• 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 FBass (Part 5)

Status
Not open for further replies.
#325
FBassed said:
New question:

My AC5 came from George with a metal Hipshot bridge. Wanting a more compressed sound, I'd like to send it back to him to have the standard ebony wood bridge installed.

Since the string holes are in different locations between the two bridge designs, the resulting wood bridge will appear a little different than the standard one.

George says he's done this before, but doesn't have any pics to send me to show the final result. Knowing his quality of work, I'm sure it will be fine, but wondered if anyone on TB has had this done. Of course, pics of the results would be great!

Thanks!

Phil
Click to expand...
Phil,

I will be of no help for you on this, but I share this observation:

I have an AC6 with a wooden bridge, and recently acquired a fretted AC6 with a metal bridge.

Considering the fretted AC6 (fAC6) has 2 magnetic pickups, a neck thru design, and of course FRETS, I was surprised to discover that the FIRST thing I noticed when the fAC6 arrived is how different it played with the metal bridge. It was a lot more different than I would have guessed before I tried it.

The metal bridge was very lively, gave the bass a snappier tone quality and sustained forEVER. The moment I played my first notes I immediately I found myself adjusting with my hands to scale it back.

I don't know if the neck thru design of the fAC6 has anything to do with it as well, as opposed to the bolt on neck of the AC6, but that bridge definitely changed the character of the bass in a surprisingly big way.

If you switch to the wooden bridge, as I'm sure you know already, the decay of your notes will be MUCH quicker, and more organic, and much more like an upright bass. I think this is an important contributor to that famous fretless AC tone, so I don't blame you at all for wanting to change your bass over.

I would love to play your bass before the change over though, to understand it better. I wonder if the hipshot gives it a nudge closer to Jaco's tone, when playing with the piezo off and the magnetic pickup soloed.
 
#326
choad42 said:
Tom, I just wanted to second your comments about how well the BN5 does the Nathan East tone. After trying numerous basses, I found that nothing was as true to form in getting a solid Nathan esq tone like a BN5, especially in humcancelling mode. Even though you lose a little gain and meat, that slightly modern tilt in humcancelling mode really gets close to that Nathan modern meets vintage slice that he gets IMHO.

Here's one of the last tracks I did before giving up my last BN5. Though we cannot inject Nathan's heart and feel into a track, with a BN5 I believe you can atleast secure a tone that serves as a great nod to the Nathan East sound.

Here's the tune, let me know what you think:
[Invalid or Expired Link Removed]

Cheers,
Paul

Link Removed
Click to expand...
Very nice, Paul. I love your playing, especially that little fill at about 2:00.

When Donovan dies, he is willing me his BN5... maybe you could will me your hands. I'm especially interested in any tendons and ligaments associated with your left thumb. :rollno:
 
#328
Vic said:
+1!

Any time I start to feel cocky about what I can do, all it takes is about 10 seconds on youtube to put me in my place. :) For me, the challenge is, when I listen to someone with more talent than I have (such as yourself), to keep a positive view on that and use it as inspiration rather than being discouraged for not being better than I am for how long I've been playing. You just gotta' not get on that. :)
Click to expand...
+1 and well said, Vic.
 
#329
dkb said:
... I'm thinking of using FB instead of hosting a seperate site...

Here's the link:
http://www.facebook.com/pages/FretSpot/195584467481?v
Click to expand...
I definitely would NOT use Facebook in lieu of a standard website.

Yes, Facebook is huge and very cool, but you have to be a member to have full run of it, whereas a wordpress site like what you have is fully available to every Google, Bing, Yahoo! searcher out there. Instantly. And when people go to the Internet to shop, they'll Google, but most won't think to Facebook.

Plus while Facebooks numbers are huge, a large percentage of those people are very casual FBers.

Finally, last I heard, anything you post on Facebook becomes the property of Facebook. If that's still the case, and I believe it is, then you'll lose control over how your video and audio clips, and your photos could be used. They could be part of a Facebook ad someday, or lampooned and mocked if they go that way.

Facebook is cool, but it should be thought of in addition to the web in my opinion, not instead of it.
 
#330
puff father said:
... Of course it has something to do with the fact that my Fbass really is that good. It's gorgeous, sounds great and is a total pleasure to play. What more could I want? ...besides an AC5, a VF5, more BN5s, maybe a 6er, a Bergantino AE410..., *what? Where am I? What just happened? :help: :hmm::bassist:
Click to expand...
[Laughing!] I don't know, but by the sounds of it, I'd guess... Eagle River, Alaska?
 
#332
RoboChrist said:
I need someone's help, I'm spec'ing out a bass and I'm intrigued by Alain Caron's "slap guard". Does anyone know anything about it (size, shape etc.)?

:confused:
Click to expand...

My understanding is that it's a 1/16" plexi guard.

Here's a pic:

4173995369_0b6fd12439.png
 
#338
Tom7 said:
Phil,

I will be of no help for you on this, but I share this observation:

I have an AC6 with a wooden bridge, and recently acquired a fretted AC6 with a metal bridge.

Considering the fretted AC6 (fAC6) has 2 magnetic pickups, a neck thru design, and of course FRETS, I was surprised to discover that the FIRST thing I noticed when the fAC6 arrived is how different it played with the metal bridge. It was a lot more different than I would have guessed before I tried it.

The metal bridge was very lively, gave the bass a snappier tone quality and sustained forEVER. The moment I played my first notes I immediately I found myself adjusting with my hands to scale it back.

I don't know if the neck thru design of the fAC6 has anything to do with it as well, as opposed to the bolt on neck of the AC6, but that bridge definitely changed the character of the bass in a surprisingly big way.

If you switch to the wooden bridge, as I'm sure you know already, the decay of your notes will be MUCH quicker, and more organic, and much more like an upright bass. I think this is an important contributor to that famous fretless AC tone, so I don't blame you at all for wanting to change your bass over.

I would love to play your bass before the change over though, to understand it better. I wonder if the hipshot gives it a nudge closer to Jaco's tone, when playing with the piezo off and the magnetic pickup soloed.
Click to expand...

Tom,

Thanks for the reply. I hadn't really considered the impact on sustain so much as the tonal differences between the two bridges. So I appreciate your input. I think I'll be fine with the tradeoff of sustain for a more compressed, woody sound.

What clinched the changeout for me a while back was when I heard my bass being played by my instructor, David Hilton. He plays an AC5 and I of course was used to hearing his sound. When he picked up mine, it confirmed my feelings that my bass had a somewhat metallic sound over the standard AC. It wasn't hugely metallic, just enough to hear a difference if one was to take a blindfold test. My preference being the more woody sound (not that I could hope to sound like David), that experience was what I needed to look into the changeout seriously. When my dog recently scratched the redwood top (arg!), it opened the door to pursue a bridge changeout while George refinishes the top to remove the scratch.

If your down in SoCal anytime soon before I ship the bass to George you are certainly welcome to play my AC5. Look me up...

If anyone else has had theirs changed out in similar fashion, I'd love to see pics of the resulting wood bridge. One interesting advantage that George stated to me was that the bridges could always be swapped back again, since the string holes would match up. I really don't plan on doing that though...

Phil
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Latest posts

Top Bottom
Back