Gruuve Posted January 6, 2007 Share Posted January 6, 2007 I just snagged a Carvin 5-string Bunny Brunel fretless w/piezo bridge off Evil Bay...somebody stop me! Gasity gas gas...here's a pic: http://www.ipass.net/davesisk/music/pics/CarvinFretless5_BunnyBrunel.JPG I've been looking for a brighter, growlier, gnarlier fretless for a while...this ought to do the trick, I *think*. I should have it within about a week. My trusty but now forsaken Dean Edge 5 fretless will be for sale shortly... Dave Old bass players never die, they just buy lighter rigs. - Tom Capasso, 11/9/2006 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Basshappi Posted January 6, 2007 Share Posted January 6, 2007 Great Bass, Congrats! Nothing is as it seems but everything is exactly what it is - B. Banzai Life is what happens while you are busy playing in bands. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gruuve Posted January 6, 2007 Author Share Posted January 6, 2007 Yeah, can't wait to get my hands on it. My Dean Edge 5 fretless is now for sale on Ebay for what I *think* is a fair price (we'll see!) Dave\'s Dean Edge Fretless 5 on Ebay [edited by Tom to reduce size of link] Dave Old bass players never die, they just buy lighter rigs. - Tom Capasso, 11/9/2006 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lug Posted January 6, 2007 Share Posted January 6, 2007 I have the fretted version: http://users3.ev1.net/~woodd/bunny1.jpg Sounds like: http://users3.ev1.net/~woodd/huntforexposure.mp3 (with appologies to Tony Levin) You are going to LOVE the neck profile on this bad boy! You can stop now -jeremyc STOP QUOTING EVERY THING I SAY!!! -Bass_god_offspring lug, you should add that statement to you signature.-Tenstrum I'm not sure any argument can top lug's. - Sweet Willie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sduross Posted January 6, 2007 Share Posted January 6, 2007 You don't know what you got, 'til it's gone indeed. Dude - I was looking at that same bass! Even asked the guy a couple questions, but I was waiting to see someone else bid before I jumped in. I snooze, I lose I guess. Can't say I'm not a bit jealous. Congrats on a real sharp Carvin! I've got an all-koa Carvin fretted 5 and love it. Post some more pics when you get it - can't believe that was the only pic the guy had. A bass like that should be photographed like a Victoria's Secret model! "If you seek to understand the entire universe, you will understand nothing. If you seek to understand only yourself, you will understand the entire universe." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sduross Posted January 6, 2007 Share Posted January 6, 2007 BTW Lug, what kinda bridge you got on your Carvin BB there? It's not stock, is it? Looks like you didn't have the piezo saddles (only 5 knobs), but you didn't like the Carvin bridge? "If you seek to understand the entire universe, you will understand nothing. If you seek to understand only yourself, you will understand the entire universe." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gruuve Posted January 6, 2007 Author Share Posted January 6, 2007 Hey Lug...yeah I was thinking that you had a Carvin fretted 5-string...didn't recall that it was the BB5 though. This guy has a wide and asymetrical neck, right? I do indeed love that neck profile on my Tobias Killer B-5. Based on the limited clips I've heard of the piezo bridge, I'm thinking that will also add a lot of brightness to it's signal. Even more versatility...I just couldn't pass this up. I'm hoping this guy will entice me to spend much more time playing fretless... Sorry sduross! I had a conversation with the seller where I asked if he'd add a BIN price and for how much. Finally got him to agree and immediately snagged the bass. I figure you don't know if you don't ask, so I generally ask...half the time, you get what you want merely by asking a couple times. Keep that in mind for future Ebay dealings. If I don't like it for some reason (which I seriously doubt), I'll let you know and sell it to you for what I paid for it. Fair enough? Dave Old bass players never die, they just buy lighter rigs. - Tom Capasso, 11/9/2006 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sduross Posted January 6, 2007 Share Posted January 6, 2007 Hey Dave - you're on! But I'm not gonna hold my breath though. You got a deal - I imagine the bidding would have gone higher. The Carvins, especially the koa ones, seem to have pretty good resale value. It actually gets me thinking sometimes about selling my all-koa Carvin 5 to get a new Carvin (and just go a bit less expensive on the finish). "If you seek to understand the entire universe, you will understand nothing. If you seek to understand only yourself, you will understand the entire universe." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jlrush Posted January 6, 2007 Share Posted January 6, 2007 Nice fish Dave, congrats! I've eyeballed the Carvins for awhile too, wondering how they sound. Thanks for the clip Lug. Visit my band's new web site. www.themojoroots.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brocko777 Posted January 6, 2007 Share Posted January 6, 2007 Your really going to like it. I've got the BB76 fretless with the hipshot bridge (got it early last year) and mine plays just like you described. I always read reviews of carvin gear and finally grabbed this bass. Wish I had done it ALOT sooner. I just got their BR12 combo amp ClickityClack from "My Santa" and am getting a little review together. For a little 120 watt amp its pretty impressive. Dave do you got the E-bay link or could you PM the price ya got the fish for? Thanks, Brocko Don't have a job you don't enjoy. If you're happy in what you're doing, you'll like yourself, you'll have inner peace. ~ Johnny Carson Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lug Posted January 7, 2007 Share Posted January 7, 2007 Originally posted by sduross: BTW Lug, what kinda bridge you got on your Carvin BB there? It's not stock, is it? Looks like you didn't have the piezo saddles (only 5 knobs), but you didn't like the Carvin bridge? It's stock as far as I know (bought used). Here's a better pic of it. http://users3.ev1.net/~woodd/bunny.jpg You can stop now -jeremyc STOP QUOTING EVERY THING I SAY!!! -Bass_god_offspring lug, you should add that statement to you signature.-Tenstrum I'm not sure any argument can top lug's. - Sweet Willie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LizzyD Posted January 7, 2007 Share Posted January 7, 2007 Originally posted by lug: Originally posted by sduross: BTW Lug, what kinda bridge you got on your Carvin BB there? It's not stock, is it? Looks like you didn't have the piezo saddles (only 5 knobs), but you didn't like the Carvin bridge? It's stock as far as I know (bought used). Here's a better pic of it. Yep, that's the stock HipShot bridge Carvin has used for the past several years. They just recently switched to the Hipshot A-style bridge. Dave, that BB looks real nice! Good score. My site | Facebook Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gruuve Posted January 12, 2007 Author Share Posted January 12, 2007 Double-sweet! #1: Got the BB5 today. Man, there isn't a scratch on it anywhere. Only had about 15 minutes to play, but it plays very nice, feels comfortable...the neck feels just a tad chunky, but not at all uncomfortable. I got a few good tones out of it...don't know for sure yet if what I'm looking for tone-wise is in it, but I'd suspect it's pretty close. The mid EQ knob doesn't have as much effect as I'd like, but the low and high EQ's are very effective (the highs are a little hissy if turned up). The piezo has the sound that I mostly expected, although not quite as bright as I would have thought...perhaps new strings will change that though. There's a 3-band EQ (switch to flip the center frequency on the mid control), master volume (pull for passive), blend knob for pickups, and blend knob for the piezo. Passive mode is a little dark and mellow, but not quite as dark and mellow as the Dean fretless. I was a bit surprised that the piezo output still works in passive mode (actually, even without batteries in). Bridge only seems to have some nice growl, blending in some neck pickup seems to darken it quite a bit, while adding in some piezo seems to add some very low lows and more highs. Still got plenty of experimenting to do...I'll know best if it has what I'm looking for after I've recorded with it a time or two. #2: The Dean Edge fretless just sold on Ebay for my BIN price. Cool beans. The buyer has 0 feedback which would normally be a concern in terms of actually expecting to get paid...but the buyer sent me a request for an invoice, so that's a good indication that some cash will be showing up in my PayPal account shortly. I'd definitely call this a good day at the moment... Old bass players never die, they just buy lighter rigs. - Tom Capasso, 11/9/2006 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dcr Posted January 12, 2007 Share Posted January 12, 2007 Nice score, Dave! Can't wait to see pictures. Great...now my "Carvin jones" is back on. (Lug's sound clip had something to do with that, too.) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bottomgottem Posted January 12, 2007 Share Posted January 12, 2007 That looks nice, Dave. My whole trick is to keep the tune well out in front. If I play Tchaikovsky, I play his melodies and skip his spiritual struggle. ~Liberace Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LizzyD Posted January 12, 2007 Share Posted January 12, 2007 Originally posted by Dave Sisk: There's a 3-band EQ (switch to flip the center frequency on the mid control)Assuming that's the stock Carvin P-Series preamp, that toggle switch is a coil splitter for the humbucker. I had a Carvin P Series once, I honestly didn't find much use for the piezo. It was a fretted bass though, I think it would be much cooler with a fretless. My site | Facebook Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gruuve Posted January 12, 2007 Author Share Posted January 12, 2007 Oh! I'll bet your right about the switch being a coil-splitting. Let me check the guide that came with the bass, I probably made an invalid assumption. RTFM eh? The piezo signal isn't quite as pronounced as I would have expected...it's quite subtle. But as you've said, that may be enough with a fretless. Regardless, we'll see over the next couple months. Dave Old bass players never die, they just buy lighter rigs. - Tom Capasso, 11/9/2006 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gruuve Posted February 1, 2007 Author Share Posted February 1, 2007 Hey y'all...so I've played this guy a few times, and used it in church last Sunday. It's a nice sounding, playing, and looking bass. It's lightweight (definitely compared to my Tobias Killer-B) and it's perfectly balanced. That said, it's tone is a little darker than my current tastes, even with the piezo bridge in the mix. Seems like the brightest tone I can get without touching the EQ is with the piezo panned off, and the mag pickups fully panned to the bridge. That's the brightest, growliest, mid-punchiest tone. It still isn't bright enough though...however, I probably need to try to new strings on it before I make any final judgement. It is definitely considerably more versatile than the passive Dean Edge fretless that it replaced, so I ain't exactly complaining. It still leaves me wanting more growly bite though. Surprisingly, the body feels a little awkward to me. There's little or no slope cut into the top of the body where you rest your forearm/wrist. Not a huge deal or anything...I gues it just feels a little awkward because I primarily use the Tobias Killer-B nowadays, which has a physically smaller body with lots of attention to ergonomics (like the sloped upper body, the asymetrical neck profile, etc.) Anyway, I really need to get some new strings on this guy before making any concrete judgement. I'm thinking the micro-coated Elixir's might be a really good roundwound choice for a fretless. Dave Old bass players never die, they just buy lighter rigs. - Tom Capasso, 11/9/2006 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brocko777 Posted February 1, 2007 Share Posted February 1, 2007 Did you tweak the active preamp pots through the back? The seller might have adjusted them and I noticed that mine was similar in lacking a little on the brightness factor. (My middle knob on the layout array is the high end boost, a little tough to get used to grabbing the middle knob for the highs or the top (highest) for the bass boost.) Carvin says that they adjust their preamp boost so there is no huge noticeable level jump between active and passive. Give the floatin' thumb tech. a try (lifting your elbow up (or forward) so you don't put that pressure from your forearm 'into' the bass. That body does have a little boxy feel to it. Peace n PaintBrocko Don't have a job you don't enjoy. If you're happy in what you're doing, you'll like yourself, you'll have inner peace. ~ Johnny Carson Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Seamy ALB Posted February 1, 2007 Share Posted February 1, 2007 Nice bass Dave. My new Ibanez came with those Elixir strings and boy do they zing, they feel good as well. http://www.facebook.com/pages/A-Little-Bitter/185235472447 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gruuve Posted February 2, 2007 Author Share Posted February 2, 2007 Hey Brocko...actually, no I haven't torn into the guts yet, but I know I need to do so. The active output is a much higher level than the passive output, and I am indeed expecting to find a trim pot under the cavity cover. Seamy, yeah Elixir's do indeed have some zing, and they keep it for a long time, which is good considering the cost (quite expensive strings). They feel very slick (which I like in some ways and dislike in others)...my only annoyance with the Elixir's is that the coating will fray. At spots where you play a lot, you'll have all this "polymer fuzz". That said, they still continue to sound new even after they start to fray. I had a hard time choosing between DR Hi-Beams and Elixir's on my Tobias Killer B. Dave Old bass players never die, they just buy lighter rigs. - Tom Capasso, 11/9/2006 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rocky McDougall Posted February 2, 2007 Share Posted February 2, 2007 Hey Dave, I wanted to send you a private message but I don't see anyway to do it with this new forum. Do you know how? Never mind, I just found out how to do it. Rocky "Democracy is two wolves and a lamb, voting on what to eat for lunch. Liberty is a well-armed lamb, contesting the vote." Benjamin Franklin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gruuve Posted February 4, 2007 Author Share Posted February 4, 2007 Hey Rock...I haven't seen a PM from you...? I'm still trying to figure out how to get the email notifications from replies... Dave Old bass players never die, they just buy lighter rigs. - Tom Capasso, 11/9/2006 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gruuve Posted February 5, 2007 Author Share Posted February 5, 2007 OK...I've put some new Rotosound RS66 roundwounds on this guy...known for strong highs and mids, and good growl. I've lowered the action quite a bit as well, and will probably go a bit lower. If I cut the bass a bit and boost the highs to the max, I mostly get the sound I'm after. Boosting the highs all the way does add a little noise though. I like the passive sound on this guy...going passive drops some of the really deep lows that the preamp seems to add, but it also drops the highs, so that doesn't quite get me there. Hmmm...more experimentation to do... Dave Old bass players never die, they just buy lighter rigs. - Tom Capasso, 11/9/2006 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brocko777 Posted February 5, 2007 Share Posted February 5, 2007 I know you are doing this but I will add; you are rolling the pick-up blend knob over to the bridge pup as well, right? Don't have a job you don't enjoy. If you're happy in what you're doing, you'll like yourself, you'll have inner peace. ~ Johnny Carson Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gruuve Posted February 5, 2007 Author Share Posted February 5, 2007 Oh yeah, definitely favoring the bridge pup. Also, the bridge coil-split switch in split mode. I actually expected the piezo bridge to really brighten it as well, but it seems to add more thump than it does zing, so about the brightest tone I seem to be able to coax out is bridge pup, no piezo, lows slightly cut, mids flat, highs boosted a bit, and coil-split switch to the right. So, I seem to be able to get about 90% of what I'm after...but I'd rather that be the default tone, if that makes sense. It's easy to make a bright bass sound thumpy...more difficuly to make a thumpy bass sound bright. Also, it seems like the attack isn't quite as strong if you have to EQ the brightness in... Dave Old bass players never die, they just buy lighter rigs. - Tom Capasso, 11/9/2006 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gruuve Posted February 5, 2007 Author Share Posted February 5, 2007 OK, now I'm cookin' with gas! I've lowered the action a couple of times, but I guess I didn't realize how high it actually was until I got some higher tension (ie. lower elasticity) strings one it. I've tightened the truss rod to about only a 1/16" of bow from nut to end of fingerboard, and I've lowered the strings at the bridge as low as I can get them without completely killing the sustain and getting nasty false harmonics. Now this guy is bright! About as bright and snarly as a fretted bass with those brand new really bright and abrasive strings on it. Oh yeah...this might do the trick after all. Playing it unplugged sounds horrible...but plug it in and snarls and twangs and growls and snaps real nice. I'll try to record short clip or something and post it. The sound I'm going after probably isn't something most of you will like...but it's what I hear in my head (along with all those little voices that keep telling me to buy basses and other gear!). One thing I should probably think about though...those Rotosound strings are really abrasive. With the action this low, I'd expect those to put quite a bit of wear on the ebony fingerboard. I might have to reconsider my original plan of putting Elixirs on there...they still sound like rounds (probably not as growly and twangy as the Rotosounds), but the coating ought to go a long way toward preserving the fingerboard...Elixirs feel very slick. Thoughts on this? Dave Old bass players never die, they just buy lighter rigs. - Tom Capasso, 11/9/2006 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jeremy c Posted February 5, 2007 Share Posted February 5, 2007 Rotosound strings might be the most abrasive strings on the market. If you like bright roundwounds on this bass, I would recommend going with a different brand of stainless steel roundwounds. I'm a big fan of DR highbeams, I've got them on four of my basses. Free download of my cd!. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gruuve Posted February 6, 2007 Author Share Posted February 6, 2007 JC...that's worth considering too. I've got DR Fat Beams on my Tobias and really like them. I'm thinking the Elixir's sounded almost the same on the Tobias though, and they are even more slick/less abrasive than the DR's...I *think*... I'm not sure how frequently I'll use the fretless versus the fretted basses. However, getting it to where I really like it's sound will presumably result in my using it much more frequently. So, since I've already bought the Rotosound's, it probably makes sense to just guage the wear on the fingerboard until the strings are dead, then decide if something less abrasive is in order. Actually, it probably makes more sense to guage the wear before the strings are dead, doesn't it. :-P Dave Old bass players never die, they just buy lighter rigs. - Tom Capasso, 11/9/2006 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gruuve Posted February 6, 2007 Author Share Posted February 6, 2007 OK, here's a clip that I recorded onto a Digitech GNX4 that I'm tinkering with. I had to do some limiting and normalizing on the clip since I had the level set way too low when recording, but it's still pretty accurate. No effects, nothing but the bass itself (I couldn't figure out how to get the drum loop off the GNX4...duh). This is the bass line I hear in my head for one of the church songs..here it is, clams and all: http://www.ipass.net/davesisk/music/bassriffs/CarvinBB5_FretlessSample.mp3 That's what it sounds like with bright rounds and the action ludicrously low. This is really twangy since the strings are brand new...I'd expect the twang to subside a bit and reveal more mids in after a few days of playing it... This is getting closer to what I want (minus a little of the high twang), but still not quite there. Needs a little more mwah than I'm getting...not sure if that's the bass, the strings, or my hands that are at fault though. :-P OR...I think I have a set of slightly used Elixir's lying around that I took off the Tobias...I may slap those on tommorrow and record a 2nd clip for comparison purposes. AND...this is such a drastic difference in tone, I'm wishing I had recorded a short clip before I took the old strings off, and/or after the new strings but before making the action ludicrously low. Enjoy! Dave Old bass players never die, they just buy lighter rigs. - Tom Capasso, 11/9/2006 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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