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It definitely looks like a toss up between the white and the black, with black holding a slight edge in my opinion. 
I really like the white one personally. The black looks more traditional to me which isn't a
bad thing. I just like the white look more.
bad thing. I just like the white look more.
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WOW!!.. This is nice!!.. i thot the trans red was already looking very very good. This mockup with "Royal blue? / Cobalt blue?" looks just as sleek.. Oh man..
Hi Thndrstk6, would just like another favor from you pls..
With your new template, could you help set up a Red against Blue mock up pls? Im almost decided in getting the VF5. Just need to confirm the color scheme..
Thks in advance..
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WOW!!.. This is nice!!.. i thot the trans red was already looking very very good. This mockup with "Royal blue? / Cobalt blue?" looks just as sleek.. Oh man..
Hi Thndrstk6, would just like another favor from you pls..
With your new template, could you help set up a Red against Blue mock up pls? Im almost decided in getting the VF5. Just need to confirm the color scheme..
Thks in advance..
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I agree actually, with a tan fingerboard it would even look better. Here's what antique white ceruse looks like in the flesh:
Attachments
Tom7
I'm so bright, my mom called me son! ;-)
Nice basses!I received my AC6 back from George about a week or two ago and wanted to share how happy I am with the re-finish and modifications.
The main reason for sending the bass back was to have it re-finished in the newer, non-nitro finish. My bass was damaged in shipping to Australia and over our last winter, (in a very cold house), the cracking spread all over the bass. As silly as it sounds I found myself not playing the bass as much as I should have been, I just wasnt happy with the damaged finish. I asked George to finish the bass in more of a solid red than the usual AC yellow to red sunburst. I must admit that on first receiving the bass I didnt know how I felt about the solid red colour, but now I LOVE it.
Previously, I found myself wanting to be able to roll in a little roundness, in the form of a neck position pickup. (Not all the time, I actually love the sound of the bridge pickup soloed, particularly when paired with my Aguilar DB680/Crest CA9/Bergantino AE410 combination). Nonetheless, I think I was used to hearing , and wanting to be able to replicate a more traditional fretless sound, (as I know it), and not always being forced into the bridge pickup sound, (or of course the piezo sound).
Other than the neck position pickup (with extra volume control) and re-finish, I also had George install strap locks, (because all my basses have them and I like being able to interchange straps) and a master stand by switch, (because A. I am used to having one, and B. because this bass now has 3 individual pickup volume controls I would prefer to be able to mute than loose a volume balance / tonal sweet spot every time I need to mute/unplug/etc).
Ive had limited opportunity to experiment with the bass since receiving it, (due to me putting my hand for a Salsa fill in gig and having to cram a whole repertoire into my head in one week), BUT so far so good! The difference in tone achieved by blending the bridge and neck pickups is subtler than anticipated but the pickups reveal their personalities more obviously when soloed, (which is how I'm mostly using it at the moment). The new neck pickup has a unique quality; inheriting a little p-bass type of flub whilst still portraying with clarity, the AC character. It doesnt bite (read aggressive mid range bark) like the bridge pick-up, but thats kinda the point! I am still discovering sweet spots at different percentages of blend and have yet to find favourite positions.
I was hoping to record some sound clips of the various pickup options last night but opted for a relaxing night with my girlfriend instead! I will endeavour to record something in the next couple of days though.
Finally, I cant sign off without commenting on the amazing setup of the bass. Im not sure if George worked on the bass himself or not, but the instrument came back feeling like a totally new, and different instrument. Different in the sense of overall action, totally re-finished fingerboard, etc. Whatever, was done I am greatful because the instrument plays better than anything I have personally played before. Overall, I am very happy with the decision to refinish/modify the bass, the patience and guidance George offered, the general customer service and particularly the final result!
Now for the pics:
And the obligatory family pic:
I'm not sure how many active AC6 owners we have in the club right now, but I have to say I REALLY appreciated your review.
I've been learning my fretted AC6 better these last days, and I'm finding that you I like to favor certain pick ups in many circumstances and not just blend them.
A couple of questions.
First, what are the scale lengths of your Foderas? How is it adjusting from them to your fretless?
I STRONGLY prefer 6 strings on fretless basses, but I also see how 5 strings for fretted basses can be a good thing. Are your Foderas strung EADGC or BEADG?
BTW, because I don't like messing up my settings on my bass, I usually use a volume pedal, and can lower it for "standby" situations, but I definitely would prefer a switch.
Have you experimented much with the pull up coil tap yet? It does make the bass quieter, but once you adjust for that, I find that I have another interesting tone palette to experiment with, particularly when blending the piezos.
Hi Tom,
My bass scale and tunings are as follows:
Fodera Imperial - 34 inch - Tuned E-C
Fodera Emperor - 35 inch - Tuned B-G.
F Bass AC6 - 34.5 inch - Tuned B-C
I had a matched pair of fretted and fretless basses before I sold them to buy my current basses, and honestly thought I would have alot of trouble adapting to the various scale lengths and particularly the tunings.... It does appear however that my brain has learnt them all as seperate instruments. I do find that if I play one particular bass excusively for 2 weeks or so that I start getting used to the scale length, so the trick for me has been to make sure I play all of the basses routinely.
I mostly see myself as being a '5 string player' and only really decided on converting my Imperial to E-C tuning after having my two Fodera's for a couple of months and deciding it was silly to have 2 B-G tuned 5 strings. After enjoying the options both tunings afforded me I decided on ordering a 6 string version of the F Bass AC model, but believe me I changed my mind a milion times, (and would probably be just as happy with a 5 string version)! That said I would LOVE to get my hands on an F Bass BN6 or a Fodera Imperial 6 string... AND, a 4 string something, etc, etc (but that's another matter).
I found myself much preferring the coil tap engaged, but that has ALOT more to do with me hating excessive noise than it does the tonal difference... I would probably be happy to not have a switch and just have it permantly tapped... but as you say it does provide another pallette of tone to draw on, and sometimes the noise can be tolerated if the appropriate tone can be found amongst it!
I attempted recording some examples tonight, but recorded and deleted about 100 ideas because I couldnt decide on what to record so as to best represent the full range of the instrument and all the pick up tones. I intend to simplify my expectations and just play crude examples instead of feeling the need to compose 30 second masterpieces! should post something tomorrow night, (Australian time).
Cheers Dan.
My bass scale and tunings are as follows:
Fodera Imperial - 34 inch - Tuned E-C
Fodera Emperor - 35 inch - Tuned B-G.
F Bass AC6 - 34.5 inch - Tuned B-C
I had a matched pair of fretted and fretless basses before I sold them to buy my current basses, and honestly thought I would have alot of trouble adapting to the various scale lengths and particularly the tunings.... It does appear however that my brain has learnt them all as seperate instruments. I do find that if I play one particular bass excusively for 2 weeks or so that I start getting used to the scale length, so the trick for me has been to make sure I play all of the basses routinely.
I mostly see myself as being a '5 string player' and only really decided on converting my Imperial to E-C tuning after having my two Fodera's for a couple of months and deciding it was silly to have 2 B-G tuned 5 strings. After enjoying the options both tunings afforded me I decided on ordering a 6 string version of the F Bass AC model, but believe me I changed my mind a milion times, (and would probably be just as happy with a 5 string version)! That said I would LOVE to get my hands on an F Bass BN6 or a Fodera Imperial 6 string... AND, a 4 string something, etc, etc (but that's another matter).
I found myself much preferring the coil tap engaged, but that has ALOT more to do with me hating excessive noise than it does the tonal difference... I would probably be happy to not have a switch and just have it permantly tapped... but as you say it does provide another pallette of tone to draw on, and sometimes the noise can be tolerated if the appropriate tone can be found amongst it!
I attempted recording some examples tonight, but recorded and deleted about 100 ideas because I couldnt decide on what to record so as to best represent the full range of the instrument and all the pick up tones. I intend to simplify my expectations and just play crude examples instead of feeling the need to compose 30 second masterpieces! should post something tomorrow night, (Australian time).
Cheers Dan.
hey guys, are all VF5s the same scale length? I wasn't sure what the scale length on mine was...maybe 34.5"?
Yep, VF5's are 34". This is one of the diffs between them and the BN5's that I am personally happy about.
ok thanks...I thought it felt like 34. Definitely proof that you can make a good B string with a 34" scale!
Tom7
I'm so bright, my mom called me son! ;-)
That makes total sense to me. A bass without a B string doesn't need to have a 35 or 34.5 inch scale, and a bass without a C string won't sound tinny with a 35 inch scale, and the bass with both a C string and a B string will be just right at 34.5".
Me too. I got a Yamaha Patitucci signature 6 sixer, loved it, and searched high and low until I finally found a lined fretless twin. For quite a while, years, I believed I didn't need anything else.
This makes sense to me too. I used to play French horn and trumpet... very similar fingerings but not identical, and didn't usually (if ever) have a hard time keeping them straight.
Again, that makes sense to me. When I started to realize how great my BN5 really was, I thought about standardizing on 34.5 inch scale length. I tried to have a 6 string Yin Yang made by Fodera, but they wouldn't do it in a 34.5" scale so I got a BN6. I also bought a Nordy fiver (ash and maple) because it was 34.5" in scale as well. Thanks to my BN6 and AC6, my matching Yamaha sixers went over a year without really being played. I didn't want to sell them, but realistically I knew I'd never gig them and rarely played them at home, so I sold them on. I almost gave them away to a guy who said he adored Paticucci and would give them TLC all their lives, then I learned he sold them on for a profit about 4 to 6 weeks after I sold them to him. Oh well, I did what I did out of good intentions. ANYWAY...
Because the Yamaha fretless was lined, I could go back and forth in scale length without too much difficulty, providing I (like you) did it often. However I had intonation problems on my UNLINED AC6 until I stuck with my 34.5" scale basses awhile, and got rid of my 34" scale lined fretless.
I have a Fourplay concert on DVD, and I noticed that Nathan East plays 5 unless he has a solo, then he'll switch to a 6 for the C string. That approach really makes sense to me. However, I nearly always practice on a six string bass so that the wider neck works my hands hard and strengthens them, and because when I can play clean on the 6, I can play clean on the 5, but the reverse is not usually the case. But because my practice is on a 6, I'm more comfortable on a 6 and can feel a bit of irrational anxiety when I play a five... like what am I going to do if I "need" a C string tonight?! Anyway, next string change, my 5 string Alleva Coppolo is going to be EADGC, and I'm keeping my VF5 BEADG. I'm excited to see how moving between those two basses will affect my playing.
Here's where we are different. I so rarely go hum bucking that I can forget my basses have the feature. I think a certain amount of noise in small venue live performances is not only acceptable, but expected. Now if I were recording more, I'm sure I'd feel the opposite about noise.
[Laughing!] I know EXACTLY what you mean. And what keeps me from wanting to post anything I record is supposing that guys here will be judging my playing as much as they will the tones I'm trying to display. In the end, I realized simpler is usually better because it solves both problems: it displays the bass well, and negates any pressure to show off chops... or the lack thereof!
As for me, I just love to hear the tones -- especially if it is a bass I have. There is so much around us here that can induce GAS, it is easy to forget to appreciate what we have, you know?
Cheers!
Yeah, I know. Just me being a dweeb about it.good point...i've definitely played others with great B strings as well. Didn't mean to say the Fbass was the only one!
It's one of those debate topics that just seems to pop up over and over and over again, so I thought I'd use your post to head that off at the pass.
Tom7
I'm so bright, my mom called me son! ;-)
--- EDIT: BTW, in later discussion it is pointed out to me that this is Marcus Miller, not Nathan East, who plays on this clip. Duh! Sorry, guys. ---
Nice clip -- and gutsy when you think about it. Nathan East has been renowned for DECADES not only as a player, but for his tone. I mean who else out there could get away with having a signature bass, AND selling a "magic box" preamp so that players can cop Nathan's tone?
So if you decide to play a bass over the top of Nathan East's legendary tone, odds are your playing won't be seen as an upgrade, you know?
So I'm relieved the BN5 in this clip holds its own this well.
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