I was just thinking a little about this...is it not possible to get the Armstrongs re-wound to take out some of the highs?
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I was just thinking a little about this...is it not possible to get the Armstrongs re-wound to take out some of the highs?
....and I was also thinking about this same idea yesterday. That would mean being without my bass though, I couldn't do that right now. I may speak to Kent about that though. The pickups sound great, they just need to be darker. I'm not used to such hi fi pickups. I like a darker sound. The CB's are really affordable so I think I'll get those and then send the pickups to Kent to be rewound....I think if he overwinds them a bit it'll make them darker.
Right back at you, Andy!
-And to everyone else for that matter, Happy Holidays.
-Derwin
Happy New Year all! I hope everyone the best in the new year, and I hope to see some more Ristola owners as well. Practice, play and enjoy life!
I'll have some new Bart CB's in my beautiful bass next week....looking forward to it.
I'll have some new Bart CB's in my beautiful bass next week....looking forward to it.
Hi Andy, Brian suggested Bart Deep Tone Quad Coils (model XXP46C) when he built my bass and I'm very happy with their sound, -but I'm also a real Bart-fanboy
. I think I've read posts from you in the past where you said that Barts weren't your top choice when it came to pickups, so I'm very interested to hear what you think of them once they're in your new bass.
I'm also guessing you may be in the process of having the Armstrongs re-wound?
Best regards, -Derwin
Hi Andy, Brian suggested Bart Deep Tone Quad Coils (model XXP46C) when he built my bass and I'm very happy with their sound, -but I'm also a real Bart-fanboy
I think I've read posts from you in the past where you said that Barts weren't your top choice when it came to pickups, so I'm very interested to hear what you think of them once they're in your new bass.
I'm also guessing you may be in the process of having the Armstrongs re-wound?
Best regards, -Derwin
I may have the Armstrongs rewound, I'm still not sure. I'm not really in love with them enough to think too much about it. What I really want are some custom Duncan pickups, but they're expensive and take a long time to get. I plan on putting in the Bart CB's and then ordering the Duncan's when I get up the extra money. I have Bart CB's in my Ibanez 6 string and they're great pickups. I actually really like Bartolini pickups a lot. I don't think that they work in everything though. Those deep coil pickups were in my original Ristola that I bought from Brian and they didn't last beyond one gig, and that one gig was miserable. I was fighting that bass the whole time. It was so dark and mushy with the deep quads. They may work in my new bass though, but I know the CB's will work so I'll just go with those.
On another note, I want to mention again how much I like the Nordstrand 3 band preamp. Very nice pre.
That's right, -sorry, my mistake. After reading your last post, now I remember.
It was the Deep Tone Barts that you didn't care for. Our tastes in tone must be very different. IMO they're warm and have plenty of definition. -Different strokes, I guess.
Very cool. I've been reading a lot about it. Sounds like quite a nice preamp, -Congrats.
Anyway, I still am very interested in hearing from you on how the CB Barts perform in your new bass compared to the Armstrongs.
Take care, -Derwin
What I meant about not liking the Deep Tone Barts was that they just don't work in every bass. The swamp ash/pau ferro bass that I had before was already too "soft" sounding for me. The DT Barts made that worse. I had a cedar bodied Roscoe for a week that did the same thing....I was miserable with that bass as well (the issue was remedied in the last Ristola with Delano dual coils). They sound great in the right bass. Also, this is my opinion and only applicable to the sound that I desire. I need a bass that sounds very even and very responsive acoustically. This allows me to fine tune the sound that is heard in the end with different pickups. My favorite combos so far have been:
alder body/ebony board
mahogany body/ebony board
cherry body/kingwood board
(all with maple necks)
As long as the contruction is sound these will all yield a warm, solid and very responsive instrument with just enough attack where it's not too bright. From there you pick the pickups and preamp to taste.
The mahogany/ebony combo is still the combo to beat. If I had the money I would have Brian build the three combinations above with the same pickups and preamp and I'd pick my favorite as the keeper. Maybe someday.....I think I could even narrow it down to the mahogany or the cherry bass really.
alder body/ebony board
mahogany body/ebony board
cherry body/kingwood board
(all with maple necks)
As long as the contruction is sound these will all yield a warm, solid and very responsive instrument with just enough attack where it's not too bright. From there you pick the pickups and preamp to taste.
The mahogany/ebony combo is still the combo to beat. If I had the money I would have Brian build the three combinations above with the same pickups and preamp and I'd pick my favorite as the keeper. Maybe someday.....I think I could even narrow it down to the mahogany or the cherry bass really.
my 2 cents coming from one of the kings of geeking out on dumb ****. start parting out those basses you have. those pickups, bridges, tuners and stuff will sell pretty fast. dont buy the barts and take that money and put it with the money youll get from selling all those upgrades and order the duncans. theres nothing like having what you really want............well maybe not what you really want because then you might end up selling everything and ordering a fodera
my 2 cents coming from one of the kings of geeking out on dumb ****. start parting out those basses you have. those pickups, bridges, tuners and stuff will sell pretty fast. dont buy the barts and take that money and put it with the money youll get from selling all those upgrades and order the duncans. theres nothing like having what you really want............well maybe not what you really want because then you might end up selling everything and ordering a fodera
You're probably right about parting these basses out....I just don't want to be bothered.....and the money from selling those is going to go to debt and future bills....lame s**t. I know that you're right about getting what you want but I also know that I can't keep playing with these pickups as they are. The Barts will sound great and I'll be happy for quite some time until I get the Duncans. I can't live with the Armstrongs as they are so they've gotta go.
I used to obsess about getting a Fodera. That's just not the case now. As for playability, I'm not left wanting more since my Ristola's. There are other wonderful bass makers out there that I admire and would love to buy a bass from as well someday (Ken Lawrence, David King, Harvey Citron....), but I get what I need playbility wise from what I have. That's the important part. With some new pickups I'll be set for quite some time....and I love supporting someone who I like and who's willing to work with me. We'll eventually tweak the design of my bass a bit and such, but I'm in no rush. What I still really dream about is a semi hollow, or chambered bass.....Brian and I have talked a bit about it and he's on board when the time comes.
I hear you there. I've tried many different brands of pickups in my Fenders over the years. It's amazing how one brand/model can yield lackluster results, and another brand/model can turn the instrument into something really special.
I still have my Roscoe with a spanish cedar body. It has Roscoe's Bart pickups and a 3-band preamp. I do like it's sound overall, but I'm not sure if the bass would benefit from a preamp swap. It's Bart preamp tends to be noisy in a few of the clubs I regularly played at. No big problem at this point, as I'm not in a band at this time.
But now that I've compared my Roscoe's sound to my Ristola's I feel the Roscoe sounds like it's electronics have a greater effect on it's tone than the OBP-3 in my Ristola does. -Granted, I pretty much leave my Ristola's eq set flat, and make very slight eq adjustments: As I'm sure you know, the OBP-3 can get super aggressive in a big hurry.
You know, other than the cherry/kingwood combo, I presently own basses with the other body wood/fingerboard wood combos. IMO the alder/ebony combo is a really nice pairing; I have a Jazz Bass with an aftermarket neck with this setup. That bass was my "main squeeze" for almost 10 years.
My Alembic Europa is a mahogany/ebony combo. Even though I rarely play my 4-stringers anymore, it would be very hard for me to sell it. It's a very good sounding bass in my book. When I was spec'ing my bass with Brian, I really agonized over an alder body or a mahogany body.
+1. Andy, this is also me 100%. If I stay on the road much longer, I need to pack my Ristola along with me and get my dispatcher to send me to your area. All the different aspects of woods, pickups and electronics fascinate me, but I still believe most of an instrument's tone comes from the player playing it. I'd like to see if my bass sounds more like "you" when you're playing it and vice versa if I played your bass.
-Derwin
Derwin, in all seriousness man, I'd love to have you out here. If you do make sure you've got a good couple of days if you can. We can take a trip to visit Brian. I can take you to a couple of my favorite restaurants (The Druid for one....best Irish Pub in town..amazing). We'll go see some great music.....anytime man!
Honestly, I sound like me no matter what bass it is, it's just I know what I like to hear from a bass and how it should play for me.
Very cool! Hopefully you'll get the chance to say more before I have to take off.
I'm checking out a local job on Wednesday. Who knows, maybe this coast to coast thing is over.
Good luck with the local job Derwin!
I'll know more about the Barts after a gig this weekend, but so far so good. They're less bright than the Armstrongs but there are certainly similarities (ceramic coils....punchy, even from low B to C....). I can center the treble knob now and even bump it up a bit if I were to slap...which I don't. The Bart CB's are just great pickups....very clear, open, warm and punchy. I feel like they represent the bass quite well.
I'm also realizing more and more that the cherry body with the acrilicyzed ebony board makes for a brighter bass than I'm used to. I like it, but do prefer either mahogany with ebony or cherry with kingwood.....next time!
I'll know more about the Barts after a gig this weekend, but so far so good. They're less bright than the Armstrongs but there are certainly similarities (ceramic coils....punchy, even from low B to C....). I can center the treble knob now and even bump it up a bit if I were to slap...which I don't. The Bart CB's are just great pickups....very clear, open, warm and punchy. I feel like they represent the bass quite well.
I'm also realizing more and more that the cherry body with the acrilicyzed ebony board makes for a brighter bass than I'm used to. I like it, but do prefer either mahogany with ebony or cherry with kingwood.....next time!
Great news, Andy.
You've probably already tried this, but do you think a set of nickels might tame the bass' brightness a bit?
Thanks, man. I really appreciate your well-wishes.
Thanks for the suggestion. I did go back to nickels on this bass and it's helped a great deal. The bass sounds wonderful as it is, I'm just not used to a brighter sound....honestly, it translates really well live....very articulate and responsive. It doesn't bother me in any way, it's just that next time I'll alter the recipe a bit.
Bump.
Andy, how's that beast treating you?
and....how has no one purchased this Ristola yet????
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I'm not even a 5-string player, and I tempted to whip out the CC! What a sweet looking instrument, I could ogle that thing all day.
Andy, how's that beast treating you?
and....how has no one purchased this Ristola yet????
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I'm not even a 5-string player, and I tempted to whip out the CC! What a sweet looking instrument, I could ogle that thing all day.
