I have been playing a fretless Rob Allen MB-2 for a couple of years now and I love it.It makes The Sounds I want to hear from a fretless bass.I have never played or heard one of Robs' fretted basses.I am seriously considering a fretted 5 string MB-2,tuned E-C,but I don't know exactly what to expect.The fretless is so resonant and each note seems to play right through the bass.I am curious to know what someone who plays a fretted RA model might have to offer,especially by comparasion to a fretless.That smaller sized fretwire is also part of the equation in terms of response,feel and playability.Thanks for your input!
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Rob Allen Question???
- Thread starter len13
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The sound is very similar (assuming the same La Bella strings). Really just a bit of extra attack but since the piezo is already a "quick" sound, it isn't night and day.
I like the small frets and it isn't that different from the fretless from a feel/tone standpoint.
I like the small frets and it isn't that different from the fretless from a feel/tone standpoint.
Thanks for the replies.Its nice to know the fretted basses retain that characteristic RA tone,I couldn't imagine otherwise.That fat,warm,woody,airiness is what I want to have carry over to the fretted sound.I am wondering about adding a mag pickup and what range of tones that blend would create.Does Rob use the same pickup as the Solid 4,are their options there?Thanks
I recently talked with Rob about that very setup. One thing I like about the piezo is that it has a very quick attack with notes. It can be a bit mid shy, relatively speaking (this is with nylon flatwounds). The mag can fill some of that in and give a different character. What's interesting is that the Solid 4, even with roundwound strings, still sounds like a RA - though it is kinda like a cross between an MB-2 and a great old P-bass.
Yes, the mag pickup in my RA basses is the Solid 4 pickup. Rob changes the windings a bit to fit the bass.
I slight twist on Nostatic's comment: a fretted MB-2 with a Solid 4 pickup sounds very much like a Solid 4, one of the reasons why I parted with my original Solid 4. Hmmm .... to whom did I sell it?
The bass I am considering would be a 5 string,E-C,fretted.Does Rob offer a 5 string mag pickup?Is that S4 the only type of pickup he has offered?
Rob doesn't "offer" mag pickup basses per se, other than the S4. My non-S4 mag basses were custom. He has put non-S4 pickups on basses, again custom work.
Best bet is to email or call him to tell him what you're thinking. Being involved in the creative process with him is a truly enjoyable experience - and something he enjoys as well.
Yeah,thats my next step,talking to Rob.Great guy,I've had some questions in the past and he is very gracious.Looks like there may be some custom aspects to this bass and I'm looking forward to talking that over with him.
Having both a Solid 4 and a Deep 4 that has both mag and piezo, they are very different. The mag on my D4 fretless vs. the S4 is a different beast altogether. Because I have separate outputs for the mag and piezo, I can use one or both at the same time.
Thanks for the input.Can you describe the different mag pickups and the output arrangement in more detail,thanks.
I've asked Rob about 5-string mag in the past (essentially a Solid 5) and he said, "no." But he also didn't used to make a Mouse 5, so it might be possible.
Well, the Solid 4 is what it is. It's Rob's original pickup and a bit hotter than what he ships now.
My newer Deep 4 (sold the original one) has two pickups: mag and piezo. Each has a discreet output and tone/volume controls. I can use both if an amp has two inputs and blend, or just one. I could go DI on one and into an amp on another. The mag is Rob's newer winding of the S4 pickup. I tend to use the piezo more often than not. The mag sound is not quite my fretless P; it still has that inherent RA sound.
I love my fretted Mouse, and as others have posted, the general tonality is identical to the fretless Mouse I had, without, of course, the swell and 'fretless' vibe of the string on the wood neck.
The one thing I would be concerned about with a piccolo tuning on a fretted Rob Allen is the intonation. Given that relatively 'fixed' bridge, I would not choose this design if I did any sort of upper register chordal playing, especially with the higher tuning. IMO.
The one thing I would be concerned about with a piccolo tuning on a fretted Rob Allen is the intonation. Given that relatively 'fixed' bridge, I would not choose this design if I did any sort of upper register chordal playing, especially with the higher tuning. IMO.
While KJung is probably right, I can say the intonation on all of my RA basses even with high action is rock solid. My D4 has a even has a bigger bridge to raise the action naturally. Compare that to my P where over time it will drift if left alone and I don't have them serviced.
Just to be clear, I'm of course only talking about the fretted models. Intonation of the standard fretless models is a moot point.
Versus your P Bass, which has an adjustable bridge that can be intonated, the more 'acoustic guitar' type bridges on the Rob Allens is pretty much not adjustable. I have no problem with it, since I play my fretted Mouse in more 'traditional DB settings', and rarely even do double stops in the highest register.
Piccolo solo playing on a bass with a fixed bridge... IMO, not so much.
I know the differences in the bridges. Trust me. I've had bassists puzzled as to how any of my RAs don't drift.
I think Rob would certainly talk to someone who wanted a piccolo bass. Much in the same way he did a bigger bridge on this D4 and made the neck to my specs, reinforced the neck on my original D4, he'll work with you if it's possible but he'll tell you flat out no if it's a bad idea.
Again, just to be clear, this has nothing to do with 'drift', 'intonation changes' or neck stability.
It sounds like you are talking about neck stability (i.e., changes in the bowing of the neck over time). This is a different and unrelated issue.
No, not talking about neck stability at all. When I got my Solid 4 someone looked at it and wondered how to intonate it since it had no saddles. It had nothing to do with my action or neck.
I agree neck stability is a different, but important, issue.
My point is that Rob would listen to someone's ideas and if it's possible, make it. If not, not.
Cool. And yes, the lack of being able to accurately intonate is a negative. Relatively minor with traditional playing on standard tuned 4 and 5 strings (and of course, zero issue on the standard fretless models). Chordal work in the piccolo range on a fretted model.... might be a mess. Of course, acoustic guitarists play up there, and the bridge is 'somewhat adjustable' but slanting the actual corian bar a bit back or forward.
Anyway, just something for the OP to consider, and as you say, talk to Rob about prior to making the plunge.
