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Gold Tone MicroBass Talk

#761
The Micro Bass 25 Fretless arrived today. I got to play it for a couple of hours this evening, maybe for 30 minutes plugged in and the other 60 unplugged. What an odd instrument. It's a bass guitar of sorts, but it's almost like some sort of bass guitar derivative instrument that conjures some very different tones. A lot of what has been said in here matched with my first experiences with the instrument:

-The instrument quality isn't bad. I don't see any nasty spots on the finish, cracks, breaks, or similar issues. The semi-contoured body is reasonably comfortable.

-I had to re-cut the G string because it stretched to the point of double wrapping. The others seem better so far.

-The G is somewhat "dead" above the octave point on the neck. Intonation is o.k. still up there. I figure it's a combination of the string's composition, tension, and gauge. I don't think it's a bad string because it sounds fine as you progress down from the octave point.

-The treble slider above 40% is very harsh sounding. The instrument sounds best at 30% or below on the treble. The bass control seems to be a more useful slider.

-The chromatic tuner is a cool feature. It seems to work reasonably well.

-I believe the two higher strings to actually be a different composition than the lower two, at least based on how they feel. All four sound pretty good and boomy overall.

-It won't take the place of my Precision Basses (either Single Coil or Split) but it really is a different instrument. It's a lot of fun to play.
 
#762
I would suggest changing the strings to Road Toad Pahoehoe, I find them to feel and sound better than the Thunderguts, better intonation too. But they stretch even more, I have to cut mine down a lot because they're double wrapped too.

I actually replaced the preamp on my 23" fretted with a Joyo from China, which only has a single tone control, and turn it down to the lowest setting to avoid too much string noise. I didn't like the original preamp turned sideways and the revolving note settings, this one has a large LED that's reads very easily.

Joyo JE-53.jpg
 
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#763
I put in an order for a Pahoehoe set for 25 inch scale. When you strung up with those strings, did you use the knot that they show on their videos, or just straight into the tuner hole? I've heard they're a little lower in tension and more "boomy" than the stock white strings. That might appeal to me.

What do you mean by revolving notes in the pre-amp? Do you mean how the tuner is sideways?
 
#764
The Pahoehoe stretch so much, you don't need the 25". Not sure what knot you mean, I set the string in the spool slot, then pulled on the length going to the neck back towards the head and wrapped it once on the spool to lock down the part going through the slot. Then made sure as I tuned it that the string wrapped down the spool below the previous wrap.

I didn't like that the preamp was sideways, and that the sideways notes were tiny and individual along one side. The Joyo is facing you when you're in playing position and has a large LED readout that shows the current note, in yellow when it's out of tune with bars on the left and right if it's sharp or flat, and green when in tune, very intuitive.
 
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#765
I added a little mattress topper foam under the strings and played with the EQ on the bass and amp a bit. It gives a nice, thuddy kind of sound even with the stock strings. I like the 25 inch scale- shorter than a standard Precision but still familiar because it matches my guitars.

 
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#766
I have had the Pahoehoe strings on for a few days. Here are some observations:

-the set is more "balanced" than the Thundergut/stock strings. The G on the Thunderguts was somewhat thin, particularly higher on the fret board. There was a relatively large difference in output and tone between the two low and the two high strings with the Thunderguts. The Pahoehoe strings are more balanced string-to-string in output and response to playing.

-The Thundergut strings had more sustain and had a bit more of a traditional, electric bass guitar sound. The Pahoehoe strings are shorter in sustain and even more boomy than the Thunderguts.The Thunderguts indeed have a lot more string finger noise.

-The Pahoehoes seem to have a bit less tension and it's easier to bottom out on the fret board. They need a lighter touch. Sliding is easier on the large strings, as others have said.

-The Pahoehoes indeed stretch... a lot. It's like stringing up little bungee cords. The Thunderguts stretched, but did not need cutting and re-stringing. I've already restrung and clipped the higher Pahoehoes twice.

-The bass sounds very, very good in an acoustic form with the Pahoehoes. The Thunderguts were just so-so acoustically, but the Pahoehoes really make the instrument sing when unplugged. The Thunderguts really seem to want to be plugged in to bring the most out of them. The Pahoehoes are great either way.

-The Pahoehoes definitely are more that tubby, "U-Bass" sound. I actually find a substantial tonal difference between them and the Thunderguts. The Thunderguts had more clarity for the most part, aside from the rather weak G.

Of the two, I'll take the Pahoehoes, even with the stretching.
 
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#770
Ray-Vigo said:
I have had the Pahoehoe strings on for a few days. Here are some observations:

-the set is more "balanced" than the Thundergut/stock strings. The G on the Thunderguts was somewhat thin, particularly higher on the fret board. There was a relatively large difference in output and tone between the two low and the two high strings with the Thunderguts. The Pahoehoe strings are more balanced string-to-string in output and response to playing.

-The Thundergut strings had more sustain and had a bit more of a traditional, electric bass guitar sound. The Pahoehoe strings are shorter in sustain and even more boomy than the Thunderguts.The Thunderguts indeed have a lot more string finger noise.

-The Pahoehoes seem to have a bit less tension and it's easier to bottom out on the fret board. They need a lighter touch. Sliding is easier on the large strings, as others have said.

-The Pahoehoes indeed stretch... a lot. It's like stringing up little bungee cords. The Thunderguts stretched, but did not need cutting and re-stringing. I've already restrung and clipped the higher Pahoehoes twice.

-The bass sounds very, very good in an acoustic form with the Pahoehoes. The Thunderguts were just so-so acoustically, but the Pahoehoes really make the instrument sing when unplugged. The Thunderguts really seem to want to be plugged in to bring the most out of them. The Pahoehoes are great either way.

-The Pahoehoes definitely are more that tubby, "U-Bass" sound. I actually find a substantial tonal difference between them and the Thunderguts. The Thunderguts had more clarity for the most part, aside from the rather weak G.

Of the two, I'll take the Pahoehoes, even with the stretching.
Click to expand...

What pahoehoe gauges did you get? did you get a custom set? thanks for the obersvational info, im looking to for something with less string noise aswell.
 
#771
Hallic said:
What pahoehoe gauges did you get? did you get a custom set? thanks for the obersvational info, im looking to for something with less string noise aswell.
Click to expand...

I emailed Owen at Road Toad music before ordering. He said to order the 24 inch scale (standard tension) Pahoehoe strings, then put in a note with the order that the strings were for a 25 inch scale. So the gauges are whatever the standard 24 scale is, at least to start. They get a bit thinner as they stretch out onto the bass.

The Pahoehoe strings are a little too "plunky" with any sort of substantial muting. The Thundergut strings liked the foam mute, but the Pahoehoe strings have limited enough sustain as it is without the foam.The foam cut down on the Thundergut finger noise a bit, but the sound was pretty mediocre without the foam. The finger noise was higher and the sound tended a little more toward electric bass guitar than a U-Bass or something else.

I like the Pahoehoes without any foam.

Sample of the Pahoehoe strings WITHOUT any muting.

 
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#774
vHarmonic said:
I had the same experience.
Click to expand...

Pretty disappointing- I was hoping to low the relief a touch, and I don't consider Pahoehoe strings to be particularly high tension.

I think this is all still evolving technology. I do think the next step is a fretless 25 inch scale with an archtop hollow body and a bridge that allows some intonation and action adjustment as well as a good truss rod that allows for pretty good neck relief setting. I think bringing some of the customary accommodations seen in guitars and basses with metal strings to this particular type of string would be nice.

All that said, it's a pretty fun instrument to play.
 
#777
Are you having issues with the way it plays with that amount of relief? My truss rod did affect the relief, but it took a substantial amount of turning to have an effect. May have been in the opposite direction if I remember right. Not sure now. I believe the instructions that came with it stated that also.
 
#778
It is supposedly a reverse turn rod, as you mention.

I was surprised at how small the relief measured. It looks and "feels" like there is more relief than there actually is according to the feeler gauge. Perhaps it's just a function of the low tension strings and a little bit higher action from the bridge that gives it that appearance. .017 doesn't seem all that big to me in terms of measurements. The oft-quoted spec for a Fender P Bass neck is .014 on the low E, so 3 1000ths isn't all that different, especially when you consider it's a low tension, Pahoehoe string.
 
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