Per our discussion on a different thread about a different subject Fbass has some of the best customer service around, what they say they do and will keep you informed along the way, have been playing my BN5 for 24 years now, seriously look into them.
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Oh they rock! I called them and just asked, they were very honest about everything and at the end of the day I decided to just go through them directly. Marcel and co. are very generous with their time and patient with questions. I can’t recommend them enough and am happy to pay them for their wonderful instruments. It’s totally worth it to me to just speak with them directly.
hey Jim, sorry I didn’t realize I cross posted. Certainly didn’t mean to, I have to pay better attention to which thread I’m posting!
It’s a whole different vibe then what you have been experiencing, really nail done what you want with Marcel though before you start a build or look for a used one, funny thing about Fbass they treat a second owner as if they were the original owner.
Mine is an Alder body and Ebony fret board. Built in 1990. Mine is a little different than you regular BN5 though. Other than the headstock with three tuning heads on top / two on the bottom, I have the revers Pbass style pickups where the neck pickup is the same spacing as a regular Pbass and the neck is 70's position. Also, mine is actually only 34" scale though so it feels a lot like a super comfy Pbass when my eyes are closed. It's one of my main basses and has seen a lot of action. The 5 piece neck makes it very stable through various temperature changes which is how the nitro paint got all cracked. I used to transport it in our Canadian winters and then hit the bar hot and sweaty and right back in the van. Ridden hard and put away wet as they say!
The sound is absolutely to die for. It seems to still have that thick BN sound with F pre amp but retains the warm mids one might associate with a Pbass. In other videos I've seen comparing identical BN5's with Maple fretboard vs Ebony it seems the Ebony is warmer and perhaps bigger in the low mids.
The alder body is lighter weight than ash which makes long gigs easier. The real pleaser of the alder body for me is the resonance when you pluck a string. This whole bass vibes against my belly with every note. I'm immediately connected to the music it makes every time I'm playing it. Like, I can feel the note in my gut as well as hear it. It's a remarkable instrument and it will be with me the rest of my life.
When you treat yourself to an Fbass, make sure it's got the options that make sense for you and you'll have a friend for life. Under that lens, the cost of an Fbass is one of the best values of anything you can buy. I've wasted more $$ on so many things in my life (vehicles, vacations, hobbies) that didn't give me half of what this instrument has.
Hey all. I believe and hope I will be joining your ranks tomorrow. I've been hunting an F Bass for literal years, trying to find a BN5 under 9lb, in a color I like. It's definitely been a challenge... they're so dang heavy.
I recently had an MTD build fall through. Then I bought and returned 2 different basses that I had high hopes for, but they just weren't meant to be. So I made the decision I'm gonna find my BN5 and I went to work.
Fast forward to last week and I saw a translucent white F Bass BN5. I reached out to the seller asking about the weight. He replied, "I don't know. Maybe like 12lb?" When I told him that's way too heavy he said, "Let me go weigh it." He came back and said it was 9lb. I asked, "Sorry to be a pest but is it 9lb even... or are there any decimel points?". He replied that it's 8.8lb. So yeah, I fought for that weight... lol.
I pulled the trigger and it arrives tomorrow. I really hope he wasn't bs-ing me on that weight because it's exactly what I've been looking for. Here's a photo from his listing. I also ordered some fresh strings, a t-shirt and a toque from FBass.com, just to get the good vibes flowing.
I recently had an MTD build fall through. Then I bought and returned 2 different basses that I had high hopes for, but they just weren't meant to be. So I made the decision I'm gonna find my BN5 and I went to work.
Fast forward to last week and I saw a translucent white F Bass BN5. I reached out to the seller asking about the weight. He replied, "I don't know. Maybe like 12lb?" When I told him that's way too heavy he said, "Let me go weigh it." He came back and said it was 9lb. I asked, "Sorry to be a pest but is it 9lb even... or are there any decimel points?". He replied that it's 8.8lb. So yeah, I fought for that weight... lol.
I pulled the trigger and it arrives tomorrow. I really hope he wasn't bs-ing me on that weight because it's exactly what I've been looking for. Here's a photo from his listing. I also ordered some fresh strings, a t-shirt and a toque from FBass.com, just to get the good vibes flowing.
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Hey all. I believe and hope I will be joining your ranks tomorrow. I've been hunting an F Bass for literal years, trying to find a BN5 under 9lb, in a color I like. It's definitely been a challenge... they're so dang heavy.
I recently had an MTD build fall through. Then I bought and returned 2 different basses that I had high hopes for, but they just weren't meant to be. So I made the decision I'm gonna find my BN5 and I went to work.
Fast forward to last week and I saw a translucent white F Bass BN5. I reached out to the seller asking about the weight. He replied, "I don't know. Maybe like 12lb?" When I told him that's way too heavy he said, "Let me go weigh it." He came back and said it was 9lb. I asked, "Sorry to be a pest but is it 9lb even... or are there any decimel points?". He replied that it's 8.8lb. So yeah, I fought for that weight... lol.
I pulled the trigger and it arrives tomorrow. I really hope he wasn't bs-ing me on that weight because it's exactly what I've been looking for. Here's a photo from his listing. I also ordered some fresh strings, a t-shirt and a toque from FBass.com, just to get the good vibes flowing.
View attachment 5389232
yes!!! I saw that one up on reverb! Absolutely stunning!
I agree!! The seller told me the previous owner was a luthier who kept the bass in absolute mint condition. I'm really looking forward to it.
Hey all. I believe and hope I will be joining your ranks tomorrow. I've been hunting an F Bass for literal years, trying to find a BN5 under 9lb, in a color I like. It's definitely been a challenge... they're so dang heavy.
I recently had an MTD build fall through. Then I bought and returned 2 different basses that I had high hopes for, but they just weren't meant to be. So I made the decision I'm gonna find my BN5 and I went to work.
Fast forward to last week and I saw a translucent white F Bass BN5. I reached out to the seller asking about the weight. He replied, "I don't know. Maybe like 12lb?" When I told him that's way too heavy he said, "Let me go weigh it." He came back and said it was 9lb. I asked, "Sorry to be a pest but is it 9lb even... or are there any decimel points?". He replied that it's 8.8lb. So yeah, I fought for that weight... lol.
I pulled the trigger and it arrives tomorrow. I really hope he wasn't bs-ing me on that weight because it's exactly what I've been looking for. Here's a photo from his listing. I also ordered some fresh strings, a t-shirt and a toque from FBass.com, just to get the good vibes flowing.
View attachment 5389232
I had my eyes on that one. Glad to see it in the ranks here
The bass arrived this morning. And the seller was full of bs regarding the weight.Hey all. I believe and hope I will be joining your ranks tomorrow. I've been hunting an F Bass for literal years, trying to find a BN5 under 9lb, in a color I like. It's definitely been a challenge... they're so dang heavy.
I recently had an MTD build fall through. Then I bought and returned 2 different basses that I had high hopes for, but they just weren't meant to be. So I made the decision I'm gonna find my BN5 and I went to work.
Fast forward to last week and I saw a translucent white F Bass BN5. I reached out to the seller asking about the weight. He replied, "I don't know. Maybe like 12lb?" When I told him that's way too heavy he said, "Let me go weigh it." He came back and said it was 9lb. I asked, "Sorry to be a pest but is it 9lb even... or are there any decimel points?". He replied that it's 8.8lb. So yeah, I fought for that weight... lol.
I pulled the trigger and it arrives tomorrow. I really hope he wasn't bs-ing me on that weight because it's exactly what I've been looking for. Here's a photo from his listing. I also ordered some fresh strings, a t-shirt and a toque from FBass.com, just to get the good vibes flowing.
View attachment 5389232
I’m not sure why someone would lie about a bass then pay to ship it when the buyer has Reverb protection??? So strange.(The bass is beautiful tho…)
I was surprised when the seller said it was below 9lbs on a standard BN5. Haven't seen many of those. The custom orders can sometimes make that weight limit.The bass arrived this morning. And the seller was full of bs regarding the weight.
(The bass is beautiful tho…)
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It is a beautiful bass.
Sorry to see this. What a bummer they’d choose dishonesty and false advertising, as that’s not close. Good luck in your search!The bass arrived this morning. And the seller was full of bs regarding the weight.
(The bass is beautiful tho…)
View attachment 5389583
The bass arrived this morning. And the seller was full of bs regarding the weight.
(The bass is beautiful tho…)
View attachment 5389583
Beautiful! Lame about the weight
As many have said most F-basses are heavy, I think mine was nearly 12lbs.
There's been a fair amount of strap-width discussion in the club threads over the years as well, including that the F-Bass branded one is quite good IIRC. Without any intention of second-guessing the legitimacy of your desire for sub 9lbs, and only in the interest of potentially making that sweet bass feasible: have you had any luck with or considered a wider/padded strap?
My sub-9lb bass requirement is due to a shoulder injury from a few years back. I have stuck with basses in the 8lb range and that has been helpful. I'm going to take the bass home and give it a shot on the strap. It feels very balanced, so that may make a difference. I really like it and would love to keep it. But the shoulder test will tell the tale.Beautiful! Lame about the weight
As many have said most F-basses are heavy, I think mine was nearly 12lbs.
There's been a fair amount of strap-width discussion in the club threads over the years as well, including that the F-Bass branded one is quite good IIRC. Without any intention of second-guessing the legitimacy of your desire for sub 9lbs, and only in the interest of potentially making that sweet bass feasible: have you had any luck with or considered a wider/padded strap?
My best strap is a 4" Moody strap. It's wide and works well. I also have a 4" padded leather strap from Scott's Bass Lessons. It's also very nice for heavier basses. I do have some neoprene straps, but I find they actually grab at my shoulder, making the pressure worse. I'll give it a try tonight. Fingers crossed!
[update] I put it on my nicest strap. Only took 5 minutes before my shoulder was like, " Whaaaa???" The lesson is, there is no such thing as an F Bass whose weight is in the single digits.
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My sub-9lb bass requirement is due to a shoulder injury from a few years back. I have stuck with basses in the 8lb range and that has been helpful. I'm going to take the bass home and give it a shot on the strap. It feels very balanced, so that may make a difference. I really like it and would love to keep it. But the shoulder test will tell the tale.
My best strap is a 4" Moody strap. It's wide and works well. I also have a 4" padded leather strap from Scott's Bass Lessons. It's also very nice for heavier basses. I do have some neoprene straps, but I find they actually grab at my shoulder, making the pressure worse. I'll give it a try tonight. Fingers crossed!
[update] I put it on my nicest strap. Only took 5 minutes before my shoulder was like, " Whaaaa???" The lesson is, there is no such thing as an F Bass whose weight is in the single digits.
Dang
I’m relegated to playing seated so it’s a non issue for me but if I was still standing to play the F Bass BN5 would be a problem for me.
My sub-9lb bass requirement… The lesson is, there is no such thing as an F Bass whose weight is in the single digits.
Yes there is. Look for an Alder body. They’ll be lighter.
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Yeah most 5 string Ash BN5s are going to be in that 10 lbs. range, some a little higher or lower, you may find though because of the perfect balance on a strap with zero neck dive it seems less heavy than similar weighted basses.The bass arrived this morning. And the seller was full of bs regarding the weight.
(The bass is beautiful tho…)
View attachment 5389583
8lbs is Sadowsky territory. Those basses can be quite light weight.
