• TalkBass has been independent since 1998. Add your voice.
    Create a free account to reply to discussions, view embedded media, and browse with fewer display ads.
    Join free Log in
    Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.

Club Alleva-Coppolo (Part 16)

Status
Not open for further replies.
#181
mothra2 said:
+1 ... thanks man. Just took a few mistakes on the setup to clear up (if those pickups weren't so stubborn to move...).

It's really odd too ... I get most of my practice in on my 16mm spaced Hohner (fine by me), but when I go to the LG I actually feel/play better on that now. Just the opposite of my initial reaction.
Click to expand...

were you considering something with tighter spacing?my 17mm bass fits me like a glove playability wise. im still trying to warm up to the sound of the guts though. its more in your face and grindy sounding than my 62. ive been wanting to call up the shop and do some new pickups but after paying around 500 bucks in traffic ticket fines im BROKE!
 
#183
narud said:
were you considering something with tighter spacing?my 17mm bass fits me like a glove playability wise. im still trying to warm up to the sound of the guts though. its more in your face and grindy sounding than my 62. ive been wanting to call up the shop and do some new pickups but after paying around 500 bucks in traffic ticket fines im BROKE!
Click to expand...

Yes I was ... I really enjoy the 16mm Hohner, and thought I should move in that direction, as i have small hands ... but ... over time i have found that for me anyway, it doesn't matter so much as long as i stay light with my technique. I particularly find that the very shallow depth of Jimmy's necks somehow helps me stay comfortable even at 19mm with an extra wide neck. I'm sure this varies person to person, but that has been my longer term experience.

And I agree ... your clips really struck me as aggresive sounding for that build and that threw me big time.

That 62 clip you sent though ... THAT was the Holy Grail!

p.s. I speed too :p
 
#184
mothra2 said:
Yes I was ... I really enjoy the 16mm Hohner, and thought I should move in that direction, as i have small hands ... but ... over time i have found that for me anyway, it doesn't matter so much as long as i stay light with my technique. I particularly find that the very shallow depth of Jimmy's necks somehow helps me stay comfortable even at 19mm with an extra wide neck. I'm sure this varies person to person, but that has been my longer term experience.

And I agree ... your clips really struck me as aggresive sounding for that build and that threw me big time.

That 62 clip yo u sent though ... THAT was the Holy Grail!
Click to expand...

with the rotos i just put on there, its got way more grind, but theres still that airyness up top that i dont hear in anyones electronics right now.
 
#187
IMO its all about the weight in these 70's J bass type builds ..I have played a ton and owned no less than 20 and my favorites which I still have are my 77 at 10.8 and my 78 and 11.2 lbs...
My Lm is 10.8 lbs and the best sounding LM I have played to date...My old white one at 9.3 didnt hold a candle to it...
 
#188
I picked out wood for my upcoming lm4 last week- I went thru the whole pile of wood and sorted out several very heavy body planks- but ended up with a 7.45 and a 9.4 lb piece to be glued together... I'm ok with a little bit o weight, but not a ton- we will see how much it is once it's cut! Yikes
 
#189
ricksy said:
I picked out wood for my upcoming lm4 last week- I went thru the whole pile of wood and sorted out several very heavy body planks- but ended up with a 7.45 and a 9.4 lb piece to be glued together... I'm ok with a little bit o weight, but not a ton- we will see how much it is once it's cut! Yikes
Click to expand...

woooo that's heavy dude
 
#190
jonno1707 said:
IMO its all about the weight in these 70's J bass type builds ..I have played a ton and owned no less than 20 and my favorites which I still have are my 77 at 10.8 and my 78 and 11.2 lbs...
My Lm is 10.8 lbs and the best sounding LM I have played to date...My old white one at 9.3 didnt hold a candle to it...
Click to expand...
I still say the weight isn't necessarily the sole culprit, and something you gotta' have to have great 70's J tone.

I have a Geddy Lee J, which is 10 pounds. I think that bass, even though it's an alder body and modeled after that "weird" '72 spec, it' still very much has the "70's tone" to it. Not identical to the ash later 70's models, but IMHO still very much so.

I directly compared that to a 8.5-9 pound Geddy, and the tone was really really close. To the point where it coulda' just been about the different cuts of wood, and not necessarily the weight... and neither one sounded categorically better than the other.

I've also played some of the USA Fender '75 reissues, both light and heavy, and they also sound so close to each other it'd be super hard to attribute tonal diffs to only the weight... especially since I didn't always consistently prefer the tone of one weight class.

And this isn't me defending my light weight preference, either. I'm not that locked into an exact type of sound. I just like whatever sounds great to me. :)

IMHO/IME/YMMV as usual tho.
 
#191
Jimmy says after cutting it usually works out to half that- plus about 2.5 for neck and hardware...so its looking to be around 10...plus the heavier piece is actually a 5str block so more weight will be taken off it... It was the only one we could sort of match with the left piece...
 

Attachments

  • image-1834222453.jpg
    image-1834222453.jpg
    37.9 KB · Views: 93
#192
Vic said:
I still say the weight isn't necessarily the sole culprit, and something you gotta' have to have great 70's J tone.

I have a Geddy Lee J, which is 10 pounds. I think that bass, even though it's an alder body and modeled after that "weird" '72 spec, it' still very much has the "70's tone" to it. Not identical to the ash later 70's models, but IMHO still very much so.

I directly compared that to a 8.5-9 pound Geddy, and the tone was really really close. To the point where it coulda' just been about the different cuts of wood, and not necessarily the weight... and neither one sounded categorically better than the other.

I've also played some of the USA Fender '75 reissues, both light and heavy, and they also sound so close to each other it'd be super hard to attribute tonal diffs to only the weight... especially since I didn't always consistently prefer the tone of one weight class.

And this isn't me defending my light weight preference, either. I'm not that locked into an exact type of sound. I just like whatever sounds great to me. :)

IMHO/IME/YMMV as usual tho.
Click to expand...

+1 Just did a pretty detailed comparison of a 9.2 pound LM and a 10 pound LM, and I've never heard two basses sound so identical.

MUCH more than weight defines the performance of an instrument.

Old argument, I guess, and of course, everyone should play what they like. I, personally, see absolutely zero value in having a heavy instrument 'just to have a heavy instrument'. I've heard heavy basses that sound thin and lifeless, and very light instruments that punch and growl and that have amazing immediacy and attack.

I'm sure once you get to extremes (i.e., over 11 pounds and under 8 pounds) some consistent differences might emerge. Howevever... 8.5 to 10.5 pounds... it's all good:bassist:
 
#193
This is just one of those conversations that will never end with everybody agreeing...
I have went to the extreme and brought both heavy and light Fender J's from the same time period,same strings and same set up to gigs many times to do this actual comparison and each and every time find the heavier ones to have much more authority of tone,bigger tighter bottom,more supportive and just sat in the mix like a bass should...IMO sitting in a room comparing just doesnt cut it...

Sure there are many many variables but this has always been my experience...

Strictly talking ash/maple J basses I personally dig the lighter Alder J's...
 
#194
jonno1707 said:
This is just one of those conversations that will never end with everybody agreeing...
I have went to the extreme and brought both heavy and light J style basses to gigs many times to do this actual comparison and each and every time find the heavier ones to have much more authority of tone,bigger tighter bottom,more supportive and just sat in the mix like a bass should...IMO sitting in a room comparing just doesnt cut it...

Strictly talking ash/maple basses J basses...
Click to expand...

ive found the differences most noticeable at louder volumes through a rig. ive recorded clips of basses where the difference was huge through an amp and then listened back to the clips and gone "ugh...i cant really tell that much of a difference":p
 
#195
KJung said:
+1 Just did a pretty detailed comparison of a 9.2 pound LM and a 10 pound LM, and I've never heard two basses sound so identical.
Click to expand...

+1...our LM's are a full pound apart in weight and sound virtually identical.

jonno1707 said:
This is just one of those conversations that will never end with everybody agreeing...
Click to expand...

+1...People are gonna hear what they hear. There was that long thread around a month ago where people were arguing back and forth over whether the type of wood mattered at all in the tone of a bass...if guys can't agree on that then there's no way we agree on weight. :p
 
#197
vision said:
+1...our LM's are a full pound apart in weight and sound virtually identical.



+1...People are gonna hear what they hear. There was that long thread around a month ago where people were arguing back and forth over whether the type of wood mattered at all in the tone of a bass...if guys can't agree on that then there's no way we agree on weight. :p
Click to expand...

+1 dude....everyone hears things differently and this is just as moot a point as saying mahogany sounds better than maple sounds better than alder....I've had super heavy basses that sounded great and others that sounded awful and I've had super light basses that sounded great and others that sounded awful....I think it really comes down to how the wood is cut and how it's put together. Vibration works best in dryer, denser wood so I think that's really the secret if there is one at all....if one sounds better to you....rock it!
 
#198
jonno1707 said:
I find that amazing they are different construction methods as well:

One piece skunk strype neck verse 2 piece
Hi gloss board verse non gloss
1 lb weight difference
Polyester vs polyurethane finish
Click to expand...

This is a good example of how little all that stuff can matter. Hard to predict. I had two Celinder Updates that were virtually identical... exact same ash/maple spec, one about a pound heavier...everything else the same... and they didn't even sound like they were from the same luthier. One was gankly and compressed and 'hard hitting' like a classic 70's J, and the other one was open and airy and woody and warm. Go figure:)

Subtle differences in finish and neck design (and even the gloss versus satin board once you get frets in there) can really be a toss up on impact.

It's why often those who spec out their perfect bass are disappointed... very unpredictable. Too many non-linear interactions between dozens of variable to be able to predict linearly with just a few inputs.

That being said, I agree, if you go to the extremes (i.e., 7.5 pounds versus 12), you are going to hear a difference (although not necessarily better or worse, but different). 8.5 to 10.5... not so much.
 
#199
jonno1707 said:
I find that amazing they are different construction methods as well:

One piece skunk strype neck verse 2 piece
Hi gloss board verse non gloss
1 lb weight difference
Polyester vs polyurethane finish
Click to expand...

My thoughts exactly...I was actually kinda worried about this while I was waiting for it to be finished, because I ordered my LM based on how much I liked Ken's. I wanted the gloss neck look, but I thought that along with the weight difference I'd get a completely different sounding bass. I didn't think the one piece neck would matter and I didn't even know there were different kinds of poly finishes. But I'll tell you what, we went back and forth on those two basses a bunch and they really sounded identical.
 
#200
I've found over decades of owning and playing ..I dont know how many basses.. weight does make a difference.

To go further, to me it makes a larger difference dealing with ash vs alder, that is, the lighter an ash bass is the less I like it generally, wheras the difference in alder does not have the same affect . For me alder can get light and still sound great but not the same with ash IMO. I also think there is a difference between the tone of northern and swamp....I've been hearing that for a long time.
Does everyone hear the same things as I think I do? No. Am I right? Yes..for me. Does it matter if anyone agrees or not? No. Are there other factors involved? Many! As long as you are happy with what you hear in your bass its all moot. There is no smoking gun concrete tangible "proof" either way..which is also the reason its not definitive either way. Its about the different ears of the individual and their hearing enviroments.

I just chimed in to bolster the argument that weight does make a difference for those who are reading these discussions and dont have alot of experience, and are contemplating an order.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Latest posts

Top Bottom
Back