Revolution SOLO II on La Scala

[jhelsley]

Is anyone using a Rev Solo on their La Scala...I was thinking putting on a Full Circle, but the adjuster thread diameter is too wide.

[Tom Rutledge]

I am using a Revolution 1 on my laminated La Scala and I am very happy with the sound. I have the hot side facing down towards the body which seems to produce a very natural tone.

[larry]

I specified to Arnold and Wil to make the thread size to fit a Full Circle. They did, but I took it off and use a Revolution Solo.

The FC is an excellent pickup, don't get me wrong. I liked the Solo better but it was very close, and the differences were very subjective. I believe that if someone does not like one of these, it probably has not been installed correctly. They are both great.

A Solo is like $100, no? Just get one and check it out before you go messing with the bridge on your LaScala.

[Chris Fitzgerald]

My hybrid LaScala already had a FC installed when I got it. Upon closer inspection, it turned out that the bridge had been modified in order to make it work. It works fine. When I ordered my lam LaScala, I just had the bridge made with the FC as the default adjuster wheels. I've never tried the Rev Solo, so i really can't compare.

[Jeremy Allen]

Got your email, Jack. Where'd you get the La Scala? Because, like Chris F., when I bought my NS I just had Nick Lloyd (who put the bass together) put the Full Circle on. I'm sure he could do a retrofit on your bass if you wanted to get the Full Circle on there.

I personally prefer the Full Circle to the Revolution SOLO pickup, although in all fairness the SOLO I had was the first version and it is a nice-sounding PU in its own way if you can get it placed just so (if not, it kind of sounds like a Fishman BP100 with a hangover...).

I thought you were an Underwood guy to the bitter end, though; why not just swap the Underwood between basses and see if you like it? I have a spare one sitting around here should you decide to get a second one and leave them installed on both basses.

[jhelsley]

To answer some of Jeremy's (many) questions...
I got the La Scala from Nick Lloyd. Someone else was going to buy it, but bailed out. Nick put the wider adjusters on, and will in fact have to do a refit if I want to go with the Full Circle...but I wanted to be REALLY sure before I went that route, and explore as many other options as possible.

As for my love/hate relationship with the Underwood, I'm using both the Underwood and Gage on my Pollman, to some degree of success...and now the both of them on the La Scala (not quite as successful)

I will share that I played a gig a couple of weeks ago with the NS, GK-MB150, and just the Gage pickup, and pretty much wanted to kill myself by the end of the 1st hour...thank god there were only 3 more after that!

Thanks to everybody for your input. If anyone else has an opinion, I'd love to hear.

[Chris Fitzgerald]

Jack - what kinda strings are you using? I find that different strings amplify quite differently on my LaScala, with the best being stiffish strings like Dominants/Spiro starks and the worse being floppy strings like Obligatos (obligati?).

[jhelsley]

Chris,

I'm currently using the ugly red-rap Spiros...I think Jeremy is using a gut-ish something on his Cleveland?

[Chris Fitzgerald]

Those should amplify well on a LaScala. Ply or Hybrid? Boxers, or briefs? I love the way my ply sounds acoustically, but the hybrid amplifies about 10x better. Dunno why.

[Jeremy Allen]

Yeah, Golden Spirals on the top and Spiros on bottom. But it had Spiro mittels on all four strings when I got it, so I did get a chance to hear that with the Full Circle.
I think the Full Circle is a really consistent and even-sounding pickup, and it worked really well with the Spiros. Not tubby/thumpy in a bad way, but not stringy/zingy in a bad way either. Kind of like a good mix of a Realist and an Underwood. I've played three basses now with Full Circles, and they've all amplified well. (They've also all sounded kind of the same; the pickup kind of has its own sound I think.)

Jack, I'll be at the Chatterbox this Saturday if you want to come over and check out the Full Circle. I'll even put the Spiros back on the G and D if you want (*shudder!*).

[jhelsley]

[quote=I'll be at the Chatterbox this Saturday if you want to come over and check out the Full Circle. I'll even put the Spiros back on the G and D if you want (*shudder!*).[/QUOTE]

Are you kidding...I want to hear those Golden Sprials!

Thanks for the help.

[joel kelsey]

Originally Posted by jhelsley

Thanks to everybody for your input. If anyone else has an opinion, I'd love to hear.

Your a jerk and your face smells.

[Jeremy Allen]

As a Moderator, I feel it is my duty to reply: Joel should have said to Jack "You're a jerk and your face smells."

Seriously, if you guys have early gigs or something on Saturday, come by the Chatterbox. I'll buy you a drink with the largesse that comes from playing for the door at a bar the size of a Little League dugout!

[Chris Fitzgerald]

Originally Posted by joel kelsey

Your a jerk and your face smells.

Originally Posted by Jeremy Allen

As a Moderator, I feel it is my duty to reply: Joel should have said to Jack "You're a jerk and your face smells."

Agreed. Jack is in fact a jerk, and his face does indeed smell, and punctuation does matter.... but: He's played with Michael Brecker, and we haven't.

[jhelsley]

Wow...where did you find a picture from that gig!

[joel kelsey]

Originally Posted by Chris Fitzgerald

Agreed. Jack is in fact a jerk, and his face does indeed smell, and punctuation does matter.... but: He's played with Michael Brecker, and we haven't.

Don't forget Benny Golson! It is safe to say that Jack is my mentor and my tormentor.