Author Topic: Unreal Superlative Old School Bass TONE Discovered!!!  (Read 12702 times)

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Offline PB Blaster

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Re: Unreal Superlative Old School Bass TONE Discovered!!!
« Reply #14 on: October 12, 2012, 10:21:10 pm »
I don't mind ;-{), it's all good. I'm pretty interested in the pre-amp tube discussion/theories, and anything else involving tone quests, even if involves gear made after 1970, ;-{))))) just haven't the time to chime in.

Life is all about learning, and If I learn something/anything reading this, then that's great!

Offline D.M.N.

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Re: Unreal Superlative Old School Bass TONE Discovered!!!
« Reply #15 on: October 14, 2012, 12:35:25 pm »
I've also thought about the Curtis Novak EB-BS (http://curtisnovak.com/pickups/EB-BS.shtml), and the French Daguet Bisonic copies (http://www.daguetguitars.com/).

I think DMN has one of the Daguets in the neck position on his Jazz Bass and loves it.

....

Yeah, I do have a Dagstar (one of the mini-versions) in my Jazz bass, and it's a seriously astounding bass now. When I first bought the bass (a AVRI 62 Jazz), I honestly wasn't very astounded by the sound. I've been playing a Precision for years, and that, with Roto 66s into the Sunn is a monstrous sound. The Jazz just seemed to lack some of that girth, and I found myself pretty much exclusively using the neck pup trying to emulate the P. But when I had the Dagstar dropped in, it became a simply phenomenal bass. I still mostly rely on the Dagstar, but because it's output is so high compared to the jazz pup at the bridge (I only dial that in for a little bit of tightness to the tone). I recently swapped out the Fender rounds it shipped with for Rotos, and for the first time ever I'm considering different strings. I love rotos, but the Fender's were way fatter and warmer, and I'm even thinking about some 9050s Fender Flats, just to see how they are. It could be a case of not letting the rotos break in enough though, so I'm giving it time. I would like to say though, is that this bass really shines when played with a pick. With my Precision, I rarely play with one, almost always finger style, but since getting this Jazz, I'm pretty split between pick and finger. The Dagstar relates the attack and clarity of the rounds and pick really, really well. Not really aggressive, but bright and clear.

Anyways, point is, the Dagstar is a fantastic pickup, huge and broad sounding. He's also coming out with a Full-sized, Bi-sonic style one. Actually, that may already be in production by now, I haven't spoken with Roger in a while.

I can't really speak for you Ed, but if was me, that Godin would be gone and the Midtown paid for by now. As soon as I saw the Midtown, I immediately though "Put in Dagstars, play through Sunn". I don't think I'll be getting one, as I'm still holding out for the Guild Starfire reissues. I was also a little turned off by the long scale and non-arched top, but that's not to say I wouldn't love to get my hands on one. They're very sweet basses, and it's nice to see Gibson doing something different, while keeping it classy (unlike the EB-F....).

And to PB, that's a sweet EB-0. I've been trying to get my hands on one for years, but I'm very picky about it. I really want a 65 or earlier EB-3 with the wide control spacing. Or better yet, Gibson to properly reissue the EB-3 so I wouldn't feel bad about having it refinished in Sunburst. As a huge Jack Bruce fan, I have a really big soft spot for the EB basses. And did you say you from Washington? Whereabouts? I'm in school in CT right now, but was raised in the San Juan Islands.
House of the Rising Sunn........
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1969 2000s
1972 2000s
1970 1200s
1968 1000s
1969 200s
2010 2000s DIY 2x15
1971 2000s 2x15
1969 2000s 2x15
1972 2000s 2x15
1968 1000s 2x15
1970 1200s 6x12

Offline EdBass

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Re: Unreal Superlative Old School Bass TONE Discovered!!!
« Reply #16 on: October 14, 2012, 02:05:33 pm »
I can't really speak for you Ed, but if was me, that Godin would be gone and the Midtown paid for by now. 

I can relate Dylan, and that's the way I'm leaning. However my motivation for buying the Godin was to have a "Swiss Army Knife" kind of bass in my arsenal, and I think the Midtown would be more of adding another specialty piece.
I play in a couple of lucrative cover bands, and I end up bringing multiple basses to these gigs to "cover" the variety of tones from classic Motown middy thump to modern rock hi-fi scoop. The Godin covers a lot of ground tonally, just as I'd hoped, but I'm just not very happy with the fundamental tone of the Shifter. Kind of a shame, because as I said it's a very nice bass overall.

I'm a little disappointed, but I think the Godin is indeed going back Wednesday...

Offline Happy Face

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Re: Unreal Superlative Old School Bass TONE Discovered!!!
« Reply #17 on: October 14, 2012, 06:33:01 pm »
Straying or not, your last post is really interesting, as has been the whole thread.

I waved in and quickly sold a mess of basses in my similar quest a few years back. Ended up where I started, more or or less. A Guild and a Ricky.

Offline PB Blaster

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Re: Unreal Superlative Old School Bass TONE Discovered!!!
« Reply #18 on: October 14, 2012, 08:03:40 pm »
Eastern WA, in the middle of the beauty that are the Channeled Scablands... which doesn't look like much to some people, but if you like rocks like I do ;-{) San Juans are very cool. We have some friends that bought a place on Lopez a couple years ago I'd love to go check out, but we hardly ever go on road trips anymore it seems.

A Sunburst EB-3? Ohhh , the horror... ;-{))))

It's interesting to not the history of the Gibson EB basses, and how they went downhill over time. The early ones with Nickel parts are by far the sweetest. Chrome parts made the look a little cheaper. Then came 3 piece necks... then that monstrosity of a bridge with a mile of adjustment and nylon saddles, cheesy looking tuners on the EBO, that bizarre semi circle cut-out at the bottom of the pick guard really ruined the look of it, then moving the neck p'up down the body, open headstocks, walnut bodies... and finally the end in '78 or '79. According to sales figures I looked at a while back (flyguitars?), they only shipped two SG basses in the last year of production.

Which is not hard to believe... because by then the SG basses were so ugly they were making the Ripper and Grabbers look good.

Until the Victory bass came along, a new pinnacle in ugly basses. Let's not let it be said that Gibson ever rests on their laurels having come out with a really ugly instrument, they always seem to find a way to top it...

To me the timeless classics will always be the P Bass, the EBO or EB-3 (but I love the uncluttered look of the EBO), the Rick, the Jazz Bass, maybe a Danelectro thrown in there for good measure.

But then again, beauty is in the eye of the beholder. And I don't play bass for a living... I just love old gear. And playing it.