Tried a Pedulla Buzz Fretless 4 on Saturday

[TolerancEJ]

Saturday afternoon, I went to a local music shop & noticed a Pedulla Buzz 4 hanging on the wall. I've never had the opportunity to try a Pedulla before, so I asked to try it.

The tag said it was used, but listed at $2K+. The finish was indicated as Trans Gold. It was a lined fretless. Doing a quick Google search, the bass looked like this...


It was such a comfortable bass to play & balanced very well while I was seated. It had a P/J pickup configuration. There were 4 control knobs and 1 toggle switch. The 4 knobs were: Volume, Pickup Blend, Bass, & Treble. I don't know the purpose of the toggle switch but it increased the volume a bit. I'm taking a guess it might be a passive/active switch? (Feel free to correct me if my guess is wrong.)

I've read the word "Mwah" a lot around TB, in reference to fretless basses, without really knowing what they meant. I think I walked right into it, when I sat down with this Buzz bass. The sound was incredible, picking up the most subtle vibrato. I basically just "thought" about a little vibrato and it seemed to come out.

I own a fretless, but it's just a no-name P-Bass, so the professional-build quality wasn't quite there and I need to exert a little effort to bring forth any vibrato.

A Pedulla Thunderbolt TB6 is presently among my wishlist. I'm curious if a fretless TB6 would get me close to the Buzz sound.

[unclejane]

Originally Posted by TolerancEJ

It was such a comfortable bass to play & balanced very well while I was seated.

Make sure you try it on a strap to see if you can handle it. The neck dive is horrible with the Buzz basses, due to the short upper horn. This also launches the neck way, way out to the left (if you're a righty) which forces your arm out in a truly twisted position to get to the lower registers.

I almost bought a Buzz 4 stringer in Austin about 8 years ago until I tried to play it standing up. I instantly put it back on the rack after that....

Definitely not an ergonomic instrument unless you have the anatomy that's comfortable with it.

LS

[Roscoe East]

Originally Posted by unclejane

The neck dive is horrible with the Buzz basses, due to the short upper horn.
...[snip]...
Definitely not an ergonomic instrument unless you have the anatomy that's comfortable with it.

Then apparently I have "the anatomy that's comfortable with it" because I've played probably a dozen different Pedulla Buzz and/or MVP basses and I've never noticed any neck dive!

[TolerancEJ]

Originally Posted by unclejane

Make sure you try it on a strap to see if you can handle it. The neck dive is horrible with the Buzz basses, due to the short upper horn. This also launches the neck way, way out to the left (if you're a righty) which forces your arm out in a truly twisted position to get to the lower registers.

I almost bought a Buzz 4 stringer in Austin about 8 years ago until I tried to play it standing up. I instantly put it back on the rack after that....

Definitely not an ergonomic instrument unless you have the anatomy that's comfortable with it.

LS

Oh, I certainly don't have $2K to spend. I just wanted to try it. I appreciate your review. I normally wear my basses high which combats most cases of neckdive.

[unclejane]

Originally Posted by Roscoe East

Then apparently I have "the anatomy that's comfortable with it" because I've played probably a dozen different Pedulla Buzz and/or MVP basses and I've never noticed any neck dive!

Well, the full story was several basses, actually. When I was pursuing the Buzz option I tried, IIRC, 4 or 5 different ones, both 4 and 5's. I had to hold the neck on all of them, especially the 5's. They dove worse than even the Precision bass - letting the neck go and they ended up level with the floor completely unassisted.

If your technique isn't bothered by neck dive, or you have one of those goofy strap contraptions that holds the instrument for you, it's managable.

But even seated, it's not ideal, as you can see in this vid of Mark Egan playing a Buzz 5. My left arm aches just watching him reach way out there to get to the lower registers (I remember this when I was playing them also):

http://www.pedulla.com/html/demo_-_egan_pentabuzz.html

Shame, because they're such fantastically well-made and nice sounding basses.

LS

[GBassNorth]

Originally Posted by unclejane

Make sure you try it on a strap to see if you can handle it. The neck dive is horrible with the Buzz basses, due to the short upper horn. This also launches the neck way, way out to the left (if you're a righty) which forces your arm out in a truly twisted position to get to the lower registers.

I almost bought a Buzz 4 stringer in Austin about 8 years ago until I tried to play it standing up. I instantly put it back on the rack after that....

Definitely not an ergonomic instrument unless you have the anatomy that's comfortable with it.

LS

For the record - I have a Pedulla Pentabuzz bass (5 string fretless) and it has ZERO neck dive. In spite of the upper horn straplock aligning with the 14th fret and a smooth leather strap, it hangs hands free exactly where I position it, which is usually at about the 1:00 or 2:00 position standing up. Sitting down it fits perfectly in a classical guitar position (lower horn on left leg) without an overly long left hand reach for a 6' tall player. It's the best fretless I've ever played at any price and an excellent buy in the $1200 to $1500 used price range. $2000+ is a bit steep for a used one even in mint condition. The tonal key for the buzz bass is the coated fretboard. If other Pedullas have that same coating and electronics set up along with the all maple body and neck thru construction they should sound similar to the Buzz bass.

[unclejane]

Originally Posted by GBassNorth

For the record - I have a Pedulla Pentabuzz bass (5 string fretless) and it has ZERO neck dive. In spite of the upper horn straplock aligning with the 14th fret and a smooth leather strap, it hangs hands free exactly where I position it, which is usually at about the 1:00 or 2:00 position standing up.

I'm extremely skeptical, unless something has changed in the design in the last 8 years or so when I tried them. Maybe they added a bunch of weight to the body or went to lighter weight tuning keys or other lightening methods in the neck?

The ones I tried in Austin were both new at the time and used, IIRC, and the dive was worse than anything else I'd tried up until that time.

So maybe they've fixed the problem in the meantime (and I should go try one again lol! I love the way they're built and sound )

LS

[esa372]

Originally Posted by TolerancEJ

It was such a comfortable bass to play & balanced very well while I was seated. It had a P/J pickup configuration.

[...]

I've read the word "Mwah" a lot around TB, in reference to fretless basses, without really knowing what they meant. I think I walked right into it, when I sat down with this Buzz bass. The sound was incredible, picking up the most subtle vibrato. I basically just "thought" about a little vibrato and it seemed to come out.

+1
They really are great instruments. I have a PentaBuzz and absolutely love it. (I have never encountered the problems that unclejane has been mentioning...)

Originally Posted by TolerancEJ

I don't know the purpose of the toggle switch but it increased the volume a bit. I'm taking a guess it might be a passive/active switch? (Feel free to correct me if my guess is wrong.)

It's a midrange boost/cut switch (I think it's set between 500-600Hz).

Originally Posted by TolerancEJ

A Pedulla Thunderbolt TB6 is presently among my wishlist. I'm curious if a fretless TB6 would get me close to the Buzz sound.

Hmmm... I don't know, but I really wouldn't expect any other bass to sound or feel like a Buzz.