Tone Dilemma - Page 2

Gard · #21 03-30-2009, 08:56 AM

...er...what Jerry said.

...I definitely recommend, strongly, hearing a bass "in context" before passing judgment on the tone. You really can't hear what it does sitting at home unfortunately. I know that my fretless bass is a bit overbearing/honky sounding when I hear it solo'd, but man, in a mix....

....it's a thing of beauty.

JOME77 · #22 03-30-2009, 10:06 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gard

...er...what Jerry said.

...I definitely recommend, strongly, hearing a bass "in context" before passing judgment on the tone. You really can't hear what it does sitting at home unfortunately. I know that my fretless bass is a bit overbearing/honky sounding when I hear it solo'd, but man, in a mix....

....it's a thing of beauty.

+2

I guess that I thought that Peter had played out with the bass....

jphilauren · #23 03-30-2009, 10:25 AM

Top and back wood Cocobola, Wenge fret board, Wenge center strip instead of Purpleheart. Found out this AM that the second toggle switch is not for passive / active but humbucker/single coil. Read pages 4,5,6,7 in Thunderfunk manual regarding sound, you have to play out in order to realy know how your bass sounds, as many of the frequencies especially mids get canceled by other instruments

Big Mother · #24 03-30-2009, 10:57 AM

+3

In context is important.

BM

CrashClint · #25 03-30-2009, 11:03 AM

WOW!!!

I had a chance to play Arnold's solid Redwood Century Sig bass, it has the Roscoe/Bart - Bart setup and he has his coils tapped. In my opinion it killed a jazz bass. The Bart preamp has a lot of headroom and though it may drop the volume, but in perceived volume I didn't notice a huge drop and you can fix that by setting setting your volume to 3/4 when in regular mode and that will give you room to boost when you go into the tapped mode if you need it.

On another note, I have learned you never give the sound tech your full signal during sound check, I always save a little.

Quote:

Originally Posted by dataBASS5

Holy priceless collection of Roscoe wood, Batman!

What IS that top and fingerboard combo? And who made those knobs for you? THG? I'm assuming Carey made the pup covers. . .

pbasswil · #26 03-30-2009, 12:12 PM

Hi folks,

To cut to the chase: I'm returning the bass. :^( With regret. It's a stellar instrument, and I think the chances are good that I could have gotten the sound I wanted with some of the mods discussed in this thread. In fact, yesterday I was leaning towards keeping it, and switching preamp and pu's.

Then I had a thought: this is the heaviest bass I've ever had (10 lbs), yet I haven't even tried playing it standing up. So I did that for a while, with my heavily padded Comfort Strap.
Sudden, momentous realization: There is _no way_ my back and neck could take this weight, on one of my typical 5 set gigs. :^(

So back it goes, and should appear back on Bass Northwest's website in a week or two.

I'll tell you though, I'm really glad I tried this bass. I found out what is possible in fine luthiery. This Roscoe was so easy to play, and the clarity was exceptional. I also learned about body woods, and a heckuva lot about electronics.

As a result of seeing what I did and didn't like, the criteria in my search for the right bass for me have gotten refined. One thing's for sure: a Roscoe is still way up on my list of candidates.

Now I'd like to try a Century Standard. Humbler fare? But for me, I think it might be the right blend of a more open, traditional bass sound, still with state of the art action and fretwork and clarity, at a nice light weight.

I'd like to thank all the Talkbassers who replied with your reactions and experience and good humour, and for all the helpful suggestions. Really, your input has been invaluable to me -- cheers to you guys!

Gerry: Imagine offering free guitar tech services to nearby TBers! Thanks buddy. :^)

ciao (but not adieu),

Peter W

Gard · #27 03-30-2009, 12:27 PM

Peter -

Understood completely, Pink Ivorywood is NOT light stuff at all, so it is definitely not a featherweight, and if that's an issue, that's that.

On the CenStd basses, while they're not as fancy or dressy as the other things we're more well-known for, I find them to be exceptional instruments in every way. I would strongly recommend you try one out, if you have the opportunity.

I believe that our Toronto dealer, Club Bass, has several in stock right now.

Thanks
Gard

pbasswil · #28 03-30-2009, 03:49 PM

Gard,

You're only fueling my interest in the Century Standard. If the playability and fantastic low B are the same, with lighter weight and more open tonality, it sounds almost perfect.

I don't want a fretless at this moment; but I recently heard one of the most perfect fretless sounds I've ever encountered on a track by a S. American guy named just "Tommy" -- played on a Century Standard fretless! Check out the track Voy Buscando:
http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm...ndID=255424886

I haven't made the 5 1/2 hour trek to Toronto (Club Bass) in several years, but plans are percolating. Hmm, I could drop the wife off at her sister's in Kingston on the way...

cheers,

Peter

VroomVroom · #29 03-31-2009, 09:05 AM

Peter, good for you. FWIW, I think you made the right call.

Century Standard....I cannot wait to get my hands on one! My local shop is expecting one soon, and I'll be first in line for a test drive.

Thank you for that link. "Tommy" is awesome, and the tone on that cut is, well....SLURP.

Gard · #30 03-31-2009, 09:26 AM

Jerry, I'd say that wait will be about 10 days (+/- 2 days), the body is ready for it's last coat, the neck will be fretted tomorrow.

Peter, the tone you're hearing is the "old" version of the Century Standard, it's fretless as well I believe.

Oh, and "Tommy" is TB's own TommySlap, who is also our dealer in Bogota, Columbia (...uh..."dealer" in Columbia...

). He's quite the player, isn't he?

VroomVroom · #31 03-31-2009, 09:35 AM

Sweet. Gard, the next time you, ahh, negotiate a deal, please pass along to Tommy that he's got a new fan. He's awesome!

10 days...hmmm, puts me dangerously close to the "Thursday night hang" at the local shop. Woo hoo!

DrMWP · #32 03-31-2009, 09:45 AM

On a related subject.... Does anyone have experience with Nordstrand pickups with the standard Bart pre??

pbasswil · #33 03-31-2009, 02:49 PM

Jerry wrote: >Peter, good for you. FWIW, I think you made the right call.<

Thanks for the vote of confidence Jerry. Yeah, I know I made the right call, for me. I once made a very bad call on a very expensive bass, early in my career. I had so little financial room for maneuvering within my meager income that I just lived with a bass that wasn't right for me, for a _long_ time. It was a drag. It wasn't until I finally was able to buy one that suited me better that I fully realized how important it is to be happy with your instrument. And being happy with an bass is quite apart from any absolute, objective qualities it has; it's to do with the relationship between you and it.

So now, if I'm in doubt, I back out, and live to try again another day. It works for me, and I get to try different basses along the way.

Yeah, that Tommy's tone and playing are mighty tasty, huh? :^)

Gard: it certainly is a fretless he's playing; but what makes an "old" Century Standard different? I thought the Standard was the most recent line.

DrMWP: That Mingus quote is terrific -- it really resonates.
>Anyone can make the simple complicated. Creativity is making the complicated simple. - Charles Mingus<

Peter

Gard · #34 03-31-2009, 03:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pbasswil

Gard: it certainly is a fretless he's playing; but what makes an "old" Century Standard different? I thought the Standard was the most recent line.

Peter

Peter -

It's a LONG story.

There was always a plan to build a solid swamp ash bodied bass and sell it at a more "affordable" price point. As a matter of fact, this was the genesis of the Century Signature, Keith decided to go "whole hog" on one, and picked the Century body shape to do so.

The "old" Century Standard was available with all of the options that are available for the LG/SKB/CenSig models (tops, all fingerboards, all electronics, maple/purpleheart/maple necks), with the exception that they had "flat" tops. They even had the high gloss finish.

Essentially it was an uncarved Century Signature with a maple/purpleheart neck. It was priced accordingly as well, considerably more than the present CenStd.

Hope that explains everything....

pbasswil · #35 03-31-2009, 03:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gard

Hope that explains everything....

Perfectly, gracias amigo. So I guess they generally shipped with the Roscoe Barts, not the CBs, right? What a glorious fretless sound.

Peter

Gard · #36 03-31-2009, 03:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pbasswil

Perfectly, gracias amigo. So I guess they generally shipped with the Roscoe Barts, not the CBs, right? What a glorious fretless sound.

Peter

Yes, that's exactly what they were shipped with.