I would like some clarification on this 11 year old post.
I've seen something called "wild maple" on a bass from a Japanese seller, so I thought it was a mis-translation, but no. So what IS wild maple?
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I would like some clarification on this 11 year old post.
I've seen something called "wild maple" on a bass from a Japanese seller, so I thought it was a mis-translation, but no. So what IS wild maple?
Veerry nice! Great color. Different bridge. Looks like an ebony nut, looks good.
What did he use to finish the neck?
I would like some clarification on this 11 year old post.
I've seen something called "wild maple" on a bass from a Japanese seller, so I thought it was a mis-translation, but no. So what IS wild maple?
Generally - boards that have grain patterns that don't fit neatly into quilted, or flamed, or burled classifications, but combine them.
Example:
Spalted Maple Burl Wood 9554 Luthier 5A Electric Guitar Top Set 23 x 17 x .312 | eBay
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The Pedulla Club!
1 of my PentaBuzzes - "Aura Lea" - with quilted maple body & a maple fingerboard that looks a lot like bgartist's
1 of my PentaBuzzes - "Aura Lea" - with quilted maple body & a maple fingerboard that looks a lot like bgartist's
Wow, that's like Dr. Who level maple right there, very trans-dimensional...
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I love my Hexabuzz. It feels good under my fingers and is the nicest bass I have ever owned. I have wanted a 6 string fretless (specifically a Pedulla hexabuzz) most of my lifetime. Since 2.5 years ago I own my dream instrument.
However,
I have been getting frustrated with it lately. The lines on the fingerboard are...Swelling? They are pushing up and making something like micro frets/ridges. It is killing the tone that I wanted a buzz bass for in the first place. I know Mike refinishes the fingerboard for a fairly reasonable price considering the pedigree of the instruments he makes, but it is not a price I can afford at this time or anywhere in the near future. I am really tight on funds right now and I need to keep saving the little extra money I can save towards a better upright bass. So sending it in to Pedulla is pretty well off the table.
I have done every adjustment and string combination I can over the last 2.5 years to get as close as I can to the tone I want. The setup/action is damn near perfect.
Here are my other frustrations.
I love the upper mid-range tone of the bridge J pickup but it is thin in volume and I don't often use the neck pickup because I don't like the tone much though it has plenty of power.
Whenever I record with it I get weird distortions just on the attack of the notes. I dont hear that in the amp and I can mic my amp for recording. Tried adjusting the trim pots in the preamp it's consistent no matter how i set it. And Yes, I checked cables interface gain structure etc... it's in the pickups or preamp and yes I replaced the battery a few time in hopes that was the issue.
The G and C strings are quite thin and they don't resonate in the 12th fret area the way many of my other basses do no matter what strings or string guages I have tried on it.
I have to use compressor to get even response which isn't an awful thing, But I don't have to do that with my Fender and Ibanez fretted basses.
Here are my options so far,
1. Sell or trade the instrument and get something else. Not really what I want to do as this was a gift from a student and I do love this instrument, or at least the idea of this instrument at this point.
(All of the next options will probably exclude this bass from being worked on by Mike but the body was refinished before I got it anyway. He may not want to do it to begin with and I would be charged extra for him working on it because someone else refinished it)
2. Lightly resurface the fingerboard to knock down the ridges with the finest abrasive I can use to do the job, and then polish the heck out of the poly acrylic that is left with micro mesh. leaving me with very thin coating and a potential repeat of the issue down the road.
3. Remove the fingerboard finish completely and go with bare wood.
4. Since I mostly love this bass, make it how I want it. Totally refin the bass and fingerboard my self, Change the bridge pickup. Including possibly routing for a soapbar. Maybe a new preamp with sweepable midrange cause I love that control on my basses. It would no longer be a proper buzz bass and it would't have resale value but it's mine to do with as I please, right? It's already lost value having a body refin and the fingerboard issues plus I'm not out any money. as it was a gift.
Being a gift I should consider how the person who gave it to me would feel about the fate of my bass.
I have de-fretted and epoxy coated quite a few fingerboards before (though never with poly acrylic and always on much lower end basses). I should also mention before somone says take it to a professional, I have been a professional musical instrument tech most of my adult life so I'm not going to do a poor job of it. Still it wouldn't be as awesome as having Pedulla do it.
I'm not looking to the internet/TB to solve my frustration. Just sharing what I'm experiencing with this instrument right now. I am welcoming other Pedulla buzz owners thoughts on this.
Thanks for reading
EDIT, this is a hexabuzz from 1996 that (according to previous owner and store it was purchased from) had the body refinished but not the fingerboard. It is not a newer instrument that has a defect. Its just aging.
However,
I have been getting frustrated with it lately. The lines on the fingerboard are...Swelling? They are pushing up and making something like micro frets/ridges. It is killing the tone that I wanted a buzz bass for in the first place. I know Mike refinishes the fingerboard for a fairly reasonable price considering the pedigree of the instruments he makes, but it is not a price I can afford at this time or anywhere in the near future. I am really tight on funds right now and I need to keep saving the little extra money I can save towards a better upright bass. So sending it in to Pedulla is pretty well off the table.
I have done every adjustment and string combination I can over the last 2.5 years to get as close as I can to the tone I want. The setup/action is damn near perfect.
Here are my other frustrations.
I love the upper mid-range tone of the bridge J pickup but it is thin in volume and I don't often use the neck pickup because I don't like the tone much though it has plenty of power.
Whenever I record with it I get weird distortions just on the attack of the notes. I dont hear that in the amp and I can mic my amp for recording. Tried adjusting the trim pots in the preamp it's consistent no matter how i set it. And Yes, I checked cables interface gain structure etc... it's in the pickups or preamp and yes I replaced the battery a few time in hopes that was the issue.
The G and C strings are quite thin and they don't resonate in the 12th fret area the way many of my other basses do no matter what strings or string guages I have tried on it.
I have to use compressor to get even response which isn't an awful thing, But I don't have to do that with my Fender and Ibanez fretted basses.
Here are my options so far,
1. Sell or trade the instrument and get something else. Not really what I want to do as this was a gift from a student and I do love this instrument, or at least the idea of this instrument at this point.
(All of the next options will probably exclude this bass from being worked on by Mike but the body was refinished before I got it anyway. He may not want to do it to begin with and I would be charged extra for him working on it because someone else refinished it)
2. Lightly resurface the fingerboard to knock down the ridges with the finest abrasive I can use to do the job, and then polish the heck out of the poly acrylic that is left with micro mesh. leaving me with very thin coating and a potential repeat of the issue down the road.
3. Remove the fingerboard finish completely and go with bare wood.
4. Since I mostly love this bass, make it how I want it. Totally refin the bass and fingerboard my self, Change the bridge pickup. Including possibly routing for a soapbar. Maybe a new preamp with sweepable midrange cause I love that control on my basses. It would no longer be a proper buzz bass and it would't have resale value but it's mine to do with as I please, right? It's already lost value having a body refin and the fingerboard issues plus I'm not out any money. as it was a gift.
Being a gift I should consider how the person who gave it to me would feel about the fate of my bass.
I have de-fretted and epoxy coated quite a few fingerboards before (though never with poly acrylic and always on much lower end basses). I should also mention before somone says take it to a professional, I have been a professional musical instrument tech most of my adult life so I'm not going to do a poor job of it. Still it wouldn't be as awesome as having Pedulla do it.
I'm not looking to the internet/TB to solve my frustration. Just sharing what I'm experiencing with this instrument right now. I am welcoming other Pedulla buzz owners thoughts on this.
Thanks for reading
EDIT, this is a hexabuzz from 1996 that (according to previous owner and store it was purchased from) had the body refinished but not the fingerboard. It is not a newer instrument that has a defect. Its just aging.
Last edited:
Can't help with your situation but can commiserate. I bought a used Buzz and unknown by myself, had the raised fret lines. As I'm in Massachusetts, I brought it to Mike to have the fretboard redone. While there, looking at all the shiny basses on the wall, I decided to get the entire bass refinished.
It turned an ok looking/good sounding bass into an amazing instrument. Just to let you know, if you do have Mike do the fretboard, it will be like new.
It turned an ok looking/good sounding bass into an amazing instrument. Just to let you know, if you do have Mike do the fretboard, it will be like new.
Sounds like you are dealing with some frustrating issues. If you are considering having the bass refinished by Pedulla, I'd look at doing that sooner rather than later as I believe Mike is semi-retired.
A few other suggestions based on what you described:
Taking off the fingerboard finish completely on your own and playing on bare wood will likely have an enormous change in the tone of the instrument.
With regard to the distortion sound you are hearing, I wonder if there is a grounding issue in the electronics somewhere. I've encountered that myself on a few of my own preamp installs. As to the thin sounding G and C strings, how is your pickup height set? You may want to try raising them up on the treble side to get them closer to those strings.
The beautiful thing about preamps and pickups these days is that there are so many readily available and customized options available nowadays that were much harder to come by when your bass was made. I've seen a few swaps from stock Pedulla Barts to the Classic Bass (CBCs) and Nordstrands, for example, and they opened up the top end of the instrument significantly. While it wouldn't be a stock Buzz, it might meet your needs a bit better.
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The only time I've heard the signal of my Pentabuzz Bass starting to distort is when the preamp battery is needing to be replaced. Just an FYI ....
jdthebassman
play to live live to play
Polishing cloth, sticker, truss rod tool, & Allen wrench... Michael sent along a new kit when I had a bass refinished.
Aura Lea, newly-refinished: The Pedulla Club! She's got new jewelry now: Q-Parts gold domes with gold pearl tops.
Hi, I just recently acquired a 1985 Buzz and the tone pot is not working. Would someone please give me the correct specs on the pot I need? Thx
Good News and Great News.
The good news is the electronic problems are fixed and I like the neck pickup alot now. It was a solder joint that was loose at the mid range swich. The neck pickup has a lot more clarity and brightness. Yay!
The great news is the student who originally gifted me the bass said they want to pay for the fingerboard refinish! I really hope Michael is willing to do this one. I'll call Pedulla tomorrow morning. I'm so excited to have the legendary hexabuzz sound. I am super glad I was hesitant on making it a bare wood board.
