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Build Thread: ACG Finn 5 (the Wal killer)

#21
SoVeryTired said:
On a separate note: no fanned frets this time?
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Nope - this one will 33" scale and strung E-C for more upper register playing and chording possibilities. The fanned frets (my current ACG is 36"-33") add an evenness string to string and create a thunderous low B but the one thing that it makes tougher is upper register playing. Chords up high are a bit tough to do.
 
#22
Jared Lash said:
Nope - this one will 33" scale and strung E-C for more upper register playing and chording possibilities. The fanned frets (my current ACG is 36"-33") add an evenness string to string and create a thunderous low B but the one thing that it makes tougher is upper register playing. Chords up high are a bit tough to do.
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That makes perfect sense. It's almost like you've thought this through. :D
 
#24
Jared Lash said:
Yes, yes I have. But honestly a big part of it is that I am primarily a five string player much more than I am a six string player. Something about the width of a five string neck just fits for me.

Very excited to see this bass come together.
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I really like the spec. I've strung my Harlot E to C and added a drop D so somewhat similar thinking. I'll be interested in some clips as well. My Wal is a 4 string ProIIe and I don't think I'll ever be able to afford a 5 string.
 
#26
Jared, many thanks for the detailed reply! By posting the Chili Peppers link, are you saying that Suck My Kiss was recorded on a Wal? That was an iconic piece of my teen years, and, though I know now that Flea spent some time with a Wal, I always associated that sound with a Musicman (maybe because he was always pictured with one in Bass Player magazine).

Jared Lash said:
Someone with a greater understanding could probably explain things better, but here's my simple breakdown of the multi-coil setup:

Jazz pickups are single coils around a single bobbin which sense a small area of the strings vibrations giving a bright and clear sound that is susceptible to hum.

P pickups use a split coil (the E&A strings have one coil and the D&G another each with their own bobbin) which means a larger midrange emphasis and a slightly muted top end. The two coils are humcancelling as well.

The Wal pickups actually use two coils PER string so a total of 8 separate bobbins (10 on a five string) which create a very distinct sound. I believe each row of coils (all the ones toward the bridge for instance) is summed in series and then the two sets summed in parallel.

As for sound, the pickups are pretty dark sounding (with a big low mid emphasis) while also being remarkably clear.

Geddy Lee's Power Windows tone is a good reference point, although he plays with a pretty aggressive attack. Invalid Link Removed album is a another, as is Mick Karn's fretless tone. Justin Chancellor is well known for playing a Wal, but (while very cool) I don't think of his tone as being all that representative of the Wal tone in general.



And I'm with you on preamps. All of my other basses are passive but the ACG/East preamp slices the sound in a vastly different (and to me awesome) way than a traditional 2, 3 or 4 band EQ.
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#27
spade2you said:
I still haven't played a fanned fret bass. I have a 27"-25" scale 7 string acoustic guitar and don't find chording to be too difficult.
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My experience (of playing a few 37"-33" Dingwalls in store) is that I barely noticed. It was weird that it wasn't weird, if that makes sense. :)

But it does get more weird the higher up you go, so for Jared's aims I can understand going straight on a E-C 33".
 
#28
SoVeryTired said:
My experience (of playing a few 37"-33" Dingwalls in store) is that I barely noticed. It was weird that it wasn't weird, if that makes sense. :)

But it does get more weird the higher up you go, so for Jared's aims I can understand going straight on a E-C 33".
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My acoustic didn't take long for me to adapt. The low B made sense after many moons on basses with a low B string. The fan was surprisingly easy, too. My only difficulty was adjusting to higher action and higher tension strings than what I'm normally used to. F and low C barre chords are a tad challenging, but I find the upper register maybe a little easier. That being said, the guitar sounds so wonderfully voiced with a capo at the 5th fret that I don't take it off.

I plan on eventually getting a fanned fret 7 string bass.
 
#29
MarkA said:
Jared, many thanks for the detailed reply! By posting the Chili Peppers link, are you saying that Suck My Kiss was recorded on a Wal? That was an iconic piece of my teen years, and, though I know now that Flea spent some time with a Wal, I always associated that sound with a Musicman (maybe because he was always pictured with one in Bass Player magazine).
Click to expand...

Yep. Most of BSSM was recorded with a Wal Mk II. The few that weren't used a 5 string Stingray (Righteous & the Wicked, Funky Monks etc). Suck My Kiss is absolutely the Wal. So it My Lovely Man, Apache Rose Peacock etc. You can find just the bass audio for Suck My Kiss on YouTube and hear that slightly overdriven Wal tone.

SoVeryTired said:
My experience (of playing a few 37"-33" Dingwalls in store) is that I barely noticed. It was weird that it wasn't weird, if that makes sense. :)

But it does get more weird the higher up you go, so for Jared's aims I can understand going straight on a E-C 33".
Click to expand...

Yeah, chords are no sweat from the 7th to 12th frets but the fingerings get tough as you get higher up and that's one of the main things I like about having a high C string.
 
#30
Just for anyone interested, here are the specs on the ACG/East EQ03 preamp.

[Invalid or Expired Link Removed]

My current bass has the 5 knob version which includes the tone knob with a push/pull for passive mode. The new pickups won't work in passive mode (the interface board between the pickups and preamp needs power at all times) but I"m hoping to still add the tone knob (and Alan thinks it might be doable) since it really adds a new dimension to the preamp in my opinion.

I've wanted to make a short YouTube video demonstrating the preamp for a long time now but haven't had a chance to sit down and do it.
 
#33
Time for an update. The body is glued up and Alan has selected neck laminates and will be cutting them to size soon.

IMG_6645_zps90514941.jpg


IMG_6646_zps9f4c7bd5.jpg
 
#36
Jared Lash said:
The Wal pickups actually use two coils PER string so a total of 8 separate bobbins (10 on a five string) which create a very distinct sound. I believe each row of coils (all the ones toward the bridge for instance) is summed in series and then the two sets summed in parallel.
Click to expand...


The older Wal pickups were like that (the Pro models, I believe). The more modern Wal pickups are wired as such: The two coils under each string are wired in series, and then each of those pairs are wired in parallel.


...AFAIK
 

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