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Fbass - anyone got one here?

Spoombung

By Spoombung,
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bubinga5 Grand Master

bubinga5

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No...but its one bass i do really want to try...ive heard they are very versatile, but some say are a little polite..ive heard a few and i cant see it..real growl...

i dont usually like blue basses but that is just!! :)

this one does it for me...very expensive new but would like to get good used one..

WOW

i wonder if George has sorted the thin finishes that wore quite quickly on previous basses..

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Spoombung Proficient

Spoombung

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[quote name='bubinga5' post='830130' date='May 6 2010, 10:30 PM']No...but its one bass i do really want to try...ive heard they are very versatile, but some say are a little polite..ive heard a few and i cant see it..real growl...

i dont usually like blue basses but that is just!! :)

this one does it for me...very expensive new but would like to get good used one..

WOW

i wonder if George has sorted the thin finishes that wore quite quickly on previous basses..[/quote]


I haven't seen many 4 strings (I wonder why?). I'd love to try the fretless model. sounds terrific on this clip:

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Spoombung Proficient

Spoombung

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[quote name='Rumble' post='830284' date='May 7 2010, 07:51 AM']Can't go into loads of detail at the moment, given that I'm about to start work, but I'll be around later to give you a bit more of a low down.
One thing I will say is - "polite", I don't think so![/quote]


I look forward to it...

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Rumble Community Regular

Rumble

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Right then, where to start....

The craftmanship is great. There's a real attention to detail and the quality of the woods is wonderful. Mine has a birdseye maple fingerboard, which like the bass, is a lovely piece of wood without being OTT and in your face. The hardware used is also top notch.

The electronics are really versatile, but the overall shaping highlights a definite jazz influence / bias. I certainly haven't found a way to get it to sound like a MM, but it does jazz and P bass with very little effort. The only thing about the electronics that I occasionally wish was different is the inability to cut frequencies; you can only boost them. That said, the frequencies selected in the pre-amp are very appropriate. The only thing to mention about the overall tone is that, having just bought a Sandberg jazz, the F bass is definitely more transparent and not quite as full on. Sure, you can boost the bass, but there's something about it that just sounds a little more high end / complex. It may well be the way the mids are voiced, I don't know. You could certainly use a normal jazz for playing rock styles, but I'm not sure you'd get away with using the F bass for rock.

In terms of playability, this is probably more subjective than tone. Balance on both the strap and in sitting is extremely good, probably thanks to the slightly extended top horn. The neck radius has a range of 10"-16" so I guess it can vary in feel from jazz to P bass. Whilst it's a 35" scale it certainly feels more like a 34" - my Sandberg is 35" and feels discernably longer. My F bass feels mid way between jazz and P, and being someone who prefers jazz, I can imagine that an F bass with a neck radius of 10" would be sublime!

All-in-all, F basses are fantastic instruments. Think of it as a high end jazz-type bass.

Anytime you're up in the W Mids feel free to drop me a line and, if I'm around, you can pop in for a coffee.

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Spoombung Proficient

Spoombung

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Thanks for the description - very interesting. I've never seen one in the UK - did you buy yours through a dealer? Also, I can't see many fbass 4 strings on the web - have they stopped making them? I'd love to pop in for a cuppa and a play but I'm not up in the Midlands that much (although I do have some friends in Coventry)

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Rumble Community Regular

Rumble

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Should you happen to visit any of your friends in Coventry, you might as well pop in given that I live in Cov too!

I think I've only ever seen one 4 string F bass and I'm not sure if they're still making them. I actually got mine from another BC'er.

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Spoombung Proficient

Spoombung

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[quote name='Rumble' post='830993' date='May 7 2010, 08:13 PM']Should you happen to visit any of your friends in Coventry, you might as well pop in given that I live in Cov too!

I think I've only ever seen one 4 string F bass and I'm not sure if they're still making them. I actually got mine from another BC'er.[/quote]

I'll PM you if I make it up to Cov this year!

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Chris2112 Mentor

Chris2112

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I've always thought they sounded fairly good, especially when Alain Caron was in UZEB. However, I much prefered the old style body shapes, and as a fretted bass their sound has never really blown me away. I'm also not a fan of the fact that they are known for having a fairly low output. Still, interesting basses.

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Gwilym Experienced

Gwilym

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[quote name='Spoombung' post='830973' date='May 7 2010, 07:51 PM']Thanks for the description - very interesting. I've never seen one in the UK - did you buy yours through a dealer? Also, I can't see many fbass 4 strings on the web - have they stopped making them? I'd love to pop in for a cuppa and a play but I'm not up in the Midlands that much (although I do have some friends in Coventry)[/quote]

The Gallery sell them in Camden. That's where I bought mine about 18months ago. Just sold it to another forum member, and it's on the way to Greece as I type.
They are really nice basses, and I don't have a bad word to say about them, so well worth trying out if you can. I think the pre-amp is very musical and versatile, I couldn't get a bad tone out of it. Playability was fantastic too. The BN5 fretless I tried at the Gallery was also a very awesome instrument.
Main reason I sold mine to to help fund a nice fretless 5, and that could turn out to be an F, if I find one with fret inlays.

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bubinga5 Grand Master

bubinga5

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[quote name='ashevans09' post='832714' date='May 10 2010, 12:20 AM']I've always liked the look of em - I remember seeing a purple one with a dark fretboard (can't remember wood) and it was one of the most lovely looking things I'd ever seen. Though I have heard about the thin finish. This been addressed yet?[/quote]
Oh how i like that cat in your picture..bloody funny

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Spoombung Proficient

Spoombung

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[quote name='Gwilym' post='832079' date='May 9 2010, 12:11 PM']The Gallery sell them in Camden. That's where I bought mine about 18months ago. Just sold it to another forum member, and it's on the way to Greece as I type.
They are really nice basses, and I don't have a bad word to say about them, so well worth trying out if you can. I think the pre-amp is very musical and versatile, I couldn't get a bad tone out of it. Playability was fantastic too. The BN5 fretless I tried at the Gallery was also a very awesome instrument.
Main reason I sold mine to to help fund a nice fretless 5, and that could turn out to be an F, if I find one with fret inlays.[/quote]

The gallery website says they're "special order" so I suppose there's no opportunity to try one out in the shop anymore.

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KERMITNT Enthusiast

KERMITNT

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just got mine give me Gwilym is the man. This bass will not get any moisture any more in my sunny poor country :) The bass arrived today through my tc and markbass sounds better than any other bass i ve tried. The action is so low and the tension in the strings a bit of loose so if you touch it softly sings.. The best bass i played seated you dont need a strap.. 4 KILOS so well balanced that you dont feel it ..

and Gwilym yes buy the Alain Caron model is the best fretless ever imo ....

get a snapshot
[attachment=49393:DSC_0705.JPG]

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