franzbassist

[quote name='jmesa' post='447475' date='Mar 27 2009, 04:30 PM']How much do you think an original Wal hard case is worth out of interest? The brown one with the logo...[/quote] I sold one of the later (grey) cases for £200 at the height of Wal mania a couple of years ago, but tbh I would suggest you just stick it in the attic if you aren't going to use it.

[quote name='BassBod' post='446990' date='Mar 27 2009, 10:40 AM']That's really interesting - thanks. I've always liked the idea of the Turner basses, but I hadn't thought of them as fragile. Maybe I'll actually get to play one eventually! I'd discounted the Godin, but largely on the experiences of a few guitar playing friends who'd all tried earlier versions but moved them on after a short while. Recently I've worked with a guitarist who plays the nylon/classical version and it really does sound good (much better than I remember the others sounding). Thanks again for the review (ps what do you think of the 1x12?)[/quote] Hi Duncan The Turner is a beautiful instrument to be sure, and if I hadn't touched the Godin first I'm sure I would have been tempted, but I guess the point I was making is the Godin just feels more robust. It's also more versatile tonally. The CXL is turning out to be a great cab. Full, clear, very articulate and loud. Combined with the 210 the sound is truly huge. Cheers Gareth

My fretless needs have changed quite a lot in recent months. I need something that can really do a passable double bass sound, but also covers the more "straight ahead" fretless tone you get from a solid body bass. So, after a lot of research and pricing, I ordered in a Godin A5 SA from The Gallery in Camden (thanks Al!) and thought I'd share my thoughts with everyone. My very first impression was just how substantial the bass actually feels. Unlike a Turner Renaissance, which feels really fragile in comparison, the Godin really feels like something you can gig with. That said, the hollow body means the spruce top is only about 3mm thick, so care is needed. Speaking of the spruce top, the tele-shaped body is made of three pieces of maple, braced internally like an acoustic instrument. There is white banding to the front edge, further emphasising the acoustic heritage of the bass. The neck is maple, with an unlined (save for little edge markers and side dots) ebony fingerboard; it feels wide and the neck has a pleasingly flat profile to the back. The body is deeper than I expected too, about 2-2.5", so unplugged it's perfect for solo practice. The body also has a very long thumbrest fitted, and I also had Al fit Dunlop straplocks to prevent nasty accidents when playing standing up. The headstock is a 4 over 1 arrangement. Personally, I'd like to see a 3 over 2 setup with ultralite tuners (the fitted tuners are Godin-badged Gotohs I think), as with the absence of a top horn and a hollow body the bass is neck heavy when played standing up. That said, with a decent strap it's not that noticeable, but it could be an issue for some people. Played sitting down, the bass is just perfect. So how does it sound? Well, unplugged it sounds very nice. The flatwound Godin strings were very pleasant under the finger and sounded good as well. Not too thuddy and not too bright. They're very fast to play and runs flow effortlessly from your fingers. Playing at the bridge gives a nice staccato sound, whersa the closer to the neck you go there's a really lovely bloom to the notes. I have to say, the range of tones from such a simple bass is amazing, and it's quite possibly the best fretless I've ever played (and I've played quite a few!) The bass has quite a clever electronics setup. Each string sits on its own metal saddle and the piezo signal is sent to a three band eq, adjusted by sliders on the top horn. The master volume is the top slider, followed by treble, mid (which also has a slider to adjust the frequency - 700Hz or 12kHz) and bass. Underneath that is the secret weapon, the MIDI volume. Next to the regular 1/4" jack out is a 13 pin MIDI out. The bass is full compatible and designed to be used with Roland guitar synths (it's also compatible with Axon). You can scroll through the patches using the two buttons to the side of the eq sliders, so very easy to change sounds as you play and vary volume between the "acoustic" and MIDI sounds just by adjusting the respective volume sliders. I should say I haven't actualy tried out the MIDI system yet, but I have a GR20 coming this weekend, so hopefully soon I can comment. As I'm at home today, I plugged the bass into my EA iAmp 500 and CXL112 and cranked it up. What a sound! With everything set flat (on both bass and amp) the bass has a good core tone (well, lots actually as you move your fretting position along the thumbrest), but with a little bit of EQ added on the tone really blossomed. Playing along to some blues I got a most righteous sound, big fat punchy bass, then switching to some jazz a really nice upright tone. I'm really pleased. It's a good looking, well made and very versatile bass. Cheers Gareth

The second transaction was as simple as the first. Iain's a pleasure to deal with and his gear is all top notch! Highly recommended.

I've owned a fair few Wals over the years and, while none have been crazily heavy, a few have been pretty meaty beasts, and I've certainly played a few that were very heavy (i.e. 14lbs). My current Mk III is 10lbs and sits perfectly on my shoulder, although it's still not as light as many of the boutique basses out there these days.

[quote name='Spoombung' post='436766' date='Mar 16 2009, 11:20 PM']Brook are fantastic and will make you something unconventional if you want it.[/quote] +1 on that. My Brook is very conventional, but it was the first fiver they've made and they were fantastic throughout the whole process. I'm currently taking to them about the possibility of a double neck bouzouki/fretless 5!!! Cheers Gareth

[quote name='wateroftyne' post='435902' date='Mar 16 2009, 11:14 AM']It'll probably never happen, though..![/quote] Yeah right. We're all as bad as each other here on BC. PS Sorry to hear about the band business....

Another BIG +1 for Iain. I just took one of his Feedback Destroyers and it was in amazing condition. I am very happy and can't recommend him highly enough.

The Fylde Magician and Brook Otter are two well known UK makes, although they may be a bit too conventional looking for you? Veillette Guitars in the US are finishing a prototype ABG at the mo that could be more your thing if their acoustic guitars are anything to go by. And a few others are Furch/Stonebridge, Magnus Guitars, Laundhardt are all up there too, and how about the Warwick Alien as well? Cheers Gareth

I know it's not a mando, but it's tuned the same way, is a "mini axe", and is folky. And here it is next to its big brother...

I don't have a mando (although the guitarist in my band does and plays it regularly) but I do have a tenor guitar, which is a close relative I guess. Mine is the first production one made by [url="http://www.fyldeguitars.com/guitars.html"]Fylde[/url], tuned GDAE, and totally lovely.

Wals too.