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Club FBass (Part 5)

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#682
dkb said:
Thanks for catching that, Tom. I've haven't had my first cup of coffee yet. :D
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I've had too many cups of coffee already.

Yeah, the beauty of the F preamp is, just like the A-C preamp, it is almost totally transparent when engaged but set flat (of course, you get the buffering of any preamp that slightly widens the low end and slightly 'cleans up' the top end). But the gain at passive and 'preamp engaged but flat' is totally the same (at least it was on my BN). Very nice pre to my ear!

I remember my BN pickups having very weak output (not a big deal). I am hoping these single coils have a bit more 'grind and meat' to them than the still smooth and polite F pickups used on the other basses, even when in single coil mode. From the clips I heard, this seems to be the case!
 
#683
KJung said:
Yeah, the beauty of the F preamp is, just like the A-C preamp, it is almost totally transparent when engaged but set flat (of course, you get the buffering of any preamp that slightly widens the low end and slightly 'cleans up' the top end). But the gain at passive and 'preamp engaged but flat' is totally the same (at least it was on my BN). Very nice pre to my ear!
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+1 on the F Bass pre being very transparent and just "very nice" in general. The Big F Boost pedal is just killer. It give you this sweet preamp, plus a gain pad to match the volume of the EQ'd signal to the input signal. I've been really impressed with it, so far.

I remember my BN pickups having very weak output (not a big deal). I am hoping these single coils have a bit more 'grind and meat' to them than the still smooth and polite F pickups used on the other basses, even when in single coil mode. From the clips I heard, this seems to be the case!
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The single-coils in the VF5 definitely sound more aggressive than my more smooth sounding BN5.
 
#685
tombowlus said:
The Big F Boost pedal is just killer. It give you this sweet preamp, plus a gain pad to match the volume of the EQ'd signal to the input signal. I've been really impressed with it, so far.
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Agreed. It's allowed me to play my 1970 Fender Jazz and my FretSpot J without feeling like I'm missing anything tonally... Now I'm kicking around the idea of building my FretSpot J basses but using the VF5 preamp and pickups - THAT would be sweet!
 
#688
Vic said:
I didn't see anyone else answer this, but these are Poly (which makes me happy). :)
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EXCELLENT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I was hoping against hope that was the case (although either way would have been fine as long it was the 'new Nitro' that George is now using). Cool! And, I won't have to let it warm up as long when it is delivered before I crack the case!

Thanks Vic.
 
#689
KJung said:
EXCELLENT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I was hoping against hope that was the case (although either way would have been fine as long it was the 'new Nitro' that George is now using). Cool! And, I won't have to let it warm up as long when it is delivered before I crack the case!

Thanks Vic.
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No problem! BTW, here's the relevant info from George and his finish guy. I'm not a big finish expert, so I hope "poly" is actually correct. Regardless, it's a lot more durable than his previous finishes, and it doesn't feel "sticky" to me at all, so I'm happy. :)

From June 2009...
George Furlanet said:
Correct. It is a urethane lacquer.
still silicone based finished are not good on guitars as they leave a build up, and the silicone sometimes reacts with a variety of finishes.
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From January, 2009...
Hi Vic

Here’s the information regarding the finishes:

The finish is a conversion varnish that is designed for interior wood surfaces which are exposed to extreme moisture, heat, and house hold chemicals. It is not a rock hard finish, but it is stronger then a classic nitro lacquer finish. I found that the conversion varnish has a better resistance against checking, chipping, cracking, mar, and scratches as well. It has been tested in extreme hot and cold conditions with excellent results, however to be on the safe side I would not recommend subjecting the bass to fast temperature changes in extreme conditions. For example, going from a freezing cold car to sitting next to a heater or hot light. Coming from Canada, we see both sides of extreme hot and cold. I have done some tests myself, and I can’t get the finish to fail. So I believe it would be very difficult for someone to subject their bass to conditions where it would affect the finish.

All and all I think the durability of the finish relies on the owner to take care of it, which I sure most people spending good money on our instruments do. I hope I was able to answer your question and of course if you have more don’t hesitate to contact us again.

Thanks

Neil Moore (Fbass Finisher)
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#692
Vic said:
No problem! BTW, here's the relevant info from George and his finish guy. I'm not a big finish expert, so I hope "poly" is actually correct. Regardless, it's a lot more durable than his previous finishes, and it doesn't feel "sticky" to me at all, so I'm happy. :)

From June 2009...


From January, 2009...
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Sounds like a good finish, and maybe the finish that all FBasses now have (the improved finish). That original Nitro that George used was just terrible. I can't tell you how many F's I saw come through Low Down Sound used that looked like they were 100 years old... cracked and checked, chipped everywhere, etc.

So, it sounds like he's using the same finish on these as his standard BN from your post, which sounds greatly improved. Cool.
 
#694
KJung said:
Sounds like a good finish, and maybe the finish that all FBasses now have (the improved finish). That original Nitro that George used was just terrible. I can't tell you how many F's I saw come through Low Down Sound used that looked like they were 100 years old... cracked and checked, chipped everywhere, etc.

So, it sounds like he's using the same finish on these as his standard BN from your post, which sounds greatly improved. Cool.
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id still rather have a harder finish on these vf's. its pretty soft.
 
#695
narud said:
id still rather have a harder finish on these vf's. its pretty soft.
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Yeah, give me good old rock hard thin poly. However, it seems George has improved the finish, so I hope it stays looking nice.

Well, it is here and warming up a bit in the case (it shipped in one of those Protec Contego's or whatever.. nice bag).

That's always the hardest part about getting a bass delivered in Michigan in the Winter:bawl: It's about 30 out, so I figure another 1/2 hour or so and I'll crack 'er open (of course, hoping I don't literally 'crack 'er open':eek:).

Edit: Took a quick peek, but still pretty chilly inside the bag... I'll let it set with the 'lid' closed for a bit more to let it come up to temp in its own good time. This part sucks!
 
#696
KJung said:
Yeah, give me good old rock hard thin poly. However, it seems George has improved the finish, so I hope it stays looking nice.

Well, it is here and warming up a bit in the case (it shipped in one of those Protec Contego's or whatever.. nice bag).

That's always the hardest part about getting a bass delivered in Michigan in the Winter:bawl: It's about 30 out, so I figure another 1/2 hour or so and I'll crack 'er open (of course, hoping I don't literally 'crack 'er open':eek:).

Edit: Took a quick peek, but still pretty chilly inside the bag... I'll let it set with the 'lid' closed for a bit more to let it come up to temp in its own good time. This part sucks!
Click to expand...
30! That's WARM compared to here! :)
 
#697
Vic said:
30! That's WARM compared to here! :)
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+1 It is amazing how we (Detroit) have dodged the cold weather. It's probably 20 degrees colder in St. Louis than here. And, we've only had a fraction of an inch of snow so far this year. We aren't that much colder today than Tampa, FL!:D

I'm still going to let 'er sit for another 1/2 hour with the lid closed but the zipper open on the bag. I figure it can't hurt.
 
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