Carvin SB5000 / SB4000 Roll Call...Part 4!

[Tom Howland]

Here's a clip of the new passive fretless:

Link Removed

I don't know much about fretless tone. Does this sound good for a fretless? Sorry if the playing is off, I haven't owned a fretless before.

Side note - I had to crank my input volumes to get this level into the mix way over what I normally do with my active SBs.

Pic:
Link Removed

Nice,
So your bass is total passive, no pre-amp, Vol. Vol. Tone.
Was this an up charge ?

 

[Jarrett]

I think it was a price reduction and I get the feeling they don't like doing it

 

[madbassplaya]

Don't forget, the preamp has the passive option..

That's true. I just don't see using the active EQ much.

Nice,
So your bass is total passive, no pre-amp, Vol. Vol. Tone.
Was this an up charge ?

When I talked to them about a completely passive SB5000, I was told it was.

 

[madbassplaya]

Just spoke with Bart and made my last payment! It should get here by Friday and I'll play it in church Sunday.

 

[Jarrett]

Sweet!

 

[Jarrett]

This is my idea of killer fretless tone by the way:
YouTube - ‪Michael Hedges - Rikki's Shuffle‬‏

 

[Freddels]

This is my idea of killer fretless tone by the way:
YouTube - ‪Michael Hedges - Rikki's Shuffle‬‏

It sounds like an epoxy coated board.

 

[Jarrett]

How do you identify that?

 

[madbassplaya]

How do you identify that?

the sound?

 

[Jarrett]

I thought it was from the smell.

 

[Vic]

It sounds like an epoxy coated board.

It is. That song features Michael Manring on his fretless Zon bass, and his do have the coating. Good ears!

 

[Jarrett]

How do you identify that by sound?

 

[Vic]

How do you identify that by sound?

I'm a HUGE Michael Manring fan... met the man a few times, seen him play both at live shows as well as live demos in NAMM booths... I only needed to google a little bit to be totally sure.

Ok, so here's the "bad" news; you'll never get that sound from an SB... the Zon has a composite neck and then his also have that hard epoxy coating. You can hear that uber-bright sizzle... only one way to get that.

Here's the good news; regardless of that, an SB should be able to sing VERY well... maybe not quite that well, but probably with a bigger warmer more organic tone, and all the expression you want.

 

[Freddels]

You can tell the epoxy coated boards b/c they're shiny.

I think you could get close to that sound with the SB and one of their epoxy coated boards. You can get that tone with a Pedulla.

 

[madbassplaya]

You can tell the epoxy coated boards b/c they're shiny.

I think you could get close to that sound with the SB and one of their epoxy coated boards. You can get that tone with a Pedulla.
YouTube - ‪Jeff Schmidt Live Solo Bass "Anticipation" fretless‬‏

Loved watching his left hand. Gosh technique influences sound. Sometimes I get caught up in the actual gear rather than my own playing.

 

[madbassplaya]

Post surgery:

Thoughts??

Also, looks like you changed the nut out?

 

[Freddels]

You could always have it epoxied later by HG Thor.

 

[Dave Siff]

It is. That song features Michael Manring on his fretless Zon bass, and his do have the coating. Good ears!

It says that track is from 1987, and I don't think Manring got his first Zon until 1990. That recording is probably his Stingray or Paul Reed Smith, no?

 

[Dave Siff]

Man, that is tempting! That bass looks awesome.

 

[Vic]

It says that track is from 1987, and I don't think Manring got his first Zon until 1990. That recording is probably his Stingray or Paul Reed Smith, no?

Good catch, but you're talking about one specific Zon... the Hyperbass, which I believe was finished in October of 1990. I think it was actually delivered to him at the following NAMM show in early 91, but can't verify that right now.

However, my problem is, and I still can't find facts on this, is I'm not sure that was his first Zon. Remember, the Hyperbass is not the only kind of Zon he owns and plays.

Regardless, you could be right... it's just that it sounds so much like the tone he currently gets from his coated Zons. I'll qualify that tho with the understanding you can coat other basses, and also that so much tone comes from his fingers, so it could in fact be something else.