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 Short-Scale Six-String Club Part 2- for the original six-string basses!
- Thread starter Bryan R. Tyler
- Start date
-
- Tags
- club
- Status
So did a quick H2H comparison of my Hellcat and Argus tonight...
Well maybe I was hallucinating on hum on the Hellcat...don't know why...so noise level is not an issue.
If this makes any sense...the Argus feels more like a guitar to me, while the Hellcat feels like more a bass? I think the neck on the Argus is thinner, or the radius is better, or something.. Like I can play faster on the Argus...and its not just an issue of action (though the Argus the way I have set feels a lot better than how I've adjusted the Hellcat...this may or may not be a Hellcat issue as much as a setup issue). The Argus is definitely more balanced sounding and not as muddy as the Hellcat. Both guitars are equally sharp on the first fret, so maybe I don't need to mess with the nut, or maybe I need to fix the nut on both. On my strobe tuner they are sharp about to 3 or 4 o'clock-ish on the low E (gets progressively better on higher strings). The Argus sounds like it has more twang/spank to it...and does Dick Dale stuff great... The Hellcat is brighter than the Argus when coil tapping, but this in my opinion also produces a quiet, thin, and not exactly great sound either. The Argus is lighter weight, maybe feels more balanced than the Hellcat. The Hellcat feels more "solid," but that may be just because of its weight.
The Argus sounds its best on my amp (59 Bassman RI) on the bright channel with the bass all the way down, middle and treble all the way up, and the presence to 6-ish. I was using similar settings with the Hellcat but the presence all the way to 12 and its like I still have trouble getting a bright sound out of it (pickup setting appropriate).
Well maybe I was hallucinating on hum on the Hellcat...don't know why...so noise level is not an issue.
If this makes any sense...the Argus feels more like a guitar to me, while the Hellcat feels like more a bass? I think the neck on the Argus is thinner, or the radius is better, or something.. Like I can play faster on the Argus...and its not just an issue of action (though the Argus the way I have set feels a lot better than how I've adjusted the Hellcat...this may or may not be a Hellcat issue as much as a setup issue). The Argus is definitely more balanced sounding and not as muddy as the Hellcat. Both guitars are equally sharp on the first fret, so maybe I don't need to mess with the nut, or maybe I need to fix the nut on both. On my strobe tuner they are sharp about to 3 or 4 o'clock-ish on the low E (gets progressively better on higher strings). The Argus sounds like it has more twang/spank to it...and does Dick Dale stuff great... The Hellcat is brighter than the Argus when coil tapping, but this in my opinion also produces a quiet, thin, and not exactly great sound either. The Argus is lighter weight, maybe feels more balanced than the Hellcat. The Hellcat feels more "solid," but that may be just because of its weight.
The Argus sounds its best on my amp (59 Bassman RI) on the bright channel with the bass all the way down, middle and treble all the way up, and the presence to 6-ish. I was using similar settings with the Hellcat but the presence all the way to 12 and its like I still have trouble getting a bright sound out of it (pickup setting appropriate).
on a fixed bridge guitar not much use, but with a trem a graphite nut lets the strings move easier on trem use and thereby stay in tune.
Man I am jealous... I would have bought one but Kurt said they would not be available till next year when I asked so now I'm knee deep in a Bass VI build...
On the three pickup version, I would rout out the pickguard for a Jaguar on off diamond plate setup for all the pickups and change the chrome jazz bass control plate to a 2-knobber master volume master tone....
Well I'd hope that a custom build would be better than a South Korean copy...but I guess I don't know either because all I have are Asian guitars. Still you know what its only $400 and you'll need a backup right...?
Kurt got lucky because I just got my $8000 tax credit for buying a house and I just happened to have some spare cash ready for it, that's why I bought one so fast.
Yeah Jag switches would be cool...but I don't need it...look cool though. That might be something I'd be curious to see if Kurt could have done if there is a future revision. I think the controls would be improved if one tone knob was changed to a master tone and the other was a bass rolloff, as someone else suggested. That would be a good compromise...and something I could do myself, but I haven't had the time to mess with.
Well I'd hope that a custom build would be better than a South Korean copy...but I guess I don't know either because all I have are Asian guitars. Still you know what its only $400 and you'll need a backup right...?
Kurt got lucky because I just got my $8000 tax credit for buying a house and I just happened to have some spare cash ready for it, that's why I bought one so fast.
Yeah Jag switches would be cool...but I don't need it...look cool though. That might be something I'd be curious to see if Kurt could have done if there is a future revision. I think the controls would be improved if one tone knob was changed to a master tone and the other was a bass rolloff, as someone else suggested. That would be a good compromise...and something I could do myself, but I haven't had the time to mess with.
Yeah I may get one yet... once this bass VI is done of course... s for which is better hey you never know. Some of my best instruments have been from Asia, and some from America.
Its all of 30", plus some maybe with the tail...
Depends on how you want it to sound I guess. I think the "in between" settings on the Hellcat have a slightly more believable bass sound to them, more convincing, but the Argus isn't lacking low end either...its just not as thick sounding.
What it look like UNDER that pickguard?
Exactly what I was thinking. I'm wondering what kind of damage I can do.
i wonder if a Fender vibrato unit (with the trem-lock feature) would be an exact fit in a swap-out
kslight, have you checked the intonation with the Fender VI strings yet? I know you said that the 1st fret was off, but I was wondering about the rest of the instrument.
I played my cousins short scale Dobro bass today... total GAS... may become part of this club in the foreseeable future.
It would be just a swap., the rout needs to be just as deep to support the tension spring.
Hehe.... I've got a pair of Jazzmaster pickups kicking around... would be nice to not have to rout the body.... my guess is it's a huge channel and the same body is used for 2 and 3 pickup version...
Dude it's like your in my head! I was thinking P90's would look cool. I figure it's a pool route under the guard.
- Status
