mcnach Posted January 23, 2013 Share Posted January 23, 2013 (edited) I was watching a video of Maceo Parker a couple of weeks ago, and the bass player used a BC Rich (Wave? Eagle?) with dual P pickups... and what a tone! It got me gassing for a P pickup at the bridge. Badly. Today I found one of the cheaper BC Rich Mockingbird basses with dual P pickups on eBay. It said "or make an offer". So I made an offer. It was black and boring, and the Mockingbird shape does not give me goosebumps either, so I made an offer without a lot of interest... and it got accepted! So, I'll get to try a dual P setup soon properly and see whether I really like it or not. I doubt I will keep this particular bass unless it surprises me and it's amazingly nice to play... so either I'll decide "nah, dual P is ok but not for me" and let this bass go, or go "hmmm, lovely" and I'll be gassing for one of the nicer BC Rich basses... which will be a pain as they don't come up very often, and when they do they are not cheap. Ah well... GAS, eh? Edited January 24, 2013 by mcnach Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
apa Posted January 23, 2013 Share Posted January 23, 2013 Oh for goodness sake! A Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jackers Posted January 23, 2013 Share Posted January 23, 2013 nice the more expensive mockingbird and eagle basses are beautiful, but so hard to find. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dudewheresmybass Posted January 23, 2013 Share Posted January 23, 2013 I had that one I my watch list! Hope it works well for you mate. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
uncle psychosis Posted January 23, 2013 Share Posted January 23, 2013 [quote name='mcnach' timestamp='1358942939' post='1947324'] GAS, eh? [/quote] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LemonCello Posted January 23, 2013 Share Posted January 23, 2013 I'd been fancying one of these myself and did some research. Apparently, on the strap, the headstock makes for the floor? I'd be interested to know if that's the case. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mcnach Posted January 24, 2013 Author Share Posted January 24, 2013 [quote name='apa' timestamp='1358951593' post='1947510'] Oh for goodness sake! A [/quote] I knew you would approve Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mcnach Posted January 24, 2013 Author Share Posted January 24, 2013 [quote name='jackers' timestamp='1358951881' post='1947517'] nice the more expensive mockingbird and eagle basses are beautiful, but so hard to find. [/quote] The Eagle is very nice I think. That's one bass I would definitely like to have, if the dual P works for me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mcnach Posted January 24, 2013 Author Share Posted January 24, 2013 [quote name='dudewheresmybass' timestamp='1358952576' post='1947528'] I had that one I my watch list! Hope it works well for you mate. [/quote] If I decide I don't want it, I will let you know Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mcnach Posted January 24, 2013 Author Share Posted January 24, 2013 [quote name='LemonCello' timestamp='1358959465' post='1947685'] I'd been fancying one of these myself and did some research. Apparently, on the strap, the headstock makes for the floor? I'd be interested to know if that's the case. [/quote] That would be very annoying indeed. Judging by the shape, I can believe that will be the case, unless the body is very heavy. I have had a few neck heavy basses and guitars... and sooner or later they got sold. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dannybuoy Posted January 24, 2013 Share Posted January 24, 2013 If I had one of those I think I'd have to string it up BEAD! I bet a low B would sound thunderous with both pickups on. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dannybuoy Posted January 24, 2013 Share Posted January 24, 2013 Just tried looking up vids of these basses on youtube but I could only find 3 videos of rambling Americans waffling on about them. I did find this though! [youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2QMbyPtf_ys[youtube] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mcnach Posted January 24, 2013 Author Share Posted January 24, 2013 monster!!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Schoen Posted January 24, 2013 Share Posted January 24, 2013 [quote name='mcnach' timestamp='1358986212' post='1948293'] That would be very annoying indeed. Judging by the shape, I can believe that will be the case, unless the body is very heavy. I have had a few neck heavy basses and guitars... and sooner or later they got sold. [/quote] I bought one a couple of weeks ago and it is indeed seriously neck heavy. It can apparently be solved by fitting lightweight tuners and moving the top strap button. I have ordered Gotoh Res-O-Lites because I really want to keep this bass, the twin P Pickups sound great. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mcnach Posted January 24, 2013 Author Share Posted January 24, 2013 [quote name='John Schoen' timestamp='1359001552' post='1948347'] I bought one a couple of weeks ago and it is indeed seriously neck heavy. It can apparently be solved by fitting lightweight tuners and moving the top strap button. I have ordered Gotoh Res-O-Lites because I really want to keep this bass, the twin P Pickups sound great. [/quote] Pity. It's not a deal breaker if I really like the bass, and dual P are not common, it's not like I could just get another bass shape easily. I'll be interested to hear how you manage with the lighter tuners etc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Von Death Posted January 24, 2013 Share Posted January 24, 2013 I have two Mockingbirds, an 82 USA Deluxe and a heavily upgraded Heritage. The BC Rich stock pickups that you get on the export (NJ Heritage, Platinum etc) are terrible. To get the benefit of the two P pickup sound you need the Dimarzio DP122. These are not that expensive and can be coil tapped. I am hooked for me it goes back to bass sound on Black Sabbath Heaven & Hell bass through to Megadeth's Peace Sells. On the other hand I was listening to an interview with the Chic bassist (dont remember his name), who admitted that he used a BC Rich on many recordings. Yes they are neck heavy, however placing the pin on the end of the top horn helps. Like thunderbirds, you need to be a big chap to play them comfortably. The way they lie is such that they dont tuck in at the hip like precisions but you play them very much across your body and as such the nut end of the bridge is some distance away!. They also have pretty wide necks. But thats all good for me as I am a big clumsy goon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chaypup Posted January 24, 2013 Share Posted January 24, 2013 If you like the dual P, but not the bass, I'm going to be selling one of my Westone Thunder II's soon.... I'll put pics up later. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mcnach Posted January 25, 2013 Author Share Posted January 25, 2013 [quote name='chaypup' timestamp='1359056429' post='1949248'] If you like the dual P, but not the bass, I'm going to be selling one of my Westone Thunder II's soon.... I'll put pics up later. [/quote] oh, very interested. Please let me know when you put the pictures up etc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mcnach Posted January 25, 2013 Author Share Posted January 25, 2013 So this morning before I got to work... what do I see arriving on my street? A Parcel Force van! The Mockingbird is here. It's actually pretty nice, and I don't find it ugly anymore It came with an as-new highly padded Warwick gigbag, which is fortunate as it's the exact type I use, and my current one is falling apart after a few years of regular use, so I needed a new one. Bonus! The bass itself, the set up will be improved and the strings are not great, but it's more than playable. Pretty good condition all around. Of course, I had to plug it in. YES!!!!!! Oh yes. I like dual P The neck pickup sounds very much like a Precision, but not exactly. I suspect it's a bit closer to the neck than on a P bass but I have nore measured it. Both pickups on sounds huge, very deep. It may be a bit too scooped so in a busy band it may not be so good, but solo it sounds great, and in a not very noisy band it will work like a Jazz does, only deeper. Bridge pickup, which is what I am more interested in... sounded really good. I love it. It's reminiscent of a Jazz, but bigger... however nothing like an MM pickup at that location. This sounds more "single coil" like. Just bigger. I really like it. Only one thing I am not so in love with about the sound. It's to do with the split coil configuration. I always thought a reversed P would be better. You see, in a normal P, the EA coil is closer to the neck and the DG coil is closer to the bridge. This I suppose expands the tonality. I always thought I would have done it the other way around, so that the DG strings sound fatter and more balanced with the EA strings. But it's not a huge bother. Now, when the pickup is so close to the bridge, there is a noticeable difference between the EA and DG strings... especially that G string, it's very thin. It's still loud, but it just does not have teh same type of tone, because the DG coil is so close to the bridge. I would really like a dual P with reverse P configuration... so I guess I'll keep an eye open for one of those. The shape of the Mockingbird... I find it quite pretty, in person, actually. But it's not the most logical shape from a practical design point of view. There is neck dive. It's not a deal breaker for me, and I have seen much worse, but on a strap the neck tends to go towards the horizontal. The "hip" of the bass is shaped such that if you have your forearm there, as most do, you could really balance it that way effectively. So it's not so bad... only I don't particularly like to rest my forearm there for long... Sitting down... it's also a bit "different". I am right handed. If I rest it on my right leg, as I often do... it slips. I have to rest it between both legs, and then it's fine, except the neck is them shifted to the left a bit, so the first fret is farther than usual. Still within reach, but it has a different feel. So... soundwise it's pretty nice, both regarding the dual P idea and the actual BC Rich pickups, although a reverse P would be more balanced. The ergonomics are not the best, but just by looking at the shape you knew it was not designed for that. It just takes a couple of minutes to adjust and it's not a well balanced bass, without making it a terrible bass: I still like it. It looks a bit metal, so I made sure I played a bunch of funk licks to teach it that life is going to be different in my possession, and it better get used to it I think I will eventually buy another dual P bass. One with a reverse P or if it's not reverse then with the bridge pickup not so close to the bridge. A different shape too, and colour. I am not a big fan of black basses. But I'm not in a hurry... this bass has surprised me a lot, it's quite good and I am sure I can tolerate the colour and balance for quite some time, until I find the right one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cosmo Valdemar Posted January 25, 2013 Share Posted January 25, 2013 I had an NJ Mockingbird for a while, and an Eagle... I found the Mockingbird far more comfy to play, the Eage just didn't seem to hang right at all. The twin P arrangement gives a monster tone, I'm surprised it's not more common than it is. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gust0o Posted January 25, 2013 Share Posted January 25, 2013 Really? I guess this is the brilliant, and totally subjective, thing about Basschat - I found my Mock a little awkward, but returned to my Eagles every time I used to have the exact bass, and you'll have noted the same thing as me - it does dive. It's fixable, however, with a little tinkering. No worse than any Thunderbird owner has encountered, and I got a sense that the neck on this could be used as a weapon with any ill-effects to its playability; much unlike the Gibson Thunderbird, at least. The pick-ups, tuners and bridge are your likely points of upgrade. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Schoen Posted January 25, 2013 Share Posted January 25, 2013 The lightweight Gotoh tuners that I ordered arrived today. It is a very easy swap, they drop straight in. The stock tuners weighed 61 grammes each and the Gotohs only 40 grammes (including bushings). The weight saving has not cured the neckdiving completely but it has definitely improved. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mcnach Posted January 25, 2013 Author Share Posted January 25, 2013 [quote name='Gust0o' timestamp='1359131534' post='1950448'] Really? I guess this is the brilliant, and totally subjective, thing about Basschat - I found my Mock a little awkward, but returned to my Eagles every time I used to have the exact bass, and you'll have noted the same thing as me - it does dive. It's fixable, however, with a little tinkering. No worse than any Thunderbird owner has encountered, and I got a sense that the neck on this could be used as a weapon with any ill-effects to its playability; much unlike the Gibson Thunderbird, at least. The pick-ups, tuners and bridge are your likely points of upgrade. [/quote] I'm planning on putting two cream Model P in there. I already have one, I have an post in the wanted section, and someone just replied today Eventually I will find an Eagle with the reverse P configuration. I hope. But the stock pickups aren't bad at all, I have to say. I am quite impressed with the bass (apart from the shape). I love that neck. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mcnach Posted January 25, 2013 Author Share Posted January 25, 2013 [quote name='John Schoen' timestamp='1359134574' post='1950552'] The lightweight Gotoh tuners that I ordered arrived today. It is a very easy swap, they drop straight in. The stock tuners weighed 61 grammes each and the Gotohs only 40 grammes (including bushings). The weight saving has not cured the neckdiving completely but it has definitely improved. [/quote] they would have to be made of helium to fully cure it I suppose Glad they resulted in a noticeable improvement 'though! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gust0o Posted January 26, 2013 Share Posted January 26, 2013 The old ones were DiMarzio. The bit this thing is missing is the old BC Rich how-many-switches?!? pre-amp. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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