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My Cortobass just had her two-year birthday!
I gave her a Tru-Oil rubdown (cut with some denatured alcohol.) The little bit of gloss really adds richness and depth to the bloodwood arrowhead and control plate.
Out of curiosity, I put some DR Sunbeams on her. You know, those low-tension round core strings. Had to tweak the truss rod and raise the action a little, and also have to use a fairly light touch, but I gotta say I really like these strings on this bass. Not a big fat bottom end, but lots of definition and upper midrange. I'm pleasantly surprised.
Thinking about selling off some stuff and starting a Sadhana fund ...
I gave her a Tru-Oil rubdown (cut with some denatured alcohol.) The little bit of gloss really adds richness and depth to the bloodwood arrowhead and control plate.
Out of curiosity, I put some DR Sunbeams on her. You know, those low-tension round core strings. Had to tweak the truss rod and raise the action a little, and also have to use a fairly light touch, but I gotta say I really like these strings on this bass. Not a big fat bottom end, but lots of definition and upper midrange. I'm pleasantly surprised.
Thinking about selling off some stuff and starting a Sadhana fund ...
...Thinking about selling off some stuff and starting a Sadhana fund ...
What's to think about? I vote: Yes, you should
This tread has kind of been dead lately.
Just curious where do you set you varitone at ? I really like a lot of low end and find I only use the 4 and 5 setting (mostly #5) on my varitone but I find them sometimes to be little muffled sounding. I find the others have too much mids for me and bypass does not have enough lows.
Also which pickups so you tend to use ? I tend to use both together and I don't like just the neck pickup by itself.
Where do you set your vol knobs at ? I notice I get more low end if I keep the vol just a little under full. I also notice that the bridge pickup is louder than the neck. With the bridge at full vol then putting the neck at full vol the neck pickup actually cuts some of the vol.
Just curious where do you set you varitone at ? I really like a lot of low end and find I only use the 4 and 5 setting (mostly #5) on my varitone but I find them sometimes to be little muffled sounding. I find the others have too much mids for me and bypass does not have enough lows.
Also which pickups so you tend to use ? I tend to use both together and I don't like just the neck pickup by itself.
Where do you set your vol knobs at ? I notice I get more low end if I keep the vol just a little under full. I also notice that the bridge pickup is louder than the neck. With the bridge at full vol then putting the neck at full vol the neck pickup actually cuts some of the vol.
I use only the neck pick up with the tone completely down.
Sometimes I will use use both pick up with the tone up. But not very often.
Sometimes I will use use both pick up with the tone up. But not very often.
On my fretted fusion (only 1 neck pickup), the varitone is the one he uses in the BBoxes, not the one in most of the basses. I use it in the bypass position when I use it playing out, positions 3, 4, or 5 when playing "acoustic jams" or living-room practices. That said, I rarely play this bass out.
For my fretless, I don't have a tone knob or varitone - just two volume knobs (I use my BBox if I feel like I need to modify the tone - same settings as on the fusion varitone). The neck pickup is the standard Lace Sensor that he uses and the bridge pickup is from the "Birdsong Punchbucker" period. I find the neck pickup is a touch louder. I tend to use the Neck pickup by itself, full on, and *sometimes* add a touch of the bridge pickup back in (maybe halfway or less).
My gigging "clean tone" is, 90% of the time, the fretless with the neck pickup solo, no tone knob/varitone, into an EBS Multi-Comp that stays on constantly.
For my fretless, I don't have a tone knob or varitone - just two volume knobs (I use my BBox if I feel like I need to modify the tone - same settings as on the fusion varitone). The neck pickup is the standard Lace Sensor that he uses and the bridge pickup is from the "Birdsong Punchbucker" period. I find the neck pickup is a touch louder. I tend to use the Neck pickup by itself, full on, and *sometimes* add a touch of the bridge pickup back in (maybe halfway or less).
My gigging "clean tone" is, 90% of the time, the fretless with the neck pickup solo, no tone knob/varitone, into an EBS Multi-Comp that stays on constantly.
I'll have to try just the neck pickup at practice. You probably get the most low end with that set up. At home just using the neck pickup does not work for me and I usually favor the neck pickup.
You seem to have a couple "usual" Birdsongs. so with no tone or varitone is yours more like a bypass ?
Kind of wish I would have went with a straight tone knob instead of the varitone. But that is hard to say as I've never heard a Birdsong without the varitone.
These are my Cortobass church settings, running into a GK 400RB head with an old Hartke 410 cab:
For our more upbeat songs, I'll be in bypass or position 2; bridge volume full, neck rolled off just a little bit. There's a magic spot where the blended tone changes very slightly and the bass gets a nice upper midrange snarl. (I remember reading something about this in Scott's owner's manual; that because it's a passive system with different value pots for each pickup, there's a bump in the taper and it only takes a slight change in the volume knobs to bring out some big tonal variations. Or something along those lines.)
For slower acoustic songs that are still with the full band, I'll use position 3 (very warm and midrangey) with both pups full on.
When it's just me and the keyboardist playing a slow song (e.g., for communion), I'll solo the neck pickup and use position 4 (slightly scooped) on the varitone. I find this gives a nice pillowy sound that really complements the keys, without being intrusive.
For our more upbeat songs, I'll be in bypass or position 2; bridge volume full, neck rolled off just a little bit. There's a magic spot where the blended tone changes very slightly and the bass gets a nice upper midrange snarl. (I remember reading something about this in Scott's owner's manual; that because it's a passive system with different value pots for each pickup, there's a bump in the taper and it only takes a slight change in the volume knobs to bring out some big tonal variations. Or something along those lines.)
For slower acoustic songs that are still with the full band, I'll use position 3 (very warm and midrangey) with both pups full on.
When it's just me and the keyboardist playing a slow song (e.g., for communion), I'll solo the neck pickup and use position 4 (slightly scooped) on the varitone. I find this gives a nice pillowy sound that really complements the keys, without being intrusive.
Since most of what I do lately is country or semi-acoustic duo w/drum machine I usually use the settings so eloquently described above.
Yeah - my first bass was the Cortofusion prototype, and Scott made it about the time he was first building the original BBoxes. I asked him to switch from the original "tone knob" plan (which he did end up using in the Fusions as standard) to a varitone with voicing tweaks, I ended up with the "BBox varitone kit" - I've never actually played with the standard varitone Scott usually uses.
I found that when playing out, the tonal differences of the different settings were lost, so I was going with the bypass position. So when I ordered my fretless, I got two knobs (both volume) and a front jack (personal preference).
Sometimes I set my BBox at the 5th position ("the heart") and use my single-loop Loopmaster pedal as an "on-off" switch. Again, not much use live, but VERY cool when recording.
It's been a while since I've been on here, but anyway... I tend to have both pups up full and the varitone on bypass because I play through a Fender Rumble 25 watt amp. I don't have any other amps or cabs so I find that sounds the best. The odd time I'll solo the bridge pup but not often.
I had my first recording session with my Cortobass last weekend and man she's so powerful that when I recorded the rock song I was working on with my instructor and got it mixed, the bass still over powered the guitar and drums a bit hahaha just the way I like it! Both pups were up full and the varitone was on bypass and the bass was plugged directly in to the computer which was running Pro Tools. No EQ adjustments were made that I know of (just the Cortobass at it's finest!)
Bandit you would have been druling over the bottom end I had! She growled rather nicely if I say so myself. I'll see if I can post it that's if anyone wants to hear it.
I had my first recording session with my Cortobass last weekend and man she's so powerful that when I recorded the rock song I was working on with my instructor and got it mixed, the bass still over powered the guitar and drums a bit hahaha just the way I like it! Both pups were up full and the varitone was on bypass and the bass was plugged directly in to the computer which was running Pro Tools. No EQ adjustments were made that I know of (just the Cortobass at it's finest!)
Bandit you would have been druling over the bottom end I had! She growled rather nicely if I say so myself. I'll see if I can post it that's if anyone wants to hear it.
Does anyone have any Hy5 sound samples?
Just wondering, this bass intrigues me. A five string in a guitar gig bag... Hmmmm.....
Did some experimentation with a 5 string 35" scale detuned a whole step and capoed at the second fret. That should approximate the scale on a Hy5 and it sounds really nice with the lower tension.
Just wondering, this bass intrigues me. A five string in a guitar gig bag... Hmmmm.....
Did some experimentation with a 5 string 35" scale detuned a whole step and capoed at the second fret. That should approximate the scale on a Hy5 and it sounds really nice with the lower tension.
Ok, so I just put down my first payment on a birdsong before Scott went on his break. Now the wait begins
So maybe everybody could weigh in a bit on what amps and cabs they have used the birdsongs with and what they have found to mate well with the birdsong tone.
Oh yeah, can I join the fam?
Coleman
So maybe everybody could weigh in a bit on what amps and cabs they have used the birdsongs with and what they have found to mate well with the birdsong tone.
Oh yeah, can I join the fam?
Coleman
Just a heads up I'm probably going to be selling my fretted Birdsong Cortobass soon. 
I'm pretty much just playing fretless now and have a Cortobass fretless so I won't be without a Birdsong.
Anyway if anyone is interested before I post it for sale pm me.
I'm pretty much just playing fretless now and have a Cortobass fretless so I won't be without a Birdsong. Anyway if anyone is interested before I post it for sale pm me.
Just a heads up I'm probably going to be selling my fretted Birdsong Cortobass soon.
Anyway if anyone is interested before I post it for sale pm me.
Pics?
Ok, so I just put down my first payment on a birdsong before Scott went on his break. Now the wait begins
So maybe everybody could weigh in a bit on what amps and cabs they have used the birdsongs with and what they have found to mate well with the birdsong tone.
Oh yeah, can I join the fam?
Coleman
Welcome, Brother Coleman... You will not be sorry. My Birdsong has ruined all other axes for me...
I play my Birdsong through my Ashdown EB-180 15" combo, usually with an Ashdown 2x10 extension cab added. At my school (I teach music & Band) I play through a Peavey KB 300 keyboard amp, and it sounds pretty darn good. I love my Ashdown setup, even though the EB is their cheapo line, it gets the job done in great sounding fashion.
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