts
    727

    Default

    I used a set of battery powered headphones and played my reg bass... I got the same advice from a buddy that is a pro bass player. He called it a camp fire bass. he nver played his either...
    Nothing like a Great Bottom end!

  2. #42
    Join Date
    Jun 2012
    Location
    Shirley, MA
    Posts
    439

    Default

    I visited my local Guitar Center yesterday and they had a used Modulus Quantum 5 on the wall. It was a pretty looking thing with a spalted maple top. I don't play 5-strings because my hands are just too small, but I had to try it out anyway. It definitely had a very hi-fi sound, although it wasn't a sound I particularly liked. I chalk that up to the fact that it has Bart pups, which I don't really like. It was a very smooth sounding bass. Not bright, not punchy, just there. It left me feeling pretty meh. I like my basses to have more personality of their own, I guess. Anyway, it was a very cool bass to try out, and one I never thought I'd see in person, let alone at a GC.

  3. #43

    Default

    Nicki, if you are still interested in a fretless you might want to check out this Ibanez model:

    http://www.ibanez.co.jp/products/u_e...2&series_id=51

    It has both the fret markers and the dots on the side of the neck and is fairly compact and light weight. I am not a Ibanez fan, but bought this as a fretless "starter" bass, and wanted to see how much of an acoustic sound I could get using just the piezo pickup. I must say it produces quite a range of sounds. I am going to put nylon coated tape-wound strings on it and see what it sounds like then. The only thing I don't really care for on it is the rosewood fretboard. It feels unusually coarse, on my example anyway, and I think on a fretless, ebony is the way to go. But the fret marks and dots are really helpful to a novice like me.

  4. #44

    Default

    I always wanted a Portamento! She was in Skin DEEP some time back.


    - low life -

  5. #45

    Default

    This is about as close to an acoustic, non-upright bass, as I want to get:

    http://gretschguitars.com/products/i...tno=2518002515

    I got the red short scale version, because I didn't have a red or short scale bass, and like to try different guitar types as I feel my way through the bass environment. Alas, I suffer from chronic, and possibly financially terminal, GAS.The guitar is much better looking in the flesh, with the red being deeper and transparent letting the grain show through. They also make long scale versions. It is a true hollow body and produces enough volume for quiet practicing. The placing of the pickups makes it a "pick" guitar in my opinion, as there is no good spot to place your thumb for plucking. I like the tone it makes with a pick better anyway. I have been exploring possibilities of installing some kind of thumb rest on it, but the hollow body and cut outs cause me considerable concern over cracking. Hmmmm, that whole thumb rest issue may be a good thread topic. In the meantime it is my pick practicing unit.

  6. #46
    Join Date
    Jun 2012
    Location
    Shirley, MA
    Posts
    439

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by kimgee View Post
    Nicki, if you are still interested in a fretless you might want to check out this Ibanez model:

    http://www.ibanez.co.jp/products/u_e...2&series_id=51

    It has both the fret markers and the dots on the side of the neck and is fairly compact and light weight. I am not a Ibanez fan, but bought this as a fretless "starter" bass, and wanted to see how much of an acoustic sound I could get using just the piezo pickup. I must say it produces quite a range of sounds. I am going to put nylon coated tape-wound strings on it and see what it sounds like then. The only thing I don't really care for on it is the rosewood fretboard. It feels unusually coarse, on my example anyway, and I think on a fretless, ebony is the way to go. But the fret marks and dots are really helpful to a novice like me.
    I've become such a fretless fan that I rarely play my fretted basses anymore! LOL! I'm actually not really an Ibanez fan. I don't like that neck taper. It cramps up my hand. I've now got 3 fretless basses that cover everything I could need...a Tony Franklin Fender P/J, an Alembic Orion and my newest baby (one of 2 known examples!) a 1981 Rickenbacker 4001SFL. The Rick has a rosewood fretboard, but it's finished, so it plays probably more like one of the ebanol boards. The other two are glorious ebony, my favorite fretboard wood, too.

    The Rick also has another interesting feature...side marker dots at every fret. They're all the same, too, except for the 12th fret. It's really easy to get lost on the fretboard! Not a super great feature, IMO. I love it anyway. It's just so...Rick-y.

  7. #47

    Default

    I really like playing a fretless too, but my skills are not yet up to the task if I want to stay on pitch. That Rickenbacker sounds awesome! You should post some pix so we can all drool on our monitors. And I agree with you on Ibanez. I think they are not made as well as they should be for the price. The SRF700 I spoke of sells for $900 and yet is made in Indonesia. I was motivated by the deal I got from Zzounds. They had a demo for $710, which for the features was not unbearable. I had played one at guitar city and really like the sound from the piezo pickup. I would have bought the one at guitar city, but the sales guy there kinda jerked me around, promised at least 15% and probably more over the phone, then when I got there he told me if he gave me more than 10% off they would lose money. And that was for the display unit, the only one they had, and it was covered with dings and scratches. Their loss - my gain.

  8. #48
    Join Date
    Jun 2012
    Location
    Shirley, MA
    Posts
    439

    Default

    This weekend I played an 80's era MIA active Fender P-bass with two P pups. It's hard to tell if the issue was the bass or the amp I was playing it through, but it sounded very odd...and farty.

    I also played a Spector Legend. This is one of the cheaper overseas models. It was nothing to write home about, but I have a feeling the MIA models are a different beast altogether.

+ Reply to Thread

Tags for this Thread

Bookmarks

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may post replies
  • You may post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •