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NBD: Mike Lull TC5

#21
armybass said:
I am interested in your thoughts on the bass 30 days down the road. Have you been sucessful with finding what you are looking for in all the tonal options?
Click to expand...

Yes, and it broadened my idea of tone (or the way I used to think about it). I think I've been using this bass 99% passive: just volume, balance and passive tone. This bass is great as it is and it plays like a dream. I'm still on the first set of strings, so that could change things as well. I'd love to try it with sunbeams or lo riders (my regular strings on my 4string basses). Those Fat Stacks sound well... fat, but never muddy. All the notes are clear, round and strong. They are great for walking lines or rock riffs. If you want a more traditional single coil jazz tone, pull the coil tap and the pu's sound more like standard J pu's. Great for soloing, playing melody or chords, or when you need a bit more bite...

I don't really care about the preamp (got some nice pedals on my board if needed). I even took the batteries out. I'm thinking about switching the wiring so that push is passive and pull is active (on the volume pot) so I can leave the pot in it's - for me - normal position (pushed).

Here's a recent action pic from last weekend...
10700588_649194941846482_2140242024599739501_o.jpg
 
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#22
Get it bro! That was a great response and very informative. So far I find the preamp a tad bit overboard but am going to give it a chance and see how I like it live as opposed to the bedroom. I definitely want an active bass. That was the whole purpose of me getting this particular bass. I hope to play it on a gig soon and make a real world assessment.
 
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#24
TheMartianBassist said:
Hey bro I have on of these ordered and your thread is just about all the info I can get. In theory, the bass covers my needs but I still haven't played one.
How does yours play? How's the neck? What string spacing do you prefer?
Click to expand...
Hi TheMartianBassist, I don't own that bass anymore. Traded it (with some extra cash of mine) for a Fender CS '59 Precision a couple of months ago. The bass (Lull) played like a dream, but I never really felt comfortable with the 5th string (low B) and the 35" scale. Soundwise, it's an incredible versatile instrument. Build quality is top notch, as you can expect with Mike's basses. Neck felt great. Very smooth, sily finish but like I said: at this point I definetly know I'm not a 5-string player. I played it a lot in the 1,5 year I've owned it. In the studio it's incredibly good, on stage it was a bit more difficult for me because of the long scale. String spacing: I never needed to change anything, but if you want to change it, it's not a problem. I don't know how much it is, but I'm used to standard 70's Fender J string spacing, if that even exists.

Here's some tracks I've recorded in the studio with this bass. Just to give you an idea...

With Nordmann: Jazz, Rock & Impro
Alarm!
Link Removed

with Magnolia: Soul, Jazz TripHop
Daydream
Oh No

Have fun with your bass and keep us posted!

Dries

(Edit: scale length was 35" i.o. 34")
 
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#25
DriesG said:
Hi TheMartianBassist, I don't own that bass anymore. Traded it (with some extra cash of mine) for a Fender CS '59 Precision a couple of months ago. The bass (Lull) played like a dream, but I never really felt comfortable with the 5th string (low B) and the 34" scale. Soundwise, it's an incredible versatile instrument. Build quality is top notch, as you can expect with Mike's basses. Neck felt great. Very smooth, sily finish but like I said: at this point I definetly know I'm not a 5-string player. I played it a lot in the 1,5 year I've owned it. In the studio it's incredibly good, on stage it was a bit more difficult for me because of the long scale. String spacing: I never needed to change anything, but if you want to change it, it's not a problem. I don't know how much it is, but I'm used to standard 70's Fender J string spacing, if that even exists.

Here's some tracks I've recorded in the studio with this bass. Just to give you an idea...

With Nordmann: Jazz, Rock & Impro
Alarm!
Link Removed

with Magnolia: Soul, Jazz TripHop
Daydream
Oh No

Have fun with your bass and keep us posted!

Dries
Click to expand...

You mean 34" or 35"?
If 34" were you not happy with how the B string sounded?
 
#30
Guinness20 said:
I didn't even notice that haha. Did the trade work out for you? The only way that bass could have been any better was if it had black binding and block inlays. Then it would have actually been my perfect bass.
Click to expand...
Yes , that would've been truly awesome. I'm sure Mike can do that for you... Trade worked perfectly: the owner of the shop (Pauls Bass Matters in The Netherlands) where I buy my stuff took it back and took some more of my money in this trade. :rolleyes: But I'm really happy with my precision. It's just awesome in every aspect. Perfect for what I'm doing now with my bands.
 
#32
There are not to many basses that I say..."Oh that something I would order" but this fits that...

35" scale lengths is one of the reasons on how I ended up with Mike.
Not to mention his basses play like no other.

Enjoy
 
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