LearnGospelMusic.com Community
Gospel Instruments => Bass Guitar => Topic started by: Bullitt on August 29, 2006, 08:15:24 AM
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For those that don't know, I was (and still am) one of the local LGM Schector Geeks. Constantly promoting the bass to all those who are unfortunate enough to have never played one and only have "hear say" to judge it by.
Long story short, I got a SMOKING[/color] deal on a used Carvin LB75 and decided to put it in the ring with my trusty Schector. Who's the winner?! The faithful standby, or the new kid in town??? Let's get it on!!!
The Contender:
The previous owner of my LB75 was also a lefty but he played the bass strung like a right-handeder. I started off playing this way a few years ago but later switched to "true" lefty style and needed to do a setup on the bass before being able to play it. Be warned!!! The following is not a "HOW TO" guide but more so the method that I used to set up my bass. I figured that if I goofed up severely, the worst that could happen would be a mandatory trip to GC or Sam Ashe to get a new nut installed. :D
First I popped the nut off, cleaned the area that it was mounted on and flipped it around.
Next I used some lemon oil to polish up the bass and man is it gorgeous...the wood grain is simply beautiful. Let everything sit for a few hours to give the super glue on the nut some time to dry as well as giving the body some time to soak up the lemon oil.
The action is still way too high for my tastes (haven't moved ANYTHING since flipping the nut/strings around) but I'm loving the bass already :)
These are just my preliminary thoughts but I'll come back with more info after lowering the action some and getting more comfy with things.
The Defending Champ:
For about the past year, I've been quick to sing out compliments for Schector basses since IMO (along with a few other ;)) they are highly under rated basses due to a simple lack of available knowledge. Having spent plenty of time with this bass, I've come to enjoy it's sound and consider it to be an excellent "bang-for-the-buck" bass. I bought my Stiletto Studio 5 used (with case) for about $460 last summer and since then have come to love it's incredable sustain and flexable tone. For the money, I don't believe I could've found a better bass.
Thus far, my only complaints are that the bass can become a bit neck heavy if played standing up for a long period of time and the string spacing is a little tight for slapping as well. IIRC, spacing between strings is 16mm at the bridge and often times it's difficult to play a clean slap line unless you're used to the tight spacing. One final thing that I'll add is that I'm tuned down to Bb and the B string can get a little muddy at times. I don't really consider this to be a real "issue" since most people will use standard tuning but it's still something to consider if you also tune flat.
Blah, blah, blah, Where's the Sound Clips?[/u]
For now, here's a quick comparo between my Schector Stiletto Studio 5 and the Carvin LB75. The Studio 5 has the bass and mids at full boost, the treble is flat. The volume on both pickups is set at ~25%. FWIW, the LB75 is on a fresh set of strings while the Studio 5's strings are about 2 monthes old.
The EQ on the Carvin is set FLAT through the entire recording….needless to say I am nothing short of amazed at the colorful tones this bass is capable of when dialed in.. The coil split switch was in the “down” position and the blend knob was set at 50/50 with the volume at ~25%.
I'll get some pics of each bass tonight but for now, here are the teaser clips. Enjoy, and let me know what other clips you’d like to hear from each bass!
Schector Stiletto Studio 5 (http://www.yousendit.com/transfer.php?action=download&ufid=931E16341573617F)
Carvin LB75 (http://www.yousendit.com/transfer.php?action=download&ufid=19DE2344013FD1ED)
God Bless,
-J
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it's clearly an electronic thing.
Why not just get a new pre-amp and pickups in the schecter?
SCHECTER STAYS ON THE THRONE!!!!!
EDIT: After further review of these clips i'm gonna have to say that the schecter sounds better to me.
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I'm gonna have to agree with Jeremy on the electronics thing. I'm in the proccess of having new Barts installed in my Studio 6. :D
EMG's are just too clangy and nasally. :-[
So now it's out with the old in with new pups. ;D
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I know that I'll anger some of Schecter die-hards that are all over this board, but Schecter's aren't that great of a bass. I've played several and they just don't feel very good or sound very good to me.
The Carvin sounded great, BTW.
OK... let the beat-downs from the Pro-Schecter fans that I have offended begin!
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I know that I'll anger some of Schecter die-hards that are all over this board, but Schecter's aren't that great of a bass. I've played several and they just don't feel very good or sound very good to me.
The Carvin sounded great, BTW.
OK... let the beat-downs from the Pro-Schecter fans that I have offended begin!
different strokes for differnt folks. They sound ALOT better than the peavy, yamaha's, and yes even warwicks to me. Those other basses aren't anywhere as flexible as the scheter is IMHO.
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it's clearly an electronic thing.
Why not just get a new pre-amp and pickups in the schecter?
SCHECTER STAYS ON THE THRONE!!!!!
EDIT: After further review of these clips i'm gonna have to say that the schecter sounds better to me.
Good point. I had toyed around with the thought of upgrading electronics in the Studio 5 but the string spacing would've still been an issue.
As for the clips, remember that the Carvins EQ was totally flat while the Shector had mids and lows boosted. I'll get some better clips this evening for a more "fair" comparison.
To be perfectly honest, the audio clips don't do either bass justice....but at $350 for the bass and tweed case, who wouldn't have jumped on the Carvin? ;)
God Bless,
-J
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Could only listen to the Carvin clip, the Schecter clip kept timing out.
Congrats on the new Bass, sounds like a winner, especially with it being played flat.
Did you go straight into the computer or through your amp first?
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different strokes for differnt folks. They sound ALOT better than the peavy, yamaha's, and yes even warwicks to me. Those other basses aren't anywhere as flexible as the scheter is IMHO.
Oh no you didn't just rag on Yamaha!! :)
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I also had a problem getting the Schecter wav file.
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Could only listen to the Carvin clip, the Schecter clip kept timing out.
Congrats on the new Bass, sounds like a winner, especially with it being played flat.
Did you go straight into the computer or through your amp first?
Thanks! I just plugged into my amp and used an external mic from my PC to record everything.
I'm not sure what's going on with the Schector clip, I'll upload it again in about 30 mins after my meeting :)
God Bless,
-J
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different strokes for differnt folks. They sound ALOT better than the peavy, yamaha's, and yes even warwicks to me. Those other basses aren't anywhere as flexible as the scheter is IMHO.
No arguments here. I don't really like the Peavy's or Yahmaha's either. ;D
I do think that the Cirrus is a nice bass, but there are nicer basses for the money.
I haven't ever found a Schecter that I liked better than a Warwick. The only place where the Schecter has an edge over the Warwick for me is that the Schecter is a lot lighter than any Warwick.
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No arguments here. I don't really like the Peavy's or Yahmaha's either. ;D
I do think that the Cirrus is a nice bass, but there are nicer basses for the money.
I haven't ever found a Schecter that I liked better than a Warwick. The only place where the Schecter has an edge over the Warwick for me is that the Schecter is a lot lighter than any Warwick.
don't get me wrong...warwicks are NICE, but I've found that they aren't as flexible. You get a MEAN slap tone out of a warwick that you just can't get out of anything else, but it doesn't really give off the ballad feel or slow worship feel.
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For those of you that were having problems with the Schector .wav file, try CLICKING HERE (http://www.yousendit.com/transfer.php?action=download&ufid=5F8B60231915C44E)
God Bless,
-J
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I can't seem to get the wav file from the Schecter. But I must say, I'm a Schecter fan for sure, and I'm still getting ready to upgrade from the EMG-HZ to Barts. I'm starting to not like EMG pickups for some odd reason. But, I still love my Elite 5. I heard the carvin clip, but I can't make an honest assessment about which I like best until I hear the Studio. Now, I've heard a Studio 6 live and she was the sweetest thing I heard. Coming through a tubed amp, made her sound so delicious. I'm still trying to sell my cabs so that I can get my tubed amp and matching cabs to help produce that warm sound that I so despirately want.
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File still won't work? Sheesh...what's your email addy? The file is like 3.X megs...
God Bless,
-J
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I can't seem to get the wav file from the Schecter. But I must say, I'm a Schecter fan for sure, and I'm still getting ready to upgrade from the EMG-HZ to Barts. I'm starting to not like EMG pickups for some odd reason. But, I still love my Elite 5. I heard the carvin clip, but I can't make an honest assessment about which I like best until I hear the Studio. Now, I've heard a Studio 6 live and she was the sweetest thing I heard. Coming through a tubed amp, made her sound so delicious. I'm still trying to sell my cabs so that I can get my tubed amp and matching cabs to help produce that warm sound that I so despirately want.
mmmm.... the Barts are sweet too.
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*Sigh* I guess Yamaha ain't gonna get no love, huh? LOL!
After listening to both clips I think the Carvin has much nicer articulation! The Schecter sounds dull. It could be old strings though!
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I still can't get the schecter wav file.
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Here's an assist. Schecter wav (http://www.sendspace.com/file/zl8rl5)
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For those that don't know, I was (and still am) one of the local LGM Schector Geeks. Constantly promoting the bass to all those who are unfortunate enough to have never played one and only have "hear say" to judge it by.
Long story short, I got a SMOKING[/color] deal on a used Carvin LB75 and decided to put it in the ring with my trusty Schector. Who's the winner?! The faithful standby, or the new kid in town??? Let's get it on!!!
The Contender:
The previous owner of my LB75 was also a lefty but he played the bass strung like a right-handeder. I started off playing this way a few years ago but later switched to "true" lefty style and needed to do a setup on the bass before being able to play it. Be warned!!! The following is not a "HOW TO" guide but more so the method that I used to set up my bass. I figured that if I goofed up severely, the worst that could happen would be a mandatory trip to GC or Sam Ashe to get a new nut installed. :D
First I popped the nut off, cleaned the area that it was mounted on and flipped it around.
Next I used some lemon oil to polish up the bass and man is it gorgeous...the wood grain is simply beautiful. Let everything sit for a few hours to give the super glue on the nut some time to dry as well as giving the body some time to soak up the lemon oil.
The action is still way too high for my tastes (haven't moved ANYTHING since flipping the nut/strings around) but I'm loving the bass already :)
These are just my preliminary thoughts but I'll come back with more info after lowering the action some and getting more comfy with things.
The Defending Champ:
For about the past year, I've been quick to sing out compliments for Schector basses since IMO (along with a few other ;)) they are highly under rated basses due to a simple lack of available knowledge. Having spent plenty of time with this bass, I've come to enjoy it's sound and consider it to be an excellent "bang-for-the-buck" bass. I bought my Stiletto Studio 5 used (with case) for about $460 last summer and since then have come to love it's incredable sustain and flexable tone. For the money, I don't believe I could've found a better bass.
Thus far, my only complaints are that the bass can become a bit neck heavy if played standing up for a long period of time and the string spacing is a little tight for slapping as well. IIRC, spacing between strings is 16mm at the bridge and often times it's difficult to play a clean slap line unless you're used to the tight spacing. One final thing that I'll add is that I'm tuned down to Bb and the B string can get a little muddy at times. I don't really consider this to be a real "issue" since most people will use standard tuning but it's still something to consider if you also tune flat.
Blah, blah, blah, Where's the Sound Clips?[/u]
For now, here's a quick comparo between my Schector Stiletto Studio 5 and the Carvin LB75. The Studio 5 has the bass and mids at full boost, the treble is flat. The volume on both pickups is set at ~25%. FWIW, the LB75 is on a fresh set of strings while the Studio 5's strings are about 2 monthes old.
The EQ on the Carvin is set FLAT through the entire recording….needless to say I am nothing short of amazed at the colorful tones this bass is capable of when dialed in.. The coil split switch was in the “down” position and the blend knob was set at 50/50 with the volume at ~25%.
I'll get some pics of each bass tonight but for now, here are the teaser clips. Enjoy, and let me know what other clips you’d like to hear from each bass!
Schector Stiletto Studio 5 ([url]http://www.yousendit.com/transfer.php?action=download&ufid=931E16341573617F[/url])
Carvin LB75 ([url]http://www.yousendit.com/transfer.php?action=download&ufid=19DE2344013FD1ED[/url])
God Bless,
-J
To me it sound like you just played better on one clip and not the other. Bass will not sound the same its all depends on Tuning,strings,pickup,how the pickups are adjusted.
If you're a good bass player you can make a First Act sound good. Also many stores use TRICKS to sell. They have the Guitars tune in a Diffrent way that we play. Just to sell the guitar.
Tip when buying a bass. TUNE your Bass or ask to use a tuner and check the tuning. You will find they are soft tuned
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Now I can give an honest opinion. I really can't say that one sounds better than the other one. If you put new strings on both, the set both eqs flat, then I'll be able to say what sounds better to me. I can say that the schecter is holding more sustain to me. If I were you, I would probably use both basses, use the carvin for upbeat songs, and use the schecter for ballads and slower tempo songs. I'm currently looking at getting a Lakland, and if I get that, I'm going to put Barts in my schecter and tune it Eb Ab Db Gb B so that I can play ballads with it, and use the Lakland for slapping and upbeat tempo songs, tuned Bb Eb Ab Db Gb. That's my take.
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Now I can give an honest opinion. I really can't say that one sounds better than the other one. If you put new strings on both, the set both eqs flat, then I'll be able to say what sounds better to me. I can say that the schecter is holding more sustain to me. If I were you, I would probably use both basses, use the carvin for upbeat songs, and use the schecter for ballads and slower tempo songs. I'm currently looking at getting a Lakland, and if I get that, I'm going to put Barts in my schecter and tune it Eb Ab Db Gb B so that I can play ballads with it, and use the Lakland for slapping and upbeat tempo songs, tuned Bb Eb Ab Db Gb. That's my take.
After messing around with it some more last night, that's the conclusion that I've reached. I'm having some issues getting the strings low enough for my tastes but I think I may have a remedy for that as well but I will say that the Shector seems to have a warmer sound.
Godsbassman, I didn't quite understand everything you were trying to say in your post but as far as tuning goes, I tuned both basses myself with the same tuner so there's no difference there. My lack of sleep could've had something to do with the reason that one sounded as though it was played better than the other.
One thing is for sure, the Carvin is definitely a very BRIGHT bass. Lower notes are clearer than those on the Shector but they lack the warmth that I'm able to get from the Shector. I'm going to try to do the recordings tonight, last night I got consumed with trying to get the Carvin's string height set up correctly. I may also try keeping the Carvin in standard BEADG tuning while leaving the Schector flat...as long as I don't forget which bass I'm playing then it shouldn't be a problem ;D
God Bless,
-J
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After messing around with it some more last night, that's the conclusion that I've reached. I'm having some issues getting the strings low enough for my tastes but I think I may have a remedy for that as well but I will say that the Shector seems to have a warmer sound.
Godsbassman, I didn't quite understand everything you were trying to say in your post but as far as tuning goes, I tuned both basses myself with the same tuner so there's no difference there. My lack of sleep could've had something to do with the reason that one sounded as though it was played better than the other.
One thing is for sure, the Carvin is definitely a very BRIGHT bass. Lower notes are clearer than those on the Shector but they lack the warmth that I'm able to get from the Shector. I'm going to try to do the recordings tonight, last night I got consumed with trying to get the Carvin's string height set up correctly. I may also try keeping the Carvin in standard BEADG tuning while leaving the Schector flat...as long as I don't forget which bass I'm playing then it shouldn't be a problem ;D
God Bless,
-J
I'm saying you have to watch the stores. Some store will tune the bass soft,so if someone test it try to slap and play it it feel good. I'm saying, tune your own bass when you're testing out bass guitars to buy and also ask what kind of strings that are used on the bass.
Try to look at the pickups heights and ask what kind of pickups that came factory install.
Compare all of the above with others basses you test.
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I'm saying you have to watch the stores. Some store will tune the bass soft,so if someone test it try to slap and play it it feel good. I'm saying, tune your own bass when you're testing out bass guitars to buy and also ask what kind of strings that are used on the bass.
Try to look at the pickups heights and ask what kind of pickups that came factory install.
Compare all of the above with others basses you test.
Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah, I gotcha now :D
I play left handed so I don't really get the chance to test out many basses before buying. To be honest, I think I've only been able to test one of my lefty basses (owned 4 total) before buying it and ironically it's the only bass that I no longer own lol. As for everything else that you mentioned, I usually do ALOT of reserach before buying anything since I can't often get first hand experience with the instrument. That way, I'll have 99% of the "stock specs" memorized if I do happen to come across one.
Still, it's good info to pass along to those who may not know it :)
God Bless,
-J