New bass on the horizon: another Nordstrand thread!

[JulieCat]

Originally posted by Tom Capasso:

Julie - thanks for the idea. I hope Jeremy doesn't feel abandoned....

Look at me, I'm a trend setter.

 

Jeremy will be fine, I think. After practically pleading with everyone to stop with the sig thing, I suspect this might be good for him. If he doesn't know by now that we think he's the cat's meow (heh!), he never will.

 

Anyway. Back to Sweets and his jig o' glee for the Fish o' Luv...

[rumpelstiltskin.]

Originally posted by getz76:

Wow, I never saw this coming. I thought you were all talk!

no, that's my job.

 

speaking of, i think i'm going to score a cirrus 4 through work, if that's at all possible.

 

robb.

[Tom Capasso]

Robb,

 

If it's not possible for you to get one through work, none of us can Beautiful basses - hope it comes through!!

 

Willie, while you are on a coffee break (oops - wrong thread?), perhaps you could explain the use of "banjo frets". Some basses use "jumbo", which support lots of fret wear (and filing down), but can be less precise with the intonation since the actual "point of contact" is so broad. I have "medium" frets on my Kinal. I know Leland Sklar was a proponent of "mandolin" frets, which are smaller again. What can you tell us about "banjo" frets?

 

Inquiring minds (who should be working) want to know.

 

Tom

[_Sweet Willie_]

Originally posted by Tom Capasso:

Willie, while you are on a coffee break (oops - wrong thread?), perhaps you could explain the use of "banjo frets". ... What can you tell us about "banjo" frets?

OK, Tom, "banjo frets" are both thinner and lower than "medium" or "jumbo" or many other fretsizes. They are larger than the tiny "mandolin" frets that Lee Sklar favors. Thinner frets allow for more precise intonation. Lower frets make it a bit easier to fly around the fingerboard (blazing basser that I am! ).

 

They will wear more quickly, but since I'm a hobbyist and not a pro, I won't be wearing down my frets at an ungodly rate. Also, there may be some sacrifice in terms of slap tone -- some people believe that you get some nice snap from higher frets. However, since I'm not a raging slap machine, these will be just fine for my playing.

 

Lastly, the Nordstrand I played at Blueberry Hill Bass had banjo frets. They felt wonderful! (And sounded just dandy slapped as well!)

 

Also, Tom, you're not the sole instigator of the 34.5" scale idea. My friend, Dan, has his two customs at 34.5" scale, and I like the feel of F Basses -- which also are on 34.5" scale. Carey is also a big supporter of 34.5" scale for 5-strings w/ a low B.

 

Adrian, thanks for your encouragement regarding the neck shape. I'm excited about this sort of C/V hybrid. I think overall, between the radius, the neck shape, and the banjo frets, it will be a supremely comfortable neck to play.

 

Also, I visited your website to see more pics of your new baby. It really looks wonderful. I know you sometimes put up soundclips on your site. I'd love to hear you play a little somethin' somethin' on that new Nordstrand. Whaddya say?

 

Alright, y'all, break's over!

 

Peace.

--Dub $$

[Tom Capasso]

I'm torn about your request to Adrian. I'd love to hear his new baby. But those Benevente samples so impressed me....

 

Tom

[...]

Ah, I see you've finally let the proverbial cat outta the bag.

 

This fish is gonna be a bad ass. Now go dissertate, you slacker.

[_Sweet Willie_]

Hmmm...the "Bad Ass Fish o' Luv"...has a nice ring to it...

 

[_Sweet Willie_]

UPDATE:

I have about 1 1/2 chapters left to write. It's plenty to keep me busy for the rest of the summer, but doable.

 

I think my bass will be in Carey's next batch -- if not, it's the one after that.

 

SUGGESTIONS WANTED:

In light of Ace and wraub's recent 2-band vs. 3-band on-board preamp thread and a little bit of e-mail traffic w/ Carey, I am considering going w/ a 2-band preamp instead of a 3-band in the Fish o' Luv. Don't get me wrong, though, I still like the idea of having an Aguilar OBP-3 loaded in this bass -- and that's my choice fo' sho' if I stick w/ a 3-band.

 

I would like to get some suggestions from my fellow forumites about 2-band on-board preamps that they like. Off the top of my head, I've come up w/ a few, and would appreciate your comments about those as well as others:

 

Sadowsky

Alleva-Coppolo

Aguilar OBP-1

Bartolini NTBT

 

I've played the OBP-1 in both Euro Spector and Modulus Flea basses. It was fab.

 

I spoke w/ Jimmy Coppolo on the phone today, and he thought his preamp was better suited for ash-bodied, maple-boarded basses than alder-bodied, rosewood-boarded ones. However, he didn't dissuade me from considering it.

 

I have a Bart 3-band in my Carvin 4-string (alder w/ maple neck, ebony 'board). It's lovely. The treble might be a touch too sizzly for my tastes.

 

Soooo, I'm particularly interested to hear from those of you w/ active 2-band preamps in alder-rosewood basses, but would still like any and all comments.

 

Lastly, I don't know if there are any restrictions on what Carey can get to install. But, let's work under the assumption that he can do anything. I will, of course, also be speaking with him in detail about this.

 

Peace.

--SW

[getz out]

Well, another option is two 2-band preamps.

 

My Warwick Streamer Pro-M has two bass and two treble controls and only 1 pickup!

 

It's a Musicman style humbucker with two coils. One preamp for each coil. It's SURPRISINGLY versatile. Hmm... 7 knobs?

[...]

Go with a 3-band onboard EQ with an adjustable mid-range. Be one of us. 2-band is for wimps and sucks. You know you want a 3-band. Don't give in to temptation to go the weaker path. Stay the course. Buy a war bond. Support a charity of your choice. 3-band 3-band 3-band...

[tnb]

My beloved Sadowsky is a two band and it kicks booty. The few knobs, the better. The next electric I get ( ) probably won't even have a volume knob.

[Wonderdog]

I can't believe no one else in the forum has stepped up and volunteered to make a sacrifice to help you achieve your academic goal.

 

Willie - in order to help you stay focused and concentrated on your thesis and it's defense, I will sacrifice some space in my home for the safe and climate controlled storage of that fine new 5-string (my favorite) until such time as your scholastic endeavors are complete. This way you will never give in to the temptation of picking it up instead of working on your paper. I promise to keep it safe and to play it often so as to keep it from... ummmm... dry rotting and such.

 

Take your time. Be thorough in your thesis. 1 year, 2, 3, whatever it takes. I can send you pics of it frequently for inspiration. Pics from home, from gigs, from practice, the studio, etc., so you can visualize your reward.

 

When the time comes I will return it to you in pristine... uhhh... in excellent or even very good condition - as I'm sure you would want your bass to age in a natural fashion so it doesn't look out of place when you take possession.

 

I will do this for no charge.

 

PM me for the shipping address. To all you others - I'm ashamed at your lack of dedication to your friend.

 

Wonderdog

[saxofunk]

Wow! That's a noble offer.

[_Sweet Willie_]

OK, I'm feeling' the heavy-duty luv. Wonderdog, you are indeed a bassist among bassists -- a friend among friends. Your graciousness is sincerely appreciated. That said, I will not be shipping my bass to you for "safekeeping".

 

You will also note, that my "broker", JPJ (of Blueberry Hill Bass), offered to maintain custody of what will be a fine instrument until such time as I am able to take possession without any pangs of academic guilt. It is interesting that both of you were ever so encouraging about me shooting for the highest degree of academic quality in my dissertation -- no matter how long it takes!

 

The best advice I've gotten so far is from my friend, the philosopher king, dcr: the best dissertation is a done dissertation.

 

Maury and B-Naz: thanks for nuthin' you useless bums!

 

tnb: It's all luv, mang. I might PM you sometime to get some more details about your Sadowsky preamp.

 

Further 2-band suggestions, reviews, or comments?

 

Peace.

--SW

[JPJ]

Hey Wills,

I was going to shoot you an update e-mail this weekend, but there's not time like the present, right? Just wanted to let you know that things are coming along nicely on the current batch and that we're probably going to be right on schedule, if not slightly ahead, of the timeline we had origianlly talked about. I've really been impressed with Carey's pace and progress lately...having an extra set of hands in the shop seems to be making all the difference in the world. I may even be able to squeeze an extra bass or two out of the ole boy by the end of the year!

 

Nevertheless, we're rapidly approaching the end of the current batch and the start of the next one...and that's when the fun will REALLY start! You'll be checking Carey's site for updates every hour, on the hour...I promise!

[alexclaber]

Originally posted by Bumpcity:

Go with a 3-band onboard EQ with an adjustable mid-range. Be one of us. 2-band is for wimps and sucks. You know you want a 3-band. Don't give in to temptation to go the weaker path. Stay the course. Buy a war bond. Support a charity of your choice. 3-band 3-band 3-band...

I echo that eloquent sentiment.

 

Alex

[_Sweet Willie_]

Thanks for the input, C-Phunk. I realize that you've been quite happy w/ an OBP-3.

 

I will probably stick w/ a lovely OBP-3 w/ mirange freq select, but I'm still going to talk to Carey later this week about 2-band options. Can't hurt.

 

In the end, it may be that the appeal for electronic simplicity is really taken care of w/ the active preamp bypass and passive tone control, but then I'd still be able to satisfy my lust for lots of control on the instrument by poppin' the active pre back on and twiddling knobs to my heart's content.

 

Thanks for the comments so far. I'm still open to other suggestions on 2-band preamps or comments about 2- vs. 3-band.

 

Peace.

--s-dub

[JPJ]

Willie,

For 5-strings, I usually recommend 3-bands, and I think that you'll find that many builders make the same recommendation. When dealing with a 5-string it's really nice to be able to have good control over the midrange frequencies and/or a specific are of the midrange that you can target for cutting or boosting. This extra control that a 3-band gives you over a 2-band can really help you cut through and adjust to different rooms, venues, etc. Just my thoughts on this subject...

[wraub]

I'm siding with the three-band camp. Better definition, clarity, and quality of sound, plus additional options as needed.

 

But then, I think all stereos should have a mids control too, and stereo speakers should be three-ways.

And I have always kept my turntable(s).

Don't own a microwave oven either.

I may have wandered off topic...

 

Did I say, "get the three way eq" yet?

 

Peace,

 

wraub

[dcr]

Originally posted by JPJ:

When dealing with a 5-string it's really nice to be able to have good control over the midrange frequencies and/or a specific are of the midrange that you can target for cutting or boosting.

FWIW, I could not agree more!! I've got mid-freq control on my 5, and I do not think I could ever do without one, now that I've had one.

[BenHack]

Hey guys

 

I've got a 24 fret Sadowsky 5 string (awesome bass ). I thought I'd miss having a 3 band eq because I have one on my fretless (basslines Steve Bailey). But I've found that just by using the pickup blend that I get enough control out of the mids (way more than any other bass I've played I might add).

 

If there was anything about the Sadowsky pre that I would possibly change it would be to make it cut and boost. Sometimes I just want to take out some of the treble end (leave that bottom where it is thanks ). I hope that helps ya Sweet - now isn't there something you should be doing????

[jeremy c]

Devil's Advocate here.

 

Do you like the sound of the bass?

 

Then how about NO EQ at all!

 

Eq with your fingers.

 

See you in July, Willie.

[...]

Originally posted by jeremyc:

Devil's Advocate here.

 

Do you like the sound of the bass?

 

Then how about NO EQ at all!

 

Eq with your fingers.

 

See you in July, Willie.

Pow. Now that you mention it, I rarely use the EQ on my two active Lull basses; they're usually completely flat and stay that way all night.

 

Having the flexibility of a 3-band is rather nice though when I do need to tweak a bit here or there. (one of us one of us one of us... )

[getz out]

I have a three-band in my Thumb 5.

 

The midrange is rarely touched. I tend to cut the treble here and there, depending on song and string-newness. Occasionally, the bass gets a bit of a boost if I'm using a backline without oomph.

 

Don't forget, another way to boost the midrange is to cut the bass and the treble.

[tnb]

Jeremy said:

See you in July, Willie.

Where are you guys hookin' up? Can I go?

[_Sweet Willie_]

Originally posted by jeremyc:

Then how about NO EQ at all!

 

Eq with your fingers.

The thought has crossed my mind!

 

I could pull an AJ and go w/ out any control knobs at all!

 

Originally posted by jeremyc:

See you in July, Willie.

Yes, indeed!

 

Peace.

--SW

[BenHack]

Hey, check it out. My computer loves this place so much its decided to start sending my posts again

 

Oh well I guess computers know when they're onto a good thing

[alexclaber]

Originally posted by wraub:

But then, I think all stereos should have a mids control too

Blasphemy! EQ controls on stereos? No, no, no...

 

Originally posted by wraub:

and stereo speakers should be three-ways.

I'd rather have a good 2-way than an average 3-way. I don't think it really matters, as long as the drivers, cab and crossover are all well matched, but there's more potential for design screw-ups with 3-ways.

 

Originally posted by getz76:

Don't forget, another way to boost the midrange is to cut the bass and the treble.

But it's such a broad boost (low Q) that it has nowhere near the cutting potential of a well voiced high Q boost. And on the OBP-1 and Sadowsky you can't cut the bass or treble.

 

Originally posted by Bumpcity:

Pow. Now that you mention it, I rarely use the EQ on my two active Lull basses; they're usually completely flat and stay that way all night.

I've actually found my default EQ when playing with keys or guitar is flat but with just a bit of bass boost. Since moving from a (rather poor - old MEC) 2-band preamp to a (really nice) 3-band preamp I've been amazed by how much more I use the EQ.

 

Originally posted by Bumpcity:

Having the flexibility of a 3-band is rather nice though when I do need to tweak a bit here or there. (one of us one of us one of us... )

You will be assimiliated.

 

Alex

[wraub]

Originally posted by C.Alexander Claber:

Originally posted by wraub:

But then, I think all stereos should have a mids control too

Blasphemy! EQ controls on stereos? No, no, no...

Not even the first time this week I've been called a blasphemer, and it's only Wednesday. They put the treble and bass knobs there, right? Why no mids? It's not an expensive addition.

I would rather have 3 accurately spaced and controlled freq ranges than 2 that generally overlap, especially if the decision for same is financial. Sure, there are much better ways to reproduce music, but for the average home listener/stereo buyer, it's probably going to be the "5.1 in a box" variety, six crappy speakers and an underbuilt receiver to select from with the included remote. More options mean more possibilities to make those speakers not suck. It's better, generally, to have more control over the available freq ranges, no? Hence, also, my vote for the three way EQ on da bass.

 

Originally posted by wraub:

and stereo speakers should be three-ways.

I'd rather have a good 2-way than an average 3-way. I don't think it really matters, as long as the drivers, cab and crossover are all well matched, but there's more potential for design screw-ups with 3-ways.

Alex

 

Again, I agree, but that potential is reduced by proper design and parts selection.

Sure, I'd prefer a good two way box to an average three way, but better still IMO is the good three way design. I prefer good three way boxes, for home audio, because they more accurately display the audio I hear. At least, I perceive that they do. And that's the important thing in my living room.

 

I still don't have a microwave oven.

 

Peace,

 

wraub

[Pernax]

3-band! 3-band! 3-band!

 

I've never really gotten familiar with a passive tone knob, I had one on my first bass (Yamaha P-copy) but didn't find it that useful. However, I got my new none-more-plain custom 4-string P/J (EMGs, alder body, one piece maple neck, knobs in a straight line) today and it has a passive tone knob which can indeed make a difference. I still prefer a good active 3-band preamp over the passive tone, but one could come useful if the active electronics crap out during a gig. Chances of that happening are quite low, so I don't think a (passive) backup plan is needed for me - but it's your bass and sometimes more knobs and switches can be better ...

 

-P