Gold Tone MicroBass Talk

[SBassman]

Wow, that is great news on all fronts - low action, good intonation, and low action! Thanks for the info.

Yeah - I'm having a blast with the experiment.

Just note that this does Not yield tubby upright bass tone that some desire. For that, in my book, it's all about the Aquila strings.
But, for different tone, for tight, not so fat, but beautiful tone that can cut a mix, these strings seem to be delivering. I called it Piano Tone previously - that's what it reminds me of. The bass strings of a piano. So much so, that when I heard it, I instantly decided I had to learn Linus and Lucy on the bass.

So, these are very different tones, for very different purposes. Some are going to love it. Some are definitely not.

 

[bluebird28]

@Mcamanlou the Sales Manager at Gold Tone suggested a Baby Taylor or LX Martin Hard Case because the body isn't very full. Like this:
http://www.sweetwater.com/store/det...=c&network=s&gclid=CPifg7Dl-boCFShyQgodbiUAZA

 

[macmanlou]

@Mcamanlou the Sales Manager at Gold Tone suggested a Baby Taylor or LX Martin Hard Case because the body isn't very full. Like this:
http://www.sweetwater.com/store/det...=c&network=s&gclid=CPifg7Dl-boCFShyQgodbiUAZA

Thanks! I do like SKB cases, too.

Now, if only Sweetwater would see fit to carry the Gold Tone, too...

 

[Gorn]

Some more pics
Great action. I still might try seeing if there's shims I can remove from under the saddle. Maybe not.

Hey kala, look! A strap button! The neck dives straight down though. Not surprising.

Ergo-glide!!

 

[SBassman]

There Are shims.

Now - are you enjoying how it sounds, and are you enjoying the scale?

 

[Gorn]

Lovin the sound. I jammed with friends in a rehearsal studio last night. With proper eq (the guitar player sets that up, he's great at it), it eliminated any squeak. Everyone was blown away. We played a lot of Beatles, some reggae. We played that blurred lines song (not my choice) and it just works.

The scale is perfect. So much more playable than the ubass. I have fairly large hands and it fits perfectly. I'm learning to live with thunderguts. The increased tension makes the squeakyness and stickyness worth it.

 

[SBassman]

Yeah - I find an enormous difference with the extra scale length.

How did you do with feedback control? I'm thinking of measuring of the DAddario soundhole covers will fit.

 

[Gorn]

On the bass, I kept volume at around 75%, bass at 100 and treble at about 25. No feedback, but again, with my buddy handling overall eq in the amps. That stuff is beyond me.

 

[SBassman]

What do you folks thing about the body size?

My current thoughts are: it's a big improvement over the UBass, but it still doesn't quite hit the sweet spot for me.

Meaning: These basses should have larger bodies than a uke.
That market segment, IMHO, is going to exponentially decrease in value/popularity. On the other hand, I Do love small instruments, and I'm thinking the GT MicroBass is still a little too large for my sweet spot.

Comments?

 

[bluebird28]

So Frank, how does the Micro Bass compare to the ShortBass One. You are the only individual, I think, that has both. Does the Short Bass hit your sweet spot?

 

[SBassman]

So Frank, how does the Micro Bass compare to the ShortBass One. You are the only individual, I think, that has both. Does the Short Bass hit your sweet spot?

Strings? Fantastic.
Scale? Fantastic.
Body? Good, improvement over UBass, not the sweet spot.

My ultimate bass in this class of basses hasn't been made yet.

 

[SBassman]

Having said that, the Ergo-Glide on the Gold Tone is very beautiful and comfortable. Something to take note of if you check it out at a store.

So, anyone else with comments? There are at least a few here now with it in hand. Down the road, would you enjoy the MicroBass body being any smaller, or is it at the optimum size for you now?

 

[Gorn]

The way it looks in that video is pretty good to me.

I forgot to mention, last week when I picked up my microbass from Sam Ash, nearly the entire store was gathered around it like it was the most amazing thing they've ever seen. They all took turns playing it and were blown away. I'm pretty sure not one of them had any idea the ubass is a bass, and not a ukulele.

I woulda preferred if 10 people didn't play my brand new bass before I did but it is awesome so I understand. I've suggested that they put ubasses in the bass room instead of on the ukulele wall. They'd probably sell a whole lot more. The same would go for the microbass.

 

[SBassman]

Yeah, people don't know what these things are. We are at the very beginning.

I did a few gigs on the UBass, and I got similar amazed reactions. I'm sure I sold a bunch of UBasses at those gigs.

 

[bluebird28]

So Frank I don't believe you answered the question about the Short Bass One and the GT Micro Bass, how do they compare to each other?

 

[Gorn]

Oh, and the shortbass has red thunders, right? What are those like?

 

[Gorn]

Yet another benefit of the longer scale, playing closer to the bridge for faster stuff where I need higher tension sounds great, whereas in the ubass it sounded kinda weak...if that makes any sense.

 

[SBassman]

So Frank I don't believe you answered the question about the Short Bass One and the GT Micro Bass, how do they compare to each other?

I made some other comments above.
But, to compare to each other:

- When large size doesn't matter, the Short Bass is probably the loudest unamplified.

- When size does matter, the MicroBass is more comfortable to play.

 

[SBassman]

Oh, and the shortbass has red thunders, right? What are those like?

The Reds are very special, very awesome strings.
Great, tight tone, and also feel really great.
A significant step from what came before.
Really looking forward to seeing them on the market.

 

[bluebird28]

What Thunder Reds?