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Club Fbass (thread 13)

Did some poking around but not seeing the kind of info I'm hoping for. For those that have owned both a gloss finish and matte finish FBass, what's the skinny? Advantages and disadvantages of either. I've only owned gloss FBasses in the past and am thinking of buying an FBass again. I've never tried a matte finish. How is the wear?
 
I had both. I love a matte finish. The gloss I only had for about 8 months. The matte finish on mine looks almost glossy now from all the gigs. I just happen to prefer the feel and how they wear. My incoming bass will have a matte finished. I really like the no pore filler, so that you can feel the wood grain
 
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Did some poking around but not seeing the kind of info I'm hoping for. For those that have owned both a gloss finish and matte finish FBass, what's the skinny? Advantages and disadvantages of either. I've only owned gloss FBasses in the past and am thinking of buying an FBass again. I've never tried a matte finish. How is the wear?

I’ve had my gloss BN5 for 17 years and my matte BNF5 for only 3 months. I’ve worn the pickups down where I rest my fingers on the BN5 a lot. No wear yet on the BNF5. I’m still in the infant stage and haven’t dug in much. The matte makes me more delicate with the bass for some reason. Once I make some dents in there, I’m sure that’ll change my attitude. Not a big help. Just my experience so far.
 
Hey friends. Was trying to find the particular conversation about strings on a BNF, but couldn’t find it. My apologies for bringing up again, but what besides the Labella FBass strings are you all using on your BNF? While I like them on my BN5, I’m just not digging them on my BNF5.

P.S. good call on the F Bass Facebook group, @Tom7 that gets annoying when people promote themselves and aren’t even F users.
 
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Hey friends. Was trying to find the particular conversation about strings on a BNF, but couldn’t find it. My apologies for bringing up again, but what besides the Labella FBass strings are you all using on your BNF? While I like them on my BN5, I’m just not digging them on my BNF5.

P.S. good call on the F Bass Facebook group, @Tom7 that gets annoying when people promote themselves and aren’t even F users.

Some really like rounds, but I’ve always preferred tapes or flats on fretless basses. My BNF6 is no different. I had La Bella black tapes on it for a bit and this past Christmas, I was playing a service that had a very jazz feel to it and I thought the tapes were a bit too dark. I switched to La Bella flats, bought them here, and I’ve been really pleased with them. 760FX-CB
 
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Not that I have the dough at the moment...but I’m thinking about starting to save up for a “boutique” Pbass over the next year or so. I love the way F Basses look and they sound great in the demos I can find online and I’m sure they’re even better in person.

I just had a few questions -

  • What exactly are the preamp controls in the VF basses?
  • Does the preamp let you switch the P pickup to series to cop the Jazz bass thing?
  • It looks like on their website they built quite a few VFs with no preamp. Is that a cost savings thing or does it affect the sound too much?
  • I’ve read a lot of people say the BN is much more versatile than the VF but if I wanted to have that P sound 80% of the time...would it leave much to be desired if I went with the BN. I know the BN could cover the other 20% where I need the jazz thing because I’ve heard it in person and was absolutely blown away.
 
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Not that I have the dough at the moment...but I’m thinking about starting to save up for a “boutique” Pbass over the next year or so. I love the way F Basses look and they sound great in the demos I can find online and I’m sure they’re even better in person.

I just had a few questions -

  • What exactly are the preamp controls in the VF basses?
  • Does the preamp let you switch the P pickup to series to cop the Jazz bass thing?
  • It looks like on their website they built quite a few VFs with no preamp. Is that a cost savings thing or does it affect the sound too much?
  • I’ve read a lot of people say the BN is much more versatile than the VF but if I wanted to have that P sound 80% of the time...would it leave much to be desired if I went with the BN. I know the BN could cover the other 20% where I need the jazz thing because I’ve heard it in person and was absolutely blown away.

So, the F Bass preamp is the same on the BN or VF series. The three closes to you are your V/V/T just like a Fender Jazz would be. The other three which are boost only in the active circuit are bass, mid and treble boost.

Can’t speak to switching in series for bass tone but since it’s not a standard switch on F bass preamps, I’m guessing no. I can speak to this on the BN series. Rolling off the bridge pickup gives a killer P sound and doing the opposite gets that amazing bridge J punch.

You can get any F Bass without the active preamp. For some it can be a cash savings if you don’t need the active circuit. Since active is boost only, it merely adds some color in the most transparent way unlike most active circuits of other brands.

In that sense, to me, a BN is more versatile, but I wouldn’t discount the VF series which is more of a traditional Fender vibe going on. It’s going to come down to personal preference and you pulling out the tones you desire. Any F is very capable of pulling off a massive arsenal of sounds. Try both is my suggestion! Happy hunting!

-Rich
 
So, the F Bass preamp is the same on the BN or VF series. The three closes to you are your V/V/T just like a Fender Jazz would be. The other three which are boost only in the active circuit are bass, mid and treble boost.

Can’t speak to switching in series for bass tone but since it’s not a standard switch on F bass preamps, I’m guessing no. I can speak to this on the BN series. Rolling off the bridge pickup gives a killer P sound and doing the opposite gets that amazing bridge J punch.

You can get any F Bass without the active preamp. For some it can be a cash savings if you don’t need the active circuit. Since active is boost only, it merely adds some color in the most transparent way unlike most active circuits of other brands.

In that sense, to me, a BN is more versatile, but I wouldn’t discount the VF series which is more of a traditional Fender vibe going on. It’s going to come down to personal preference and you pulling out the tones you desire. Any F is very capable of pulling off a massive arsenal of sounds. Try both is my suggestion! Happy hunting!

-Rich

Awesome! Thank you for the incredibly detailed reply!
 
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My pleasure. Let us know where you are posting from. F users all over the world here. I’m sure someone will let you play theirs if a boutique store isn’t available to you.

I'm about a 2-3 hour drive from the factory so I could definitely make the trip down there when I'm closer to making up my mind. I'm still just sniffing around trying to figure out what's out there and making sure I know exactly what I want.

Also if you or anyone know of a demo of the BN with the bridge rolled off, I'd love to hear the "p" tone from the bass.
 
I'm about a 2-3 hour drive from the factory so I could definitely make the trip down there when I'm closer to making up my mind. I'm still just sniffing around trying to figure out what's out there and making sure I know exactly what I want.

Also if you or anyone know of a demo of the BN with the bridge rolled off, I'd love to hear the "p" tone from the bass.

Lucky! Wish I was that close. Almost 8 hours for me. That might be the best idea to just drive there. You’ll have nearly everything they make at your fingertips and can compare side by side. Make an appointment. George, Marcel and the crew are incredibly friendly and accommodating. They won’t make you feel like you HAVE to buy something.

I can’t think of any demos off hand, but should be easy to find on YouTube. Also, if you read our previous posts, you’ll find a world of F knowledge. Actually, our own David Hughes did a great YouTube video demonstrating various BN tones.
 
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Not that I have the dough at the moment...but I’m thinking about starting to save up for a “boutique” Pbass over the next year or so. I love the way F Basses look and they sound great in the demos I can find online and I’m sure they’re even better in person.

I just had a few questions -

  • What exactly are the preamp controls in the VF basses?
  • Does the preamp let you switch the P pickup to series to cop the Jazz bass thing?
  • It looks like on their website they built quite a few VFs with no preamp. Is that a cost savings thing or does it affect the sound too much?
  • I’ve read a lot of people say the BN is much more versatile than the VF but if I wanted to have that P sound 80% of the time...would it leave much to be desired if I went with the BN. I know the BN could cover the other 20% where I need the jazz thing because I’ve heard it in person and was absolutely blown away.
Just got this brand new VF4 pj from Santa - then i made the unfortunate visit to Fbass HQ to say "HI" and to see about getting a tort pickguard made (it was originally white)...long story short, they're super nice guys there and took me for a tour - all the staff go out of their way to say Hello...it was a great experience. SO,.....long story short - while i was there......i decided to bling out the VF4 to MY preference - Santa did AMAZING, but she didnt know that i am not a chrome hardware fan....had the hardware changed to black, got the tort guard made (they have to custom make each one to every bass' specs)...then while there...Marcel, George and I were discussing my carpal tunnel issues - George mentioned making a custom neck to help with my hand issues....so.....she stayed for a couple months there - i ended up having him hand carve a neck and had flame maple fretboard upgrade. (what can i say - i have a sickness) :)
My phone pic is crappy - and the fiesta red looks pink in the pic - but whatever. :) @jmone where in Ont are you? PM me and maybe we are close enough in location for you to give it a try. Cheers
20190328_200457 (1).jpg
 
Not that I have the dough at the moment...but I’m thinking about starting to save up for a “boutique” Pbass over the next year or so. I love the way F Basses look and they sound great in the demos I can find online and I’m sure they’re even better in person.

I just had a few questions -

  • What exactly are the preamp controls in the VF basses?
  • Does the preamp let you switch the P pickup to series to cop the Jazz bass thing?
  • It looks like on their website they built quite a few VFs with no preamp. Is that a cost savings thing or does it affect the sound too much?
  • I’ve read a lot of people say the BN is much more versatile than the VF but if I wanted to have that P sound 80% of the time...would it leave much to be desired if I went with the BN. I know the BN could cover the other 20% where I need the jazz thing because I’ve heard it in person and was absolutely blown away.