great review , I absolutely love mine , and Mike is a real cool guy , he put up with me and my wife( well she puts up with me too ) hanging in his shop for a hour or so playing some basses , I am looking foreword to bugging him at NAMM in a couple weeks , great stuff !
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The Mike Lull Club Part 2
- Thread starter Bryan R. Tyler
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great review , I absolutely love mine , and Mike is a real cool guy , he put up with me and my wife( well she puts up with me too ) hanging in his shop for a hour or so playing some basses , I am looking foreword to bugging him at NAMM in a couple weeks , great stuff !
Now that I think about the string tree more, that might be a fretless thing. No frets means smaller nut. Hence the need for the different tree.
Now that I think about it even more, that further shows Mike's attention to detail. A lot of manufactures-builders wouldn't compensate for a shorter nut on a fretless like that. I probably shouldn't have eluded to that being a standard string tree on a Lull. I'm sure he would add that tree to anyone that wanted it though, but it probably isn't necessary on a fretted bass.
I now own that bass and love it. Used it last weekend when my band performed The Beatles 'White Album' and it was a perfect fit. Does anyone know what the finish is called?
Hey guys, look what the cat dragged in! I haven't been around for a while just because I've been caught up in other things. But rest assured, I still own all three of my Lulls and am hoping to add a T Bass one day. I'll post pics one day, I promise.
Anyway, I dug up the last Lull Club roster I had and have noticed some new names around here. If you want to be added, shoot me a PM and I'll put you on the list.
1 Ron Plichta
2 Timothy
3 B.C.
4 tycobb73
5 Zooberwerx
6 Arthur U. Poon
7 mark beem
8 GhettoBrassGuy
9 Ian Perge
10 ogyen
11 vep63
12 JRB
13 maggbass
14 jazzenfunk
15 pfschim
16 gregbackstrom
17 Mr. Matt
18 scottyg11
19 laneline
20 YCBass
21 rodneyat
22 scarekrow
23 lullbass
24 krebbs1956
25 sneha1965
26 TBird1958
27 J Hud
Anyway, I dug up the last Lull Club roster I had and have noticed some new names around here. If you want to be added, shoot me a PM and I'll put you on the list.
1 Ron Plichta
2 Timothy
3 B.C.
4 tycobb73
5 Zooberwerx
6 Arthur U. Poon
7 mark beem
8 GhettoBrassGuy
9 Ian Perge
10 ogyen
11 vep63
12 JRB
13 maggbass
14 jazzenfunk
15 pfschim
16 gregbackstrom
17 Mr. Matt
18 scottyg11
19 laneline
20 YCBass
21 rodneyat
22 scarekrow
23 lullbass
24 krebbs1956
25 sneha1965
26 TBird1958
27 J Hud
I sat around this past weekend looking at my basses and was trying to think what essential bass was missing. Then it dawned on me - a Thunderbird. But rather than give Gibson my hard-earned cash (and I want a fiver anyway), I've decided to scrape up my pennies and get a Lull T5. So now the early stages of GAS are setting in.
Wonder if the wife would notice if I raided the kids' college funds.......
Wonder if the wife would notice if I raided the kids' college funds.......
Just played a white one at Corner Music in Nashville yesterday. The first thing that hit me was how light it was! I asked JD there if it was mahogany, and he said he was just as surprised but it was. No neck dive either! The pickups sounded frigin awesome. I'm not a t-bird guy however..... but if you are, I couldn't imagine a better bass. J's and P's are still more versatile. If I ever find myself with a lot of extra cash however...............
I played my PJ5 on a series of gigs this past weekend, and was absolutely shocked at the presence it had in the mix. I'm totally in love with this instrument right now, and I'd really like to look into getting an M5v or M5. Anyone with experience with these two have an opinion on or prefer one or the other?
I think the pickups and controls/preamp are the same between the two models, it's just whether you like the modern or vintage look.
Does somebody know if Mike will like to make a somewhat mix of M5V and M5 (the way a thought of kai_ski goes I suppose)?
Something like this:
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Something like this:
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I believe the answer is yes - and in any case, Mike will definitely work with you. My personal experience, having sampled dozens of Mike's basses over the years...M5V's seem to be remarkably consistent, but M5's are iffy. Not sure why...top wood perhaps, but some basses sound great and others just seem a little....meh.
FWIW, my M5V's are absolute workhorses - I'm using them more than any of my other instruments these days.
FWIW, my M5V's are absolute workhorses - I'm using them more than any of my other instruments these days.
++1 Mike will always work with what you want. I've been on him to add a M5V24 to his lineup. I told him bass players will want to see that. Anyway, I am ordering one. Called yesterday but he was at NAMM. I'll let you guys know and see it in 3-4 months! All he has to do is design and cut a new pickguard for a M5. My biggest question right now is pickups. It will be a P/J, but I'm on the fence about getting the stock Duncans or maybe Nordstrands. I want a tone control as well, so I guess that leaves me with the OPB-1 for a pre. Any Ideas on pickups and pre anyone?
Paulie, maybe you'd have better luck than me in getting him to build an M6V. 
One of those, and I'd be all-kinda' happy.
I'm totally ignorant...but curious...on P/J configs, so I'll just wish you luck, and will keep checking back in here for an education.
One of those, and I'd be all-kinda' happy.I'm totally ignorant...but curious...on P/J configs, so I'll just wish you luck, and will keep checking back in here for an education.
How about an Audere preamp? The JZ3 can be configured to have a passive tone control knob. I have one on my M5V.
HA! I brought up a 6 string when I first met him years ago. He politely said no as well. He didn't hate the idea, but it requires a totally new neck and body design that I don't think he is into right now. One day maybe. For now, the MTD will have to do for me.
I would love to see pictures or a mockup of your M5V24. I'd even be okay just throwing a pickguard on an M5 without the control plate a la Alleva Coppolo. But I don't really get into the fancy wood tops either, unless it's a really subtle flame under a burst of some kind. I'd really just prefer Ash.
When I bought my PJ5 from Todd (nostatic) he had a set of nordies on the way for it. I really deliberated, but after playing the Duncans every day and gigging a few times, I just could not find anything lacking in them. My final deliberation was to call the Lull shop. Mike is away at NAMM this week, but after asking Paul a series of questions, two things made me stick with the Duncans: Mike prefers them for his 5 strings, and they already sound great. If I had a 4 string, I'm sure the Fralins would kill as well.
I've no idea what to say about the pre. All I know is of the MxV's I've played, the Bart pre killed on every one.
Ka-ching! I'm stubborn, but have finally learned to simply trust Mike's judgment. He likes Fralin's on four-stringers. Bada boom, my M4V has Fralin's. Love 'em. He likes Duncans on five-stringers. Harder lesson, but now both my M5V's have Duncans...SC's on the alder/rosewood bass, and LHB's on the ash/maple one. These two basses see more gigs these days than anything else I own.
Another echo - although it may not apply for a P/J bass - for the Bart NTMB. My favorite pre in any case, but on these basses it just seems perfect. IMO the instruments, particularly with the Duncan pickups, are pretty mid-happy. The smoother upper mids of the Bart just seem to be the perfect complement. I've not cared for any Lull bass I've played (granted, only two) with the OBP-3. Just too harsh and open for my tastes.
My M5V fretless has the OPB-3 in it. I find it pretty dynamic on this bass, if not heavy handed. I would love to do away with a mid control on a future bass though. I have a mid control on most of my basses and always mess with it just to find that I pretty much leave it centered. Will I miss it?.... maybe. I like barts too, and there is more usable throw on the knobs for sure. That's sounding like a winner as long as it's not an issue putting a tone with it. Never used a Audere. I'm pretty set on the Duncans... just wanted to see what people have to say. The duncan singles sound great on my M5V.
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