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The Mike Lull Club Part 4

#481
In talking with two of the better bass makers, Roger Sadowsky (who uses a thin top on his basses) told me his top have very little to no impact on the basses tone. Mike Tobias (who uses a thicker top on his basses) told me his tops factor into the basses tone.
 
#482
Well, my P4 arrived! It is a killer bass. Just finished setting it up with TI Flats and it absolutely nails the vintage P-Bass tone. Weighs only 7 lbs 4 oz too. I'm a fan.
 

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#487
basswave said:
That makes sense...
I was always under the assumption that a light cap like a 1/8" wouldn't do to much but 1/4" would (You can really hear the difference in the 1/4" tops between say Bubinga and Maple on a Modulus Q5)
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Agreed. Or, maybe rather, the difference is not significant enough to really be concerned about.
 
#488
LeonD said:
In talking with two of the better bass makers, Roger Sadowsky (who uses a thin top on his basses) told me his top have very little to no impact on the basses tone. Mike Tobias (who uses a thicker top on his basses) told me his tops factor into the basses tone.
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+1
 
#492
I am looking at getting a Mike Lull PJ-5 as it seems to have everything I'm looking for. But I'm wondering a little about the PJ pickup configuration for the reasons discussed in this thread elsewhere on TB. Can any Lull PJ-5 owners comment on the pickup issues discussed in the linked thread? Perhaps Lull has addressed them in a way others have not.

http://www.talkbass.com/forum/f8/why-cant-p-j-bass-sound-good-p-j-bass-1044062/index2.html

Thanks.
 
#494
jake3 said:
I am looking at getting a Mike Lull PJ-5 as it seems to have everything I'm looking for. But I'm wondering a little about the PJ pickup configuration for the reasons discussed in this thread elsewhere on TB. Can any Lull PJ-5 owners comment on the pickup issues discussed in the linked thread? Perhaps Lull has addressed them in a way others have not.

http://www.talkbass.com/forum/f8/why-cant-p-j-bass-sound-good-p-j-bass-1044062/index2.html

Thanks.
Click to expand...

Mike is happy to wire his PJ's such that the J can be taken out of the circuit. That can take the form of a push-pull volume knob (pulled up = J out of circuit, pushed in = J in circuit) or some guys use a 3-way toggle switch instead (that limits you to P, J and P+J, you get none of the tweener tones). I imagine Mike would entertain doing that (if he hasn't already).

Personally, I find the solo'd P tone on his PJ basses to be perfectly acceptable (if not totally rockin'). If I were looking to add a P to an arsenal of basses, I might go with just a P pickup. But if the bass were to be my one and only (or one of just 2-3 basses I owned), I'd probably add the J just for the tonal flexibility.
 
#495
I've recorded my Lull PJ on a virtual track along with a Fender P and they were very close.
What I and some friends have discovered is to tell Mike to wire your bass Volume/Volume rather than Volume/ pan. You can hear the difference and the Vol/Vol sounds better. I use just the P pickup alone, 99% of the time. I only put on the J because in some acoustic environments it helps me hear the bass better and sometimes, in the studio, the engineer wants me to tame my P tone.
 
#496
jake3 said:
I am looking at getting a Mike Lull PJ-5 as it seems to have everything I'm looking for. But I'm wondering a little about the PJ pickup configuration for the reasons discussed in this thread elsewhere on TB. Can any Lull PJ-5 owners comment on the pickup issues discussed in the linked thread? Perhaps Lull has addressed them in a way others have not.

http://www.talkbass.com/forum/f8/why-cant-p-j-bass-sound-good-p-j-bass-1044062/index2.html

Thanks.
Click to expand...
I see no issue at all. I have a Lull PJ 24, fralin pickups.. the way Mike wired it I can completely isolate the P pickup (it doesn't even go through the other wires) and nail the sound of my old '64 p-bass.

ps.. it's wired Vol Vol as well.
 
#497
Mike used to repair my bass lineup back in his little whole in the wall shop in Bellevue (90-93) And we would talk about him doing his own bass line someday...

He was always a class act, and even though he was doing repairs for some of my more famous counterparts in the area at the time, he always had time for me and never looked down on my complete lack of knowledge in how the heck it all works.

I stepped away for many years, but the bottom end has called me back, and after doing some internet research its awesome to see that he followed his dreams he and I spoke about all those moons ago...

Cheers to Mike, I will now go hunt down one of his basses and play the heck out of it!

5
 
#498
What strings do you guys like on your Lull's? In particular, the MV or V. I believe the stock strings that Mike uses are D'addario stainless and I just changed them up to my favorites, DR Sunbeams, and the tone and playability was even better- if that's possible. My only regret is that I don't have a 5-string to go with my MV4! Might have to put my Sadowsky Metro up for sale :)
 

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