Club F-bass (Part VII)

[Drone80]

Originally Posted by Vic

Here's my suggestion...

First, you can also lower pickups to balance. I really think if the pickups are too close to the strings you can have tonal problems with focus and overtones. Remember, you can always turn the amp up a little more... not all the gain has to come from the pickups.

That said, as narud said, trying to get the pickups to sound similar when solo'd is overrated. IMHO, it's unnecessary, and as you're finding out, pretty problematic.

Keep in mind you do not have to solo that pickup, you can also just favor it, get a fatter fuller sound with more output, and still have plenty of that wonderful burp. Otherwise, if you do want to solo it, just fatten it up with some bass and/or mids from the eq.

The strings move a lot less over the bridge pickup than the neck, so it just stands to reason the neck pickup is going to have a stronger signal at the same string gap setting.

IMHO, you should set the pickups up such that your blended sound is the perfect slap tone for you, and leave it. Do the rest with right hand position and technique, pickup blending, and eq.

Hope this helps.

Hi Vic,

thks.. i've tried your method and it worked..

I like to share an observation i made while i was trying to "fix" the set up.
The pole pieces sitting inside the pickup covers are actually adjustable. It works like a "see saw" concept..
In my case, the pole pieces (treble side) on the neck PU were closer to the top. I took a piece of cotton bud to "push" it down and the pole pieces on the bass side rose.. that was quite a discovery for me.

I could hear the vol difference by adjusting the pole piece height. So that aactually helped quite abit with the setup..

Thks everyone for all the comments and tips..
Here's the fotos of my VF-5.. Taken using a phone camera. Pls pardon the poor quality

[jbay]

Lovely sheets

[Vic]

Originally Posted by Drone80

Hi Vic,
thks.. i've tried your method and it worked..

EXCELLENT!

I like to share an observation i made while i was trying to "fix" the set up.
The pole pieces sitting inside the pickup covers are actually adjustable. It works like a "see saw" concept..
In my case, the pole pieces (treble side) on the neck PU were closer to the top. I took a piece of cotton bud to "push" it down and the pole pieces on the bass side rose.. that was quite a discovery for me.

Careful with this! Unless I miss my guess, they really aren't designed to be adjustable. It's just that the magnets aren't glued into the bobbins and are just a snug fit. If you moved them enough times, they may become loose and/or out of alignment, which could cause issues. I don't think you've created a problem tho, so no worries, but at least I've never needed to do this, and even if someone does, I'd strongly recommend doing it as few times as possible.

On the other hand, if George tells me I'm all wrong and it's just an unadvertised feature, well, I'm ok with that, too.

Thks everyone for all the comments and tips..
Here's the fotos of my VF-5..

WOW! BEAUTIFUL!!!!!

[Tom7]

Originally Posted by thumpbass

Alright, so do yo still have a preamp without magnetic pickups? how does that work? Are you getting the standard AC bridge?

Also, is there anything different about this new AC6 aside from having only piezos?

It's so cool that you get to have 2 AC6's, I hope that one day I make it to 1!

First, I totally missed seeing this before, sorry.

And second I agree, it *is* is so cool that I get to have 2 AC6s, and it will be even cooler when my 3rd AC6 gets here!

(1) My first AC6 is a fretless that I got with a burl redwood top simply because I liked the look better than the standard AC6.

It seems laughable now, but at the time I was very iffy about getting it. I didn't play fretless very often and I had 3 fretless basses already: a 4-string 1978 Fender Jazz bass, a 5-string Barker electric upright, and a 6-string fretless Yamaha Patitucci signature bass that I really loved.

However, my AC6 changed my view of fretless basses forever. Whereas I try to have a "right tool for the job" mental about basses, I was definitely looking for any excuse I could to play my AC6 and make it fit. In fact, it blew me away to the point that I knew I would never play my beloved fretless 6 string Patitucci anymore, so I sold it, and I don't like to sell basses (I get too attached to them).

(2) Awhile ago I bought from Donovan a fretted AC6 that is neck through, with a flamed redwood top, a metal bridge, and two magnetic pickups. Of course, while its redwood top makes this bass look somewhat like my first redwood topped AC6, it is a totally different bass and it has a voice of its own which I very much like, yet has the flexibility to sound like a couple of bass standards giving me some nice choices.

(3) And now I'll be getting the first production (non prototype) model of the AC6 - acoustic.

Here is some more detail on the new Alain Caron - Acoustic bass my wife ordered from George (without my knowledge) for Christmas 2010.

By the way, I am positive that in time, many of George Furlanetto's innovations on the AC6-acoustic will be added to the growing list of George Furlanetto innovations that other luthiers copy.

--- Preamp ---

I misspoke earlier when I said it would have George's preamp. The jury may still out on that, but it looks like it will probably come with the preamp made by the manufacturer of the piezos.

--- Controls ---

Right now, the controls are:

o Volume
o Bass boost / cut
o Treble boost / cut

And a mid boost / cut is being looked into.

--- Bridge ---

As for the bridge, the Alain Caron - acoustic does not have the standard AC bridge. George has put considerable R&D into perfecting a bridge design, and the result is a bridge that is one of the major contributors to the AC-acoustic's astonishing acoustic tone.

--- Chambers ---

Like the regular AC line, the acoustic ACs have acoustic chambers, a feature which is definitely apparent in the tone and weight of the basses, however the chambers of the AC - acoustic are a whole new approach. The acoustic's chambers are designed to make the top much "freer," and very much more a contributor to the bass's overall tone. A larger portion of the bass's top is chambered, which changes the way I've come to think of tops on a bass.

--- Tops ---

Whereas before, tops on basses were pretty much seen as aesthetic options added to enhance the look of the bass, on the AC-acoustic, the top is a critical part of the bass's tone. Consequently, minute aspects of the top are integral to the sound of the bass.

For example, you cannot get an AC-acoustic in burled redwood, it must be in straight redwood for the added strength of the wood, although the redwood can be flamed.

Similarly, finger ramps are discouraged because of the affect an affixed plexi or wood ramp would have on the vibration of the top.

As a finger ramp guy, I was tempted to add two magnetic pickups to my order. My fretted AC6 has two pickups, and they are placed perfectly so I don't "need" a ramp on that bass.

But frankly, the main purpose of an Alain Caron - acoustic for me is to play like an amazing 6 string bass, but sound exactly like an acoustic upright. I don't want to add any features to the bass that might compromise that mission, you know? The ole "Jack of all trades" problem?

Besides, on my fretless AC6 that I currently have, whenever I tweak it to sound acoustic and play it to sound acoustic, my plucking hand is over the finger board anyway at about 13th "fret." I just think it sounds more upright-y to have my right hand there, and if that affects the ac - acoustic's tone as well, then I won't be needing a finger ramp on that bass anyway.

Sorry for the long post, but at least it put most of what I wanted to say about the new model of Fbass being featured at the coming NAMM in one place.

[Tom7]

Originally Posted by Drone80

WOW! Those blocks really make an already attractive bass SO HOT!

[Tom7]

Originally Posted by Drone80

...Here's the fotos of my VF-5.. Taken using a phone camera. Pls pardon the poor quality.

Today's roster update adds Dron80's VF5 to his owner gallery.

Nice nice nice.

CLUB FBASS ROSTER
(Updated 03 November 2010)

1. George_Furlanet (Number assigned by club vote)
2. Tombowlus - BN4, BN5, VF5
3. Puff_father - BN5
4. Debassed - BNF5
5. ThumbyAche - BN5, GFC
6. brandonwong - BN6, BN6 custom, AC6, BNF5, BNF5(2), BN5 custom
7. Tom7 - AC6, BN5, BN6, VF5, fretted AC6
8. Erick Lam - Vintage Fretless 5
9. knarleybass - BN5, BN6
10. Reefer - BN5, BN4?
11. VinceLovesF - BN5, AC5
12. T._Brookins - BN5
13. DonovanBankhead - BN5
14. Speyer - BN6 (b)
15. jmilky - BN5
16. edel - BN5
17. administrator - BN5
18. Dave Hill - BN5, (b), VF4
19. FbassDave - BN5, BNF5
20. Vic - VF5
21. Georges_Abitbol - BN5 (b) (c)
22. xav_paris - BN5, (b)
23. Munjibunga - BN5
24. Toolmybass - ?
25. Modny - Studio5, Prototype
26. mikoespanol - AC5
27. Ron_Plichta - BN5
28. Gbarchus - BNF5
29. nuwavedc - BN5
30. JerryJ - BN5, BN6, AC5
31. yansdgr - BNF5
32. firebass - AC5, AC6
33. <reserved for the return of choad42>
34. donstrenz - Vintage 4 (stolen)
35. Gilsonite - Studio6
36. Tjluke - BN6, AC6
37. cabooke - BNF5
38. Brad Johnson - Studio5
39. MHemmber - BN4
40. FortressOne - BN5
41. dreamwood - BN6
42. wolfbass1025 - BN6, AC5, 2
43. funkydanbass - AC6
44. Phillip Jordan - BN5
45. Halftooth - BN5
46. thndrstk6 - BN6
47. funkifiedsoul - Vintage4
48. Trapeze Fan - BN5
49. Poppsyche - BN6
50. Groovy Bastard - BN6
51. Kemet09 - Vintage4
52. ModulusAcacia - AC5
53. bassjam - BN5
54. ad9000 - BN6
55. Basses55 - BN5
56. Kevin Woods - BNF6
57. pierreganseman - BN5
58. DiDi G - BN6
59. Greggles - BN4
60. kotzman - AC5
61. Alphaman - BN6
62. remigioremigio - BN5
63. JensWest - BN5
64. eduardxtb - BN6
65. dveeus1 - BNF5, BN5
66. paulvienneau - BN6, AC6
67. bdgotoh - BN4
68. rabster - VF5, AC5
69. funkygeos - BN5
70. fusoid - AC6, BN6
71. WovenGraphite - BN6 (b), AC6 (b)
72. rnlytton - AC6, AC6-LW, BN5 (piccolo), 3 BN6s!
73. bardlute - AC5
74. chrisloe - BN6, b
75. Iposavad - BNF5
76. yinghock - BN5
77. pocketmonster - BN5
78. bassment bn5 - BN5
79. hairman - BN6, BNF5,
80. JOEP054 - AC5, BN5, VF5
81. p0k - VF5
82. jmilkey - BN5
83. Bass Junkie - AC4, (with a VF4 being built!)
84. narud - VF5,
85. BIg O - Studio 5, Passive 6, BN5, more photos
86. felicidade - BNF5
87. Drone80 - BN5, VF5
88. steve f - BN5
89. Fbassed - BN5, AC5
90. rick1906 - BN5
91. Romu - BN5
92. Bajosintrastos - BNF5
93. jimc - BN5, VF5
94. cfequa - BN5
95. mrbassman_de - AC5, BN5
96. Graham Monette - BN5
97. Shelly - VF5
98. tonenazi - BN5
99. Abacobob - BN5
100. jogi68 - BN5 (studio), BN5 (defretted), VF5, AC5, BN6, NY5, VF5
101. ManuBerdin - Studio, BNF5
102. rvf42 - BN5
103. kuma9 - BN5 (wide nut)
104. jbay - BN6
105. INGALL'S - BN6
106. BIGGUY78 - VF5
107. KERMITNT-BN5
108. Ewo - BN5
109. frizzle - BN5
110. t0t0m - BN5
111. blen dem - BN5
112. francoprof - BNF6
113. bassistck - BNF5
114. Sirmike75 - BN5
115. Stereo Joe - Vintage BN5
116. starKey - VF5
117. eaflyaway - AC5
118. <Your name could be here!>

Former Fbass owners:
GRoberts, AJ Brown, JRB, jmondick, ursus, Freddy-G, Adrian Garcia, Yvon, dean82, smperry, Ryan_L, rodneyat, 123eranoid, Gordon of Eden, choad42, black.rose1402, blen dem, Jonno1707 - AC5, Quadzilla - BN4, BN5, ?, RoboChrist - BN4, blen dem - BN5, BassBoss - AC5, KJung - VF5, Bassconbeatz - BN6,

[George Furlanet]

Originally Posted by DirtPoorRobins

Quick thread derail: What is the difference between a BN5 Studio and just a BN5? I couldn't find info anywhere. Thanks Fbass club.

Studio vs. BN5

The Studio model has 20 frets and the BN-5 has 22, thus making the neck shorter and the body with a larger mass on the Studio. What this difference means functionally is that the Studio has more of a P-bass sound, that is, more lower mid range and bottom
The BN-5 is more like an evolved Fender Jazz bass. If you can imagine the difference between the sound of a Precision and a Jazz, this is a similar difference between a Studio and a BN-5. Both instruments have identical pickups and wiring.

[anezthes]

Originally Posted by Tom7

Because it is neck through, the action can be set even lower than my BN6.

Neck through basses can have a lower setup compared to bolt-ons?

[tombowlus]

Originally Posted by Drone80

Here's the fotos of my VF-5.. Taken using a phone camera. Pls pardon the poor quality

First off, congrats! That bass looks insanely good!

But about those pics, they actually look pretty darned good! What kind of cell phone do you have?

[ashbory]

Originally Posted by tombowlus

But about those pics, they actually look pretty darned good! What kind of cell phone do you have?

I think its an Apple iPhone 4

[Drone80]

Thks all, yep. Fotos are taken with the iPhone 4

[TapyTap]

Originally Posted by Tom7

My pleasure.

What is the body wood on this particular bass? I'm sorry if you have already mentioned this.

[George Furlanet]

Originally Posted by TapyTap

What is the body wood on this particular bass? I'm sorry if you have already mentioned this.

The top is Flamed Redwood.

[George Furlanet]

Originally Posted by anezthes

Neck through basses can have a lower setup compared to bolt-ons?

Generally yes, as the neck-through construction adds compression to the instrument, so that the strings vibrate less......but not always as every instrument is a very individual piece, with varying string tension, mass, density and a multitude of other variables.

[George Furlanet]

[quote=Drone80;9927561]Hi Vic, the distance between the underside of strings and the pickups are as follows.

Neck Pickup Bridge Pickup
B - 2mm B - 1.5mm
G - 3mm G - 2.5mm

This is the setup i've done to have the 2 pickup with same volume (loudness) but it has kinda lost the punch and the phatness when i lowered it to this particular setting.

Generally our pickup set up on maple/ash basses has the neck pickup slightly louder than the bridge to get a full, thick sound out of the bass. If you raise the bridge pickup you start to get a nasally, skanky sound. So the height of the pickups should be determined by your ears to achieve your desired sound. Do this by minute adjustments (usually a quarter turn on each screw) and play/listen each time.
The pole pieces are glued in, but it is still a dangerous operation to push on them. With enough force you could move them and possibly break an internal wire in the coil. I am assuming when you pushed on them the entire coil moved within the shell. If so you need to add more dense foam under the pickup coil. Before you remove the pickups, take a height measurement so you can return the pickups to the same height.
But it sounds like you got it to where you want it.

[TapyTap]

Originally Posted by George Furlanet

The top is Flamed Redwood.

Thanks Mr. F...beautiful work!

I am particularly interested in the wood used on the back of the body.

[George Furlanet]

Originally Posted by TapyTap

Thanks Mr. F...beautiful work!

I am particularly interested in the wood used on the back of the body.

The back is three pieces of "fiddle back" (tightly flamed) maple

[TapyTap]

Originally Posted by George Furlanet

The back is three pieces of "fiddle back" (tightly flamed) maple

Sweet! Is that Acer macrophyllum?

[George Furlanet]

Originally Posted by TapyTap

Sweet! Is that Acer macrophyllum?

YES!!!!

[t0t0m]

Originally Posted by George Furlanet

The BN-5 is more like an evolved Fender Jazz bass. If you can imagine the difference between the sound of a Precision and a Jazz, this is a similar difference between a Studio and a BN-5. Both instruments have identical pickups and wiring.

This is exactly what I feel, compare to Fender Jazz bass BN5 have smoother high and more growl.