Traben John Moyer Havoc

Metalmoore · #1 02-16-2009, 05:47 PM

Been looking at the john moyer Havoc sig bass by Traben but cant seem to find any review's. Anyone own one here or know of a review?

Snakeman1066 · #2 02-16-2009, 06:15 PM

Awesome Bass played one a few months back...

Aguilar OBP-3 Pre-amp, Rockfield Pups (which are to die for), 5 way selector switch, 35" scale 5 string, Royal paulonia body and bone nut, what is not to like?

the bridge is nice and beefy without being excessive like some of their other models and it is actually built into the cavity of the body....the sustain is amazing....and that black vapor stain finish has a very nice look to it.

the neck has a very comfortable and fast profile

my only complaint and the reason I didn't buy it.....is the neck is a bolt on and the fretboard is rosewood

In the end I chose the obsession instead as it does active and passive both, and has neck through construction and a wenge fretboard

but the Havoc is an awesome bass.....the tones you can coax from it and just about endless

hope that helps

sasquatchofohio · #3 02-25-2009, 08:24 PM

the havoc is almost the same as the chaos cores, but you can notice the difference in the nut, its sound is a bit darker then the core. although I'm not sure the difference in tone is worth the difference in price.

Lo end PUNCH · #4 02-26-2009, 11:19 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sasquatchofohio

the havoc is almost the same as the chaos cores, but you can notice the difference in the nut, its sound is a bit darker then the core. although I'm not sure the difference in tone is worth the difference in price.

The Moyer has a bit more beef. Bargan wise it pretty much nails at least 80% of anything else out there in its price range. If you can find the model with the burl top good luck, there has been some issues with Traben on their production runs as they may have underestimated how quickly these basses would take off, lots of places advertise them but almost none have them in stock. I've played the Cores and own both the Moyer series 5 strings and let me tell you, the Rockfield pickups are really, really powerful, coupled with an Aggie pre and you got pure unadulterated destruction, the Rockfield is even wilder. The finish is as good as any mass produced bass out there but the exotic tops are cool and dont look cheesy like some the other manufacturers "sheet-o-paper" type tops. What I like is that the string spacing is nice and wide and the neck feels very comfortable after a good setup and adjustment. I play a lot of fusion/funk and contemporary urban gospel as well as some experimental hip-hop jazz and the Moyers cover all of these things pretty well. You can coax lots of tones out of it via the 5-way coil selector switch and three band EQ, lots of possibilities. Not much difference in the Rockfied and Aggie preamps and surprisingly I'm digging the RF a lot better for my sound. If you find one dont hesitate to get it.

Bogster · #5 04-18-2009, 11:01 AM

I've been playing what I guess is the Moyer standard sig (doesn't have the burled top) at a local store and man, what Lo end PUNCH says about "unadulterated destruction" is absolutely true. I played the one that's got the black gloss finish, and I kept imagining it would look seriously sharp with some DR black beauties on it. The Rockfield pups absolutely destroy. I've played basses that cost three or four times as much (or more!) that didn't impress me as much tonally.

Killer sounding bass. And there are almost a couple of times I walked out of there with it-I still may yet. Great sounding bass with awesome features for the price.

J. Crawford · #6 04-18-2009, 11:17 AM

I always thought John Moyer played a Fender Stratocaster when he played Grav...

Bozzonbass · #7 02-17-2013, 11:20 PM

I have a Signature John Moyer Havoc - by B.C. Rich. I've been playing bass for 10 years. I can tell you without a doubt that this bass is AWESOME! I play different styles, but I always get complements on the sound of this bass.

What I did to score this bass was sit down and play about 8 basses by various manufacturers. I hooked up the very same amp to each and did not vary any settings.

This bass has the truest bottom end bass sound of anything I have ever played! One has the ability to craft your own sound with the various options right on the bass. I don't sound like anyone else when I play this bass.

Just to take you back a ways, in the 70's I was in a horn band in Hollywood playing trumpet. In walks Billy Bass Nelson, THE bass player on Shakey Ground by the Temps. He plugged in his B.C. Rich and played that song with us. I have never heard such thunder in my life! So there you have it. I'm sold, and will never give up my version of THUNDER, and I had the privilege of meeting and telling John Moyer himself. He was intrigued that a funk guy loves his bass. I feel That John helped design what will become a classic!