Any reason other than cosmetic to get the 5-piece neck? How stable is the one-piece neck? Does it require much tweaking? Does it stay in tune?
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Carvin SB5000 / SB4000 Roll Call...Part 2!
- Thread starter smperry
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Don't know about stability, but I would be afraid the 5-piece neck would not sound as good, the 1-piece probably resonates very differently.
I got my SB4000 in a couple of days ago. I took some pics of it next to my SB5000, especially some pics of the neck to give a visual between the two:
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Unfortunately they shipped it out with the active preamp not working. I tried swapping batteries, but that didn't do it. I'm going to have to ship it back to them. But in passive mode it sounds better than my SB5000 in passive mode, I think. I like the finish on the back of the neck better on the SB4000 and I love how much lighter it is.
The downside is I can't get past the neck profile on it. The SB5000 feels sleeker and faster to play, the SB4000 feels kinda chunky and blocky by comparison. It's enough so I think I am going to just send it back and stick with the 5's. Very cool bass though, just not the right one for me. If my 5001 comes out like this one, I think I will have met my match.
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Unfortunately they shipped it out with the active preamp not working. I tried swapping batteries, but that didn't do it. I'm going to have to ship it back to them. But in passive mode it sounds better than my SB5000 in passive mode, I think. I like the finish on the back of the neck better on the SB4000 and I love how much lighter it is.
The downside is I can't get past the neck profile on it. The SB5000 feels sleeker and faster to play, the SB4000 feels kinda chunky and blocky by comparison. It's enough so I think I am going to just send it back and stick with the 5's. Very cool bass though, just not the right one for me. If my 5001 comes out like this one, I think I will have met my match.
5-piece neck seems to be an aesthetic choice for this bass... I wouldn't go with it. A good old Maple neck has always worked just fine for me (never mind that I have 3 Zons...)
Chef
In Memoriam
I had an SB4000 land here today!
Ash, maple, JJ pups, two band pre with passive tone...
I gotta say, this thing really sounds great. Feels good, though I'll give it a "Chef setup" in a day or two.
Aesthetically, it's not my personal thing, but, dang, sure sounds nice!
Ash, maple, JJ pups, two band pre with passive tone...
I gotta say, this thing really sounds great. Feels good, though I'll give it a "Chef setup" in a day or two.
Aesthetically, it's not my personal thing, but, dang, sure sounds nice!
I think I am going to have to eat some crow. I spent some more time with the SB4000 into my main rig and its really growing on me. It flat sounds better than my SB5000 is passive mode.
One question, when I slap the open E string, I'm hearing a slight chorusing effect. I've heard it on other basses before. My SB5000 does not do it. Anyone know what that is?
One question, when I slap the open E string, I'm hearing a slight chorusing effect. I've heard it on other basses before. My SB5000 does not do it. Anyone know what that is?
Chef
In Memoriam
First guess is a bad string generating wolf tones or off color harmonics.
Change it for any other string you have handy, for science.
Change it for any other string you have handy, for science.
Chef
In Memoriam
My SB5000 arrived with a bad string. Carvin sent me two more sets of strings and another string out of one of the other sets was bad (haven't got to the third set yet). I also saw a post the other day of another TB'er that thought one of the strings was bad on a new SB. So I guess I'm saying...definitely try another string first.
Jarrett, what are the body woods on your SB5 and SB4? It's nice to hear that the SB4000 sounds great in passive mode. My passive SB4000 should arrive at the end of this month. When I had my SB5000 I almost always had it in passive mode because I thought it sounded great.
The neck comments on the SB4000 concern me a little. Would you consider it more like a P bass neck feel? I prefer a P neck over a J anyways so maybe the chunkier feel will work out.
Jarrett, what are the body woods on your SB5 and SB4? It's nice to hear that the SB4000 sounds great in passive mode. My passive SB4000 should arrive at the end of this month. When I had my SB5000 I almost always had it in passive mode because I thought it sounded great.
The neck comments on the SB4000 concern me a little. Would you consider it more like a P bass neck feel? I prefer a P neck over a J anyways so maybe the chunkier feel will work out.
Chef
In Memoriam
I've still only spent about 5 minutes at lunchtime with the SB4000; but;
passive mode sounded great, and in fact with the two band eq set flat, the "pull passive" didn't change the tone much.
Also, the neck, while slim-ish, is a deeper C profile than your standard J, and does kinda border on a P feel.
Again, this based on 5 minutes.
passive mode sounded great, and in fact with the two band eq set flat, the "pull passive" didn't change the tone much.
Also, the neck, while slim-ish, is a deeper C profile than your standard J, and does kinda border on a P feel.
Again, this based on 5 minutes.
SB5000 = alder body/maple board
SB4000 = alder body/maple top/maple board
I'm not an expert on the traditional Fender neck shapes as I've played a Warwick the last 18 years or so, but the J necks I remember were all thinner than the SB4000. To me the SB4000 neck profile did not feel like a 4-string version of the SB5000 profile. It has a different feel. When I first picked it up I didn't like it, felt too blocky/chunky, but within 24 hours it was bothering me less. It was really the tone that was making me put up with it. Keep in mind I've been playing 5-strings for 17-18 years almost exclusively and I'm used to the wide/slim feel they have.
As far as the resonance factor, I don't know, but structurally it seems like a worthwhile option.
Below is BB's rational for 3 piece necks on LEJ's off his web site:
We offer the only classic style bass available with a 3-peice maple neck. If you do not understand the use or function of this, it is easy to understand with a simple analogy. Imagine the neck of your bass as a single popsicle stick. Now, imagine a 3-peice neck as three popsicle sticks tuned on their sides. This allows for a much, much more stable neck. This is one of the main factors in the stability of our necks and the tightness of the "B" or "F#" string on a 34" scale.
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It makes sense to me. So much so that if I eventually order a SB4000 I'll being spending the extra $100 for a 5 piece neck.
Chef
In Memoriam
Nice enough analogy, but, Valenti, Alleva, Sadowsky, Nordstrand and plenty of other folks get a great B out of "regular" necks.
OK well I'm oficially gassing for a SB5000 now. Been looking for a lefty jazz style for a while and this looks like it's gonna fit the bill. Never thought I'd think about going back to Carvin. Played an LB75 for a few years but it was lacking something. Hearing the clips of the SBs though I'm a believer.
I had an LB75 for several years too and though it was a good bass in many ways I also felt it was missing something, especially with the B-string. I've had an ash/maple SB5000 with single coils, VVT, active/passive, and the 2-band pre for about 3 months now. The honeymoon is not over. It's a fine sounding instrument. The sound clips were what sold me and those sounds are in there. Great neck feel and playability too.
I heard it could be that the string is twisted somewhat during installation. Try re-installing it making sure it stays untwisted.
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