Spoombung Posted May 6, 2010 Share Posted May 6, 2010 I've always been curious about them. Anyone here played one/got one? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rumble Posted May 6, 2010 Share Posted May 6, 2010 Yep! What d'ya wanna know? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spoombung Posted May 6, 2010 Author Share Posted May 6, 2010 [quote name='Rumble' post='830073' date='May 6 2010, 09:40 PM']Yep! What d'ya wanna know?[/quote] Ooof! Surprise. What's the balance like (seated). I expect it's good because of the bottom curve of the bass. Tell me about it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OliverBlackman Posted May 6, 2010 Share Posted May 6, 2010 f bass: played on paul turners when it was at the gallery..... just wow! the tones, woods, feel and asthetics all fantastic! i really want one of the bn5 models. Dream bass for me no higher praise than tht! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spoombung Posted May 6, 2010 Author Share Posted May 6, 2010 Does anyone want to invite me around to try one out in sort of mini-bass bash pact? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spoombung Posted May 6, 2010 Author Share Posted May 6, 2010 (edited) This one on Talkbass makes me go all funny and weak at the knees: I've noticed that blue basses tend to give me GAS for some reason. Edited May 6, 2010 by Spoombung Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bubinga5 Posted May 6, 2010 Share Posted May 6, 2010 (edited) No...but its one bass i do really want to try...ive heard they are very versatile, but some say are a little polite..ive heard a few and i cant see it..real growl... i dont usually like blue basses but that is just!! this one does it for me...very expensive new but would like to get good used one.. WOW i wonder if George has sorted the thin finishes that wore quite quickly on previous basses.. Edited May 6, 2010 by bubinga5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spoombung Posted May 6, 2010 Author Share Posted May 6, 2010 [quote name='bubinga5' post='830130' date='May 6 2010, 10:30 PM']No...but its one bass i do really want to try...ive heard they are very versatile, but some say are a little polite..ive heard a few and i cant see it..real growl... i dont usually like blue basses but that is just!! this one does it for me...very expensive new but would like to get good used one.. WOW i wonder if George has sorted the thin finishes that wore quite quickly on previous basses..[/quote] I haven't seen many 4 strings (I wonder why?). I'd love to try the fretless model. sounds terrific on this clip: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rumble Posted May 7, 2010 Share Posted May 7, 2010 Can't go into loads of detail at the moment, given that I'm about to start work, but I'll be around later to give you a bit more of a low down. One thing I will say is - "polite", I don't think so! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spoombung Posted May 7, 2010 Author Share Posted May 7, 2010 [quote name='Rumble' post='830284' date='May 7 2010, 07:51 AM']Can't go into loads of detail at the moment, given that I'm about to start work, but I'll be around later to give you a bit more of a low down. One thing I will say is - "polite", I don't think so![/quote] I look forward to it... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rumble Posted May 7, 2010 Share Posted May 7, 2010 Right then, where to start.... The craftmanship is great. There's a real attention to detail and the quality of the woods is wonderful. Mine has a birdseye maple fingerboard, which like the bass, is a lovely piece of wood without being OTT and in your face. The hardware used is also top notch. The electronics are really versatile, but the overall shaping highlights a definite jazz influence / bias. I certainly haven't found a way to get it to sound like a MM, but it does jazz and P bass with very little effort. The only thing about the electronics that I occasionally wish was different is the inability to cut frequencies; you can only boost them. That said, the frequencies selected in the pre-amp are very appropriate. The only thing to mention about the overall tone is that, having just bought a Sandberg jazz, the F bass is definitely more transparent and not quite as full on. Sure, you can boost the bass, but there's something about it that just sounds a little more high end / complex. It may well be the way the mids are voiced, I don't know. You could certainly use a normal jazz for playing rock styles, but I'm not sure you'd get away with using the F bass for rock. In terms of playability, this is probably more subjective than tone. Balance on both the strap and in sitting is extremely good, probably thanks to the slightly extended top horn. The neck radius has a range of 10"-16" so I guess it can vary in feel from jazz to P bass. Whilst it's a 35" scale it certainly feels more like a 34" - my Sandberg is 35" and feels discernably longer. My F bass feels mid way between jazz and P, and being someone who prefers jazz, I can imagine that an F bass with a neck radius of 10" would be sublime! All-in-all, F basses are fantastic instruments. Think of it as a high end jazz-type bass. Anytime you're up in the W Mids feel free to drop me a line and, if I'm around, you can pop in for a coffee. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spoombung Posted May 7, 2010 Author Share Posted May 7, 2010 Thanks for the description - very interesting. I've never seen one in the UK - did you buy yours through a dealer? Also, I can't see many fbass 4 strings on the web - have they stopped making them? I'd love to pop in for a cuppa and a play but I'm not up in the Midlands that much (although I do have some friends in Coventry) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rumble Posted May 7, 2010 Share Posted May 7, 2010 Should you happen to visit any of your friends in Coventry, you might as well pop in given that I live in Cov too! I think I've only ever seen one 4 string F bass and I'm not sure if they're still making them. I actually got mine from another BC'er. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spoombung Posted May 7, 2010 Author Share Posted May 7, 2010 [quote name='Rumble' post='830993' date='May 7 2010, 08:13 PM']Should you happen to visit any of your friends in Coventry, you might as well pop in given that I live in Cov too! I think I've only ever seen one 4 string F bass and I'm not sure if they're still making them. I actually got mine from another BC'er.[/quote] I'll PM you if I make it up to Cov this year! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris2112 Posted May 9, 2010 Share Posted May 9, 2010 I've always thought they sounded fairly good, especially when Alain Caron was in UZEB. However, I much prefered the old style body shapes, and as a fretted bass their sound has never really blown me away. I'm also not a fan of the fact that they are known for having a fairly low output. Still, interesting basses. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gwilym Posted May 9, 2010 Share Posted May 9, 2010 [quote name='Spoombung' post='830973' date='May 7 2010, 07:51 PM']Thanks for the description - very interesting. I've never seen one in the UK - did you buy yours through a dealer? Also, I can't see many fbass 4 strings on the web - have they stopped making them? I'd love to pop in for a cuppa and a play but I'm not up in the Midlands that much (although I do have some friends in Coventry)[/quote] The Gallery sell them in Camden. That's where I bought mine about 18months ago. Just sold it to another forum member, and it's on the way to Greece as I type. They are really nice basses, and I don't have a bad word to say about them, so well worth trying out if you can. I think the pre-amp is very musical and versatile, I couldn't get a bad tone out of it. Playability was fantastic too. The BN5 fretless I tried at the Gallery was also a very awesome instrument. Main reason I sold mine to to help fund a nice fretless 5, and that could turn out to be an F, if I find one with fret inlays. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ashevans09 Posted May 9, 2010 Share Posted May 9, 2010 I've always liked the look of em - I remember seeing a purple one with a dark fretboard (can't remember wood) and it was one of the most lovely looking things I'd ever seen. Though I have heard about the thin finish. This been addressed yet? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bubinga5 Posted May 10, 2010 Share Posted May 10, 2010 [quote name='ashevans09' post='832714' date='May 10 2010, 12:20 AM']I've always liked the look of em - I remember seeing a purple one with a dark fretboard (can't remember wood) and it was one of the most lovely looking things I'd ever seen. Though I have heard about the thin finish. This been addressed yet?[/quote] Oh how i like that cat in your picture..bloody funny Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spoombung Posted May 10, 2010 Author Share Posted May 10, 2010 [quote name='Gwilym' post='832079' date='May 9 2010, 12:11 PM']The Gallery sell them in Camden. That's where I bought mine about 18months ago. Just sold it to another forum member, and it's on the way to Greece as I type. They are really nice basses, and I don't have a bad word to say about them, so well worth trying out if you can. I think the pre-amp is very musical and versatile, I couldn't get a bad tone out of it. Playability was fantastic too. The BN5 fretless I tried at the Gallery was also a very awesome instrument. Main reason I sold mine to to help fund a nice fretless 5, and that could turn out to be an F, if I find one with fret inlays.[/quote] The gallery website says they're "special order" so I suppose there's no opportunity to try one out in the shop anymore. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KERMITNT Posted May 10, 2010 Share Posted May 10, 2010 just got mine give me Gwilym is the man. This bass will not get any moisture any more in my sunny poor country The bass arrived today through my tc and markbass sounds better than any other bass i ve tried. The action is so low and the tension in the strings a bit of loose so if you touch it softly sings.. The best bass i played seated you dont need a strap.. 4 KILOS so well balanced that you dont feel it .. and Gwilym yes buy the Alain Caron model is the best fretless ever imo .... get a snapshot [attachment=49393:DSC_0705.JPG] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yybass Posted May 10, 2010 Share Posted May 10, 2010 (edited) Hi F Bass AC5 on the way from F Bass pictures to be published [attachment=57367:IMG_0977.JPG] As promised.... Edited August 24, 2010 by yybass Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yybass Posted August 24, 2010 Share Posted August 24, 2010 [quote name='yybass' post='833356' date='May 10 2010, 06:10 PM']Hi F Bass AC5 on the way from F Bass pictures to be published [attachment=57367:IMG_0977.JPG] As promised....[/quote] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yybass Posted August 24, 2010 Share Posted August 24, 2010 These have a lot of tones to dial in to. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
birdy Posted August 24, 2010 Share Posted August 24, 2010 I had one for a while. Great playability, very versatile but didn't sit well in the mix of the band that I was in so I sold it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FretSpot Posted August 27, 2010 Share Posted August 27, 2010 Wow - those are gorgeous! I have a mint AC5 coming to me any day now - I can't wait to spend some time with it! Donovan [email protected] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.