Any got an F bass?

[Barking Spiders]

Scott D shows his collection on YT. At 4.22 he shows an F bass, made in Canada. Looks a beaut and sounds it. TBH I'd never heard of this maker before. I'm sure someone on BC must have. Actually I've never heard of Stenbeck either. How many bass makers are there on the planet I wonder?

 

Edited September 11, 2020 by Barking Spiders

[Hellzero]

Never heard of Alain Caron ?

Here's F-Bass website : http://www.fbass.com/

[Daz39]

The F Bass configurator is so much fun it's virtually explicit.

[Doddy]

Not yet, but, all being well, I should be picking up my F Bass BN5 from the factory next month. They finished making it last week.

[Mykesbass]

Played a secondhand one in Bass Gear a few years back - bland and boring, and not a patch on my Shuker which new had cost me about a third of the 2nd hand price of the F Bass. 

[Pukie]

11 hours ago, Mykesbass said:

Played a secondhand one in Bass Gear a few years back - bland and boring, and not a patch on my Shuker which new had cost me about a third of the 2nd hand price of the F Bass. 

Hmmm I tried one there too.... wanted to like it as I love the shape,  but ultimately,  it didn’t  seem all that special,  perhaps it was the same one, and just that one.

[tomthebass]

A friend has one, bought secondhand after clearly serving time on the front line as there is a big thumb crater above the front pickup and the back of the neck worn smooth as a peach! One of the most comfortable and open sounding expressive basses I've ever played. Looks not for me, otherwise I'd have nicked it already 😄

[Old Man Riva]

As a heads up there’s another example here at 2:50 (the whole clip is worth watching just to see/hear Jonathan Maron)...

 

[ordep]

I had two, a BN5 and a medium scale BN4. The BN4 is the only bass I regretted selling. Cant explain it, but for me they sound better in the mix as compared to playing on its own. 

Edited September 12, 2020 by ordep

[4000]

I’ve played 2 or 3, I think. Haven’t liked any of them, but one of them was - for me - one of the worst basses I’ve ever played and I’ve played a LOT of basses. There was nothing about it I liked; it reminded me of a spectacularly bad late 70s Jazz. But of course YMMV.

If I’m honest, there are very basses I get on with these days, but that was some time ago. 

[Merton]

The dude from Monster Truck uses them and have to say, when I saw them at the Guildford Boileroom  last year his bass tone was spot on

Edited September 12, 2020 by Merton
Spelling the bloody band name right would be helpful

[bubinga5]

1 hour ago, 4000 said:

I’ve played 2 or 3, I think. Haven’t liked any of them, but one of them was - for me - one of the worst basses I’ve ever played and I’ve played a LOT of basses. There was nothing about it I liked; it reminded me of a spectacularly bad late 70s Jazz. But of course YMMV.

If I’m honest, there are very basses I get on with these days, but that was some time ago. 

Wow your hard to please. I played a BN5 a year ago and it was pretty special. though I would be hard pressed to find nothing at alI i liked about a bass of this pedigree 

[Mykesbass]

3 hours ago, 4000 said:

I’ve played 2 or 3, I think. Haven’t liked any of them, but one of them was - for me - one of the worst basses I’ve ever played and I’ve played a LOT of basses. There was nothing about it I liked; it reminded me of a spectacularly bad late 70s Jazz. But of course YMMV.

If I’m honest, there are very basses I get on with these days, but that was some time ago. 

 

1 hour ago, bubinga5 said:

Wow your hard to please. I played a BN5 a year ago and it was pretty special. though I would be hard pressed to find nothing at alI i liked about a bass of this pedigree 

No, not quite as strong a reaction as @4000, but the one I tried I'd have been disappointed with at a tenth of the price. Bland, uninspiring, nothing that hinted at any pedigree.

[4000]

1 hour ago, bubinga5 said:

Wow your hard to please. I played a BN5 a year ago and it was pretty special. though I would be hard pressed to find nothing at alI i liked about a bass of this pedigree 

I wouldn’t say it’s anything to do with being hard to please. I just didn’t like them/it. Somebody else might have picked one up and thought it was spectacular.

Unfortunately, whilst you can clearly define whether or not something is well-made, everything else is simply a matter of taste. 

[Doddy]

I'm surprised at a lot of negativity towards F Bass. All I can say is that I spent a couple of hours with George and Marcel at the factory last year and was able to play a bunch of their instruments. I've got some nice basses, and I've played a lot more, but I can honestly say that they were the best instruments that I'd played. They were impeccably made, the feel and balance was spot on, and they are really versatile tonally. I wouldn't have paid that kind of money for an instrument that wasn't amazing, and there was no way that I wasn't going to order one. 

[4000]

59 minutes ago, Doddy said:

I'm surprised at a lot of negativity towards F Bass. All I can say is that I spent a couple of hours with George and Marcel at the factory last year and was able to play a bunch of their instruments. I've got some nice basses, and I've played a lot more, but I can honestly say that they were the best instruments that I'd played. They were impeccably made, the feel and balance was spot on, and they are really versatile tonally. I wouldn't have paid that kind of money for an instrument that wasn't amazing, and there was no way that I wasn't going to order one. 

Why are you surprised? As in my previous post, it’s completely a matter of taste. You might hate the basses that others like.

The thing that never ceases to surprise me is when people expect other people to like the same things they do. 

[Emanew]

F-Bass is a brand known all over the world. One of the best luthier work. G.Furnaletto is a Master and a avant-garde creator.

Alain Caron (as Hellzero previously 
named) chose F-Bass 35 years ago and show, with his outstanding talent, how splendid these instruments can be.

Masters (like Etienne M’Bappé, Janek Gwizdala, Michael League..) own and play a F-Bass

Big shops have often a F-Bass in their stocks.
For example BN5 or 6 can be easily compared to high end basses (Alembic, Fodera, Ken Smith etc...) and they are cheaper 😉 

99% of bass players would like to play on a F-Bass if they could afford one. If an F-Bass instrument doesn’t sound, it comes from a bad set up or dead strings. Not from the bass.

F-basses have a high value on second hand market, that is a sign too. 
 

When i grow up I will own a F-Bass 🙂 

[Mykesbass]

13 minutes ago, Emanew said:

F-Bass is a brand known all over the world. One of the best luthier work. G.Furnaletto is a Master and a avant-garde creator.

Alain Caron (as Hellzero previously 
named) chose F-Bass 35 years ago and show, with his outstanding talent, how splendid these instruments can be.

Masters (like Etienne M’Bappé, Janek Gwizdala, Michael League..) own and play a F-Bass

Big shops have often a F-Bass in their stocks.
For example BN5 or 6 can be easily compared to high end basses (Alembic, Fodera, Ken Smith etc...) and they are cheaper 😉 

99% of bass players would like to play on a F-Bass if they could afford one. If an F-Bass instrument doesn’t sound, it comes from a bad set up or dead strings. Not from the bass.

F-basses have a high value on second hand market, that is a sign too. 
 

When i grow up I will own a F-Bass 🙂 

The one I didn't like was in a highly respected bass specialist, well set up and nothing wrong with the strings. It was bland and boring. Why can't people accept that some of us have tried, and not liked a brand of which they are fans?

For the record, on the guitar front, I have never played a a real PRS that has felt good, whereas I have played a couple of great SE models. 

[Woodinblack]

27 minutes ago, Emanew said:

F-Bass is a brand known all over the world. One of the best luthier work. G.Furnaletto is a Master and a avant-garde creator.

Alain Caron (as Hellzero previously 
named) chose F-Bass 35 years ago and show, with his outstanding talent, how splendid these instruments can be.

So do think that that guy (whoever he is) would be worse playing something else?

 

27 minutes ago, Emanew said:

Big shops have often a F-Bass in their stocks.

I have actually never seen an F Bass in a shop. Like an actual shop that I have been to, even the big ones.

27 minutes ago, Emanew said:

99% of bass players would like to play on a F-Bass if they could afford one.

I could afford one, I had never even thought about it. They look nice, but I have never had a chance to try one and at that money it is very unlikely I would get one. if I had that money to spend on a bass I would be heading to the Ritter page!

9 minutes ago, Mykesbass said:

For the record, on the guitar front, I have never played a a real PRS that has felt good, whereas I have played a couple of great SE models. 

Oh one of the best guitars I have played was a PRS (513?), it was a lovely thing. I have also played less lovely ones. And I have an SE (which is great although always seemed muted on the top string).

[OliverBlackman]

Played a BN5 at either the bass gallery or bass gear - could have been ex Paul Turner. Love the looks, felt a bit big, and the tone was just not for me. 

[OliverBlackman]

If I had Scott Devine’s money though, I’d probably have one just for something different. 

[Barking Spiders]

2 hours ago, Emanew said:

F-Bass is a brand known all over the world. One of the best luthier work. G.Furnaletto is a Master and a avant-garde creator.

Alain Caron (as Hellzero previously 
named) chose F-Bass 35 years ago and show, with his outstanding talent, how splendid these instruments can be.

Masters (like Etienne M’Bappé, Janek Gwizdala, Michael League..) own and play a F-Bass

Big shops have often a F-Bass in their stocks.
For example BN5 or 6 can be easily compared to high end basses (Alembic, Fodera, Ken Smith etc...) and they are cheaper 😉 

99% of bass players would like to play on a F-Bass if they could afford one. If an F-Bass instrument doesn’t sound, it comes from a bad set up or dead strings. Not from the bass.

F-basses have a high value on second hand market, that is a sign too. 
 

When i grow up I will own a F-Bass 🙂 

I honestly hadn't come across one as stores I usually go to like Bass Direct, PMT Bristol and Richards Guitars in Stratford don't stock them. The 'masters' you name are fusion players, a genre I don't enjoy listening to while my fave players, nearly all from the funk  and 80s pop genres, don't play them

[Hellzero]

2 hours ago, Barking Spiders said:

I honestly hadn't come across one as stores I usually go to like Bass Direct, PMT Bristol and Richards Guitars in Stratford don't stock them. The 'masters' you name are fusion players, a genre I don't enjoy listening to while my fave players, nearly all from the funk  and 80s pop genres, don't play them

Then, it's not for you. Not that it's not good for funk, but it will need some preamp tweaking to get the sound you would want. But it won't be immediate and could sound bland to some, because these instruments are intended to be "transparent" with almost no sound signature but yours.

That said as @Woodinblack wrote it, Alain Caron sounded the same when he was playing a Leduc bass. The sound is in the fingers, not the instrument, but in this very case the craftsmanship level is very similar so maybe he would sound different on a P-Bass... But not that much in my opinion as he could make it sound the way he wants. Fingers again !

[bubinga5]

I just dont buy "the sound is in the fingers" thing. The style is in the fingers, not the sound/tone of a bass. Imo. 

Edited September 13, 2020 by bubinga5

[4000]

4 hours ago, OliverBlackman said:

Played a BN5 at either the bass gallery or bass gear - could have been ex Paul Turner. Love the looks, felt a bit big, and the tone was just not for me. 

The one I hated was being sold in the Gallery by Paul Turner IIRC. Think it was a 4 though, but could be wrong, can’t really remember. 

Edited September 13, 2020 by 4000