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Club Fbass (Part 11!)

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#41
GRoberts said:
Interesting points you make. As for looks, none of them look like a Fender. So I personally don't see where the VF5 is all that different from the BN5 other than the BN5 is sleeker. (And sexier ...my personal opinion)

So you really find your BN5 more versatile sonically? When I played a VF5 (alder/Rw/60's) and compared to the BN5, I was seduced by the BN5 (ash/maple ..my fave) ..but felt the VF5 was louder. Not sure if it was punchier, or just louder. Do you have a sense of that?
Click to expand...
Sonically, I haven't noticed the VF5 as louder, but I can look into that. I know the VF5 doesn't have a humbucking mode like the BN5, so it is louder than the BN5 when the BN5 is not in single coil mode.

As for the VF5 fitting in visually to a country or pop cover band, I'm mostly talking about the burst finish I have on mine over the clear finish (enhanced grain) on my BN5.

To the untrained eye, the VF5 is like the sleeker, sexier, "tmobile girl" version of a Fender bass. :smug:

dark_carly.jpg
 
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#42
GRoberts said:
Killer comparison. Unfortunately, most of the basses sound pretty darn close through the cheesy headphones here at work. I'll have to listen at home through my Studio head phones.

You have a wonderful touch my friend!

Gary
Click to expand...
Thanks, Gary. The other problem though is it is a poor recording. I did it with my son's cheap instrument to USB cable rather than through my nice Apogee Duet, so the recording has some problems.
 
#45
GRoberts said:
Interesting points you make. As for looks, none of them look like a Fender. So I personally don't see where the VF5 is all that different from the BN5 other than the BN5 is sleeker. (And sexier ...my personal opinion)

So you really find your BN5 more versatile sonically? When I played a VF5 (alder/Rw/60's) and compared to the BN5, I was seduced by the BN5 (ash/maple ..my fave) ..but felt the VF5 was louder. Not sure if it was punchier, or just louder. Do you have a sense of that?
Click to expand...

They use two very different pickup designs, one uses single coil J pickups, the other stacked humbuckers that are wound to get a very specific sonic signature. The BN pickups ARE noticably quieter.
 
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#48
GRoberts said:
Dude! T-Mobile girl##%$!? Seriously? :hyper: Were we talking about basses? I seem to have lost focus. :ninja:
Click to expand...
Laughing. She came to mind because my 15 year old daughter was just talking to me about her... she was asking how she could become the next Tmobile girl.

Anyway, you are right: the VF5 doesn't have a Fender shape, but it is trimmer, lovelier lines that are much more Fendery than Gibson SG or Rickenbacker, if that made any sense.

It's a modern interpretation on a classic.
 
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#52
TapyTap said:
Tom7,

On your fretted AC6, can you bypass your onboard preamp and solo your piezo pickups in a passive manner?
Click to expand...
While I'm remembering old clips, when I first got my fretted AC6 I was missing around with chords and came up with a progression I wanted to remember so I recorded it. The chords in the following recording is the AC6 with piezos only.

When I played back the chords, I wanted to play a solo over it, so I looped the chords and played a solo over them. The solo does have magnetic pickups engaged. At first I have both mags fully on, then I stop playing and roll off the neck so the bridge pickup is soloed.

[Invalid or Expired Link Removed].
 
#53
Tom7 said:
Yes. At least I think so.

I can turn the preamp off, roll down both magnetics and get pure piezo if that is what you are asking.
Click to expand...

Yes, that is what I was wondering. Thanks.

Tom7 said:
While I'm remembering old clips, when I first got my fretted AC6 I was missing around with chords and came up with a progression I wanted to remember so I recorded it. The chords in the following recording is the AC6 with piezos only.

When I played back the chords, I wanted to play a solo over it, so I looped the chords and played a solo over them. The solo does have magnetic pickups engaged. At first I have both mags fully on, then I stop playing and roll off the neck so the bridge pickup is soloed.

[Invalid or Expired Link Removed].
Click to expand...

Thanks for the demo. How does the tone of the passive piezo compare with the piezo sound in this recording? (I'm assuming the piezo is using the onboard preamp in this recording.)
 
#54
mVC said:
See here: 3 VFs each with a different shape at the neck joint.

[Invalid or Expired Link Removed]
Click to expand...

The heel design on the VF was an evolution
The first (natural) is the current version. The extended heel on the body added punch and solidity to the tone. The second (sunburst) was the original design to gain as much higher fret access as possible, but required an extended neck heel into the body.
The last one on the bottom is a six string, and that is the current body heel, extended on the bass side.
 
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#55
Wally Malone said:
Have any BN5 users strung their bass E-C and/or used a Roland V-Bass with the GK3B pickup?

Thanks,

Wally
Click to expand...

That should work. Place the synth pickup as close to the bridge as possible, without losing access to any adjustments either on the bridge or pickup.
You should be able to string it lighter without changing the nut as well. If the strings rattle in the nut just take a nut file, preferably the width of the individual string, and form a slight notch, at the back of the nut slot (machine heads side), at a downward angle (towards the face of the headstock) until the rattle stops. Do this slowly and gingerly. Place a protective sheet or cardstock on the headstock so as not to scratch it with the files.
 
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#56
George Furlanet said:
That should work. Place the synth pickup as close to the bridge as possible, without losing access to any adjustments either on the bridge or pickup.
You should be able to string it lighter without changing the nut as well. If the strings rattle in the nut just take a nut file, preferably the width of the individual string, and form a slight notch, at the back of the nut slot (machine heads side), at a downward angle (towards the face of the headstock) until the rattle stops. Do this slowly and gingerly. Place a protective sheet or cardstock on the headstock so as not to scratch it with the files.
Click to expand...

Thanks George, appreciate the response!

Wally
 
#57
TapyTap said:
Yes, that is what I was wondering. Thanks.



Thanks for the demo. How does the tone of the passive piezo compare with the piezo sound in this recording? (I'm assuming the piezo is using the onboard preamp in this recording.)
Click to expand...
I went and played this bass so I could have a fresh answer for you.

The preamp is very transparent, so with the pre flat, I have a very hard time hearing a difference. In fact, I don't hear a difference.

Consequently, I prefer the piezo with the preamp engaged, because it helps me dial out some of the harshness of the piezo soloed.

With the preamp off and the piezo solo, the finger noise is intense. The only way I can mitigate that is by rolling the tone knob WAY down, almost all the way down.

But with the preamp on, I can roll up bass and mids and make a nicer tone of the piezo.
 
#59
Tom7 said:
I went and played this bass so I could have a fresh answer for you.

The preamp is very transparent, so with the pre flat, I have a very hard time hearing a difference. In fact, I don't hear a difference.

Consequently, I prefer the piezo with the preamp engaged, because it helps me dial out some of the harshness of the piezo soloed.

With the preamp off and the piezo solo, the finger noise is intense. The only way I can mitigate that is by rolling the tone knob WAY down, almost all the way down.

But with the preamp on, I can roll up bass and mids and make a nicer tone of the piezo.
Click to expand...

Thanks Tom! That was very kind of you to go to the trouble...I really appreciate it. :cool:

It would be interesting to see how many different tones one could achieve with the piezo only and a good external parametric equalizer.

Does this fretted AC6 have a Hipshot A style bridge or another type of metal bridge?
 
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