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New Emerald carbon fiber ABG - impressive!
- Thread starter HeavyDuty
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- abg carbon carbon fiber
Yay! Less than a week, I think. The agony of waiting...
Mine's due in a month or so. Look forward to StoicStrayCat's report. HeavyDuty, do you have any further impressions to add to your initial reactions?
Not really - I haven't been able to spend a huge amount of time with mine, left has been crazy busy. I still want to lower the saddle, but I'm inclined to wait until the strings issue is resolved. I'd really like to try the LaBella tapes...
Sean was out on Friday, so I don't get the tracking until tomorrow. Waiting for the tracking is second only to waiting for it to get here! Hopefully not long now
My Balor came in late this week, and now that I got to really spend some time with it and get over the excitement of finally having it, I've gotta say that this bass more than lives up to what they say. It's plenty loud for acoustic situations, with a crazy amount of low end. The neck is really thin and wide with a flat radius and reminds me a ton of my old Emperor. It is a large bass, but the contours make it feel like a jazz bass.
As for the fretless end, it has mwah for days and is effortless to play. I'll try and get sound clips soon!
As for the fretless end, it has mwah for days and is effortless to play. I'll try and get sound clips soon!
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Now that I've had it for a while, and got to run it in a few different situations, I'm even more in love with it.
I'm currently in a four piece Irish folk band, and I can be heard unplugged over an acoustic guitar, vocals, a small drum set up, and flute. A full on drum kit was the only time I didn't have enough acoustic volume, but even then I could still hear it albeit quietly.
It still plays like a dream, and it's built like a tank. Memphis lost power in huge numbers recently and I spent a week with no power in Memphis summer humidity and it never moved a bit.
Above all that though, it's just straight up fun to play it. I'm so impressed with it I went ahead and ordered an X7 guitar as well.
That's great. Something about performing without amps. Makes people approach the music differently. Done it on upright but never could've imagined (until now) ABG.
I really prefer practicing on an acoustic. That was my initial reason for ordering my Balor, but it will also be great to play it out in acoustic settings.
Great to hear StoicStrayCat is enjoying his Balor so much! I hope mine's arrival isn't too far off. They said early June, but I haven't heard anything. I did ask about putting on different strings, but I decided to just go with whatever they want to use, in order to avoid further delay.
The ending portion of the wait is the hardest part! They'll more likely than not throw some Chromes on it (mine had that atleast, albeit mine is fretless) and they act really well together. Eventually, I'll throw some TIs on there and see how it reacts, but for now, the Chromes do the job and do it well.
Cool, I'm not familiar with Chromes so at the very least I will learn a little more about string types.
I just heard back from Emerald and they said 3-4 more weeks, very exciting.
Must Resist GAS. Must Resist GAS. (Checks bank account) Yup, Must Resist GAS.
Hmmm, if there's going to be a club, can we make it for all Emeralds so I can join?
Haha, forgot all about this post, but now it's mine!I can't decide between one of these and that 12 string 30" scale bass baritone they made (no longer on the site though). I wonder if they'd make me a double neck with both? Couldn't hurt (except my savings) to ask, I suppose.
(The 30" 12 string bass baritone, that is, not the doubleneck.)Yeah, so much for that resisting GAS business!
Because of their nylon core they don't excite a lot of energy to make acoustic instruments loud acoustically. Plugged in not an issue.
I do get that fretless we may have different tone aims. If we aren't plugging in we need the projection.
DR acoustic bass guitar strings are really an improvement to me over available options. I've tried them all. These have the least brashness. They have huge complex tone.
I've owned or played every ABG out there. Loved the Guild, played Earthwoods and own a Dave Maize.
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I have a set of prototype pressure wound bronze ABG strings that the manufacturer decided not to market. Too bad, they're the most wonderful ABG fretless strings I've ever tried - loud, as bright as you'd want, but no brashness at all - you get real fretless mwah instead of of the typical ABG bronze rounds buzzy brassy thing. Heartbroken they decided not to sell them, actually.
They let me keep the set, at least, and they're never coming off the bass they're on.Edit just to update this old whiney post: New from GHS: Pressurewound Bronze GHS is now selling them!
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What is acoustic volume like with the DRs? My LaBella tapes are on the way, so if I'm going to try something else now's the time.
Same as D'Addario, Martin etc.
The DRs are better than I previously described. They aren't brash at all.
I've tried the tapes and while they have the tone I want they don't have the volume. I have them on a Taylor. They sound amazing. The weakness of the Taylor is its electronics. I added the two K&K piezo under the top put its end pin jack in place and don't use the electronics at all.
Tension: the chromes and tapes have more tension than bronze ABG rounds.
Probably not an issue on the carbon fiber wonder! On a traditional ABG you can see a dip in front of the bridge when tension is exceeding design parameters.
Interesting. I've used LaBella tapes exclusively on all my ABGs for almost 20 years now, I may have to give the DRs a try. Thanks!
