Club Fbass (thread 13)

[Blunder]

I’m sure F Bass would’ve made their basses with retainers if they needed them. But they really don’t.

Silly technique? I don’t want to see your string winds lol

Listen, I absolutely trust Marcel and the rest of the fbass crew. They build the best instruments in my humble opinion and I’ve owned a few other brands in my life. What I meant by silly I really should have been clearing in saying my lack lustre playing technique. I raised the action and changed the strings and I seem to have “fixed” ( no, that’s not the word I want .. improved..?) the unity between the 5 strings

 

[Dave Hill]

My BN5 easily has the strongest, most balanced B-string I’ve ever played.

 

[Naack]

Out of curiosity, what is the average wait time to order one of the BN Series?

 

[Juzh]

Atm about 9-11 months apparently

 

[mngnt]

Worth the wait, I might add

 

[Naack]

Did you go custom or one of their set models? The custom builders adds up reaaaaal quick

 

[mngnt]

Unless it's changed, I don't believe they have set models per se - just some options that do not add extra cost, and others that add significant extra cost.

 

[Blunder]

They do have set models and then upgrades or refinements/changes to their general designs. The BN, VF and their AC basses. Then maybe one other I’m forgetting about.

 

[ThumbyAche]

I bought a vf4 pj not long ago on tb and it has f-bass shop pickups (bridge j pup is single coil) and this bass is noisy as all get out. I have 6 vf series and this is the noisier of all of them. Thinking the preamp or volume pots are bad. I could basically only use it as a p-bass so I bought some Aguilar pj hc pups like my other vf4 and still sounds horrible and weak... bummed out after 3k plus shop work on this. I emailed marcel and waiting for response but gonna have my tech put the fbass factory pups back in if the preamp is bad because the aggies solved nothing.
Any thoughts or help would be much appreciated.

Super bummed after two trips to my local tech.

 

[ZuluFoxtrot]

I got this NAMM special matte black AC5 back in October and it has been my #1 since November. I haven’t played my other basses since and have now 7 gigs with the bass. The band says this is the best bass they have ever heard.

I love the tone and playability and ergonomics.

 

[AgostoMortal]

I bought a vf4 pj not long ago on tb and it has f-bass shop pickups (bridge j pup is single coil) and this bass is noisy as all get out. I have 6 vf series and this is the noisier of all of them. Thinking the preamp or volume pots are bad. I could basically only use it as a p-bass so I bought some Aguilar pj hc pups like my other vf4 and still sounds horrible and weak... bummed out after 3k plus shop work on this. I emailed marcel and waiting for response but gonna have my tech put the fbass factory pups back in if the preamp is bad because the aggies solved nothing.
Any thoughts or help would be much appreciated.

Super bummed after two trips to my local tech.

I am sorry to hear that brother. What I can tell you is that I bought a used VF5 PJ, with aguilar pick ups on it (I am assuming the original ones since this is a 2017 model). And it is noiseless (Active or passive). Follow up with Marcel directly if you can not send it back.

 

[jim nolte]

I bought a vf4 pj not long ago on tb and it has f-bass shop pickups (bridge j pup is single coil) and this bass is noisy as all get out. I have 6 vf series and this is the noisier of all of them. Thinking the preamp or volume pots are bad. I could basically only use it as a p-bass so I bought some Aguilar pj hc pups like my other vf4 and still sounds horrible and weak... bummed out after 3k plus shop work on this. I emailed marcel and waiting for response but gonna have my tech put the fbass factory pups back in if the preamp is bad because the aggies solved nothing.
Any thoughts or help would be much appreciated.

Super bummed after two trips to my local tech.

My prediction is..... you will experience one of the greatest things about Fbass, their customer service

 

[ThumbyAche]

My prediction is..... you will experience one of the greatest things about Fbass, their customer service

Yes, I have actually dealt with Marcel and George and they have always been great.

My tech wanted me to leave my other vf that had the same pickups and pre so he could compare them and it was going to cost even more to the point I should have just shipped it to F-bass to install the Aguilar pickups. My tech charged me to put the f-bass single coils back in and now it doesn't sound thin and weak but back to the single coil hum on the jazz and hiss with the tone pot.
So, I will probably just use it as a P-bass until I want to deal with it again.
I will prob send to f-bass at a later time.

 

[ZuluFoxtrot]

Have you tried spraying contact cleaner in the pots from the underside and then using deoxit? If you have a multimeter you can check the sweep for continuity on the pots and also their resistance...

Yes, I have actually dealt with Marcel and George and they have always been great.

My tech wanted me to leave my other vf that had the same pickups and pre so he could compare them and it was going to cost even more to the point I should have just shipped it to F-bass to install the Aguilar pickups. My tech charged me to put the f-bass single coils back in and now it doesn't sound thin and weak but back to the single coil hum on the jazz and hiss with the tone pot.
So, I will probably just use it as a P-bass until I want to deal with it again.
I will prob send to f-bass at a later time.

 

[ThumbyAche]

Have you tried spraying contact cleaner in the pots from the underside and then using deoxit? If you have a multimeter you can check the sweep for continuity on the pots and also their resistance...

Great feedback, thank you.

My tech supposedly checked all that and said he thought the Aguilar pups were not the problem and that he thought it was the preamp.
Marcel sent a detailed email which I gave to my tech and my tech said none of it applied and that it wasn't his work but rather the preamp/parts.
I didn't want to leave my other vf4pj that is functioning perfectly so that he could take it apart and charge me more.
Prob last time I use that tech. He charged me to put the original pickups back in. :/

Bass is working and sounds better than whatever happened with the Aguilar pickups in it. Idk...

 

[JuanG]

Hello there,
Planning to order a customized F bass. I had one and sold it many years ago but regretting it now. Should I order directly with them or go through a dealer? wondering if there's a difference in costs and waiting time. I live in NY.
Thanks!

 

[NeilGB]

I looked into this last year. F-Bass in Canada encourage you to use their USA dealers. I reached out to Fretspot. The person there (I forget his name!) was very helpful and easy to work with. I haven't pulled the trigger yet - the long production wait takes the urgency out of making a decision!

 

[Blunder]

Hello there,
Planning to order a customized F bass. I had one and sold it many years ago but regretting it now. Should I order directly with them or go through a dealer? wondering if there's a difference in costs and waiting time. I live in NY.
Thanks!

I haven't used a dealer, but dealing with Marcel is so easy. He is very honest with everything and very accommodating. All around fantastic person to talk with as well.

 

[MattLplaysBass]

Hello there,
Planning to order a customized F bass. I had one and sold it many years ago but regretting it now. Should I order directly with them or go through a dealer? wondering if there's a difference in costs and waiting time. I live in NY.
Thanks!

I got my BN5 just over a year ago, I went through Donovan at FretSpot (no affiliation), the price difference was significant (in favor of using FretSpot). He was great to deal with, as is Marcel. No complaints (except that he used packing peanuts when he shipped the bass to me, and I HATE packing peanuts!).

As for waiting time, I don’t think so, maybe a week at most. It was done a month earlier than I was quoted, which was a nice surprise!

 

[MusicMuse]

Going through a good dealer gives you someone with experience that can give you advice on specs for your build. Plus, it may even be a bit cheaper, and some dealers (like Fretspot) have easier, more flexible payment arrangements and trade-in options.