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The Atelier Z Bass Owners Club
- Thread starter BlountEdge
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Many shades of awesome. I wish it had a passive option but only as a backup, since I never play in passive mode on active basses unless the batteries are going/gone. Ergonomics are fantastic. It's got more heft than some short scales, but I like that. I can do things on this bass I can't on other fivers just because the scale is so comfortable for me. The B is not Dingwallian by any means, but it's clear enough and more than serviceable. The bass, treble, and mid controls are all very sensitive, but it takes a bit of practice to tame the preamp. I prefer a slightly darker tone and am going to swap the proprietary pickups for some Delanos I've got on order. I wouldn't have popped for those if I didn't think this was a keeper!
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Hello Atelier Z people, I recently received this from Japan, Atelier Z ZPO 4/JR, I saw they released the 5 string and went searching for a 4, turns out they made a small run of these a couple of years ago, prior to the Baby Z, so I got in touch with Danny at BJD and he found a brand new one for me. I'm short and I've been thinking about a short-scale P body jazz bass with a maple board for a long time, so when I saw these existed I decided it was time to get the wallet out.
It's been here for a week so I've had some time with it, here are my impressions:
- Came with a gig bag, which is perfect for me. The construction is flawless, I can't fault it. Feels solid and sturdy, it's light and it balances well. Arrived with a straight neck, I tuned it up, dropped the string height a bit and didn't have to do anything else.
- Playability: pretty much perfect. I tend to like really low action, I've set this almost as low as I normally go but it feels like it could go way lower. Took about 2 minutes to get used to the short scale, it's effortless. Nice to be able to play fast down the bottom of the neck finally, I can use that area for solos on this bass, which is a whole new world for me.
- The tone: Yep, it's super nice. It can sound huge and modern, or it can sound like a fairly traditional (albeit louder) jazz bass. I usually play passive Fenders, so I'm not generally into the active thing, but the active circuit in this bass makes sense, it takes care of the tonal issues many short scales struggle with. It's the same circuit as the Baby Z, treble / bass boost only, with an active / passive switch on the treble knob. I have no real use for the treble boost, so I leave that off, but the bass boost is great and only needs a slight bump for me to nail the tone I'm looking for. I like the interactivity between the 2 pickups, there's a lot of tonal variety with relatively subtle changes. It's a very different interaction to what I'm used to with passive Fenders. The passive switch is fine, but for me it's useless without a tone control, and this is the only issue I have with this bass, I'm not sure why that was omitted. It's not a huge deal, and actually the active tone is so good that it's totally useable in most situations, but there are times when I like to roll the tone off almost completely on a passive bass, and it would be nice to have that available here as well. I can work around it, but if there was one thing I would change, it would be that.
Overall - I feel like it's pretty much the perfect bass for me, very happy with it so far. I'll be testing it out at rehearsal later this week.
It's been here for a week so I've had some time with it, here are my impressions:
- Came with a gig bag, which is perfect for me. The construction is flawless, I can't fault it. Feels solid and sturdy, it's light and it balances well. Arrived with a straight neck, I tuned it up, dropped the string height a bit and didn't have to do anything else.
- Playability: pretty much perfect. I tend to like really low action, I've set this almost as low as I normally go but it feels like it could go way lower. Took about 2 minutes to get used to the short scale, it's effortless. Nice to be able to play fast down the bottom of the neck finally, I can use that area for solos on this bass, which is a whole new world for me.
- The tone: Yep, it's super nice. It can sound huge and modern, or it can sound like a fairly traditional (albeit louder) jazz bass. I usually play passive Fenders, so I'm not generally into the active thing, but the active circuit in this bass makes sense, it takes care of the tonal issues many short scales struggle with. It's the same circuit as the Baby Z, treble / bass boost only, with an active / passive switch on the treble knob. I have no real use for the treble boost, so I leave that off, but the bass boost is great and only needs a slight bump for me to nail the tone I'm looking for. I like the interactivity between the 2 pickups, there's a lot of tonal variety with relatively subtle changes. It's a very different interaction to what I'm used to with passive Fenders. The passive switch is fine, but for me it's useless without a tone control, and this is the only issue I have with this bass, I'm not sure why that was omitted. It's not a huge deal, and actually the active tone is so good that it's totally useable in most situations, but there are times when I like to roll the tone off almost completely on a passive bass, and it would be nice to have that available here as well. I can work around it, but if there was one thing I would change, it would be that.
Overall - I feel like it's pretty much the perfect bass for me, very happy with it so far. I'll be testing it out at rehearsal later this week.
So I love my Atelier ZP05, and then I see THIS, a lined fretless version I, alas, cannot justify buying at present:
Atelier Z ZPO-5/Jr FL【Ice Blue Metallic】Made In Japan
This thing can only be amazing!!
Atelier Z ZPO-5/Jr FL【Ice Blue Metallic】Made In Japan
This thing can only be amazing!!
I agree with everything you've said!
I'll add that it took me a while to learn to tame the preamp. I find the bass cranked but everything else a little past midway works best for me. I also was MUCH happier with the tone once I put some Dunlop flats on there; it really brought down the brightness to manageable levels and added some (IMO) much-needed bottom end.
I haven't considered flats yet (thinking about tapes though) but sounds like a good way to go. I'm still using the strings it came with, I'm going to play those until they die, then try some HiBeams (likely to be even brighter to begin with, but I normally love the feel and tone of HiBeams once they're worn in so I want to give them a shot) - and then try flats or tapes.
It's definitely an interesting preamp, I find that if I don't crank the pickup volumes it takes away some of that brightness too, it gets it closer to passive bass territory. The bright / thin sound thing seems to be a characteristic of most short scales that I've tried generally so I get why they've put such a beefy preamp in there, it basically makes the bass sound like a long scale. The thing that's really surprised me is that in practical use in a live / rehearsal situation, with drums & guitars, I've found that the preamp actually works really well, and I haven't needed to tone things back at all, it sits really comfortably in the mix with the lows boosted and the highs at minimum. I still feel like I need a bit more time with it to find what works best for recording, but now we're in lockdown I'll be able to focus on that a bit more.
Hello bass people. I'm looking at owning my first Atelier bass. It's a new M265 with a Bartolini pre. I see they also have their own Eq XII. I liked most of the clips I've heard with the Bart pre and they are very good but I'm wondering if there's a noticeable difference between the 2. I can't find clips with the eq xii.
I also like the Beta 5 deluxe, with the H pickup in the middle but the eq seems a little "boxey" and not as clear as the others. Is this the case in person? Recordings seem a bit unreliable.
Thanks.
I also like the Beta 5 deluxe, with the H pickup in the middle but the eq seems a little "boxey" and not as clear as the others. Is this the case in person? Recordings seem a bit unreliable.
Thanks.
I've got an M265+ with the bart pre-amp. Only difference between the M265 and the "+" is that the "+" has the humbucker like the Beta you were looking at.
The newer Beta Deluxes have a different pre-amp to the standards. This is the EQ-Z. To be honest I haven't had the chance to play one so I can't comment on that EQ sound. They also have new pickups with slanted pole pieces which could change the sound too.
If you like the sound of the M265 over the Beta but want a MM pickup, look for a M265+. It may be a little bit more expensive though. I think the Magnitude series and custom orders are the few models that have other branded pre-amps.
*Edit* Looking at the website, it seems that almost every model has a different pre-amp.
Wow, thanks for the quick reply. I'm probably doing this today and I've read every post online, for weeks.
I like everything about the M265 with the Bart pre, even though Bartolini has never been my favorite. It either really works in a bass or sounds too dark and middy... for me. It seem to work really well in the M265, so I'll go with that, if I settle on the M.
It's just that, I like the H pickup and 24 accessible frets on the Beta but not enough to pay extra for it it on the M, since I'm at the top of my budget. I was thinking, I could get the Beta Dlx with the H pickup and if I didn't like the pre, I could get a Bart for it but I'd rather not mod a new bass and for a few hundred more, it seems like the M265 has a better neck and bridge as well. I prefer to manipulate mids from my amp, so I'm good with a 2 band on board. I'm buying in the US, so I'm choosing from what they have at Bassically bass guitars. With a high end bass line this, I'd rather have the best version of their propriety pre but it seems like it's not in the Beta series, unless you order it that way.
I like everything about the M265 with the Bart pre, even though Bartolini has never been my favorite. It either really works in a bass or sounds too dark and middy... for me. It seem to work really well in the M265, so I'll go with that, if I settle on the M.
It's just that, I like the H pickup and 24 accessible frets on the Beta but not enough to pay extra for it it on the M, since I'm at the top of my budget. I was thinking, I could get the Beta Dlx with the H pickup and if I didn't like the pre, I could get a Bart for it but I'd rather not mod a new bass and for a few hundred more, it seems like the M265 has a better neck and bridge as well. I prefer to manipulate mids from my amp, so I'm good with a 2 band on board. I'm buying in the US, so I'm choosing from what they have at Bassically bass guitars. With a high end bass line this, I'd rather have the best version of their propriety pre but it seems like it's not in the Beta series, unless you order it that way.
And there she is. Actually better than I expected. Just stood for 2 hours straight and played all kinds of stuff. The bass just hung there and felt great, with no shoulder shrugging. Perfect fretwork and neck pocket. Just look at how they joined the body and lined it up with the Walnut stripe. I could go on but y'all already know.
I just put all of my other bases away.
I just put all of my other bases away.
Looks great, congratulations! Did you order it from Japan? Wondering how long shipping is taking from there at the moment, looks like you received it pretty fast.
Hi there and thanks. It was quick because I ordered from inside ther US. I ordered from Bassically Bass Guitars. They're in Florida and have some models in stock. They happened to have the 2, I was interested in. So glad I chose this one!
Thanks! I know I'm in the honeymoon phase of ownership but yeah, I can tell it's special already. I just bought a bass 6 months ago and immediately knew I had to modify it. All I'm going to do to the Z, is have the back of the neck sanded to a satin finish. It's so good, I didn't even change the strings to my Dunlop ss superbrights.
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I'm leaving this here for those doing research. Fred from Bassically Bass Guitars was kind enough to reach out to the Atelier people, to assist with my set up. The bass came to me, just about in tune and only needed a few tweaks. Shout out to Bassman Freddo for first rate customer service!
This is the best playing and sounding bass I've ever owned. I wasn't sure about the XTCT but I'm glad I took the time to learn how to use it. The dual volume knobs seem to act like gain/saturation. I'm used to plugging in and straight to max volume. I've learned to start at half volume and adjust eq from there. That last 20% seems to send the tone into hifi mode but not too much. I'm now a fan of dual volume pots, at least on this bass. They add a lot of tonal versatility, with only slight adjustments. I can actually roll off a touch of bass from the front pickup, without losing the jazz sound. With the bass knob not engaged, the treble acts like a tone knob. I love the airy top end and super clean growl it can bring out. It's not Fender Elite bright, like I was expecting from listening to some reviews. In fact, it's super deep and clear.
Anyway, I see why this thread is so short. It's really hard to put this thing down for long.
Cheers.
This is the best playing and sounding bass I've ever owned. I wasn't sure about the XTCT but I'm glad I took the time to learn how to use it. The dual volume knobs seem to act like gain/saturation. I'm used to plugging in and straight to max volume. I've learned to start at half volume and adjust eq from there. That last 20% seems to send the tone into hifi mode but not too much. I'm now a fan of dual volume pots, at least on this bass. They add a lot of tonal versatility, with only slight adjustments. I can actually roll off a touch of bass from the front pickup, without losing the jazz sound. With the bass knob not engaged, the treble acts like a tone knob. I love the airy top end and super clean growl it can bring out. It's not Fender Elite bright, like I was expecting from listening to some reviews. In fact, it's super deep and clear.
Anyway, I see why this thread is so short. It's really hard to put this thing down for long.
Cheers.
- Jun 10, 2003
- 575
- 139
- 52
- Disclosures
- Senior Product Manager, Akai Professional
so if I'm not a member of this club, I need to be! I'm the proud owner of four Atelier Z basses.
Red Inked M289 Evo - lightest bass I own at just around 8lbs.
Natural M265, 18mm spacing - about 10 lbs
Active P Bass unknown year / model - 11 pounder
Maccino 4 VSOP - unknown weight, but feels like its under 9lbs.
here's some pics! I'm a huge fan. Id like to eventually get another M265 in the 70s UP configuration, 19mm spacing, and maybe a little heavier. I had one a few years ago that was 13lbs that I foolishly sold, and i've been chasing it's sound ever since.
Red Inked M289 Evo - lightest bass I own at just around 8lbs.
Natural M265, 18mm spacing - about 10 lbs
Active P Bass unknown year / model - 11 pounder
Maccino 4 VSOP - unknown weight, but feels like its under 9lbs.
here's some pics! I'm a huge fan. Id like to eventually get another M265 in the 70s UP configuration, 19mm spacing, and maybe a little heavier. I had one a few years ago that was 13lbs that I foolishly sold, and i've been chasing it's sound ever since.
If you recently got that Maccino, then that was on my watchlist on Reverb for quite a while haha
- Jun 10, 2003
- 575
- 139
- 52
- Disclosures
- Senior Product Manager, Akai Professional
