Are you telling us playing in tune and on time is more important for supporting a band than chasing tone?
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Show Us Your Rob Allen Basses Part IV
- Thread starter smperry
- Start date
Are you telling us playing in tune and on time is more important for supporting a band than chasing tone?
The RA is just a different voice just like a Precision, Jazz, StingRay, etc. There's one guitar player I play with occasionally who does not like my D4's sound. He prefers either of my Ps over it as well as my Gillett. A trumpet player prefers the Gillett over everything else. Last night got compliments on the RA from players in a big band I was subbing with. It is what it is.
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TB success story here - a TBer here in my town let me come over and give his RA Mouse a try. Amazing. What an incredible bass. All the hype is true. Now I got some deciding to do.
It was fretless.
I was really amazed.
I read/heard the line "easy to play on tune" on the RA website and in other comments and was skeptical.
The bass played great, sounded great, and indeed seemed easy to play in tune. No adjustment time needed to the shorter scale.
Really lives up to the hype in all ways.
Y'all know I had to go and find out for myself.
Thanks @porterbass for the great deal and @Keyser Soze for letting me give his Mouse a test run.
Here's my fretless MB-2/084/March '99.
Thanks @porterbass for the great deal and @Keyser Soze for letting me give his Mouse a test run.
Here's my fretless MB-2/084/March '99.
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Thanks man!
Your bass was what made me really want it.
So, do you ever worry you'll lose your calluses playing these soft strings>
Refurbished and now with a G&G mb-2 case - I've listed this one at a sale price in the classifieds.
I think I'm going back to the RS88s on my D4. The upright strings have been fun to play but I kinda miss being able to use the mag from time to time. It was a good experiment for sure. I've now tried quite a few brands of black nylon tapes and even the upright strings - I don't think anything will ever top the RS88s.
What kind of changes (set up changes, nut changes, etc.) would one have to make to switch from the standard Labella tapewounds to RS88? I have an MB-2, but an answer pertaining to a D4 may give the right general idea too!
Couldn't tell you. Mine shipped with RS88s from Rob at my request 10+ years ago
Rob built my bass with high action and thick strings in mind. My bridge is kinda like a high mass bridge in that it is bigger than most ones RA has done as far as I know. Even the upright strings needed no adjustment. Ironically, they have less tension than the RS88s which is probably part of why I'm going back.Before anyone spews vitriol, I dislike LaBella strings. I've tried them on other basses at points - not for me, so don't try to convince me. The only ones I kinda liked were the gold ones I had on a Mouse 30 when I owned it for a little bit.
That said, if you are using the LaBella 760N set, the gauges are similar to that of the RS88. I can't say about tension, but in general with that set, I would assume there would be very little to no adjustment but I'm not a luthier. If you're using a different set with lighter gauges and tensions, you'll probably have to adjust things a bit to accomodate.
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Sometimes what's old is new again.
I picked up the D4 today. It's restrung with the RS88. The luthier had to adjust the bone saddle a little which is why I had a pro properly set it up. The D4 feels great and how it should. None of the other strings I've tried (Galli and Pyramid nylon tapewounds, upright) have what the RS88 set does for me in terms of sound, tension, and feel. It's also not surprising that the bass feels best with the strings it was designed for.
I only plugged it in for a few minutes and will put it more through its paces probably this weekend. It'll be interesting to compare it to the Gillett which has the same strings.
Also of note: don't try upright strings on your D4 like I did. They technically worked, but the luthier said getting them out from the part where it strings through the body was not easy due to the thickness.
I picked up the D4 today. It's restrung with the RS88. The luthier had to adjust the bone saddle a little which is why I had a pro properly set it up. The D4 feels great and how it should. None of the other strings I've tried (Galli and Pyramid nylon tapewounds, upright) have what the RS88 set does for me in terms of sound, tension, and feel. It's also not surprising that the bass feels best with the strings it was designed for.
I only plugged it in for a few minutes and will put it more through its paces probably this weekend. It'll be interesting to compare it to the Gillett which has the same strings.
Also of note: don't try upright strings on your D4 like I did. They technically worked, but the luthier said getting them out from the part where it strings through the body was not easy due to the thickness.
D4's are designed to use LaBella tapewounds, not RS88's. You're lucky you didn't toast your neck, tuning keys and/or bridge with those upright strings.
RS88s are rotosound electric bass strings and are nylon tapewounds often mistaken for labella's by those that are not aware.
Rob designed my bass for the RS88s NOT LaBellas. In this case, you're incorrect. Rob's *preference* is LaBellas. Also, Rob designed my D4 with high action, tension, and thick strings in mind (beefier bridge, reinforced neck, etc.). My original D4 (this is the second I owned) had a reinforced neck but only the normal bridge. My second D4 (this one) was an evolution based on years of playing the other.
Before you make assumptions, maybe read a bit of history as I've talked quite a bit about my D4 over the years.
You are right in that the D4 was not designed for upright strings but they did work. They were not a fit for various reasons and did not ruin my bass.
As an aside: I sent my D4 into Rob a few years back to fix some electronics. At the time I had the either the Gallis or Pyramids on there and he asked me what brand they were as he liked them.
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They're such different animals - as are the Galli and Pyramid black nylon strings. They all feel and sound different. Not sure why people would mistake them since even looks wise they are not the same outside of the color black
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I agree but I think a lot of people see black nylon strings and just assume.They're such different animals - as are the Galli and Pyramid black nylon strings. They all feel and sound different. Not sure why people would mistake them since even looks wise they are not the same outside of the color black
Fair point.
Thinking back to even my original D4, Rob put the RS88s and didn't give me guff. He never made me feel odd for making the request. When he shipped me the S4, he put RS77LEs on there. I have no idea what he used on any of the subsequent ones.
I've used RS88's many times, they're great strings. But Rob designs "normal" D4's to use LaBellas.
