I asked Paul about that bass and he said the build records didn't mention Brazilian rosewood. It certainly looks like Indian Rosewood to me.
Enjoy the benefits of a premium membership!
Upgrade Account
-
TalkBass has been independent since 1998. Add your voice.
Create a free account to reply to discussions, view embedded media, and browse with fewer display ads.
Join free Log in
Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.
The Mike Lull Club Part 3
- Thread starter Ron Plichta
- Start date
-
- Tags
- club
- Status
I asked Paul about that bass and he said the build records didn't mention Brazilian rosewood. It certainly looks like Indian Rosewood to me.
I was actually surprised to read 'brazilian' in the description, since that is such an expensive upgrade. Beautiful bass though. I have considered buying it a number of times. Amazing bass for the price (I have no idea who the seller is, and have no relationship with the shop, by the way... other than I've done some business with them and like the shop quite a bit)
Here's my Lull V4 in action. My band's new album comes out Feb. 15th, so we went ahead and released a video for one of the new songs. We made the video ourselves, so it's not a high-budget shoot or anything. But the audio is the studio track from the album, which is good quality. Hope you guys like it...
I liked your video, naturally, any song with Lull and Kurzweil in it will get a thumbs up from me.
Thanks guys! Our upcoming album has 11 tracks on it, and I recorded all of them with my Lull V4 and the Lull M5V I had at the time, which I recently sold in order to get my new P4. Sure do wish I would've had my P4 during our time of recording as well.
Hello fellow TBer's. I am looking into possibly purchasing a Mike Lull bass and I was wondering if anybody has had a chance to play the ultra vintage UP4. I am really leaning towards model but reviews have been scarce to say the least. Any info would be greatly appreciated. Thanx guys (and gals)!
Well, Mike has his own pre CBS P and J to copy if that helps. If you like a rounder fingerboard and a larger body, it'll be hard to beat this bass. Best bang for the buck too IMO.
I love Mike's basses and I love vintage features. When he released the UV P4 I thought it would be a perfect fit for me. I've always felt his P4 is super comfortable already but I thought the UV might be even better.
When I got to the shop I compared a P4 with a UVP4 and ended up liking the feel of the neck on the P4 much better. The UVP4 was great but a plain P4 is exactly right for me.
The back contours on the neck felt very similar, I could feel the different radius on the fingerboard but it wasn't a huge difference in terms of playing feel. The body contours felt the same to me.
- Oct 8, 2007
- 970
- 60
- Disclosures
- Former Part-Time, Non-Commission Employee MOOG Audio
The P4 and UP4 are identical except for three options (however you could order a P4 or PJ4 with any of the UP4 standard options)
-that the fingerboard radius on the UP4 is 7.25 inches (a more curved feel like vintage fenders, This is mainly a psychological feature, if you must have a vintage feel this is the radius, It will be easier to bar chords on the bass but more tiring to play groves in the first position on the E and A strings (IMHO)
The frets on a UP are smaller. This again is subjective but Mike has selected his standard wire based on having done thousands and thousands or re-fret jobs. Most people don't notice the difference unless they are told. the UV has tiny frets that you would find on a vintage RI or on a stock 62 P bass. The regular frets are fantastic, long lasting and just awesome. More like what you'd find on a mid 60's bass.
The UV has an upgraded rosewood board. the reason for choosing the upgraded board is because Brazilian rosewood sounds brighter than Indian rosewood. So mike will substitue Indian that he uses on a P4 for one of many exotic upgrades. At this point most players expect rosewood to feel and sound like Indian rosewood (dark, full, round, Phat). and fenders have sounded that way since 1968 or so, Mike has Madagascar rosewood, South American rosewood, Macasar ebony and many others on hand so talking to him about the tone you're looking for is a good idea. I think his Brazilian supply is all gone at this point, but traveling with a new bass that contains Brazilian is also a bad idea. Many countries will confiscated the bass on the spot, so consider that.
All of his four string P necks are based on his own 1959 P bass. (that goes for P4, PT4, PJ4, 54P UP4 etc) again the only difference other than wood upgrade is the curvature across the finger board from the low E to the high G.
Remember, Mike is a custom bass builder, If you want a P4 with the 7.25" radius with a Maple fingerboard and vintage frets (essentially a UP57) he'll do that at the same price as a P4.
Oh yeah, the 7.25" fingerboards usually don't have the overhang with the 21st fret, but if you want it, just ask for it.
You can't go wrong with a Lull. Generally everyone on this forum agrees, They are "creeper" basses. You like them at first but the longer you own it, and the more you play it, the more Mike's brilliance shows itself. He's a master builder who builds insanely great workingman's basses that sound exactly right for most playing situations where a vintage bass is required, but you won't break the bank (too much) and you'll get the exact colour and model you want without driving to the end of the earth, or looking online for a decade. The bass will also last way longer than a vintage Fender. Your grand-kids will be playing your Lull and It'll be perfect. Amazing finish, hardware, shielding, neck pockets, etc. every detail has been considered.
Sorry for the long post, I hope it helps you out. If you're not sure about the whole radius thing or the fingerboard wood etc, don't worry too much, like I said you can't really go wrong. Go with your gut, then just play!
The P4 and UP4 are identical except for three options (however you could order a P4 or PJ4 with any of the UP4 standard options)
-that the fingerboard radius on the UP4 is 7.25 inches (a more curved feel like vintage fenders, This is mainly a psychological feature, if you must have a vintage feel this is the radius, It will be easier to bar chords on the bass but more tiring to play groves in the first position on the E and A strings (IMHO)
The frets on a UP are smaller. This again is subjective but Mike has selected his standard wire based on having done thousands and thousands or re-fret jobs. Most people don't notice the difference unless they are told. the UV has tiny frets that you would find on a vintage RI or on a stock 62 P bass. The regular frets are fantastic, long lasting and just awesome. More like what you'd find on a mid 60's bass.
The UV has an upgraded rosewood board. the reason for choosing the upgraded board is because Brazilian rosewood sounds brighter than Indian rosewood. So mike will substitue Indian that he uses on a P4 for one of many exotic upgrades. At this point most players expect rosewood to feel and sound like Indian rosewood (dark, full, round, Phat). and fenders have sounded that way since 1968 or so, Mike has Madagascar rosewood, South American rosewood, Macasar ebony and many others on hand so talking to him about the tone you're looking for is a good idea. I think his Brazilian supply is all gone at this point, but traveling with a new bass that contains Brazilian is also a bad idea. Many countries will confiscated the bass on the spot, so consider that.
All of his four string P necks are based on his own 1959 P bass. (that goes for P4, PT4, PJ4, 54P UP4 etc) again the only difference other than wood upgrade is the curvature across the finger board from the low E to the high G.
Remember, Mike is a custom bass builder, If you want a P4 with the 7.25" radius with a Maple fingerboard and vintage frets (essentially a UP57) he'll do that at the same price as a P4.
Oh yeah, the 7.25" fingerboards usually don't have the overhang with the 21st fret, but if you want it, just ask for it.
You can't go wrong with a Lull. Generally everyone on this forum agrees, They are "creeper" basses. You like them at first but the longer you own it, and the more you play it, the more Mike's brilliance shows itself. He's a master builder who builds insanely great workingman's basses that sound exactly right for most playing situations where a vintage bass is required, but you won't break the bank (too much) and you'll get the exact colour and model you want without driving to the end of the earth, or looking online for a decade. The bass will also last way longer than a vintage Fender. Your grand-kids will be playing your Lull and It'll be perfect. Amazing finish, hardware, shielding, neck pockets, etc. every detail has been considered.
Sorry for the long post, I hope it helps you out. If you're not sure about the whole radius thing or the fingerboard wood etc, don't worry too much, like I said you can't really go wrong. Go with your gut, then just play!
Very helpful post.
^^^ this
I like my M4V more every time I play it. And it had a lot of internal bias to overcome as I have not liked any ash/maple and/or JJ basses over the past years. Hard to go wrong with a Lull unless you're looking for a coffee table bass.
The P4 and UP4 are identical except for three options (however you could order a P4 or PJ4 with any of the UP4 standard options)
-that the fingerboard radius on the UP4 is 7.25 inches (a more curved feel like vintage fenders, This is mainly a psychological feature, if you must have a vintage feel this is the radius, It will be easier to bar chords on the bass but more tiring to play groves in the first position on the E and A strings (IMHO)
The frets on a UP are smaller. This again is subjective but Mike has selected his standard wire based on having done thousands and thousands or re-fret jobs. Most people don't notice the difference unless they are told. the UV has tiny frets that you would find on a vintage RI or on a stock 62 P bass. The regular frets are fantastic, long lasting and just awesome. More like what you'd find on a mid 60's bass.
The UV has an upgraded rosewood board. the reason for choosing the upgraded board is because Brazilian rosewood sounds brighter than Indian rosewood. So mike will substitue Indian that he uses on a P4 for one of many exotic upgrades. At this point most players expect rosewood to feel and sound like Indian rosewood (dark, full, round, Phat). and fenders have sounded that way since 1968 or so, Mike has Madagascar rosewood, South American rosewood, Macasar ebony and many others on hand so talking to him about the tone you're looking for is a good idea. I think his Brazilian supply is all gone at this point, but traveling with a new bass that contains Brazilian is also a bad idea. Many countries will confiscated the bass on the spot, so consider that.
All of his four string P necks are based on his own 1959 P bass. (that goes for P4, PT4, PJ4, 54P UP4 etc) again the only difference other than wood upgrade is the curvature across the finger board from the low E to the high G.
Remember, Mike is a custom bass builder, If you want a P4 with the 7.25" radius with a Maple fingerboard and vintage frets (essentially a UP57) he'll do that at the same price as a P4.
Oh yeah, the 7.25" fingerboards usually don't have the overhang with the 21st fret, but if you want it, just ask for it.
You can't go wrong with a Lull. Generally everyone on this forum agrees, They are "creeper" basses. You like them at first but the longer you own it, and the more you play it, the more Mike's brilliance shows itself. He's a master builder who builds insanely great workingman's basses that sound exactly right for most playing situations where a vintage bass is required, but you won't break the bank (too much) and you'll get the exact colour and model you want without driving to the end of the earth, or looking online for a decade. The bass will also last way longer than a vintage Fender. Your grand-kids will be playing your Lull and It'll be perfect. Amazing finish, hardware, shielding, neck pockets, etc. every detail has been considered.
Sorry for the long post, I hope it helps you out. If you're not sure about the whole radius thing or the fingerboard wood etc, don't worry too much, like I said you can't really go wrong. Go with your gut, then just play!
I want to give a special "thanks" for this particular post as it answered questions I didn't even know I had
And a thank you to everybody else who chimed in. I live in the south (Louisana) and Mike Lull's (or any "real" boutique bass) are impossible to find and try out. The nicest basses we get in these parts are american Fender's and EBMM's. The information will help greatly in my decision making. Thank you again fellow TBer's! 
I hope everybody has a great New Year!
This club is the best. Lots of no-nonsense players on here, great info, that just makes me proud to play a Lull.
Greets and happy NY to all. Don't have it yet, but just picked up my 1st Lull, a gently used T5 and am VERY stoked. Spoke to Mike over the phone and he was truly a gentleman and a bass scholar. Unfortunately I won't lay hands on it for 2 weeks due to my schedule.....am counting the days!
- Status
