Some really sweet bass playing on all 3 tracks. On my Deluxe BN, I tend to use the bridge in parallel position solo'd or with the neck blended in using the Series or Single depending how thick I want the bottom to be. Or, I use them both full on in Single to get that classic F Bass tone. I am looking forward to seeing what variety can be had with the new "Smith inspired" pickup position.
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Some really sweet bass playing on all 3 tracks. On my Deluxe BN, I tend to use the bridge in parallel position solo'd or with the neck blended in using the Series or Single depending how thick I want the bottom to be. Or, I use them both full on in Single to get that classic F Bass tone. I am looking forward to seeing what variety can be had with the new "Smith inspired" pickup position.
Thanks, they were done a while ago when the package first came out. They are a little hard to find on the site so I thought I’d post here for the discussion.
Your selection approach makes sense to me too. There are so many variations possible now…every one had some musical validity when I was recording the clips. At least FBass made an option possible for those who want to go down this path tonally.
The pickups, switches, Tara Labs wiring, standard Hipshot A style bridge and standard thru-body stringing and the "vegan leather" gig bag are it, I believe.
Not knocking the bag, I got one with my "standard" BN5 and it's pretty sweet!
Lots of things, go to the website or my link to get some details. If you have any further questions just email FBass. They should get back to you quite fast.
The bass finally arrived yesterday after its unintended South Central tour. I haven't even played it yet and Donovan is a better photographer than I, but here are a few that I took hastily today. I will be playing soon and will come back with some impressions tomorrow. I was asked for an F Bass family photo and I will try to get that done soon.
I know... no Photos=no bass, so here you go.
PS... Ozzy was temporarily on guard duty...
That table needs some coffee
Nice!
Right!!
The trouble with this one is, which side is the coffee table side?!
Looks amazing! Those flamed wings are crazy!
My wife is a better photographer than I as well…
If it burps and barks and pings like a Smith, then I'm gonna need a whole lot of Alka-Seltzer for what will be a ripping case of GAS. 
From the videos Id prefer the f bass over the smith any day!
An F Bass can sound like anything. A Smith can only sound like a Smith. I’m NOT saying that’s a bad thing, but I just love having their versatility in sound to do anything I want.
I disagree, in that a conventional Fbass can't get a good aggressive burp like a Smith or a Sadowsky Modern (I have all three, ha), and I've sold multiple Fs because they were all a little too polite in the mix. The Deluxes rectify that somewhat IMO.
The ergonomics of the Smith aren't ideal for me (I much prefer the F) but it's unbeatable in the studio for much of what I do.
This is an experiment worth doing, and I tip my hat to the Fbass folks!
If it burps and barks and pings like a Smith, then I'm gonna need a whole lot of Alka-Seltzer for what will be a ripping case of GAS.
First, this isn't meant as a "my brand" is better than yours. Heck, there are a lot of folks on this site that think there is one pickup to rule them all and don't care what I, or anyone else, has to say.
Clearly, I solved my GAS about 10 minutes(the incompetencies of the shippers involved notwithstanding) after watching the video, but I can say after a couple hours or so of play time, it was worth it. Does it sound like a Ken Smith? Don't know because I don't have one. I will take Donovans video and description of "approaching" the tone as the truth. I can say that it has additions to the typical F Bass varieties of tone. Maybe "barks and burps" is it.
I have more recently found, on all my basses where possible, that the bridge solo'd, maybe with a little neck for bottom, to be just what I need. Some of that is the room where I play most of the time or the style of music I play these days. There is no exception here. I played a few songs today with the bridge solo, series mode, passive, tone 100%. I could get warm, I could get really grinding aggressive tone and a wide variety in between-- technique and hand position the only variable. To me, that is the foundation of FBass with a new sauce poured on top.
In short, I am still a fan. Is it a Ken Smith? Nope, it's an FBass. Does it sound like a regular Deluxe? It can, but it has something extra. I have a lot more tone exploring to do. I'm not a guy that believes in the "one" and I'm not saying this is it. I am saying that I will be playing it a lot over the next few weeks to see what she can do.
The tone quest continues on the Hot BN5 Deluxe... 
More to come...
In the meantime, @wthompson007 asked about an FBass family photo. I am still waiting for my AC Classic, and I should say that will be my last, but we all know how that goes. Anyway, here is the current family of BN's.
More to come...In the meantime, @wthompson007 asked about an FBass family photo. I am still waiting for my AC Classic, and I should say that will be my last, but we all know how that goes. Anyway, here is the current family of BN's.
Now that is a collectionThe tone quest continues on the Hot BN5 Deluxe...
In the meantime, @wthompson007 asked about an FBass family photo. I am still waiting for my AC Classic, and I should say that will be my last, but we all know how that goes. Anyway, here is the current family of BN's.
View attachment 5313721
View attachment 5313722
The tone quest continues on the Hot BN5 Deluxe...
In the meantime, @wthompson007 asked about an FBass family photo. I am still waiting for my AC Classic, and I should say that will be my last, but we all know how that goes. Anyway, here is the current family of BN's.
View attachment 5313721
View attachment 5313722
That seafoam + birdseye is helpful as I consider a seafoam build.
... has anyone here done a short scale build? I'm debating going that route and considering if I want to spend for the 17mm spacing. I think the short scale is going to be easier on my hands, and I'm already okay with the standard BN5 spacing. I'm just wondering if I'd notice the 17mm on the short scale, which would bring it close to the Nordy Acinonyx I have. But I also have an 18" half scale bass with 17mm and I can't say that I appreciate the 2mm difference from there.
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