• TalkBass has been independent since 1998. Add your voice.
    Create a free account to reply to discussions, view embedded media, and browse with fewer display ads.
    Join freeLog in
    Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.

G. Gould Club!

IMG_0212.jpeg
IMG_0213.jpeg
I've got a couple GGi5 basses in the works. They will be part of the next batch coming out in 4-5 months. Geoff sent me pics of the bodies that are already roughed out.
The flamed maple top will be a 35" scale GGi5 custom with a dark blue burst finish. The solid ash will be a 34" scale fretless with the pickups in the "SST" position, a metallic white finish, and matching headstock.
 
For me, the SST pickup position seemed the best choice for the fretless. I almost always favor if not solo the bridge pickup when playing fretless so having the pickups in that position really works for me. I also prefer the "voice" of 34" scale fretless basses as well. That's why I selected the 34"/26 fret option for that bass. It's going to be strung E-C. It does have a nice figure in the ash but it's going to be metallic white (a little bit of sparkle!) with a matching headstock, unlined fingerboard and white EMG pickups as well.

The flamed maple will be the typical 35"/24 fret strung B-G. My Status 5 strings have fantastic low B strings but the Gould 35" low B is pretty special! The only difference in that bass from a "usual" GGi5 is that I requested a DCX in the bridge position instead of the CSX.
 
Howdy! Been a while since I have posted on TB.. I got this beauty in April 2023 and posted it here but the picture in my house didn't do it justice. Here is a photo of it on a boat gig this past Labor Day on Cape Cod. Awesome instrument and super light (as you know), a huge bonus on a gig where the dance floor moves up and down and side to side on the water... Kudos Geoff.
416027390_7800692729947637_5008587069007464821_n.jpg
 
Howdy! Been a while since I have posted on TB.. I got this beauty in April 2023 and posted it here but the picture in my house didn't do it justice. Here is a photo of it on a boat gig this past Labor Day on Cape Cod. Awesome instrument and super light (as you know), a huge bonus on a gig where the dance floor moves up and down and side to side on the water... Kudos Geoff.View attachment 5348901

Nice. Good pattern and coloring. What's the wood and finish on that one?
 
Hey G. Gould club. I’ve always been interested in the graphite neck thing. I owned a Modulus Genesis 5 back when they were in production. It was a great bass. But I’ve never had the opportunity to own a bass with a full on graphite neck.

I’ve been looking at a couple of GGi5 models and I like the tone. I’m curious about the neck though. How are they shaped? Can they be adjusted for relief? How’s the fretwork? Will they typically take low action? Beyond that, what is it you guys like about your Gould necks… or anything else about your Gould basses, for that matter? Thx.
 
The Gould necks have a truss rod so they can be adjusted. All of Geoff’s basses are pleked so action can be set low. You should love the way they play.
Does the graphite neck affect the tone? I’ve read on TB and other sites that some people find them sterile or less organic than wood. Granted, those were much older threads. Curious to hear some real world experience.
 
I've got 3. GGi-5 and GGi-6 fretted and a GGi-6 fretless. The 5 started life with a rosewood fingerboard that was later replaced with phenolic material that matches the other two. "Sterile" is not a word I'd use to describe the tone. If I had to use any term, it would be "versatile". These instruments are precision tools. I can readily drop the action below my comfort zone on any of the three and my preference is very low. I don't have any regrets other than perhaps moving on from four string to five rather than straight to six and not playing fretless sooner.
 
I don't believe in tone woods at all. I do believe that graphite is much lighter and stronger than wood and despite my best efforts to prove otherwise, is extremely durable.

I think the pickup type and placement, along with the preamp are about all that affect tone to be honest. We're all entitled to our opinions, and with that said: tonally they sound like a bass that's loaded with EMGs and an active preamp lol. You can definitely do anything you would with one of these on any other active bass, but they're not gonna have the neck and fretboard, they're not gonna have the body contouring and the balance. They don't have that X factor that only Geoff's and maybe a few others' basses have.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Benko and tb-player
Does the graphite neck affect the tone? I’ve read on TB and other sites that some people find them sterile or less organic than wood. Granted, those were much older threads. Curious to hear some real world experience.

I am confident the guys who found the graphite necked basses less organic sounding were convinced they were right. I don't agree but we are all entitled to our opinions.

I see the problem of tone as a function of so many things that blanket statements are bound to be untrue for some bassists. Just a few of the things that affect tone are...the bass and how it is made, the scale, the set up, the woods in the bass, the electronics, the amplification used and.....perhaps most important of all the bassist himself and the tone that he loves.

I presently own a ggi6 and a Q6 with a truss rod. The ggi6 has a wood fingerboard (might be Pau Ferro) and the Q6 has a phenolic fingerboard. The Q6 has Bartolini electronics and the ggi6 has EMG electronics. They actually sound similar but the Q6 has a fatter/warmer tone which I have come to associate with Bartolini. Both basses play and sound great and I would be really in a tough spot to choose one over the other. They do not sound sterile to me. They sound very clear and feel powerful since they really respond evenly to how hard you play.

Every graphite necked 35" scale bass I have played has some things in common. The necks play very evenly....no dead notes and no hot notes. The clarity of all of the strings is wonderful but the B string is simply better than any wood necked basses I have played and that includes Ken Smith, Pedulla, Roscoe and the expensive MIJ Yamaha 6 string basses.

If I could only keep one electric bass it would be either the Modulus or the Gould.

For what it is worth I use Mesa Subway amps. I have two Subway 115's that kill but also use Aguilar GS112/212 cabinets.

I bought my ggi6 off Reverb used for a good price. It was on Reverb for over 6 months so I made an offer that was accepted. I wish I had a photo of the look on my face when I weighed the bass and found it to weigh 8 pounds, 13 ounces. My Modulus is over 10 pounds. Both my Q6 and the ggi6 have Alder bodies and figured Maple tops.

IMG-3052.jpg


IMG-3053.jpg

IMG-3704.jpg

IMG-3706.jpg
 
I don't believe in tone woods at all. I do believe that graphite is much lighter and stronger than wood and despite my best efforts to prove otherwise, is extremely durable.
I agree. The idea of tone wood is mostly a marketing ploy. But wood vs synthetic makes me wonder a bit. I appreciate the clarification.

Every graphite necked 35" scale bass I have played has some things in common. The necks play very evenly....no dead notes and no hot notes. The clarity of all of the strings is wonderful but the B string is simply better than any wood necked basses I have played
That's enough to make me want to pull the trigger.
 
I'll share similar opinion that I'm not a huge believer in tone wood, what you'll hear on the GG are mostly the pickups and electronics, BUT the instrument is so well constructed that it enable to be very precise and make playing a joy (see above)

My Deep Space One, passive with a Novak pickup definetly sounds "old school" it's a world appart from the active GGi5!
 

Latest posts