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NBD and disappointed

#21
i'm in the habit of gawking at eveyone's NBD and 'wishing i had it' on some level...

i'm sorry to hear that you have disappointment. i do think it looks good, however, so i'll wish you luck on getting this instrument 'up to speed', or getting on with your quest! :thumbsup:
 
#22
I had the American Deluxe HH 4. The only bass I ever had GAS for. It was beautiful... ash body, maple neck, light weight, great playabilty; but I could not tame that midrange growl. I've posted here on TB about it. I took all the advice; nickel wound strings, flat wounds, even put some TI's on it but that midrange growl just could not be tamed. Played it in a band setting and it couldn't cut through. I eventually traded it for a passive P bass that I like. I was up front with the guy I traded it to; let him know why I didn't like it. I called him about a month later and he said he got rid of it.

I found that the setting I liked most was with the mid, treble, and bass set to zero... seriously.
A guy on the Dimension forum changed the wiring in his (I think he bypassed the preamp and went totally passive), and he loves it.
 
#23
I bought the five string last November and after new strings and an adjustment I was able to dial in a good sound. I still use my Stingray to record but for the band I'm in the Dimension works great live. I usually keep all the knobs in the middle on the bass and my amp and use an EQ pedal to fine tune things. I'm playing through an old Peavey Nitrobass into an Ampeg 4x10. The biggest issue I have is too much high end but I don't think that's the instruments fault.
 
#27
I played a Pro Jazz and loved it, then played a Dimension in the same shop and hated the sound.

It didn't do anything I liked so it's just one of those instruments that is not for me. May be this bass also falls into that category for the OP.

IME if a bass doesn't sound right in the first 10 secs no amount of twiddling will make it good for me.

Move on.
 
#28
I picked one up for the MF SDOTD just to try it. It is a well made bass, the neck felt fantastic. However, the tone is so high mid heavy that it drove me nuts. To me, the only way to get it to sound good was to turn the treble and mid knobs all the way OFF and give the bass a slight boost. While that sounded good, I was a bit bugged that the bass, with all it's tonal possibilities, was going to only work for me at one setting.

My SUB Ray 4 blew it out of the water in terms of tone. The SUB has various tones that are usable, the Dimension had one (for me), so I sold it.

I feel that the Dimension is Fender's attempt at a Stringray. If you want the Stingray sound, stick to the EBMM or SBMM family. Leave the passive P and J to Fender.

TLDR: well made bass, only sounds good with no treble and mids. Try a SUB instead.
 
#29
My USA Dimension Deluxe HH 4 was an amazing sounding and playing bass by my standards. I found that all freqs were well represented and despite that there is no single coil option, the signal maintained great clarity and note definition, which is a must-have for me, and something I rarely get from humbucker-only pickups. The EQ seemed perfectly voiced and was very powerful. I couldn't find an unpleasant tone anywhere.

As others have mentioned the Dimension puts out a lot of hi-mids, but it's not "trapped" in that space, easily EQ'd to virtually any sonic space. But....I suspect this may only be the case with the HH models. The extra forward pickup may make all the difference. I've found this to also be the difference between a G&L L-1500 and an L-2000. The L-1500 simply doesn't have the heft of the L-2000, so those looking for strong lows and low-mids might not gel with an L-1500. I haven't played a Dimension H....I might hate it too, dunno.

Back to the "hi-mids" aspect...I'm not getting why folks think strong hi-mids are the reason they're getting lost in a mix. For me, those freqs equate to presence. Isn't that, along with cutting lows, the path to being heard in a busy mix? It always has been for me. I'm reminded of descriptions by some Sadowsky players who've described their Sads as sounding a bit middy and harsh solo'd, but absolutely magical in a live mix. I haven't owned a Sadowsky, but I understand the principle behind why some owners feel that way. My Dimension shined best while playing with others.
 
#30
Iridescentone said:
My USA Dimension Deluxe HH 4 was an amazing sounding and playing bass by my standards. I found that all freqs were well represented and despite that there is no single coil option, the signal maintained great clarity and note definition, which is a must-have for me, and something I rarely get from humbucker-only pickups. The EQ seemed perfectly voiced and was very powerful. I couldn't find an unpleasant tone anywhere.

As others have mentioned the Dimension puts out a lot of hi-mids, but it's not "trapped" in that space, easily EQ'd to virtually any sonic space. But....I suspect this may only be the case with the HH models. The extra forward pickup may make all the difference. I've found this to also be the difference between a G&L L-1500 and an L-2000. The L-1500 simply doesn't have the heft of the L-2000, so those looking for strong lows and low-mids might not gel with an L-1500. I haven't played a Dimension H....I might hate it too, dunno.

Back to the "hi-mids" aspect...I'm not getting why folks think strong hi-mids are the reason they're getting lost in a mix. For me, those freqs equate to presence. Isn't that, along with cutting lows, the path to being heard in a busy mix? It always has been for me. I'm reminded of descriptions by some Sadowsky players who've described their Sads as sounding a bit middy and harsh solo'd, but absolutely magical in a live mix. I haven't owned a Sadowsky, but I understand the principle behind why some owners feel that way. My Dimension shined best while playing with others.
Click to expand...

I would assume that the HH model, and the fact that yours is an American Dimension, have a lot to do with this. The neck pickup on yours is adding a much rounder and nicer bump in the lows and low mids; a great match for the bridge pickup. Also, in regards the high mids and cutting in the mix, I agree with your statement that the mids are key to sounding great in a mix.
The Squier however, is an altogether different beast with these mids. Even in with the treble and mid knobs fully cut, there are more mids than I've experienced in other basses with the mid knob fully up! We're not talking about a nice zing and growl here, we're talking about a full on clank monster lol. I think the voicing of the pickup, pre, and the fact that it is a single bridge pup creates this. I would imagine it is nothing like your HH with a much better pre, pups, and the added warmth and thump of the neck pup.
 
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#31
Sorry you're not a fan. Can't help too much. I've got a Dimension Modern Player (Passive with the triplebucker pickup) and I really like the tone I get out of it. I just wish it was a sunburst with a more exciting pickguard color.

The bottom line is that you have to love how the bass sounds first. The rest comes later.
 
#32
If you like everything about the bass but hate the tone, do what I did. I purchased an ESP LTD TA-204FRX and I loved everything about that bass except the tone. No low end whatsoever and just a shrill high sounding tone. I changed the strings to my favorite, Dean Markley Cryogenic Blue Steel ML, and still no luck. I decided I wanted to keep it instead of returning the bass so I spent some more money on an EMG BTC preamp for it. Best decision I could of made. The bass sounds fantastic now and is definitely a keeper.

If you're interested in keeping it and cant get past the tone, even after changing the strings, try a different preamp or pickups. The difference can be night and day. Or if you decide you don't want to invest anymore cash into it, follow Joe Nerves advice. I'm pretty sure you'll be able to find someone interested in that bass. Good luck.
 
#36
Actually I own 3 LTD's with the ESP designed pickups and they are not bad at all. They are very similar to EMG's. If you do not like the tone, it is more likely the preamp. I have an F4-e that I switched out the ESP designed pickups for EMG HZ35's and the change in tone was not that drastic. Now changing the preamp on the TA-204FRX and still keeping the ESP designed pickups was totally drastic. IMHO, IME, YMMV.
 
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#37
Dunno, I own the F5-E and the pickups in it were very weak and bland. Very low DC resistance, maybe there is something wrong with them ?

I first swapped in Seymour Duncans, which sounded nice and were a little stronger in output, but were not what I was looking for.

I installed EMG HZs yesterday and they are much stronger in output and sound fuller to me.
I guess switching the preamp will further improve the sound, but I'm happy now with it.
 
#38
C_Becker said:
Dunno, I own the F5-E and the pickups in it were very weak and bland. Very low DC resistance, maybe there is something wrong with them ?

I first swapped in Seymour Duncans, which sounded nice and were a little stronger in output, but were not what I was looking for.

I installed EMG HZs yesterday and they are much stronger in output and sound fuller to me.
I guess switching the preamp will further improve the sound, but I'm happy now with it.
Click to expand...

Yeah I'm also happy with the EMG HZ35's, so I haven't even thought about changing the preamp anymore. But on my bass the change in tone was not that drastic. A little punchier and a little more articulate. Also I'm not sure if our basses are the same as there are 2 versions, one has the clear coat and the other has the satin finish and they both do sound different. Mine has the clear coat.

In either case this goes to show the op that if he really likes the bass, changing the pickups and/or the preamp can make a world of difference.
 
#40
Iridescentone said:
The L-1500 simply doesn't have the heft of the L-2000...
Click to expand...

A .001 mfd capacitor soldered to the bass-cut pot (center lug to back of pot) of an L-1500 bass will provide plenty of low-end heft all the time.

The L-2000 and ASAT models come with the same capacitor.

When the L-1500 model was developed (from the Climax bass, which replaced the L-1000 in 1991) it was omitted to provide a more 'aggressive' tone.

Adding that capacitor gives an L-1500 bass big balls - enough to go toe-to-toe with a Stingray or Sterling or Dimension strung with any strings.
 

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