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New 6 strings from Rondo ($170)

#101
klocwerk said:
7 string in '07! woot!
been wanting to try one, but not to pay $700+ for the privilage!
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I wonder what brand the 7 will be (Douglas or Brice, can't imagine that it'll be an SX). If it's a Brice, I could see the cost being in the $500-$600 range, especially if they're planning on using the body style of the Prestige Z series. That neck is very nearly wide enough to take an 18mm 7 string set up right now, it'd definitely be sufficient for a 17mm string spacing.

No matter what they end up putting out, it's got to be better than those Galvestons ...
 
#105
this is insane... They look pretty good, I wonder how they would age. I am tempted by the 5 string fretless. I always wanted to try one, but can't see myself spending any kind of money on it.

but for just above £100? it's just mental. They have good reviews on harmony central, they are well build. How can they afford to sell it so cheaply??? Made in North Korea maybe? You could buy strings more expensive than that guitar.

Yeah... 5 string, fretless, £100, oh god, the pull is too strong, can't resist... I wouldn't mind mail ordering it without trying either. And if I don't like it, I can always sell it (more than I bought it :)).

Man, why couldn't I get that kind of gear when I started.
 
#108
The fretless WEB-846 finally arrived today. I don’t have a pair of wire cutters at the moment, so I won’t be able to restring the bass to my desired tuning (EADGCF) for a few more days. Default strings seem decent so far, though they are lacking in personality and are also a bit too thick for my tastes (I usually play with light/ultra-light strings).

I haven't had much time to play the bass yet, but the neck-dive is already starting to aggravate me. Since this is only my second bass (first one was a Squier P-Bass) it’s hard for me to tell whether or not replacing the tuners would help to lighten the neck. As for other possible balancing solutions, since I'm using a cheap-o nylon strap perhaps an upgrade to a Comfort Strapp (or something of a similar quality) would help to fix that issue? Or perhaps it would improve things if I changed out the pickups with something a little weightier and superior in sound (as was posted earlier, the electronics give off a loud “hum” noise unless the “active” knob is turned all the way up)? Any thoughts/ideas?
 
#109
I actually picked up the comfort strap today and it does help alot. The hipshot lite tuners may also help reduce the weight of the neck a little, i may do that down the line. Carvin have hum cancelling pickups that would fit this bass and get rid on the hum. but the hum is only there when u dont have the control past centre so its not like its there all the time.
 
#110
Do you happen to have a link to the Carvin pickups that you mentioned? I had Invalid Link Removed of Bartolini J-pickups in mind, but they are out of stock at the moment.

Also, to dispel a few comments earlier in this thread, the sticker on the bass says that it was made in China.
 
#111
wEEman33 said:
Do you happen to have a link to the Carvin pickups that you mentioned? I had Invalid Link Removed of Bartolini J-pickups in mind, but they are out of stock at the moment.

Also, to dispel a few comments earlier in this thread, the sticker on the bass says that it was made in China.
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http://www.carvin.com/products/single.php?ItemNumber=H50S&CID=BPU

http://www.carvin.com/products/single.php?ItemNumber=J99&CID=BKT

http://www.bestbassgear.com/hipshot-ultralight-tuners.htm

Heres the link above for those carvin pickups & the hipshot lite tuners, says they will fit a 6 string bass...yes the bass is made in China and on the left handed version like mine it doesnt come with the string thru bridge for any lefties who are interested. Im still not 100% sure if fitting hipshot lites will make a huge difference in the neck dive but i may add them at a later stage with those carvin pickups. But overall for the price u pay for the bass u cant really complain too much its still a good bass.
 
#112
fretless bass said:
Im still not 100% sure if fitting hipshot lites will make a huge difference in the neck dive but i may add them at a later stage with those carvin pickups. But overall for the price u pay for the bass u cant really complain too much its still a good bass.
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I think for now I'm just going to order some new pickups and a new strap and see how that affects the bass' aforementioned issues. I'm just not too jazzed about spending $130 for a new set of tuners that may/may not even make a difference in the bass' playability. Although, if anyone else wants to be the guinea pig, do let the rest of us know the results. :D

A couple more questions about the pickups: do I need to get one of each kind or would it be better to order two of the same kind (i.e. should I be getting two humbuckers/two single-coils or one humbucker and one single-coil)? Also, how hard is it going to be to install these things? Will I need to contact a local luthier or will I be able to perform this mod on my own?
 
#113
wEEman33 said:
I think for now I'm just going to order some new pickups and a new strap and see how that affects the bass' aforementioned issues. I'm just not too jazzed about spending $130 for a new set of tuners that may/may not even make a difference in the bass' playability. Although, if anyone else wants to be the guinea pig, do let the rest of us know the results. :D

A couple more questions about the pickups: do I need to get one of each kind or would it be better to order two of the same kind (i.e. should I be getting two humbuckers/two single-coils or one humbucker and one single-coil)? Also, how hard is it going to be to install these things? Will I need to contact a local luthier or will I be able to perform this mod on my own?
Click to expand...

I know what u mean about spending that money on the tuners that may not even in the end make any difference to the neck dive. I think it be better to order two of the same kind either 2 humbuckers or 2 single coils cause if u buy one of each pickup, one may be louder than the other. I would suggest going to get them done by a good local luthier and have peace of mind, but if u know what ur doing u can do the job yourself.
 
#114
Hmmm.

I ordered the Douglas 6-string in sunburst yesterday. And I figure I'm probably going to:

1. disassemble the bass.

2. rout out another space for a 3rd pickup between the two existing pickups.

3. remove the pre-amp, not all that impressed so far with SX/Douglas/Brice pre-amps, and make the whole thing passive.

4. disassemble the existing pickups and keep anything useful like the pickup covers and make a 3rd pickup cover like the other two.

5. rewind, and maybe overwind a bit, the existing 2 pickups as single-coils just like a J with the bridge coil reverse wound compared to the neck coil.

6. wind the new 3rd pickup as a split-coil similar setup to a P pup. I'm trying to decide whether or not to use round steel rods or perhaps oval rods. I'm thinking oval-shaped steel rods will extend the magnetic field of the pup further along the axis of the string and it might give some more depth to the tone.

After that reassemble, setup, string with light gauge strings and intonate and see what I've got.

Should be unique if nothing else. And if I end up with crap, hey. It's less than $200 and most of it will still be useful to try again.

I'd like to hear anybody's opinion about this? Should I keep the pre-amp? Use an active/passive switch? Replace the pre-amp but keep it all active?
 
#116
I'm really surprised by the quality of the Douglas 6 string.

The construction is good. The tuners aren't the greatest, but they're acceptable. The fretwork looks ok. There's a lot of noise when I turn the controls so either they're bad pots or, more likely, the soldering on the wiring is bad. The bridge is good. I don't care for the strings but they'd be useful if someone didn't want to change them right away. All in all it's a very good, comfortable 6 string bass. I did some playing with it last night and it played very well. Much more comfortable playing it than I had expected.

IMHO the only things this would need is to have the wiring re-soldered, properly setup and intonated.
 
#117
I bought this bass a week ago, a lefty model, everything is flawless, I love the growl on this thing, if overdriven, it really DOES growl. :hyper:

I want to change the pickups but I dont know if I should, I love the sound this thing gives off, and I dont want to take it away by changing the pickups. :/

one thing that SERIOUSLY bums me out is that the left-handed models of this bass only come in blue, I would KILL for an ash model.
 
#119
I got the sunburst 6 string fretted. Sorry, I should have stated that.

I hate to say this but I think I'm going to order the Douglas 6 string fretless version today. I like the fretted version and I'm definitely jonesing for a fretless 6 bass.

I still am thinking about routing out a space for a 6-string P pickup since I wind my own pickups. Then I'd take the existing pups, cut the coils off and rewind with neodymium magnets and maybe do some overwinding to give it some extra punch. Though I'm entirely sure if it's a good idea to rout for the P pup. Might be a little too cluttered. I also thought of making the bass passive, ditching the pre-amp, and re-wiring it so each J pup has it's own vol & tone controls.

Too many damn choices really.

Oh BTW. They've got a *silver* Douglas 6 string fretted for sale now.
 
#120
mcdeath said:
Oh BTW. They've got a *silver* Douglas 6 string fretted for sale now.
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That they do, and it's incredible looking!

web846msv1.jpg
 

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