I think is well said and I can vouch for how good this bass is. Tom got it right on and I can add also that the bass was super open and responsive too ( which I have a bias for).
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I think is well said and I can vouch for how good this bass is. Tom got it right on and I can add also that the bass was super open and responsive too ( which I have a bias for).
Still drooldrooldrooldrooldrool over this one.
Thanks Gnal.
I'm sure you agree, once you see the F on the headstock it's really hard to go wrong.
Definitely one of my favs!
That modern vintage vibe kills me every time.
I don’t have a BN6, but I have flats on one of my BN5’s. I use LaBella 760FL-B
I’m not really sure how to post audio. I’ll see if I can figure it out... no promises though. 
I’m not really sure how to post audio. I’ll see if I can figure it out... no promises though.
I’ve uploaded sound clips to soundcloud and then shared the link here. It looks like one could just be attached as well.
I asked because I was always a flat fan. I’ve got tapes on a BNF6 and a few others. I put a set of La Bella Beatle Bass flats on an Epiphone Viola and was reminded just how much I like flats. The tone was really nice too.
I was thinking about trying a set on another bass. FWIW... I like La Bella flats the best too.
I honestly use the P pickup soloed almost ALL of the time. If I run effects, I'll usually blend in the bridge or IF on those rare occasions I really want to punch through, I'll dial it in. I love have the option and flexibility. Part of the reason I got a PJ and not just a P
I also got the pj mainly for the p. Lately I've not only been going 100% p, but also doing that in passive mode. She sounds amazing!
When not going 100% p, I'll dial in between 10 and 20% of the j. Once in a while I'll go 'dimed' on both pups. Even more rarely will I go 100% j. Honestly there are so many good tones available, I can always find the right blend for how my ears are ' feeling' that day.
Yeah I like flexibility because I can't stick to one sound/tone!
These are also the reasons I chose to go with a PJ selection for my new VF6-PJ Fretless, which I'm guessing will be finished sometime in May.
You're so lucky. My jazz won't be ready till probably September. When that comes in I'll likely switch my pj to flat wounds, so this recent discussion on strings is helpful to me as well. Keep the flat wound talk coming.
I'm curious about the sound of your BNs. Is there a major difference in tone between the two, or were you going for a similar sound with a different finish?
I was going for as close to an exact copy as possible. I bought the Red-burst bass first (used) and kinda fell in love. I played it for a little over a year straight, tried a few other 5 strings from other brands, and then came back to the BN5 because it just felt "right". Then at some point (about the time I put flat wounds on my P bass), I decided to try flats on the BN5. It brought a different character, still sounded great, still played beautifully...
But after a couple months I missed the round wound sound, and for most of what I play live I needed that round wound character. So, when I saw a charcoal-burst finished BN5 with the same fretboard on the Fbass in stock page, I jumped. I contacted the guys at Bass San Diego, worked out a deal, and they ordered it from Fbass for me.
I know you didn't ask me, but since I'm in the same situation, I'll give you my take on it. I'll try to be brief and my opinion really only applies to gigging bassists-
Having your "backup" bass sound like your "main" bass makes sense to me. I actually keep one bass tuned one way, and the other tuned another way, so I can just switch basses and my sound doesn't change. I don't hafta re-EQ my rig. Sound guy doesn't hafta redo the mix because I picked up a bass that sounds nothing like the bass I spend most of the gig on. All the Dingwalls I have on order are all spec'd identically, so I can switch basses and my sound stays the same.
If you are a studio guy or a bedroom player, my process probably makes no sense. If you're spending most of your time recording, then it might make more sense to have basses that all sound different.
That's my take on it...
Thanks guys, interesting points, and some things I never considered. I probably shouldn't jinx myself by saying this but in almost 40 years of gigging, I have never 'needed' a back up bass. The only time I change basses on stage is for some kind of effect. Either musical or visual. So having two identical sounding basses never occurred to me.
Believe it or not I can make my ash/maple BN5 sound very, very similar to my ash/rosewood VF5. Who knew?
Believe it or not I can make my ash/maple BN5 sound very, very similar to my ash/rosewood VF5. Who knew?
