Club Fbass (Part 11!)

[Tom7]

Edmond is back, playing is AC5 along with Jaco (Weather Report). LOVE that tone!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a5T0v...eature=g-all-u

[Tom7]

Originally Posted by Tom7

Edmond is back, playing is AC5 along with Jaco (Weather Report). LOVE that tone!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a5T0v...eature=g-all-u

BTW, this REALLY heats up at 2:30, so stay with it.

[Tom7]

And here is Donovan showing off a new BN5 (for TJ). It's got an ebony board.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EEljEuDxXX4

[olegsulimov]

Originally Posted by Tom7

BTW, this REALLY heats up at 2:30, so stay with it.

Edmond's sound and playing are always great! Can't find his short slap video with VF5. It's killing!

Hello, Tom. Wanna ask which of your 6-string Fbasses do musicians you play with and you prefer more? I still don't know what fingerboard I want for my 6string fretted Fbass

[Randyt]

Originally Posted by olegsulimov

Edmond's sound and playing are always great! Can't find his short slap video with VF5. It's killing!

Hello, Tom. Wanna ask which of your 6-string Fbasses do musicians you play with and you prefer more? I still don't know what fingerboard I want for my 6string fretted Fbass

Sorry to JUmp in...but if Im looking for bright with fast attack, maybe with odd chance of slap... i choose ...Maple
If im looking for warmth ...less compression I choose Madagascar Rosewood..(less attack)..I ordered this on my Fretted AC6 w/redwood top....If I had gone with Spruce top...I would of chose Ebony....seems to balance out better.
If im looking for Brighter clarity with more compressed sound...I choose Ebony.
But this is so subjective...one thing you do know is that build quality is second to none with George at FBass.
On another note...I dont believe George can get Brazillian Rosewood anymore>?..or he chooses not too?
Im personally not a fan of Wenge or Bubinga fingerboards...I like them in the neck construction but not on the fingerboard.

Good luck!!

[Tom7]

I was watching Alain's video where he talks about his signature combo amp (Markbass), and he cracked me up with this comment:

"After that you have the EQ section. Normally... [pauses with a funny expression] -- personally, I NEVER use EQ. You know, I like the sound of my bass. Sounds great in the studio."

[bassman10]

Originally Posted by Tom7

I was watching Alain's video where he talks about his signature combo amp (Markbass), and he cracked me up with this comment:

"After that you have the EQ section. Normally... [pauses with a funny expression] -- personally, I NEVER use EQ. You know, I like the sound of my bass. Sounds great in the studio."

Are you telling us that you don't believe that he doesn't use EQ?... lol!!! To get the sounds out of his basses that he gets, I'm pretty sure that there's some kind of EQ involved somewhere.... lol!!!

[Tom7]

Originally Posted by bassman10

Are you telling us that you don't believe that he doesn't use EQ?... lol!!! To get the sounds out of his basses that he gets, I'm pretty sure that there's some kind of EQ involved somewhere.... lol!!!

Actually, I really do think that if Alain says he doesn't EQ his bass at the amp, then he really doesn't EQ his bass at the amp.

Of course, that does not mean that sound engineers don't EQ his bass -- in studio recordings or in live performances.

[Tom7]

Originally Posted by olegsulimov

Edmond's sound and playing are always great! Can't find his short slap video with VF5. It's killing!

Hello, Tom. Wanna ask which of your 6-string Fbasses do musicians you play with and you prefer more? I still don't know what fingerboard I want for my 6string fretted Fbass

It's funny how often short questions result in complicated answers answers.

On second thought, there is a short answer; the short answer is, "it depends."

1. What are your goals for the new 6-string bass? For instance, if you don't ever intend to slap it, then its slap tone isn't really relevant.

2. What other basses do you have? For example, if you have a BN5 with a maple board, you might consider an ebony board for your BN6 if you want more tonal range in your arsenal of instruments.

3. What other characteristics does/will the bass have? Basses are more than fingerboard wood, so choices of body woods, pickup placement (60s? 70s?), pickup type (single coil, stacked, split, etc.), preamp, bridge, etc. all work with and blend to create our tone.

I love the sound of BN6s with maple boards. Using David Hughes as an example, here he is just playing his BN6 solo in front of his computer. What's not to like about that tone? And here he is playing finger style in a mix. And his slap tone in a mix is just delicious.

That said, I went with an ebony board on my BN6. It made sense for me for many reasons, including the fact that I have a BN5 with a maple board.

And I LOVE my BN6. In fact, it is my most gigged bass by far, and its tone is very complimented when people first hear it.

[Tom7]

Originally Posted by Randyt

Sorry to JUmp in...but if Im looking for bright with fast attack, maybe with odd chance of slap... i choose ...Maple
If im looking for warmth ...less compression I choose Madagascar Rosewood..(less attack)..I ordered this on my Fretted AC6 w/redwood top....If I had gone with Spruce top...I would of chose Ebony....seems to balance out better.
If im looking for Brighter clarity with more compressed sound...I choose Ebony.
But this is so subjective...one thing you do know is that build quality is second to none with George at FBass.
On another note...I dont believe George can get Brazillian Rosewood anymore>?..or he chooses not too?
Im personally not a fan of Wenge or Bubinga fingerboards...I like them in the neck construction but not on the fingerboard.

Good luck!!

By all means... JUMP IN! In fact, please, everyone jump in.

At other times in the club we have talked about a web page on the Sadowsky website where Roger Sadowsky talks about different finger board woods in basses.

Roger rates finger board wood from brightest to warmest like this:

Maple (brightest)
Ebony
Morado (a.k.a. Pau Ferro)
Madagascar Rosewood
Amazon Rosewood
Brazilian Rosewood (warmest)

In this article, Roger writes that maple is "best for slap." That may be true if you are talking about a 4 string bass with an ash body, and play like Marcus Miller.

However, this is a different era. It isn't a given that, if you want a new bass, it has exactly 4 strings. Plus, with a 6-string bass, the size of the heel of the neck where it meets the bass has a large affect on the bass's tone, making it so that a 6-string basses does not sound exactly like 4-string basses made from the same woods and electronics. The bass is a system that makes the sound, woods being one of many variables.

Interestingly, Roger also wrote, "EBONY: Not as bright as maple. Most immediate attack and punch of all our fingerboard woods. Note is more fundamental with less overtones. Best for fretless. Pure black ebony from Madagascar is limited. African ebony has some grey mottling but is still very beautiful."

I bring this up because I used to have a Fodera Yin Yang (for obvious reasons). The bass had an alder body, a holly and ebony top, and a MAPLE board. While I LOVED this bass for finger style playing, I could not make myself like its slap tone. Using modern styles, it was just too clacky -- too percussive and not enough fundamental.

It tried every kind of string I could come into to improve that bass's slap tone and never found a string that helped, so I resigned myself to playing that bass for times when I'm not slapping. The problem was, I pretty much never play a 4 string bass, much less play a 4 string bass I can't slap, so I sold that bass and got a bass I would play (a Fodera Emperor 5 with a maple board and the heaviest ash body I have every seen on a 5 string bass).

Then I saw something interesting.

Victor Wooten, whose main bass was a perfectly fine alder and maple Yin Yang... suddenly started playing a Yin Yang with an EBONY board instead.



As a Yin Yang owner myself, I think I understand why.

As Roger Sadowsky said, ebony has the quickest attack and the most fundamental, so if you are Victor Wooten and can slap and pop 10,000 notes per second, an ebony board is going to let us hear more of the note and less of the clacking than a maple board would. Plus, the brightness of the maple board brings out that sharp fret attack sound.

BTW, 10,000 notes per second was NOT my problem on the Yin Yang or any other bass.

So one reason for choosing an ebony board, if you are going to really be slapping your BN6, might be so that you can have a slap tone that employs more fundamental after that initial slap sound attack.

[Tom7]

Oh, I forgot to talk about Brazilian Rosewood. I think it is now illegal to have it outside of Brazil, which means transporting your bass with Brazilian rosewood internationally can potentially give you a very hard time. The same with Brazilian ebony.

Here is an interesting video made by Bob Taylor, the founder of Taylor Guitars. If you are someone with any interest in ebony, this is a must see video I think.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=anCGvfsBoFY

[olegsulimov]

Originally Posted by Tom7

1. What are your goals for the new 6-string bass? For instance, if you don't ever intend to slap it, then its slap tone isn't really relevant.

2. What other basses do you have? For example, if you have a BN5 with a maple board, you might consider an ebony board for your BN6 if you want more tonal range in your arsenal of instruments.

3. What other characteristics does/will the bass have? Basses are more than fingerboard wood, so choices of body woods, pickup placement (60s? 70s?), pickup type (single coil, stacked, split, etc.), preamp, bridge, etc. all work with and blend to create our tone.

1. I will slap it in my songs, I wanna play Alain's slap songs like D-code, Slam the clown.

2. I've recently sold my BN5, because I need money to repair my flat. It was really sad moment for me.
But still I have got 5-string bass with ash body/maple fingerboard. So I think I need two different fretted basses for more tonal range.

3. Oh, I didnt think about these details. I hope to find standard BN6, don't really know if I want to have a top on it.

[olegsulimov]

Originally Posted by Tom7

Victor Wooten, whose main bass was a perfectly fine alder and maple Yin Yang... suddenly started playing a Yin Yang with an EBONY board instead.

As a Yin Yang owner myself, I think I understand why.

As Roger Sadowsky said, ebony has the quickest attack and the most fundamental, so if you are Victor Wooten and can slap and pop 10,000 notes per second, an ebony board is going to let us hear more of the note and less of the clacking than a maple board would. Plus, the brightness of the maple board brings out that sharp fret attack sound.

So one reason for choosing an ebony board, if you are going to really be slapping your BN6, might be so that you can have a slap tone that employs more fundamental after that initial slap sound attack.

Alain used to have Fbass with maple fingerboard, but now it's ebony, isn't it? Probably reason is the same like Wooten's.
I do hope I will be able to play lots of slapping and popping, but now I'm more finger playing guy

[AudioDwebe]

Originally Posted by Tom7

Edmond is back, playing is AC5 along with Jaco (Weather Report). LOVE that tone!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a5T0v...eature=g-all-u

Man, dude needs some Gatorade after that one! Pretty amazing.

[Tom7]

Originally Posted by AudioDwebe

Man, dude needs some Gatorade after that one! Pretty amazing.

Laughing! Well said.

[kbuschmann]

So, I'm in the process of consolidating (~ rationalizing) my bass inventory. I have several fretless basses, including a BNF5, but am considering reducing them to just one. I think the AC5 could cover most/all of my fretless needs, but am not sure what tonal characteristics of the BNF5 I'll lose by having only an AC5. Can ya fill me in?

Thanks

[zortation]

Originally Posted by kbuschmann

So, I'm in the process of consolidating (~ rationalizing) my bass inventory. I have several fretless basses, including a BNF5, but am considering reducing them to just one. I think the AC5 could cover most/all of my fretless needs, but am not sure what tonal characteristics of the BNF5 I'll lose by having only an AC5. Can ya fill me in?

Thanks

Sustain.

[George Furlanet]

Originally Posted by kbuschmann

So, I'm in the process of consolidating (~ rationalizing) my bass inventory. I have several fretless basses, including a BNF5, but am considering reducing them to just one. I think the AC5 could cover most/all of my fretless needs, but am not sure what tonal characteristics of the BNF5 I'll lose by having only an AC5. Can ya fill me in?

Thanks

The AC has such a wide range of tonal variations that you won't miss anything that the BNF has to offer. The BNF has a stronger midrange component, and more compression. The AC has a much faster attack, is a bigger sound and has a little more of the acoustic flavour.

If I had to choose one fretless over the other, I would pick the AC

[Tom7]

Originally Posted by kbuschmann

So, I'm in the process of consolidating (~ rationalizing) my bass inventory. I have several fretless basses, including a BNF5, but am considering reducing them to just one. I think the AC5 could cover most/all of my fretless needs, but am not sure what tonal characteristics of the BNF5 I'll lose by having only an AC5. Can ya fill me in?

Thanks

I agree: if you can only have 1 fretless, the AC5 should be it.

I also agree that if your BNF5 has a metal bridge, then its sustain is different than the wooden bridge of the AC5. The ACx basses have an organic sustain that is more like an upright, while the BNx basses have a longer, kind of liquidy sustain which is cool too, just different.

[olegsulimov]

I do love the sound of this F-masterpiece!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zRBbl...hannel&list=UL