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Pedulla consesus?

#81
I've owned a fretless Rapture 5 with the single soap bar in the music man position, an MVP 6 (fretted) and a Hexabuzz fretless 6. I've also played a Buzz and a Pentabuzz. I'm primarily a fretless player, and I have to say that the Buzz series are absolutely the finest instruments I have ever played. The Rapture was a great lightweight player, though for my purposes not in the same league as the Buzz.

I had to sell all my Pedullas due to a financial situation a few years ago, but I *will* own a Buzz again if it's the last thing I ever do.
 
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#83
12bass said:
Pedulla truss rods can be adjusted with an autoharp tuning wrench, which is exactly what was included in the case when I bought my RB5 years ago.
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While I was searching for the one I got, I came across quite a few that said "stripped truss rod end". That is in fact from not using the correct tool which is what you described. Shame. I really dig this Rapture, but I really dug the Thunderbolt I tried before. Just too "gigged" for the money he was wanting. He still has it for sale. Still asking too much....
 
#84
brianrost said:
At today's prices they are all strictly high end. The Raptures were introduced as a budget model at about $800 street...not so with today's base price of $4300 :confused:

BTW Pedulla made guitars in the early years but stopped in the mid 1980s. Some very early basses and guitars were made in the 1970s under the name Pedulla-Orsini. I'm not sure who Orsini was but their partnership was over by 1980.
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Orsini (of Pedulla-Orsini) made the guitars; Mike Pedulla made the basses.

I got a custom fretless Pedulla-Orsini 4 string in 1978 and have had it ever since. A few years ago I decided to get a second bass, fretted, and went with a ET-5 Thunderbass. Completely satisfied with both; I can get whatever sound I need from the pair.
 
#85
jimmykicker said:
While I was searching for the one I got, I came across quite a few that said "stripped truss rod end". That is in fact from not using the correct tool which is what you described. Shame. I really dig this Rapture, but I really dug the Thunderbolt I tried before. Just too "gigged" for the money he was wanting. He still has it for sale. Still asking too much....
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My 1997 Pedulla Rapture 5 came from the factory with an Endust autoharp tuning wrench. FWIW, I have purchased a couple of replacements since and some of them fit more tightly than others. Perhaps the wrench which comes with new Pedullas has more precise dimensions? In any case, it is a good idea to make sure that you push the wrench down as far as it will go in order to make maximum contact with the truss rod end.
 
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#86
I owned Pedulla Raptor a while back.
Loved the look
Most comfortable bass I've ever owned
Build quality was excellent
Mine was the single Bartolini soap bar and the tone never wowed me.
Probably would have liked it more if it was the jazz version.
Eventually traded it, not because I didn't want it anymore but because I wanted something else more.
 
#87
Bummer situation. My Rapture I think has a defective preamp. Output wasn't anywhere I thought it should be ever since I got it. No louder than my passive Pro Tone Squier P. Certainly nowhere near as loud as my Dimension active bass or even my Pilot V either. Noted it started sounding farty and distorting yesterday, getting worse the more I played it. Thought it was the amp at first but the other basses don't sound like that and sounds just as bad in another amp. Changed the battery, no real change. Pedulla wants $400 for a preamp, pots and jack...not including any pickups. So I bought a Bartolini from an internet retailer for $80 (half price!). While I realize that the Pedulla pickups and preamp are Bartolinis manufactured for MVP, there is no way I'm paying that kinda coin to fix it. I can replace the pickups too and still keep $200. Pretty disappointed honestly. This bass is so awesome in every other way. One cool thing is the new pre gives a passive pull option that the stock one does not have.

By the way, I find the truss rod adjustment is just fine and plenty strong as other rods. It's super easy to turn with the CORRECT tool. In fact? I've never seen one turn that easy and require very little future adjustments. If it isn't, easy to turn with that correct tool, there's something else wrong. I think that in the case of most damaged rods, the fault is the tool is wrong, damaged, or the adjuster needs to find someone qualified to make such adjustments. The bass is fine.
 
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#88
I've had a couple of Buzz fretless basses. Both from the '80s. One was the typical Bartolini P-J with active electronics. One is a J-J with passive V/V/T controls, which is highly unusual for a Pedulla. That bass is essentially on permanent loan to my buddy who owns and runs a major recording studio in Istanbul, Turkey. He won't give it back LOL. It's a dream to play and absolutely nails the Jaco Bass of Doom tone.

You're not going to find better fit/finish anywhere. Attention to detail is truly remarkable. The first time you see how he handles the control cavity, you'll see what I mean. So simple and elegant, yet no one else seems to bother.

Early Pedullas and newest ones are made by Mike himself. I know they had a "dark period" in the '90s where production numbers exploded and they were built by other folks. I don't have experience with them, so I can't say for sure, but those basses are just fine by all accounts.
 
#89
LanEvo said:
Early Pedullas and newest ones are made by Mike himself. I know they had a "dark period" in the '90s where production numbers exploded and they were built by other folks. I don't have experience with them, so I can't say for sure, but those basses are just fine by all accounts.
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According to the site Mike had people working for him that weren't "luthiers" that built individual parts of the basses but every single bass was still supervised by Mike and nothing left the shop that was not up to snuff. Way I understand is that he quit making them that way not due to quality issues, but that he hated the business end and was not doing what he enjoyed.

I've owned a lot of basses and played a lot of basses, and the rapture neck is pretty damn impressive. It's a 2005 model. The first one I ever played though was a Penta Buzz. It had to have been a 90 model. It blew me away.
 

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#90
Also important to know is that every single Pedulla bass is American made right there in his shop. There were never any import models. He had been approached by folks to do that, and he considered it, but he said he never wanted to put his name on a bass that he didn't build. Pretty cool that in 40 years he's played every single one of them before they left the shop.
 
#91
Blu bro said:
I am thinking about getting a Pedulla bass. But don't know a whole lot about the Pedulla basses other than they are a mid to high end bass. I have briefly played one in the past but was a different model.

Anything I should know or check out when it comes to getting a second hand Pedulla Rapture V (R2000 model)?

***Edit***

If I decide to go ahead with the deal, it will purchased "unseen". As in I will see pictures but not be able to play it.
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Que?
 
#93
jimmykicker said:
Also important to know is that every single Pedulla bass is American made right there in his shop. There were never any import models. He had been approached by folks to do that, and he considered it, but he said he never wanted to put his name on a bass that he didn't build. Pretty cool that in 40 years he's played every single one of them before they left the shop.
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On top of that, the past few years he's building on his own. I've played many Pedulla basses, and they were always terrific, but these new ones? Man. Something else.
 
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#94
That's what I heard too that the instruments that he makes today are the best he's ever made. So unusual that happens. Usually the reverse. In his case he's perfecting his craft versus chasing a dollar. Some of the ones he has for sale on the site are simply amazing looking. I can only imagine how they play....

I totally dig that level of quality control too. That's what I'd love to see America doing again as a whole. Having that level of commitment to what we do. What products we make, the services we provide, and being the best we can be. We'd be a lot better off. Okay....off the soapbox and back to basses.
 
#97
Spent the evening (nervously) replacing the original failing Pedulla preamp in this old girl tonight. $300 from Pedulla for a new one which is a Bartolini proprietary pre. Although I got a lot of money in this bass I wasn't prepared to sink another $300 in it yet. Instead I got a smoking deal on Reverb for Bartolini hr-4.5AP/918. $80. Half price. New. While it's not the Pedulla unit, it sounds freaking awesome and way better than it did with the stock Barts. Actually has tonal "depth" to it and a lot more gain. Plus it has push pull pot for active / passive modes. That comes in handy in dead battery world, and it also gives additional tonal option that the old pre did not have. I got the feeling it's pretty damn close to the factory one anyway in tone although I'm not sure cause it never sounded right to me before. I'm good with it.
 
#98
jimmykicker said:
Spent the evening (nervously) replacing the original failing Pedulla preamp in this old girl tonight. $300 from Pedulla for a new one which is a Bartolini proprietary pre. Although I got a lot of money in this bass I wasn't prepared to sink another $300 in it yet. Instead I got a smoking deal on Reverb for Bartolini hr-4.5AP/918. $80. Half price. New. While it's not the Pedulla unit, it sounds freaking awesome and way better than it did with the stock Barts. Actually has tonal "depth" to it and a lot more gain. Plus it has push pull pot for active / passive modes. That comes in handy in dead battery world, and it also gives additional tonal option that the old pre did not have. I got the feeling it's pretty damn close to the factory one anyway in tone although I'm not sure cause it never sounded right to me before. I'm good with it.
Click to expand...
My 2005 Thunderbass has been my go to 5 for a long time. Most of the posts on here regarding it are accurate. Flat neck but a bit heavy due to maple design. I think the Thunderbass sounds like "that boutique with Barts". Which if you are looking for a large sonic footprint like an MTD or Modulus then it fits in with those. It won't give you the Jazz on steroids sound that people are actually looking for when they say the Thunder sounds blah or dull. But most of the boutique basses built by those guys that kind of started the "boutique" industry wont either. Tobias, Pedulla, Modulus, Zon and Keith Roscoe all use Bartolini Systems to varying degree with exotic tops and ebony boards with 35 inch scale necks. The Pedulla and I think Zon are 34 but they sound as tight as the 35's and that's what makes them great builders compared to cookie cutter companies. If you just want that Jazz sound the Rapture is pretty close. The Thunderbass sounds as good to me as the aforementioned but it really comes down to how it feels in your hands. I've bought a few basses based on looks before to find out they weren't comfortable playing standing up or for 2 sets on a gig. Pedullas to me are comfortable and any shortcomings soniclly to me are null and void because of that.
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#100
I have wanted a Pedulla for many years and have been shopping around for something used. Seems like I should add one to the collection sooner then later!! One thing that confuses me is the "MVP" denotation. Is that a special type of Buzz bass or are all buzz basses MVP. I've seen certain tuners that say MVP on the back and headstocks that say MVP near the logo. Help!!!

Also, are there any "golden eras" or periods to stay away from?
 
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