Brilliant, now I have something very compelling to put on the resume I'll be sending to them
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why fan-fretted basses?
- Thread starter twinjet
- Start date
Brilliant, now I have something very compelling to put on the resume I'll be sending to them
The reach on the lower positions is a bit longer, but remember that half of the extra length is at the bridge too, so it's not that bad. I can only remember having it be an issue learning one song that had a busy four finger stretch in the first position on lower notes, otherwise it hasn't been an issue for me. You end up playing in the parallel area of the fingerboard a lot.
For me it was being able to have a B-string that played and sounded properly. I've never been happy with the tone or sustain of any B-string on any bass I've tried up until I got my Dingwalls. Not only did I get a much better B-string but every other string benefits from the longer scale. The tension in the strings is better and it translates to better playability for me. I personally think fanned frets are the future of bass.
I find some positions to be more ergonomic (lower on the neck) while others are slightly less in some circumstances up higher on the neck. Minor adjustments have to be made for a few things but overall I'm more satisfied than with a standard bass.
Lower frets were very easy. Frets beyond about 15 confused me because the frets are so close and curved. Overall a very easy transition. Never going to look back.
This is true. I'm finding myself adjusting some patterns I used to play using frets 1-3 on the g string, just because of the severe angle of the frets. Truthfully, I shouldn't have been playing there anyway, so it's better this way
Thank you. I would like to try one. The look has always fascinated me and the configuration makes sense to me.
The 32" G on the super series is wonderful. It's not doughy or floppy, but rather fundamentally rich like the E and A normally are on 34" basses. Plus, if you peep the bridge in relation to an average "splitting the pickups" right hand position, you'll notice that as you play across the strings, you play naturally closer and closer to the encroaching bridge. By the time you get to the G, you're playing in about a j bass bridge pup position and are digging a bit more harmonics out of the g. So it would be rare that you'd be playing in in a "P pup" position associated with flop anyway.
Never thought of quality control, on a straight fret instrument I guess you could have a righty play it to check, but that must be nigh impossible on fanned frets!
DiabolusInMusic
Functionless Art is Merely Tolerated Vandalism
The fan on the Ibanezs basses is not enough to remove wolftones from the B string, which is the main purpose of the fan. They get wolftones just the same as any other 34" or 35" bass.
Just a small correction to prevent the spread of misinformation - "balanced tension strings" are not necessary on an instrument with fanned frets. The different scale lengths "balance" the tension.
Fixed it for ya ;-) The fan on the Ibanez basses, and the Dingwall Super J/P basses, is not enough to remove wolftones from the B string, which is the main purpose of the fan. They get wolftones just the same as any other 34" or 35" bass.
More to the point... I've owned my SRFF805 for about six weeks. It is extremely comfortable to play, I have smaller hands and the fanning actually increases playability for me. The 16.5mm string spacing is also extremely comfortable for me (this is what scared me the most about this bass). I'm also very happy with the tones I can get from the bass. The 3-way switchable mids, and passive tone control really make this a flexible instrument.
Since this arrived I just haven't had the desire to play any other bass.
Thanks,
Bob
Since this arrived I just haven't had the desire to play any other bass.
Thanks,
Bob
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You'd think Ibanez would get these things into more stores. My local GC is crammed filled of Ibby guitars and basses, but they had never even heard that there were fanned instruments released!
I'm not sure it's Ibanez. I think it's more likely a decision by the retailers to stick with "safer" instruments and avoid fads. Especially safe basses...
Case in point. Sweetwater has yet to list a single Squier Dimension bass on their website. They are obviously available, and they have generated a very positive buzz on this site. But Sweetwater also had a big sell off of the Fender single H Dimensions a few months ago and I think they've opted to stay clear and stick with the stuff that is a proven seller.
Of course, no one is asking my opinion.
Anyway,
Case in point. Sweetwater has yet to list a single Squier Dimension bass on their website. They are obviously available, and they have generated a very positive buzz on this site. But Sweetwater also had a big sell off of the Fender single H Dimensions a few months ago and I think they've opted to stay clear and stick with the stuff that is a proven seller.
Of course, no one is asking my opinion.
Anyway,
Methinks your statement is a bit to broad. I've owned two Super J five strings and have never noticed wolf-tones on the B string on either instrument.
Can you explain what you mean by "wolftones" in this context? A "wolf tone" is a sympathetic resonance between the string and the body on an acoustic instrument (see Wolf tone - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia ). The analog on electric basses is something like the G-string "dead spot" on many Fender basses.
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I'm not the "wolf tone guy"... I was only editing DiabolusInMusic"s post to clarify that the Super P and J don't have a 37" B string and should suffer the same maladies as the Ibanez. I haven't had a problem with the tone or intonation that I've noticed.
I'm sure he'll be along to clarify shortly.
Bob
I'm sure he'll be along to clarify shortly.
Bob
Sorry, I misunderstood.
Mike Z - in the EB context, it is when a note is louder than those adjacent on the same string (if that makes sense).
