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Factfinding quest: fretless 6 edition

#21
I have a Carvin Icon fretless 6, ebony fingerboard, Maple/Mahogany neck, Mahogany body, piezo, upgraded with Delano pups. this is how it sounds.
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Is it a quality instrument? Yes! Am I happy with the sound? Kinda, sorta.. :)
Mind you, I'm more into organic wooden tones now as opposed to modern... so thinking of making a (semi)hollowbody with a wooden bridge... :)
 
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#22
Kragnorak said:
That is an amazing price! A friend of mine had Carvin basses and they recorded really well, but for some reason I didn't feel they had a lot of 'personality' tone-wise. Does that make any sense to you or is my head just up my posterior?
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Totally agree about "personality" here... Carvin's sound is quite generic in general (no pun intended). May or may not work for you, depending on how you use it. :-)
 
#23
Kragnorak said:
That is an amazing price! A friend of mine had Carvin basses and they recorded really well, but for some reason I didn't feel they had a lot of 'personality' tone-wise. Does that make any sense to you or is my head just up my posterior?


EDIT: There is a sweet-looking one on the bay right now - there's a bidding war around $600 with 1 day left to go so I see your point! Carvin 6 String Fretless Bass Right Handed | eBay
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There are so many options, and variables, that some of them probably are pretty dull. And of course, there is individual taste. I've played some really popular moderately high end instruments that I just couldn't stand, but that lots of other folks love

My Fretted LB76 (Koa body, maple neck, humbucking J pickups (The fretless is identical)) was my main axe for quite a while, and I thought it sounded pretty good in all situations, but it might be a tad "polite" for some. I played some in their hollywood showroom years ago, and there were several configurations that I absolutely hated (they would have been early Icons at the time). That one you posted is real pretty, but I've never heard those pickups before.
 
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#24
mat666 said:
Ok, if you're talking Montreal Pierre Laporte is the one you seek. He got the finest woods, the neck wood dried for a minimum of 25 years in his basement. He can make any bass style you want for around 2500$ CAD. ..roughly 1800$ US. All you need is bring the hardware and wait 12-14 months. My avatar is a bass he made and the most awesome bass I played. I personally know Forest (both lefty) and tried his bass and he'd like to have a Laporte.
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That all sounds pretty awesome; when you say "bring the hardware" do you mean you bought pickups and a pre-amp in advance and sent them?
 
#25
ArtechnikA said:
. So in what part of the world are you ? ...
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I'm in Joisey right now. You'd think being this close to NYC there would be more call for fretless and exotic instruments in general but apparently buyers from stores have become more conservative recently. There was a boutique shop called Bass Specialties in the Philly burbs that carried instruments like Ritter and Roscoe but they are now an online entity only and their website does not look promising.
 
#26
Kragnorak said:
I'm in Joisey right now.
... Bass Specialties in the Philly burbs that carried instruments like Ritter and Roscoe but they are now an online entity only and their website does not look promising.
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They don't update the website much but they're big supporters of the BassBootCamp so I know they're doing something...

What part of NJ?
I'm in east-central Montgomery County PA.
(approximately Google Maps )

I could maybe head as far east as Flemington if you wanted to check out my 3006 fretless...
Or come to my place and we can turn stuff up loud if you want...
 
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#27
Kragnorak said:
That all sounds pretty awesome; when you say "bring the hardware" do you mean you bought pickups and a pre-amp in advance and sent them?
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Yes, he prefers hipshot bridge and tuners and can help you wich pu and pre to buy depending on the style you're looking for. He's very knowledgeable and busy ;-)

My experience getting a bass by him was exactly like I thought it'd be. Carved while I was holding it to fit my playing style, my body and my hand.
 
#28
I love my gecko 6. She is the heaviest sounding (and heaviest physically) bass I've owned. Mahogany w a Koa top and wenge/ebony neck. Passive villex w treble /mid cut. SOO thick!

Reminds me of an Alembic Persuader I owned but with better ergonomics.

I've seriously considered having tone chambers cut out for weight/tone.
 

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#34
ArtechnikA said:
I had to go back and look at the picture...

"Most People" poke the loose end into the hole bored into the tuner peg.
Some just run it out the side, especially in combination with an "over and under" wrap.
IMO it's a preference thing - do what you like...
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Ahh, that would not be possible on that bass because it has locking tuners, so there is no hole in the peg, but a shaft that tightens into the string itself.
 
#36
Kragnorak said:
The the main feature I'm looking for is an ebony fretboard, or an epoxied one for lots of growl and mwah and won't get chewed up so fast. I would love it if there were a list of fretless basses that have that as an option. The secondary feature I'd like is an active/passive switch but this is not as important.
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Roscoe uses a fingerboard that is as hard as the epoxy or polyester used on other basses but looks more natural - They call it diamondwood and it sounds amazing! I used to want a Pentabuzz but the Roscoe cured my gas! On mine, the veneers used in making the board are birdseye maple - many laminates with resin and then compressed and heated. I'm using roundwounds and there are no marks on the fingerboard.

Just a gratuitous pic for your drooling!
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Dan
 
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#38
...and here it is.
If you move a string out of the way (like this) and feel for it, you can tell it's there - up and down. There's nothing to feel back-and-forth. And you can see it - if you go looking. Obviously it has no effect on function. It came to me like this 3 years ago and I haven't been able to produce any additional wear (not that I've been trying ;-) ...)
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#40
ArtechnikA said:
...and here it is.
If you move a string out of the way (like this) and feel for it, you can tell it's there - up and down. There's nothing to feel back-and-forth. And you can see it - if you go looking. Obviously it has no effect on function. It came to me like this 3 years ago and I haven't been able to produce any additional wear (not that I've been trying ;-) ...)
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Do you do sideways "guitar-like"string bends?
My fretless gets winding grooves after a while.
But not that wide a path!
 

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