Rickresource Rickenbacker Forum

Thanks, Peter.

Nice F Bass, Steve! A few folks told me they were too "hi-fi" for what I wanted to do.

I'm trying out a Roscoe this weekend, Scott. I'll see how it goes.

Hey Ron - I wouldn't say that F Basses are neccessarily hi-fi. Mine has passive electronics (I'm not sure if they offer active), and it has a terrifc solid but "woody" tone. I think of it as a more refined J-bass sound. They may be tough to find, but they're definitely worth a test drive!

Thanks! I'll keep that in mind.

F Basses are quite versatile, and they can be had with active electronics. Bass Central has some, that is where I played one recently. Since you are considering an MTD, I figured the F Bass would be in the same category.

I think old J basses are the best full scale basses for small hands, they have A necks which are very narrow near the headstock end of the neck, much slimmer than Rics. Of course they are a tad bit pricey lately too.

Just to satisfy everyone's curiosity, here are the results of my bass audition weekend:

MTD 535 - great build quality, wicked low action, stunning appearance, but a little too modern-sounding for me.

Roscoe LG-3005 - Nice finish, narrow across the nut, good action, a bit dark-sounding, a little head-heavy. I still have a few days to decide if I want to keep it.

Mike Lull M5V - THE WINNAH!!!!!!!! It took a little while to dial it in, but it has a really neat growl now. The Dean Markley stainless rounds are a little rough, but I like the sound they give. I might try a set of DR Lo-Riders on it. The neck is just like my Lull P/J 5 and by far the most comfortable of the three. I like the Aguilar OBP-3 preamp because it doesn't compress the sound and lets the Duncan Bassline pickups do their thing. It really sounds like a pre-amped Jazz Bass.

So the MTD is being returned, it looks like the Roscoe will go back in a few days and the Lull is a keeper. I may keep my Modulus since I like the neck and it now has an Aguilar OBP-3 preamp in it.

Change 1 - I fooled with the MTD 535 a little more and while it's a very aggressive-sounding bass, it has a really wide range of tones. Mike Tobias did a good job with the EQ on this one. The neck is so good I decided to keep it.

Ahhhh heck with it,, just keep them all Ron.

Nah, the Roscoe just didn't work and I'd have to sell a lot more stuff to keep it.

my latest bass build ... http://www.3dentourage.com/425/fender-bird2.htm ...

and I am working on another one similar but with a maple fretboard and a flamed maple top and ric 4004 pickups ...

Looks good in MG! I like it better than painted finishes.