Glade you like it Bassballs27!
Thanks so much Gnal! I hope you enjoy what’s on its way!
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.
Glade you like it Bassballs27!
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?
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.
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
Awesome! Thank you for the incredibly detailed reply!
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.
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)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.
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.
Hey, I was reading Club FBass on Facebook today. This isn’t a bass, but I wanted to share this here anyway. I wasn’t aware FBass made guitars in the past. Every time I brought one of mine to practice, the guitarist would ask if they made guitars.