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The Mike Lull Club Part 4

#181
I am about to place an order for a Lull V4, but I have a question for you Lull owners out there. I have noticed that some of the recent Lulls are extremely lightweight, some barely over 7 pounds. Getting a very light bass is tempting, since my back really don't like heavy instruments any more, but will I loose something tonewise with a 7.5 lbs bass? Any input is greatly appreciated.

Thanks,
Bjørnar
 
#182
I "put my back out" yesterday and even holding a full coffee mug is painful right now.

I don't know about your question, but I'd go for the light bass and add anything that's missing from the amp.

I would expect the Lull to sound great, but you could always email Mike and discuss the issue.
 
#183
Mike gets weight out of his basses the old fashioned way, but selecting "good wood" and using lightweight components that don't impact tone much, like tuners and the hipshot aluminum bridge. The tone and playability of his basses are unparalleled. no worries about lightweight tone.
 
#184
Bjornar said:
I am about to place an order for a Lull V4, but I have a question for you Lull owners out there. I have noticed that some of the recent Lulls are extremely lightweight, some barely over 7 pounds. Getting a very light bass is tempting, since my back really don't like heavy instruments any more, but will I loose something tonewise with a 7.5 lbs bass? Any input is greatly appreciated.

Thanks,
Bjørnar
Click to expand...

Here's my Lull. All passive, all tone. Sounds just the way a good P bass should. The crappier the gigging location, the better this bass sounds.

It's one of my few "never sell" basses. :bassist:

LullScale_zps5e3f4acc.jpg
 
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#185
Bjornar said:
I am about to place an order for a Lull V4, but I have a question for you Lull owners out there. I have noticed that some of the recent Lulls are extremely lightweight, some barely over 7 pounds. Getting a very light bass is tempting, since my back really don't like heavy instruments any more, but will I loose something tonewise with a 7.5 lbs bass? Any input is greatly appreciated.

Thanks,
Bjørnar
Click to expand...

My UV4 is 7.6 pounds, but is bigger sounding than any other J type bass I've ever had.
 
#186
Well, this week I ordered my second Mike Lull.
MV5 - 3 tone burst, 34", maple neck, single coils and Bart preamp and a tort guard.

Mike is a class act and have know him for about 10 years.
My other Mike Lull, is a P-5, maple neck, natural body, and that bass is amazing, its a 35" scale and plays great. Never have adjusted the neck in the 4 years I have owned it.

Can't wait.
MG
 
#187
LeonD said:
Here's my Lull. All passive, all tone. Sounds just the way a good P bass should. The crappier the gigging location, the better this bass sounds.

It's one of my few "never sell" basses. :bassist:

LullScale_zps5e3f4acc.jpg
Click to expand...

I like that! +1 in that when I switched to playing a passive P as my primary instrument, I noticed how it just slammed through those bad venues that sometimes gave me trouble with my basses that had a wider footprint, and actually seems to take less juice (i.e., a smaller rig) to get the job done. Very cool that Lull and a few others are now making 'boutique quality' passive P's in 4 and 5 string versions. That is a beauty!
 
#190
Bjornar said:
I am about to place an order for a Lull V4, but I have a question for you Lull owners out there. I have noticed that some of the recent Lulls are extremely lightweight, some barely over 7 pounds. Getting a very light bass is tempting, since my back really don't like heavy instruments any more, but will I loose something tonewise with a 7.5 lbs bass? Any input is greatly appreciated.

Thanks,
Bjørnar
Click to expand...

I got my Lull V4 earlier this summer and I had a little of the same concern, though the guys at Lull told me I had nothing to worry about. They were right. The bass does everything that I hoped for and more. Because the bass is light and so comfortable to play I've noticed that I practice more and I'm playing better. Without the strain on my neck and shoulders I'm able to execute much more effortlessly. You've got nothing to worry about.
 
#191
KJung said:
I just noticed the scale. I like it even more now:D
Click to expand...

As an aside, when looking for a P, I checked out R. Sadowsky. I've owned a few of his J basses in the past and really liked them. He'd make a P but it'd have the "Sadowsky sound". This time around I just wanted a passive P. No need to pay for the Sadowsky sound this time.

I've heard good things about M. Lull so decided to give him a call and see what he had. This was winter 2012. He said no passive P's in stock but remembered he made a P that was being used at NAMM at the Aguilar booth for their demos. Mike said the woman using it wasn't a P fan but loved this bass; couldn't put it down.

The deal was done. Mike gave it a once over, changed the pickguard from white to black, signed the back of the head stock and sent it cross country. It's been my workhorse ever since.
 
#192
LeonD said:
As an aside, when looking for a P, I checked out R. Sadowsky. I've owned a few of his J basses in the past and really liked them. He'd make a P but it'd have the "Sadowsky sound". This time around I just wanted a passive P. No need to pay for the Sadowsky sound this time.

I've heard good things about M. Lull so decided to give him a call and see what he had. This was winter 2012. He said no passive P's in stock but remembered he made a P that was being used at NAMM at the Aguilar booth for their demos. Mike said the woman using it wasn't a P fan but loved this bass; couldn't put it down.

The deal was done. Mike gave it a once over, changed the pickguard from white to black, signed the back of the head stock and sent it cross country. It's been my workhorse ever since.
Click to expand...

Very cool. I also dig the Sadowsky single coil J tone, but wanted a bit more of an 80's passive P thing with a neck that kind of felt like one of those more chunky P necks from back in the day, and ended up going with Nordstrand. I really like the concept of the 'boutique P' that still stays relatively close to its roots! Dig it!

I almost took the plunge on that Lull P5 that was on the Austin Bass Trader's site for a while, for a bit different flavor. That one looked cool also!
 
#198
Bjornar said:
I am about to place an order for a Lull V4, but I have a question for you Lull owners out there. I have noticed that some of the recent Lulls are extremely lightweight, some barely over 7 pounds. Getting a very light bass is tempting, since my back really don't like heavy instruments any more, but will I loose something tonewise with a 7.5 lbs bass? Any input is greatly appreciated.

Thanks,
Bjørnar
Click to expand...

A bit late on the response but here it goes. I've been using the my new Lull P/J 24 4 string on gigs and the tone is great. Great sustain and all the tonal variations I could want. The body is Alder, Fralin pickups, and Bart pre. I believe Mike also routes the bodies (or has them routed) to save additional weight (as does Sadowsky). My bass comes in at 7.3 lbs, is perfectly balanced with no neck dive and is a pleasure to play.. I guess that sums it up. :-)
 
#199
mark beem said:
I've had my Lull M5V for 8 years now and still love it, but I'm thinking it's time for a tune-up. Thinking maybe send it back to get PLEKed and add new pups and pre.. Have had Barts (pups and pre) since I bought from Adrian Garcia (R.I.P. brother).

lull1a.jpg


I don't know.. Maybe a Nordstrand setup... :hmm:
Click to expand...
Did some recording with it this past weekend. This thing still sounds monstrous! I'm not changing a thing!!

Now to get a P5!! :bassist:
 

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