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Groove Tool vs Raven West 7-strings?

#2
The Raven West is from the same factory as the later Antoniotsai basses. I saw several of them at the LA NAMM Show. I have a Groove Tool Bill Dickens. It's a great bass, really well balanced, but heavy for a 3-4 hour gig. I think the neck on most GT basses is pretty hand-friendly.
 
#3
Really not much of a comparison at all ... the GT7 basses are maybe one of the best bang-for-the-buck deals out there. While there are certainly differences, the GT line has amazing similarities to the custom Conklin stuff.

Every Raven West & Antoniotsai bass I've seen has required some pretty significant set up work to make it playable. Some of the inlays are appealing, but they're paper thin and many have peeling problems after a short while. The pricing seems good at first glance, but once you add in the shipping and set-up corrections, as well as a decent set of strings, you're right at the GT7 pricing.
 
#4
pointbass said:
Really not much of a comparison at all ... the GT7 basses are maybe one of the best bang-for-the-buck deals out there. While there are certainly differences, the GT line has amazing similarities to the custom Conklin stuff.

Every Raven West & Antoniotsai bass I've seen has required some pretty significant set up work to make it playable. Some of the inlays are appealing, but they're paper thin and many have peeling problems after a short while. The pricing seems good at first glance, but once you add in the shipping and set-up corrections, as well as a decent set of strings, you're right at the GT7 pricing.
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You're right-Bill Conklin had a hand in the set up of the CNC machines in Cort's Korean factory. The necks are pretty darn consistent. All things being equal, I'd go with the Groove Tools.
 
#5
Really no comparison. The GT-7 basses are the best production 7-string basses you will find for under $1000. If you like doing mod work, then give the Raven a try. I've heard the necks are considerably thicker and that they don't balance nearly as well as a Conklin does.

I think the Ravenwest basses are 35" scale, which would be the other difference. Anybody that can confirm this?
 
#6
They are 35". So are the Antoniotsai. The Groove Tools are 34". The Antoniontsai and RW basses have nice B strings but the length combined with the strings passing through the body means it's a pain to find strings that will work (I think Ken Smith Strings will but Snakeskins/Dean Markleys definitely will not).
The B sounds fine in the Groove Tools basses, BTW.
 
#9
MNAirHead said:
Any comments on the BD GT7 and the standard GT7.

I've considered moving up to the BD
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The GTBD-7 is like the Cadillac of the line, great neck, lots of bells and whistles on the electronics. If you've got the funds to upgrade I'd go there. I've played on some student's GT-7s and they are nice but the Bill Dickens model plays better and sounds better IMO. It is, however, MUCH heavier than the GT-7 so if weight's an issue that's a point to ponder.
 
#11
I have a Ravenwest 7 and I have played several Conklin GT 7's. There is one pretty serious issue with the RW - the upper horn is above the 15th fret, making the thing balance poorly.

I got mine very cheap. I replaced the pickups and the bridge. It sounds great, plays fine, but definitely not a daily gig machine.
 
#14
GrindYourMind said:
The Bill Dickens model has a pretty thick finish on the neck, which makes it a tad bit tackier than an oiled or raw neck. I believe the GT-7 has an oil finished neck, could be wrong though.
Click to expand...

It's a personal thing, but I don't dig the feel of the unfinished wenge-kind of creepy. I have the same issue with Warwicks. If I use guitar polish and keep the back of the neck clean, I don't have issues with the finish.
 
#15
My GT7 is UNREAL.

The only con i have with it, is that it's a tad on the heavy side. I use a neoprene strap which helps a lot.

Aside from that, the tone is sick, the neck feels great, the spacing is great. I've never had a bad comment about it. Aside from the "Do you really need all those strings" comments.

Also, i've read a LOT about Antoniotsai on TB and I'd suggest a GT7 over an Antoniotsai anyday.
 
#17
The electronics package on the Dicken's is an upgrade from the GT7. The GT7 has a Mighty-Mite pre, not bad but the Bartolini in the BD is better IMO. Also, the BD is a neck-thru, not a bolt-on. I have no preference one way or the other so it never mattered to me.

The nut spacing is tighter on the BD, too, a bit too tight for my personal tastes .....
 
#20
the nut on the bill dickens is ~1/4" narrower than that on the gt7 (2" vs. 2.25") and a lot thinner front to back.

i haven't noticed that much more weight on the bill dickens that i've played than the bolt ons, but then again, i only own the customs, not either of the westheimer instruments.

that being said, i'd buy a bill dickens bass in a sec - they're very comparable to my custom 7's (i think i was the first guy to get bill to make a 2" nut 7 string back in '93 - i've always favored the tighter spacing).
 

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