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Carvin SB5000 / SB4000 Roll Call...Part 5!

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#201
Freddels said:
Then just get an aftermarket 18mm bridge. There's really not much difference b/w 18 and 19mm. I believe it's something like 1mm. :D
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It's 1mm per string, and believe it or not, it makes a pretty noticeable difference when you're playing. At least it does for me.

That said, you're right. Swap the bridge, no biggie. The only way you can't go, is wider... say 19mm on an 18mm or 17mm (string-string) bass... in many, maybe even most cases, the highest string ends up too close to the edge of the fingerboard and you find yourself ganking it off the edge too easily.
 
#202
Freddels said:
Then just get an aftermarket 18mm bridge. There's really not much difference b/w 18 and 19mm. I believe it's something like 1mm. :D
Click to expand...

Not exactly...

Vic said:
It's 1mm per string, and believe it or not, it makes a pretty noticeable difference when you're playing. At least it does for me.

That said, you're right. Swap the bridge, no biggie. The only way you can't go, is wider... say 19mm on an 18mm or 17mm (string-string) bass... in many, maybe even most cases, the highest string ends up too close to the edge of the fingerboard and you find yourself ganking it off the edge too easily.
Click to expand...

Yeah, this... It's the spread over all and it does indeed make a difference as Vic says. Not sure that I want to buy a new bass and then have to swap out hardware, we'll see. It would be great if Carvin offered string spacing options on these - perhaps in the future.

Either way, these are killer basses!
 
#206
Freddels said:
So, that will be 3 mm over 4 strings.

I usually play 4 strings but yesterday I tried a 5 string that felt like it was the same distance as a 4 string, I thought it was 19mm but it turns out it was 18mm.
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Right, so a tighter 5 will feel more like a 4 "overall", which was the design goal of the older school 5's back in the day, at 17mm. Nowadays, the basses that feel more like a 4 "string to string" are more popular, which is the 19mm spacing (Fender J's can even typically be 20mm, which is what Warwick calls "Wide" spacing - an upcharge option on at least the Thumb).

I have a few 5's that split the diff at 18mm or so and I really like that best, though 19mm feels fine to me too. 17mm feels kinda' snug by comparison, though I do acclimate quickly to it (my Zon Sonus 5 is 17mm).

Here's the really interesting part... Warwick 5 spacing on Thumbs and Corvettes are most typically 16.5mm, and given such a tiny diff beyond 17mm, I can REALLY tell. Go figure.

Intuitively by just doing the math, it really does seem as these things wouldn't make as big of a diff as they do, but at least for me, they really do.
 
#207
The Zon Sonus 5 that I used to have was too tight for me. I have no problem with different spacing if I can look, but it's when I'm sight reading that I have problems as I'm really relying on my muscle memory as to where the strings are. If I were to play that particular spacing and nothing else for an extended length of time, then I can get used to it and move on. It's the switching back and forth regularly that gives me the problems.
 
#208
Freddels said:
The Zon Sonus 5 that I used to have was too tight for me. I have no problem with different spacing if I can look, but it's when I'm sight reading that I have problems as I'm really relying on my muscle memory as to where the strings are. If I were to play that particular spacing and nothing else for an extended length of time, then I can get used to it and move on. It's the switching back and forth regularly that gives me the problems.
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+1

Exact same "problem" I have with fanned fret basses too, and why I don't own any, despite how amazing some of them are as instruments (and despite how much I like and respect at least one of the leading makers).
 
#209
"Only" complaint I had about my SB is when I'd sit practicing with my legs crossed I find that the upturned horn would hit me dead center on my boney breastbone. A few days after getting it I was trying to figure out why the hell my chest was sore... and it was the bass doing it. That obviously passed, but it was the first time a bass had done that to me which irritated me.
Now I'm thinking it wasn't that bad (not why I sold the bass)
 
#211
More positive feedback from the recording engineer:

"A good recording Bass makes all the difference in the world. Most Fenders record well and I was very impressed with Jarrett's Carvin this weekend."

Glad it made such an impression.
 
#212
Jarrett said:
More positive feedback from the recording engineer:

"A good recording Bass makes all the difference in the world. Most Fenders record well and I was very impressed with Jarrett's Carvin this weekend."

Glad it made such an impression.
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That's good to hear. I was in the studio with my SB4000 a couple of weeks ago and noticed it seemed to record really well. Once I get the finished copy I will try to post a couple of samples.
 
#213
I know this sounds funny, but it made me feel better. I went to Bass Emporium last month and played a couple of basses that I didn't like as much as my SB5000. There was an Elric J type bass hanging on the wall and I purposely avoided it. I played one of their more coffee table style basses one time and really liked it but that is not my style of bass these days so it wasn't a thread. I was scared if I picked that J style one up that I might like it more than my SB5000 and ultimately have to buy it (and it was like 2-3 times the cost of my SB). So since then I have wondered if it was indeed a better sounding bass. I stumbled across this today:

bassemporium's Channel - YouTube

This is the bass I saw in the store. Listening to the clip, I didn't dig it as much as the sound of my SB and it made me feel better :D
 
#215
Jarrett said:
I know this sounds funny, but it made me feel better. I went to Bass Emporium last month and played a couple of basses that I didn't like as much as my SB5000. There was an Elric J type bass hanging on the wall and I purposely avoided it. I played one of their more coffee table style basses one time and really liked it but that is not my style of bass these days so it wasn't a thread. I was scared if I picked that J style one up that I might like it more than my SB5000 and ultimately have to buy it (and it was like 2-3 times the cost of my SB). So since then I have wondered if it was indeed a better sounding bass. I stumbled across this today:

bassemporium's Channel - YouTube

This is the bass I saw in the store. Listening to the clip, I didn't dig it as much as the sound of my SB and it made me feel better :D
Click to expand...
Rob is a great guy and a really talented luthier, but while I've liked a lot of what he's done, I've never really been drawn to purchase any of his stuff, either. I've played several of his basses over the last few years, including some of these at NAMM. Very cool basses.
 
#216
Freddels said:
I've compared my SB4000 to US Sadowsky's and I still like my SB. It's good to know that I can get 3 SB's for the price of one Sadowsky. This is not a shot at the Sadowsky basses b/c they are very nice.
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+1

I still like my Sadowsky basses a LOT, but I must admit, these SB's give them a serious run for the money, and a big chunk of that is the pickups that Sekou engineered with Carvin. A BIG chunk. Those things are amazing. The preamp is pretty cool, but these things sound fantastic even passive.
 
#217
Vic said:
+1

I still like my Sadowsky basses a LOT, but I must admit, these SB's give them a serious run for the money, and a big chunk of that is the pickups that Sekou engineered with Carvin. A BIG chunk. Those things are amazing. The preamp is pretty cool, but these things sound fantastic even passive.
Click to expand...

I've played a Metro but never a US Sadowsky, but I think the Metro was the winner hands down. I do agree with you about the Carvin's pickups sounding great, but the Sadowsky just "felt" right and seem to sing!
 
#220
The references of SB's to Sadowsky's interests me.

You guys are all talking about 5-stringers, right? The experience I've had with the SB series is that the 5000's sound a bit on the brighter side as compared to the 4000's. And, the 5000 necks seem to feel better than the 4000's to most people.
I tend to like the sound and feel of the 5000 better as well, but I'm not a 5-string player.
That said, how does a Sadowsky (say a Will Lee 4-string Metro) compare tone and feel-wise to an SB4000? I've never had the opportunity to play any Sadowsky, so I'm curious.
Thanks…
 
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