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Carvin Vader headless basses

#81
DrumsAndBass said:
Can they make a Vader with an extended scale ? no, and he said that the B string is plenty tight. I'll have to see for myself because Carvin puts some pretty cheesy strings on their basses.
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They use Dunlop Superbrights, which are some of the best strings available. I will say that they probably use stock packs and therefore ship their basses with a .120 or .125. The .120 is fine. I haven't tried the .125. You can order single .130's, which is what I do. the .130 is quite good. You can send them a .130 to install on your bass, at the factory.


I still need to ask them if the Vader neck is available in another radii - something a little bit rounder (9" or so for example)
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They list a 12" radius, as an option. Usually 4 stringers from Carvin, also have 10" as an option. It seems that the Vader may not. Maybe something to do with the hardware piece which goes on the end of the neck. Maybe they don't make them for 10".

I'd like to know if the Vader will accept flatwound or heavy gauge strings. I'll need to see it closely in person.
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You can order these fret-less, so yes, flatwounds will work. The bridge and headpiece are designed so that you can use regular bass strings. You do not have to have double ball end strings or some sort of special headless string.

As far as gauges go, I would assume that most anything which would work stringing through body on an Hipshot A bridge, would work here. So not TOO heavy.
 
#82
packhowitzer said:
My NS Design CR5 is awesome. I've always played traditional-shaped basses (fenders and rays), so this was a BIG leap of faith for me to get a headless bass. but it has become my favorite bass - amazing ergonomics and thunderous tone. the only downside was the $2600 price tag.
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Look at it like this: if you were to customize a Carvin Vader 5 to meet...ok, come close to...the NS Design CR5 specs, you could easily sink ~$2600 into the project. Some of the more desirable aspects would still be missing including the bi-radial curved body shape and piezo bridge. IOW, I think you did pretty well for the dough...I have one, too.

Don't get me wrong, I'm contemplating purchasing a Vader 5 as I have a soft-spot for headless basses. That being said, I did a virtual-build using primarily the default features with the exception of an optional onboard preamp and came in at $1309...fair enough. I'd be hard-pressed to drop any more coin than that. I'm also holding off until I see more in the way of reviews.

Riis
 
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#84
HotelX said:
I would love to try one of the 30" 6 strings. Has anyone played one of the short scales yet?
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same here. i wish someone would make a 33" 6 honestly. i think those are right on the money.. 30" is extreme.

i wish carvin could offer a 30" scale on their other basses... these are pretty damn lame looking (to me) but i need a lightweight 6, and a 30" scale would do the trick. headless means less weight... but.. its headless....
 
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#86
The lack of Radii options kills it for me. I get it on guitar and how they would want uniformity with the machinery. I don't do too much bending and chording on my bass :P

For some reason I still dig vintage radii on bass, 7.25 - 10. It is funny how certain options can make or break an instrument.
 
#90
Lackey said:
Just ordered a VB6 30" in grabber blue (Ford guy) with zebra wood fingerboard. If it plays and sounds good in the 10 day trial period I'll probably keep it and tune it E-F, unless the B string by some miracle is tolerable.
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when it ships it'll be tuned b-c right? i hope you can make a video of it when it comes.

i wouldn't be surprised if the B sounds pretty good. i'll wait and see though.

congrats on the purchase!
 
#91
I played the white 6 string Vader last week in their showroom. The strap placement made it feel a little odd standing up, and they don't offer 35", which makes it a little cramped for me, and that particular model had passive electronics which I'm not a fan of.

I really really did want to like it! But, the 6 string Vanquish felt and sounded better IMHO.
 
#92
J Gold said:
I played the white 6 string Vader last week in their showroom. The strap placement made it feel a little odd standing up, and they don't offer 35", which makes it a little cramped for me, and that particular model had passive electronics which I'm not a fan of.

I really really did want to like it! But, the 6 string Vanquish felt and sounded better IMHO.
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Was it the short scale version?
 

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