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The Mike Lull Club Part 2

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#21
I'm honestly surprised Lulls don't get as much love on here as they should. I played a V4 at Rockin Robin a few years ago and instantly fell in love. When the time comes for me to buy my next bass I will definitely be buying one of Mike's.

Also, subscribed.
 
#22
I just ordered a PJ4 from them. Here are the specs if you're interested:

PJ4 w/o pickguard (P body w/o visible routings)
ash body
brazilian rw fingerboard
pearloid dot inlays
d-tuner
sherwood green
standard chrome hardware
aguilar obp-1 with a tone control that works in both active and passive modes

Can't wait :). ETA is 10-14 weeks, I'm told.
 
#23
Does anyone own or has had the pleasure to try one of the Mike Lull's Mordern 5 bass guitars? If so, what's your opinion?

What's the neck profile like?
What about the sound?

Unfortunately no dealers in my area so no chance of trying one :(
 
#24
PauBass said:
Does anyone own or has had the pleasure to try one of the Mike Lull's Mordern 5 bass guitars? If so, what's your opinion?

What's the neck profile like?
What about the sound?

Unfortunately no dealers in my area so no chance of trying one :(
Click to expand...

Hey Pau,
I own one and really enjoy it. The tone is jazz-like but I don't believe the pickups are in the exact same position as his MV5. Still, it's a great bass.
I have Duncan pickups and an Audere 4 band preamp in mine so it's very versatile. If you see one for sale, don't hesitate.

Mike's customer service is good and consistent.
 
#25
I have to admit the reason I'm so interested on the Lull Modern 5 bass is becuase of Bryan Beller.
I've seen a few videos of him playing that red modern 5 and the tone is exactly what 'm after.
To me it sounds like a more modern sounding and agressive jazz bass, am I right?

There's a few options when it comes to pickups and preamp, do you know what Beller has on his bass?

String spacing is 18mm, right? I prefer it over the 19mm.

What's the neck profile like?
 
#26
PauBass said:
I have to admit the reason I'm so interested on the Lull Modern 5 bass is becuase of Bryan Beller.
I've seen a few videos of him playing that red modern 5 and the tone is exactly what 'm after.
To me it sounds like a more modern sounding and agressive jazz bass, am I right?

There's a few options when it comes to pickups and preamp, do you know what Beller has on his bass?

String spacing is 18mm, right? I prefer it over the 19mm.

What's the neck profile like?
Click to expand...

Yessir - 18mm.

The neck is extremely comfortable. Subtle C/D profile. It's just slightly chunky but I like it that way. I don't like thin necks.
 
#27
PauBass said:
I have to admit the reason I'm so interested on the Lull Modern 5 bass is becuase of Bryan Beller.
I've seen a few videos of him playing that red modern 5 and the tone is exactly what 'm after.

There's a few options when it comes to pickups and preamp, do you know what Beller has on his bass?

To me it sounds like a more modern sounding and agressive jazz bass, am I right?
Click to expand...

I'm also a fan-turned-friend of Bryan (although still very much a fan ;) ) as well as a huge proponent of *his tone* as well (your comment on "modern and aggressive jazz bass" really hits home), and the first time he let me play his Lull was when I finally realized that Mike Lull's were *the* Jazz Bass for me - I had a strong idea that was the case based on the sounds I had heard from it as well as reading up on the specs, but actually playing one actually set me on the course of purchasing one.

As for technical issues, Beller's M5 has the "standard" custom-would Bassline pickups and Bartolini NTMB 3-band preamp with a MCT-3MC 250/500/750 Hz mid boost and separate 2KHz to 15KHz treble boost (his is a '98 or '99, and this was the older "diamond" layout they was used as well as on my '02). I'm pretty sure Mike doesn't use the MCT-3MC unit on newer basses with the "4-inline" layout, but if ordering one custom I'm sure it couldn't hurt to ask if it were possible.

You should check out Steve Vai's latest DVD "Where The Wild Things Are" with Beller in his band. It's a great mix that shows off his playing and tone amazingly well.
 
#28
I just picked up a MV4 from sfbaybass in a trade today. Seems to be a really nice bass with lots of tones. Very well balanced and excellent build quality.

Can I get a number ? I want in this club for sure!

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#30
Recently sold my beautiful red Lull. It was my third I've owned. I had Ultrajazz pickups installed in there for a while. At first, I was liking 'em. Bigger, fatter lows and less metallic sounding highs that I was getting from the Duncans. My hope with the UJs with staggered pole pieces (almost exactly what Sadowsky uses) and Aggie pre (very similar to Sadowsky if not the same, arguably) was to get close to the Sadowsky tone in a bass that I feel is much more comfortable to play. They weren't even similar.

As soon as the strings got slightly old the high end started to sound "plastic-y" for lack of a better description, and the mids were not complex at all. That Sadowsky I owned had something special going on in the wood and construction itself apart form the electronics. I ended up putting the Duncan's back in. Sounded more open, dynamic, etc. It really did sound amazing, but it wasn't the tone I was going for.

I'm thinking one of the reasons I haven't been able to get the tone I want from the Lulls is partly due to the aluminum bridges he uses. Aluminum bridges, as opposed to steel or brass, emphasizes the mids and highs. This was certainly the case with this particular bass. The upper mids were dominant and the high end was metallicy and dare I say harsh. Bottom end was wide and lost in the mix. The outcome of that was a tone that sat too high in the mix, IMO. It sliced the mix like a hot knife through butter but didn't support it, which is what I'm looking for. I want a tone in a bass that carries the band and supports it, not one that slices through it.

I went to a couple Guitar Centers and tried out this Lull with some Fender American DLXs. I hate to say that the Fenders had that big, round, fat bottom end that I couldn't get from the Lulls. Now, don't get me wrong! I love Lull basses! But for my tonal goals I'm pretty sure they're not for me (unless he decides to start using steel bridges, but that's still just an educated guess). I've been through three of them so far and have played far more over the years and had one as my main bass for more than 4 years.

Mike advertises his basses as "vintage basses without the worry." When I think vintage I think big, fat, round, buttery, with a smooth and extended high end. When I think of Lull basses those descriptors don't come to mind. Great tone, very high-end construction, and the best playing jazzes I've owned, but not big, fat, round, or buttery tone.

Mike's basses are of the highest quality and every time I pick one up it oozes craftsmanship like few other basses I've played. Just thought I should put my experiences down here in case it helps others in the future make more informed decisions when choosing jazz style basses, or even to share their own Lull experiences that are contrary to my own! I still love Lulls and think Mike is one of the best luthier's in the biz, not to mention his excellent customer service! If it's the tone your after you then you should buy them without worry!

Peace!
 
#31
Hello fellow Lullers :)
I've recently bought a P5 LPB, that was once owned by TBer mchildree.
The bass is just great!

One tiny question: what's the point in swapping the halves of a P pickup? The standard position is three exposed pole pairs on the BEA side and two pairs to DG, right? What benefit you get when you change their places? Thank you :)
 
#32
I'll play.

Just picked this beauty up in a trade for a Modulus Q5.

4737ecd4.gif


I'm loving this bass; but then again I'm in the honeymoon phase so my comments shouldn't count.

Thinks I'm loving:

Pretty light. 8.7 on my bathroom scale. Certainly lighter than the Q5
Setup. One of the best I've ever played. I once owned an Elrick that could be set up like this, but man does this set up rock.

Things I'll need to get used to:

Setup. I need to use a much lighter touch.
Bass on the Aguilar pre. A little goes a long way.
 
#33
hello Lull basse's owners,

Someone was asking in an earlier thread why there isn't so much Lull fan, i've always been one but i haven't joined the club.

I'm serriously asking myself Which bass should i get...

Lull, Valenti or Nordstrand? they are all offering 4 and 5 string p-bass...

I like the lull precision 4 string a lot. Is there any reason why i should get the Lull instead of the others?

Thanks for your help guys
 
#35
zac2944 said:
I'll play.

Just picked this beauty up in a trade for a Modulus Q5.

4737ecd4.gif


I'm loving this bass; but then again I'm in the honeymoon phase so my comments shouldn't count.

Thinks I'm loving:

Pretty light. 8.7 on my bathroom scale. Certainly lighter than the Q5
Setup. One of the best I've ever played. I once owned an Elrick that could be set up like this, but man does this set up rock.

Things I'll need to get used to:

Setup. I need to use a much lighter touch.
Bass on the Aguilar pre. A little goes a long way.
Click to expand...

I had the same bass, but mine was passive.

Best PJ5 I've ever played...

Congratulations!
 
#37
Cool to see this thread jumping a bit. My two cents...

I LOVE my Lull bass. Took me a long time to find one that spoke to me, but man...this one speaks with a sexy voice and says all the right stuff. :D I've said it before, but I really like this brand - the craftsmanship, the service, the creative ideas...everything.

I'm continually amazed at how my M5V just knocks out other players on gigs, and engineers/producers on sessions. To the extent that a number of my peers don't want me to bring anything else. I confess...the first few times I heard that it made me cringe a little bit in selfish pity (wah, wah...but my MTD, my Roscoe, my Sadowsky, wah wah :D). But it really is true, this bass sounds incredible. It's versatile, yet there's no doubting its individual character.

Here are some clips and a few pics from a recent gig. M5V, alder/rosewood, Seymour Duncan SC's & Bart NTMB. Genz Benz Shuttle 9.0 > Aguilar GS112. Everything on the bass flat & centered, except for low boost @ ~ 6/10. Everything on the amp flat & centered, except for pre-gain @ 6/10. Tweeter on the cab set @ 9 o'clock. Audio captured @ 24/96 w/ M-Audio Microtrack. Files cropped, normalized, and exported to 320kbps .mp3 in Audacity.

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Chasin' after it...ignore the competitor's hat. :)
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#39
Just gonna put this out there, but the new Lull basses are plek'd, whereas the Valenti and Nordstrand (to my knowledge) basses are not.

All that said, when I was looking for a Jazz style 4 banger, I chose to go the V*****i route. Sorry, I know this is a Lull thread.

In my experience, the guys at the Lull shop are great to do business with as well.

Best,
Justin
 
#40
Back to my question, if you don’t mind ;)

Scrolled down through the whole “Part 1” thread (whoa! Lots of lovely basses!) and didn’t find the definite answer so far. The best guess was that it somehow corresponds to 5-string Fender placement (IMHO the uneven halves’ sizes look unpleasant) and the changed sound of an A string. Is that all? Thanks :)
 
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