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Fbass Fancy Top vs. Standard BN5

Tapp

Tapp

Aug 29, 2001
339
2
56
USA, Mississippi
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#1
All of you Fbass guys, please give me your opinion on the tonal differences between say an Fbass with fancy Ebony top/ash body and ebony fingerboard/maple neck versus George's standard offering of Ash/maple.

I've got an older BN5 standard (ash/maple) with the 3/2 headstock. I'm looking at possibly adding a "fancy" BN5 to my arsenal.

Tapp
 
#2
man, this is a timely thread for me.
I have owned and played even more than many F basses having been a dealer for a few years. I must have seen 50 plus of them.
The short answer is that personally, I prefer the tone of the ones without tops. I just sold a bass and was left with the question: what to buy now? I do not as of today own an F bass. I had a very special one that a friend is "keeping" for me ( ok, he bought it..) That bass has an Ebony top. I researching some old sounfiles, cd's and dvd's.. i found that various F basses I had played at rehearsals, shows, etc.. always had exceptional tone. Those were all non-topped Fs. So, now, having decided I needed to have that F tone again, I am looking at buying mine back, the one with the top, but almost wishing it didn't have a top. It sounds amazing neverthelesss.
Having ranted enough, I will add that George uses a very thin top so it has minimal interference on tone ( i still hear it ) , and that F basses have probably the most consistent tone bass to bass that I have ever heard.
ps- i would guess that an ebony fingerboard will yield a bigger difference in tone than an ebony top. In contrast with an Ash / Maple. A guess.
 
#3
I must admit that many of the tops that George puts on his basses are breathtaking. I opted for the standard BN5.

This one - after a year my finish was wearing off

F-Bass-BN5.jpg


So I had Pat Wilkins refinish it natural poly and loved it.

FBassBN5RefinishedBody3.jpg


Like Adrian I sold it behind Gas pains and thought that the pickups could have been hotter. I hope to own another in my future, But a top vs a standard is purely a personal thing in my opinion.
 
#5
Very few luthiers feel that a thin veneer of top wood makes any difference.

Per Adrian's experience, I would respectfully suggest that there are quite a few differences in the tone of various basses within a bass line, even if they are configured with exactly the same top woods (or no top woods). I've always posted that attributing a difference in tone between to basses (even the same models) to one difference (especially if that difference is a thin top wood veneer) can be a little iffy.

Regarding fretboards, on some basses, an ebony board can impart quite a 'ping' to the initial attach versus other boards. This results in a very 'modern' slap tone, and a very quick attack which some love and some not so much.

And per the above post, George, please dear god, change your finish to anything other than what you are currently using!

IMO
 
#6
It's funny, the differences of the "bass world" and "guitar world". Most guitarist would never refinish from nitro to poly since many like the way nitro ages and feels. Nothing against poly, it's definitely stronger but some say it chokes tone if too thick.

I haven't had any real problems other than some checking at the headstock with George's finish.

Tapp
 
#7
Tapp said:
It's funny, the differences of the "bass world" and "guitar world". Most guitarist would never refinish from nitro to poly since many like the way nitro ages and feels. Nothing against poly, it's definitely stronger but some say it chokes tone if too thick.

I haven't had any real problems other than some checking at the headstock with George's finish.

Tapp
Click to expand...

I sure have never noticed any of my poly finished basses sounding choked in any way. Even if this effect is real, it would account for a tiny amount of variance in the tone and performance of a solid body instrument as to be trivial IMO and IME.

Also.... for a bass costing thousands of dollars... 'some checking at the headstock' is totally unacceptable IMO (strongly IMO). I've seen relatively new ones with MUCH more serious finish issues than yours also.
 
#8
KJung said:
I sure have never noticed any of my poly finished basses sounding choked in any way. Even if this effect is real, it would account for a tiny amount of variance in the tone and performance of a solid body instrument as to be trivial IMO and IME.

Also.... for a bass costing thousands of dollars... 'some checking at the headstock' is totally unacceptable IMO (strongly IMO). I've seen relatively new ones with MUCH more serious finish issues than yours also.
Click to expand...

But people already pay thousand plus for super checked up Nash basses anyway! :p
 
#9
ibz said:
But people already pay thousand plus for super checked up Nash basses anyway! :p
Click to expand...

:D ... I don't mean to dog these very nice basses, but the unusually soft finish is something that people should be aware of when making a purchase decision, along with the rather unusual body shape and the way it hangs on a strap.

Great basses, although I prefer a little more 'J on steroids' tone versus the F's 'J on champaign' type refined tone.

If you like the FBass tone but don't like some of the quirks of these basses, I found the Groove Shoppe 5 gets some of that 'refined J' sort of tone in a more conventionally shaped and finished package.... IMO and IME.
 
#11
I owned two F Bass BN5's at the same time. One with Exotic Quilt Maple Top/Birdseye FB, the other standard BN5 Ash/Maple. Aside from the Exotic Top and Birdseye maple FB, they were identical.

Whether a thin exotic top imparts any sonic difference or not, I did A-B comparisons of my two F Bass BN5's several times. The Standard Ash/Maple BN5 always had more bite, growl, meatier mids and just had a bit more mojo. Maybe that was simply due to differences betweeb Ash/maple basses compared to one another. But it seems that most F Bass players consistantly seem to agree that standard Non-topped BN5's have a sonic edge. That was the conclusion I came to as well. I wanted to like the fancier bass more! That was my predisposition. But the standard Ash/Maple won.

Without comparing them side-by-side, I would be hard pressed to choose a favorite. I'd probably go with the more attractive bass since both F basses sounded stunning. But in a direct A-B comparison with all settings equal, same volume (full up), same woods, the standard BN5 was the sonic winner.

As always, YMMV, IME/IMHO :D Gary
 
#12
adrian garcia said:
my maccassar bony topped bn5 has not worn badly at all even after being gigged pretty hard, but i have seen bad wear on others. Also, i always found the F bass body and most definitely the neck extremely comfortable.. just to offer a different view.
Click to expand...

+1... the neck is nice and nothing special (i.e., not particularly unique or different). The body style and the way it hangs when strapped on is VERY different... some find this a non-issue, others a positive, others a significant negative. It just needs to be taken into account when making a purchase decision:)

The finish... well....
 
#13
I found my BN5 to be comfortable, and I loved the neck and the preamp. The finish and the pickups were the minuses for me. i had once talked to Carey Nordstrand about rewinding the pickups, the Champange comment struck home, I always had to boost amp gain when going from the F Bass to another bass. For a bass costing 3K plus, I would like a more durable finish and hotter pickups, but overall I rate the bass fairly high enough that I may eventually own another F Bass someday.
But for now it is not on my gas list. If my two Skjold's (Lions Pride) and nordy JJ/PJ vJ5 that are coming can't scratch my itch. Then maybe I'll be back. I am hopeful that they will do the trick.
 
#14
ptidwell said:
I found my BN5 to be comfortable, and I loved the neck and the preamp. The finish and the pickups were the minuses for me. i had once talked to Carey Nordstrand about rewinding the pickups, the Champange comment struck home, I always had to boost amp gain when going from the F Bass to another bass. For a bass costing 3K plus, I would like a more durable finish and hotter pickups, but overall I rate the bass fairly high enough that I may eventually own another F Bass someday.
But for now it is not on my gas list. If my two Skjold's (Lions Pride) and nordy JJ/PJ vJ5 that are coming can't scratch my itch. Then maybe I'll be back. I am hopeful that they will do the trick.
Click to expand...

That's quite a combo of amazing basses you have on order! If those don't scratch the itch, I submit the notion that it might not able to be scratched! The LP's and the Nordy should be amazing basses! That said, I still think the F Bass BN5 is on even par. Just a different flavor.

I also wish my finish wasn't wearing so quickly. For that kind of money, I prefer a more durable finish. I am not particularly hard on my basses. After a couple years of steady gigging, my Tobaccoburst BN5 looks like it's been around the block more than it has. That said, I still love it and would buy another F Bass in heartbeat. I love the neck, the weight is fine and I personally find it to be very comfy on a strap, 4 sets a night, week after week. Gary
 
#15
adrian garcia said:
...i always found the F bass body and most definitely the neck extremely comfortable.. just to offer a different view.
Click to expand...

+1

Kjung wrote: "+1... the neck is nice and nothing special (i.e., not particularly unique or different)."

As to unique, I don't know what that would be. Different? It is different from the other basses I have played in that I like it much better.

To the subject at hand I can't speak to any differences in sound cause I only own one ash/maple BN5. I do know that a topped one will cost quite a bit more. From what Adrian has said I doubt that you'd be disappointed in a topped F. It will sound great. An F bass would really have to loose a lot of sound quality to sound badly I think.

:bassist:
 
#16
puff father said:
+1

Kjung wrote: "+1... the neck is nice and nothing special (i.e., not particularly unique or different)."

As to unique, I don't know what that would be. Different? It is different from the other basses I have played in that I like it much better.

To the subject at hand I can't speak to any differences in sound cause I only own one ash/maple BN5. I do know that a topped one will cost quite a bit more. From what Adrian has said I doubt that you'd be disappointed in a topped F. It will sound great. An F bass would really have to loose a lot of sound quality to sound badly I think.

:bassist:
Click to expand...


+1... my point was it is nothing 'strange', like the body style, that some might really like and others might really dislike. I totally dug the neck, but it didn't feel much different thant the nice Sadowsky, Ken Smith, etc. necks... the radius is relatively standard, and the profile is not extreme. This is a good thing!
 
#18
KJung said:
The body style and the way it hangs when strapped on is VERY different... some find this a non-issue, others a positive, others a significant negative. It just needs to be taken into account when making a purchase decision:)
Click to expand...
+1

One of the reasons I flipped the (truly) GREAT F BN5 I recently had is because of this. It's really quite different how much closer the headstock is to your body when on the strap.

Like Ken says, it was negative for me, but only because it was so different from what I was used to and most of the rest of my stuff.

If, on the other hand, I just had one bass, having the neck positioned closer to your body could actually make it much easier to play for someone with smaller hands and/or less of a reach (or maybe easier for anyone). It's different enough it seems intentional, and that's the first reason that pops to mind anyway.

The one thing that is a bit odd about it, however, is there is a noticeable diff between seated and strap'd positions, which I'd think the builder would want to make that the same. Seated, it was more like the rest of my stuff, but strap'd it really moved it in on me.

Not a huge deal, but I did notice it, at least.

More on-topic, however, I don't think I'd run right out and refinish a new F in poly, BUT, if I did have one refinished, I'd definitely do it in poly. I do like the durability. Unfortunately, I recently was able to "test" this, and poly really does protect in a BIG way.
 
#20
adrian garcia said:
and for the top or no top question, I am debating if I should
1. buy my mac bn5 back
2. buy a plain jane demo at a very low price, but very sound bass
3. buy aj's bn6 with a maple top and goodies

i have a feeling the plain jain bn5 would have the best tone of the three.
Click to expand...

Didn't you just sell an MTD 6 because you couldn't deal with the 6 string format:confused:
 

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