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New 6 strings from Rondo ($170)
- Thread starter sheepdog
- Start date
I was looking on their site and saw that the WOB and the WEB were the same price. I want the WEB more, but if the electronics suck compared to the soapbars on the WOB I'll pass up the WEB. I really love that flamed maple green on the WEB.
Can anyone who has played both tell me which is better in terms of electronics and action / playability. Also, is the string through mock-monorail bridge on the WEB much better than a normal bridge.
Plz help, ordering soon!
Can anyone who has played both tell me which is better in terms of electronics and action / playability. Also, is the string through mock-monorail bridge on the WEB much better than a normal bridge.
Plz help, ordering soon!
First of all, based on my experience with Brice and SX, both of these basses should be adequate and usable. That said, the WOB appears to have the same budget bridge that is on my Brice V2 fretless. I don't particularly like the bridge, though I don't really hate it either. It is cast and is made of very cheap very soft metal. However, it holds the strings in place and allows for enough adjustability to be a functional piece. I can not comment on the WEB bridge as I have never used it. However, it looks daunting. The string-through-body design may limit string choices because you'll need extra length to clear the body wood. Don't know if that matters to you; it would not matter to me but I would want to be aware of it.
Nor can I offer a substantive opinion on the pickups, I'm sure they are reasonable quality on both instruments. The WEB basses have Jazz bass style single coil pickups which I would assume will hum if not both all the way up. If that annoys you, get the WOB with soapbars. If you like the dual-single-coil sound of a Jazz Bass, go for the WEB bass.
I don't envy you the decision, they both look like they're fine and dandy basses!!!
If it were my money I'd buy the sunburst quilt top WEB. All other things are equal enough that the aesthetic advantage of that body shape combined with the sunburst finish (I like sunburst) would be the difference maker for me. I know the quilt maple top is a paper thin laminate, but the one on my Brice V2 looks spiffy.
So I've had my green WEB fretless for a month or so now, and I just had it set up. Here are my observations:
When I first got it, I played it every night for at least an hour to try and 'learn' fretless. The only adjustments I made were that I had changed strings (D'Addario Nickel Wounds) and sanded down some sharp finger board edges. The neck semed plenty straight. I liked it. I like the way it sounded. I couldn't bear to part with it long enough to put it in the shop for 4 days for a setup.
So last week, I put it in the shop for a proper setup. When they were done, I asked for a report. They said that the neck was super straight bordering on a back bow, and that the pickups (2 Jazz) were too high. The nut was way too high, as it seemed to be more for a fretted bass than a fretless. He brought down the nut, added some relief, set the intonation and adjusted the pickups and action.
When I got it home and played it, it sounded totally different. It was super clear. The sounds I liked pre-set-up were easy to find, plus there were all these new, clear ones. It was as if the the pots had suddenly added much more range. With the new nut height/intonation, all the finger locations tightened up and were more consitent in the lower 'fret' ranges.
So I guess the point of typing this is to point out that the sound changed noticeably on the same bass after a good set up. How much this would factor into a comparison of Soapbars vs. Jazz, I don't know, as I only have the one WEB.
As far as the through-body stringing, I am under the impression that you have a choice whether to string it through-body or in the more traditional style with the same bridge. I'll look later.
When I first got it, I played it every night for at least an hour to try and 'learn' fretless. The only adjustments I made were that I had changed strings (D'Addario Nickel Wounds) and sanded down some sharp finger board edges. The neck semed plenty straight. I liked it. I like the way it sounded. I couldn't bear to part with it long enough to put it in the shop for 4 days for a setup.
So last week, I put it in the shop for a proper setup. When they were done, I asked for a report. They said that the neck was super straight bordering on a back bow, and that the pickups (2 Jazz) were too high. The nut was way too high, as it seemed to be more for a fretted bass than a fretless. He brought down the nut, added some relief, set the intonation and adjusted the pickups and action.
When I got it home and played it, it sounded totally different. It was super clear. The sounds I liked pre-set-up were easy to find, plus there were all these new, clear ones. It was as if the the pots had suddenly added much more range. With the new nut height/intonation, all the finger locations tightened up and were more consitent in the lower 'fret' ranges.
So I guess the point of typing this is to point out that the sound changed noticeably on the same bass after a good set up. How much this would factor into a comparison of Soapbars vs. Jazz, I don't know, as I only have the one WEB.
As far as the through-body stringing, I am under the impression that you have a choice whether to string it through-body or in the more traditional style with the same bridge. I'll look later.
So what about a Brice vs Douglas comparison? The douglas is $179 I think and the Brice is $199 I think......
I originally wanted a Brice, but I wanted it in a 6 string fretless. They didn't have any, and I got impatient so I just bought the Douglas. I've heard really, really good things about the Brice.
When I get a fretted 6, it will most likely be a Brice. Nothing against the Douglas, I just don't want the same bass in fretted and fretless.
When I get a fretted 6, it will most likely be a Brice. Nothing against the Douglas, I just don't want the same bass in fretted and fretless.
They were for a while, but now the Brice HXB Bubinga 6-strings are back up to $289.
Douglas it is! haha. I was leaning more towards the Douglas anyway....
It's ridiculous....I have been pondering buying one of these for a few months....I pulled the trigger on my Modulus in a day.
LOL!!It's ridiculous....I have been pondering buying one of these for a few months....I pulled the trigger on my Modulus in a day.
LOL!!
haha...I guess I am worried about quality where as with a Modulus, I knew it would be good. I had never even played a Modulus when i bought mine.....bought it off of ebay and my band saw it at the same time I did....they were probably more excited.....nah...
I would love to get someone's opinion that owns a Mod to tell me what they think of these....
I'm interesting in one of these to see if I can do the 6string fretless thing before I invest in a nice bass later this year.
So how does the Link Removed and the Link Removed compare?
I saw one comment about the single coil being rather noisy but I didn't see any other complains regarding this. I'm also concerned with the soapbar bass as it appears as if strings are pushed further away from the butt of the bass then the other bass. I personally hate stretching my arm out to hit the lower notes. In all honesty I never understood why so many basses dont have the bridge as far back on the body as possible.. *shrugs
Also, this may be a really stupid question but I've only played on lined fretlesses before so regarding the side dots on these(and I guess on all non lined fretlesses).. Are the dots marked at exactly where you would put your finger to fret the string to get the correct pitch or are they in the same location as they are on a fretted bass?
So how does the Link Removed and the Link Removed compare?
I saw one comment about the single coil being rather noisy but I didn't see any other complains regarding this. I'm also concerned with the soapbar bass as it appears as if strings are pushed further away from the butt of the bass then the other bass. I personally hate stretching my arm out to hit the lower notes. In all honesty I never understood why so many basses dont have the bridge as far back on the body as possible.. *shrugs
Also, this may be a really stupid question but I've only played on lined fretlesses before so regarding the side dots on these(and I guess on all non lined fretlesses).. Are the dots marked at exactly where you would put your finger to fret the string to get the correct pitch or are they in the same location as they are on a fretted bass?
T
Tired_Thumb
Guest
No, the dots are actually where they'd normally be on a fretted bass, double dot at the octaves, etc. This will probably throw you off at first, but you'll get used to the locations quickly. At least with myself, the dots merely guide me to the relative location of the note, then my ears lead me the rest of the way. Hope this helps.
i didn't gonna try some Dr.s
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Now playing: Jamiroquai - Love Foolsophy
via Invalid Link Removed
man, you guy s are killing me!!!
I originally wanted a 5-string fretless:
but now I'm thinking of the 6-string soap bar...
I'm more of a "humbucker" man myself, not sure I'd like the 2JB singles...but there are a lot of different "stacked" JB style hummers on the market that will easily replace them, and inexpensively, too.
I don't know what to do???
looking to buy in about a month, got time to think.
I REALLY like this one, too:
I originally wanted a 5-string fretless:
but now I'm thinking of the 6-string soap bar...
I'm more of a "humbucker" man myself, not sure I'd like the 2JB singles...but there are a lot of different "stacked" JB style hummers on the market that will easily replace them, and inexpensively, too.
I don't know what to do???
looking to buy in about a month, got time to think.
I REALLY like this one, too:
