Very cool! Yeah, the lollipops are small, but just SO cool looking.
I don't think the neck is a compound radius, but I could be wrong. It's definitely a unique feel for a 5 string. That low radius fretboard (I believe it is 10.5") really makes that fretboard feel curved, and really does a good job of mimicing the classic curved board feel of an old Fender 4 string in a 5 string... really nice. An added advantage is it puts the strings quite close to the body, which many prefer for slapping.
And, +1 to the very passive nature of the bass, even with the pre engaged. There is just a slight volume bump when you engage it, but the tone seems pretty constant. The coolest thing is that even when you boost the bass or treble, it still stays quite passive and organic sounding to me, at least through about 1/2 of the boost range.
When I A/B'd that bass against my LM, it sounded more similar than different. It has plenty of zing if you want it, and just a touch more fatness and warmth down low, which is just perfect to my ears.
Enjoy!!!!
Ken
PS I assume the active/passive on the bridge pickup was due to the fact that the passive tone control was originally an upgrade option. So, Jimmy designed the push/pull on one of the knobs that was included with every bass early on. Just guessing there. I think you will find that there is very little reason to run the bass passive, since that pre is so transparent.
I don't think the neck is a compound radius, but I could be wrong. It's definitely a unique feel for a 5 string. That low radius fretboard (I believe it is 10.5") really makes that fretboard feel curved, and really does a good job of mimicing the classic curved board feel of an old Fender 4 string in a 5 string... really nice. An added advantage is it puts the strings quite close to the body, which many prefer for slapping.
And, +1 to the very passive nature of the bass, even with the pre engaged. There is just a slight volume bump when you engage it, but the tone seems pretty constant. The coolest thing is that even when you boost the bass or treble, it still stays quite passive and organic sounding to me, at least through about 1/2 of the boost range.
When I A/B'd that bass against my LM, it sounded more similar than different. It has plenty of zing if you want it, and just a touch more fatness and warmth down low, which is just perfect to my ears.
Enjoy!!!!
Ken
PS I assume the active/passive on the bridge pickup was due to the fact that the passive tone control was originally an upgrade option. So, Jimmy designed the push/pull on one of the knobs that was included with every bass early on. Just guessing there. I think you will find that there is very little reason to run the bass passive, since that pre is so transparent.
