G. Gould Club!

[iriegnome]

Picks from both my shows last night. 7-9 Brought out my '98 GGj5, then for the second show, I called on my '16 GGi5.

 

[iriegnome]

Anyone?
G. Gould (Modulus) USA GGj4 Maple Neck 4 String Jazz EMG 9v Bass Guitar White & Gator Deluxe Case G. Gould (Modulus) USA GGj4 Maple Neck 4 String Jazz EMG 9v Bass Guitar White & Gator Deluxe Case

 

[iriegnome]

Mr. Gould?

 

[GeoffGould]

Yes?

 

[iriegnome]

I was hoping to get a bit of info on the 4 string bass listed above.
Invalid Link Removed

 

[GeoffGould]

well, the description seems OK. Not sure why it says 9V. I've been doing 18 for a long time. Easy to add another battery. The neck should be graphite-reinforced. Some mods appear. Not sure what those screws are doing alongside the neck p/u. White truss rod cover looks odd. Maybe a mod? Basically, back then, I was trying to give my take on what a J Bass would be.

 

[Chuck M]

Perhaps there was a pu cover over the neck pu at one time.

 

[Chuck M]

Like many other gearheads I own a lot of basses. My collection includes two Peavey Cirrus 6's, a Roscoe 6 fl and my ggi6. I've been preparing for a Christmas contata that I will be performing next month and there are enough high notes in the charts that I decided to use a 6 string. For some weeks now I have been playing one of my Cirrus 6's and enjoying it very much. It is a great sounding bass and plays very well.

Yesterday I decided to play the ggi6. What a revelation that was! The Cirrus sounds great...the ggi6 sounds fantastic...especially the C string on the Gould bass. The Cirrus plays great...the ggi6 plays amazingly easy. The ggi6 also weighs less than any other 6 I have owned.

Geoff's basses constantly amaze me.

 

[fauxtoe]

I'm sure it's been discussed here already, but how is the neck feel and string spacing of a GGi5 compare to a Quantum 5? It looks like from the specs that the GGi5 is wider, but is it noticeable?

 

[Chuck M]

I'm sure it's been discussed here already, but how is the neck feel and string spacing of a GGi5 compare to a Quantum 5? It looks like from the specs that the GGi5 is wider, but is it noticeable?

I believe that the ggi's are a little wider at the nut. It has been a while since I owned a Modulus but I recall the necks being a bit thicker front to back than Geoff's neck.

I have a ggi5 and a ggi6 and find the necks to be comfortable and fast feeling. Honestly I also loved the necks on the Modulus basses I have owned in the past. In any case, I do not think you will be disappointed in a Gould bass. They play and sound wonderful.

 

[iriegnome]

The necks are a bit wider at the nut and heal. About the same front to back. Thumb feel is no different. I have a multitude of Quantum and Genesis basses. 4, 5, and 6's as well as 2 Gould's. They are different, but very similar.

 

[GeoffGould]

I'm not sure what the current MG spec is, but the nut should be about the same, 1 7/8", but the GGi5 is a bit wider at the 24th fret: 3.0" instead of 2.75".

 

[fauxtoe]

I'm not sure what the current MG spec is, but the nut should be about the same, 1 7/8", but the GGi5 is a bit wider at the 24th fret: 3.0" instead of 2.75".

Thanks, Geoff. It looks like Modulus is still using the same nut width and 3.0" at the 24th fret is now one of their "wide" models. Would that put the GGi5 string spacing at around 18mm or 19mm? I've been eyeing either a Q5 or a GGi5 as my next bass, and having only played a Q5 a few times I'm trying to get a point of reference for how a GGi5 might feel. I currently have a Flea Bass 4 and 5, so I do at least have a small idea.

 

[GeoffGould]

I call the string spacing 17.5mm, but that easily changes a bit with bridge adjustment.

 

[fauxtoe]

I call the string spacing 17.5mm, but that easily changes a bit with bridge adjustment.

That actually sounds about perfect. 17mm works great for me and I've been able to adapt to it for what little slap I do, but I wouldn't mind a tiny bit wider. I know for sure that 19mm on a 5 is a little more difficult for me to comfortably play even though I have size large hands.

 

[GeoffGould]

my opinionated opinion is you don't need 19mm with a graphite neck!

 

[fauxtoe]

my opinionated opinion is you don't need 19mm with a graphite neck!

Ha! Good thing I'm not a fan of 19mm on a 5 string.

 

[Bob_Ross]

my opinionated opinion is you don't need 19mm with a graphite neck!

@GeoffGould would you mind elaborating on that statement? It seems to suggest that wider string spacing is (was?) a compromise, or a structural design consideration that wood neck builders had to adopt in order to, uh, what, resist the increased tension of 5+ strings?
I honestly never considered that some basses had to have a certain string spacing, I just figured it was all up to player preference...

 

[fauxtoe]

@GeoffGould would you mind elaborating on that statement? It seems to suggest that wider string spacing is (was?) a compromise, or a structural design consideration that wood neck builders had to adopt in order to, uh, what, resist the increased tension of 5+ strings?
I honestly never considered that some basses had to have a certain string spacing, I just figured it was all up to player preference...

I was actually going to ask that exact question!

 

[GeoffGould]

OK, here's the deal, from my opinionated opinion point-of-view: Graphite necks (at least the kind we used to make at MG and the kind we make now) do not have to be hit as hard to create dynamic tone. What I have noticed over the years was that many players who were traditionally high-action heavy-hitters, eventually brought their action down. You just don't have to beat these necks as hard to get good tone. You will naturally adjust, without thinking about it. So, as far as string spacing goes, since you've become more subtle in your fingering (without thinking about it) you don't need as much space between strings to do your thing.