Club Fbass (Part 11!)

[Tom7]

Welcoming another very fine F-Bass gal into the house this week! VF5 with madagascar rosewood to go along with my beloved NPF BN5 with birdseye board.

My wife says ok, now you are done right? Thinking to myself as I quickly change the subject... maybe it's time to start trying the fretless side......

[Invalid or Expired Link Removed]

Very nice. You have excellent taste -- particularly in VF5s.

Today's roster update adds a VF5 to maritimer's membership:

CLUB FBASS ROSTER (Part 1 of 3)
(Updated 29 October 2012)

1. BN5 (Number assigned by club vote)
2. Tombowlus - BN5, George_Furlanet, BN4
3. Puff_father - BN5
4. Debassed - VF5
5. ThumbyAche - BN5, BNF5
6. brandonwong - BN5, GFC, AC6-Standard, BN6-Limited Edition AC Replica, BN5, BN6
7. Tom7 - VF5, [Invalid or Expired Link Removed], [Invalid or Expired Link Removed], Vintage Fretless 5, BN5, BN6, BN5,
8. Erick Lam - BN5,
9. knarleybass - AC5, BN5
10. Reefer - BN5, BN4?
11. VinceLovesF - BN6b
12. T._Brookins - BN5
13. DonovanBankhead - BN5
14. Speyer - 2 (BN5)
15. jmilky - BN5,
16. edel - b, (VF4)
17. administrator - BN5,
18. Dave Hill - BNF5 (VF5), BN5
19. FbassDave - bc
20. Vic - BN5
21. Georges_Abitbol - (b) (BN5) (BN5)
22. xav_paris - ?, Studio5
23. Munjibunga - Prototype, AC5
24. Toolmybass - BN5
25. Modny - BNF5, BN5
26. mikoespanol - BN6
27. Ron_Plichta - AC5
28. Gbarchus - BNF5
29. nuwavedc - AC5
30. JerryJ - VF5 pj, BN5, Vintage 4
31. yansdgr - Studio6
32. firebass - BN6, AC6, BNF5
33. choad42 - Studio5
34. donstrenz - BN4 (stolen)
35. Gilsonite - BN5
36. Tjluke - 2, AC6
37. cabooke - BN6
38. Brad Johnson - BN5
39. MHemmber - BN6
40. Deevit / FortressOne - AC5, (2)
41. dreamwood - AC6, BN5
42. wolfbass1025 - BN6, Vintage4, BN5
43. funkydanbass - BN6
44. Phillip Jordan - BN6
45. Halftooth - BN5
46. thndrstk6 - Vintage4
47. funkifiedsoul - AC5
48. Trapeze Fan - BN5
49. Poppsyche - BN6
50. Groovy Bastard - BN5
51. Kemet09 - BNF6
52. ModulusAcacia - BN6
53. bassjam - BN4
54. ad9000 - AC5
55. Basses55 - BN6
56. Kevin Woods - BN5
57. pierreganseman - [Invalid or Expired Link Removed]
58. DiDi G - BN5
59. Greggles - BN6
60. kotzman - BN6
61. Alphaman - BN4
62. remigioremigio - VF5
63. JensWest - AC5
64. eduardxtb - BN5
65. dveeus1 - BNF5, BN5
66. paulvienneau - AC6, AC6
67. bdgotoh - BN6
68. rabster - BN6, b
69. funkygeos - AC6
70. fusoid - b, BN5 (piccolo)
71. WovenGraphite - AC5 (BN6), b (BNF5)
72. rnlytton - AC6, AC6-LW, BN5, 3 BN6s!
73. bardlute - BN5
74. chrisloe - BN5, BN5
75. Iposavad - VF5, VF5
76. yinghock - BN5, BN6 with rosewood board!
77. pocketmonster - BNF5
78. bassment bn5 - AC5, BN5, VF5
79. hairman - BN6, VF5,
80. JOEP054 - VF5, BN5, AC4, VF5
81. p0k - Studio 5, Passive 6, BN5, more photos
82. jmilkey - BNF5
83. Bass Junkie - BN5, (with a VF4 being built!)
84. narud - VF5,
85. BIg O - BN5, BN5, AC5
86. felicidade - BN5
87. Drone80 - BNF5, BNF5
88. steve f - BN5
89. Fbassed - VF5
90. rick1906 - BN5
91. Romu - BN5, AC5
92. Bajosintrastos - BN5
93. jimc - BN4, (2)
94. cfequa - BN5 #2
95. mrbassman_de - BN5, VF5, BN5 BN5, George_Furlanet
96. Graham Monette - BN4
97. Shelly - BN5
98. tonenazi - VF5
99. Abacobob - BN5

(Continued)

 

[Tom7]

CLUB FBASS ROSTER (Part 2 of 3)
100. jogi68 - BN5 (studio), BN5 (defretted), VF5, AC5, BN6, NY5, [Invalid or Expired Link Removed]
101. ManuBerdin - Studio, BNF5, BN5, BN6, VF5
102. rvf42 - BN5
103. kuma9 - BN5 (wide nut)
104. jbay - BN6, lined AC6
105. INGALL'S - BN6
106. BIGGUY78 - VF5
107. KERMITNT-BN5
108. Ewo - BN5
109. frizzle - BN5
110. t0t0m - BN5
111. blen dem - BN5
112. francoprof - BNF6, BN6
113. bassistck - BNF5
114. Sirmike75 - BN5
115. Stereo Joe - Vintage BN5
116. starKee - VF5, (b)
117. eaflyaway - AC5
118. hyperba55 - AC4, BN6, AC6
119. penny0072001 - BN5
120. TheSiberian - BN6 + piezo, AC5
121. PhillM47 - BN5
122. zortation - BN5, Studio5, BN4
123. tcydennis - BN5
124. wellso74 - BN6, BN6
125. boomski - BN6
126. nemo - Studio5
127. maritimer - BN5, VF5
128. olegsulimov - BN5 NYC, AC6
129. Slammyapple - BN5
130. jephil - BNF5, BN6
131. MVPBASS - BN4, BN4, BN4
132. lindseyp - BN5
133. J.Wolf - BN5, AC6
134. Karelbass - VF4, BN4 32.5", VF5
135. uilleann13 - BN6
136. GRoberts
137. AJ Brown
138. JRB
139. jmondick
140. ursus
141. Freddy-G - BN5
142. Adrian Garcia
143. Yvon
144. dean82
145. smperry
146. Ryan_L
147. rodneyat
148. 123eranoid
149. Gordon of Eden
150. choad42
151. black.rose1402
152. Jonno1707 - AC5
153. Quadzilla - BN4, BN5
154. pEJi - BNF5
155. blen dem - BN5
156. BassBoss - AC5 (now belongs to mrbassman_de)
157. KJung - VF5
158. Bassconbeatz - BN6
159. Dennis Kong - BN6, vintage fretless 6
160. copasetic - BN6
161. brooklynbassguy - BN6
162. thomasjbass - BN5
163. Maurizo Rolli - BN5
164. widjajar - BN5
165. Tomkiss - BN5, VF5
166. midijab - VF5
167. taylor - VF6
168. rodsnhawgs - BN6
169. TheBasicBassist - Studio 5
170. Aram - Fretted BNF5
171 Ramon Levy - BN5
172. PazzoBasso - VF5, BN5
173. thenothing - BN5
174. curt basner - BN5
175. magichand - BN5
176. dbalatero - BNF5
177. ElMon - BN6
178. MrKool - BN5
179. Richard_P_Harve - BN5, AC5, BN6
180. davecheng - BN5 (b)
181. bass4worship - Studio 5
182. w0x0f - BN5
183. kbuschmann - BNF5, BN5
184. mVC - AC6, VF5
185. dirtbird - BN5
186. jaws - BN5
187. Gr8tbass - VF5
188. pbrand - BN4
189. jbo - BN6LE
190. kulasterol - BN5
191. kantonart - BN5
192. metalstorm - VF5
193. fzbassman - BN6, AC5-Classic
194. scubaduba - BN5
195. Jraewood - BN5
196. dslapster64 - BN6
197. Morfman6 - Studio 5
198. YCBass - Custom sized BN6
199. skb5string - BN6

(continued)

 

[Tom7]

CLUB FBASS ROSTER (Part 3 of 3)
200. dessunx - BN5
201. Alex - BN6LE Replica, AC6
202. thewildest - BNF6
203. bassman10 - BNF6
204. edzaa- BN5
205. Danny R. - BN5, BN5, BN5, BN5, BN5, VF5
206. sha975 - BN6
207. Arabesque-bass - BN5, (AC5)
208. 74jb - BN4
209. bigjames - AC6
210. biggreddbass - VF5 (70s)
211 <Your name could be here!>
.

 

[Tom7]

hi guys
i have been intrigued by these basses for some time now.
i have an opportunity to buy a BN6 locally which means i could play it before i buy it.
i am curious as to what a fair price would be to pay on one in great, original condition.
ty

Ty, did you end up getting a BN6?

 

[Tom7]

I should have a BN4 dropped off at my door step this Friday. It's the Trans-Black one that went from MVP to Brett to Tall-n-Stout Rob. I hope I warm up to it a bit more than the previous owners. I'm REALLY looking forward to playing the daylights outta this Beast!

So, is it there yet? Photos?

Meanwhile, let's all drink in Karel's wonderful "Summertime" clip on his BN4.

 

[Randyt]

Have you guys noticed Fbass has a new cabinet out?

It looks great.

It looks like it has a metal handle for lugging around, and a plastic handle so you can pick it up and stack it.

OH Ya....just trying to lighten my load before I buy it!...Mesa M6 2x12 combo for sale..anyone..LOL

 

[GRoberts]

Not a fan of the red grill. At all. Sorry guys.

 

[Dave Hill]

Not a fan of the red grill. At all. Sorry guys.

+1.

 

[Tom7]

That is really interesting. I actually really like the red grill, but when I first saw it I thought that, since Fbass is a boutique builder that makes top tier made to order basses, the red grill meant that we could order our own colors for the grill which I thought was tremendously cool.

Thinking I could get a cabinet with a blue grill, I visited with Marcel and learned that the red grill is part of their branding strategy.

Again, I love the red grill, it's actually one of the reasons I'm attracted to the cabinet, but if the color is a reason potential buyers would not buy, maybe they need to rethink the branding strategy.

After all, the big "Fbass" in the very center of the grill is a pretty distinctive brand mark as well.

And (in my opinion at least) seeing grills of all colors popping up on stages would in and of itself be a brand indicator that it was an Fbass cabinet.

 

[KJung]

That is really interesting. I actually really like the red grill, but when I first saw it I thought that, since Fbass is a boutique builder that makes top tier made to order basses, the red grill meant that we could order our own colors for the grill which I thought was tremendously cool.

Thinking I could get a cabinet with a blue grill, I visited with Marcel and learned that the red grill is part of their branding strategy.

Again, I love the red grill, it's actually one of the reasons I'm attracted to the cabinet, but if the color is a reason potential buyers would not buy, maybe they need to rethink the branding strategy.

After all, the big "Fbass" in the very center of the grill is a pretty distinctive brand mark as well.

And (in my opinion at least) seeing grills of all colors popping up on stages would in and of itself be a brand indicator that it was an Fbass cabinet.

There was a thread on this cab a while back. It has some sort of downfiring driver or port or something that no-one seemed to understand. So, something a bit different than the stock 210 cab, but not sure.

Luthiers getting into the cab business has not worked out so well, but who knows. That being said, don't like the look very much. Logo and red grill is a bit over the top. Wouldn't be a deal killer though.

 

[Tom7]

Thanks, Ken, for giving your opinion.

You guys got me thinking so I set up a poll on this topic to see what other TBers think.

Please go to the poll to vote and let us know what you think of custom grill colors.

 

[Tom7]

There was a thread on this cab a while back. It has some sort of downfiring driver or port or something that no-one seemed to understand. So, something a bit different than the stock 210 cab, but not sure.

Luthiers getting into the cab business has not worked out so well, but who knows. That being said, don't like the look very much. Logo and red grill is a bit over the top. Wouldn't be a deal killer though.

BTW, which other luthiers have made cabinets?

My person opinion, and my opinion does not necessarily reflect the opinion of this station, its owners or operators...

I love the idea of ordering a cabinet with a custom grill color.

I mean we order basses very customized, right? We want certain finishes, woods, string spacing, scale length, bridges, etc.

Why not have a boutique cabinet makers that makes cabinets to order as well?

It seems like the grill color would be a fairly small thing, although I don't know this for sure, to allow to be customized for a shop that hand makes the cabinets. At the least they could offer 6 or 8 different colors to choose from so they wouldn't have to go nuts on buying different paint colors.

Are there other aspects of cabinets that would be good to have customized? Cup holders? Ash trays? iPad docks?

 

[GRoberts]

I would expect some sort of exotic wood grill from F Bass. LOL

Also agree with Kjung, the Logo on the cab is way oversized. Not liking the visual appeal of the grill color or logo banner at all. The Logo looks like it's SHOUTING. Ya know?

 

[KJung]

BTW, which other luthiers have made cabinets?

My person opinion, and my opinion does not necessarily reflect the opinion of this station, its owners or operators...

I love the idea of ordering a cabinet with a custom grill color.

I mean we order basses very customized, right? We want certain finishes, woods, string spacing, scale length, bridges, etc.

Why not have a boutique cabinet makers that makes cabinets to order as well?

It seems like the grill color would be a fairly small thing, although I don't know this for sure, to allow to be customized for a shop that hand makes the cabinets. At the least they could offer 6 or 8 different colors to choose from so they wouldn't have to go nuts on buying different paint colors.

Are there other aspects of cabinets that would be good to have customized? Cup holders? Ash trays? iPad docks?

First, there are quite a few boutique cabinet makers, and also some true custom shops. Don Oatman of Low Down Sound has been in the business for almost 20 years, and has made some amazing one off's with crazy color options. So, that option is has has been available for those who find aesthetics important.

Pete Skjold had a few custom cabinet prototypes developed when he was thinking about getting into the business, and quite smartly decided to not move forward with it. Roger Sadowsky marketed some Jim Bergantino designed cabs (and a tube head) for a short while.

Not sure why George would want to go into the cab business (massive competition, increasing driver costs, etc.), but assuming he partners with a designer who knows what they are doing, and also has a production facility that does good work, he will probably sell some. Doesn't seem worth the trouble to me from a pure business perspective, but unfortunately, most of these guys have very little formal business training, and don't really know how to 'work the numbers' when estimating the potential of a new product in a very mature category with massive competition.

IMO

 

[Tom7]

...Also agree with Kjung, the Logo on the cab is way oversized. Not liking the visual appeal of the grill color or logo banner at all. The Logo looks like it's SHOUTING. Ya know?

As a marketing major in college, all this discussion is extremely interesting to me.

It's actually quite common for high end brands to have "oversized" logos. Check out the logo on the Mercedes SUV. I've seen smaller hub caps. [wink]

 

[GRoberts]

As a marketing major in college, all this discussion is extremely interesting to me.

It's actually quite common for high end brands to have "oversized" logos. Check out the logo on the Mercedes SUV. I've seen smaller hub caps. [wink]

That Mercedes logo is more of an Emblem however. I find that different than a logo containing lettering / wording.

 

[MaddAnthony_59]

Yes it is! I've been playing the DayLights out of this Wonderful Instrument! But the person I traded with hadn't had a chance to check out the Ric I sent him in trade, so I didn't want to jump the gun until I was sure he was happy with the trade. He is! So!!!

I'll take some pics tonight. I have an audition next week and need to learn 20-something songs, so I have a GREAT excuse to play this baby ALOT!

After I post Pics do I get a Number?

So, is it there yet? Photos?

Meanwhile, let's all drink in Karel's wonderful "Summertime" clip on his BN4.

 

[MaddAnthony_59]

That Mercedes logo is more of an Emblem however. I find that different than a logo containing lettering / wording.

According to my Wife, the Art Director for an Ad Agency (MAD WOMEN?!?) the definition of a Logo is:

A name, symbol, or trademark designed for easy and definite recognition. So the Emblem/Symbol would be an acceptable logo.

 

[GRoberts]

According to my Wife, the Art Director for an Ad Agency (MAD WOMEN?!?) the definition of a Logo is:

A name, symbol, or trademark designed for easy and definite recognition. So the Emblem/Symbol would be an acceptable logo.

Ok cool.
No letters or words were on the Mercedes <whatever you want to call it>. So it looked way more cool to me, even being large, compared to large wording. Just a preference. That's all.

 

[jbo]

Not to derail the F-bass cab discussion, but I just saw this on Facebook. I really love the standard finish of the AC (and really really want one!!), but this blue is pretty sexy...