Just picked up this cool Kiesel Icon 6 string fretless from Reverb.
Specs:
The bass has a nice warm sound that I really like. I’m surprised at how much I like the neck pickup sound. For some reason I got it in my head that if I’m playing fretless I have to go for the bridge pickup Jaco-ey sound.
I’m also surprised at how useful the preamp is. The treble cut perfectly takes away the harsh brightness I don’t like. The bass boost turns the bridge pickup from a very midrangey sound that would only work in specific situations to something much fuller and warmer and more versatile. Boosting mids a little with the sweep set at maybe 40% helps the neck+bridge sound be a little fuller and less mid-scoopy. Maybe I was biased against preamps because I’ve had basses where I didn’t like the sound and I couldn’t fix it by adjusting the preamp and others that sounded good passive.
The bass is comfortable to play. At 10.3 lbs it’s not super light weight but it balances really well. I like the 34” scale and narrow string spacing. I’m 5ft 7in with medium-ish sized hands and it’s not too hard to reach the first fret on the low B. I have another 6 string bass that is 35” scale and wider at the nut which is definitely more of a challenge to play. The neck profile is somewhat rounded rather than super thin and flat and it's working for me.
The upper fret access is pretty good but not perfect. The cutaway goes to the 23rd fret instead of the 24th like some of Kiesel’s other basses and this does limit my hand a little bit.
The bass came with higher action than I like (from the store selling it, not Kiesel) but a few quick truss rod and bridge adjustments fixed that. I have it set up to be fairly easy to play but without a ridiculous amount of mwah. The craftsmanship is basically perfect. The only flaw I see is the nut slot for the B string is not wide enough and the string sits too high. Maybe the previous owner put on a bigger B than what it came with? Anyway, it should be easy to fix.
For the sound samples I recorded the bass direct into FL studio with a little reverb added. For each clip I played a little bit with the EQ flat and then set it the way I like it. For all 3 I cut the treble all the way. I like a dark sound. For the bridge pickup I’m also boosting bass maybe +20%. That really makes it come alive. For neck+bridge I’m boosting low mids a little.
Overall I’m impressed. I think this won’t be my last Kiesel.
Specs:
- walnut/maple neck
- royal ebony fingerboard
- walnut body sides
- zebrawood top
- radiused humbucker pickups
- 10.3 lbs
- 34” scale
- 16mm bridge spacing
- 2.05” wide at the nut
The bass has a nice warm sound that I really like. I’m surprised at how much I like the neck pickup sound. For some reason I got it in my head that if I’m playing fretless I have to go for the bridge pickup Jaco-ey sound.
I’m also surprised at how useful the preamp is. The treble cut perfectly takes away the harsh brightness I don’t like. The bass boost turns the bridge pickup from a very midrangey sound that would only work in specific situations to something much fuller and warmer and more versatile. Boosting mids a little with the sweep set at maybe 40% helps the neck+bridge sound be a little fuller and less mid-scoopy. Maybe I was biased against preamps because I’ve had basses where I didn’t like the sound and I couldn’t fix it by adjusting the preamp and others that sounded good passive.
The bass is comfortable to play. At 10.3 lbs it’s not super light weight but it balances really well. I like the 34” scale and narrow string spacing. I’m 5ft 7in with medium-ish sized hands and it’s not too hard to reach the first fret on the low B. I have another 6 string bass that is 35” scale and wider at the nut which is definitely more of a challenge to play. The neck profile is somewhat rounded rather than super thin and flat and it's working for me.
The upper fret access is pretty good but not perfect. The cutaway goes to the 23rd fret instead of the 24th like some of Kiesel’s other basses and this does limit my hand a little bit.
The bass came with higher action than I like (from the store selling it, not Kiesel) but a few quick truss rod and bridge adjustments fixed that. I have it set up to be fairly easy to play but without a ridiculous amount of mwah. The craftsmanship is basically perfect. The only flaw I see is the nut slot for the B string is not wide enough and the string sits too high. Maybe the previous owner put on a bigger B than what it came with? Anyway, it should be easy to fix.
For the sound samples I recorded the bass direct into FL studio with a little reverb added. For each clip I played a little bit with the EQ flat and then set it the way I like it. For all 3 I cut the treble all the way. I like a dark sound. For the bridge pickup I’m also boosting bass maybe +20%. That really makes it come alive. For neck+bridge I’m boosting low mids a little.
Overall I’m impressed. I think this won’t be my last Kiesel.
