# New Bass Day.



## james on bass (Feb 4, 2006)

I'd post actual photos to prove ownership, but I haven't had a chance yet to take any, so a stock photo will have to do for now.

The new bass was waiting for me at my gig Friday night, so here's the review. 

First off, in person the bass looks absolutely stunning! I was actually surprised at how small the body was in person. Not tiny, but smaller than I was anticipating.

No bad frets, the neck feels very smooth, tight neck joint, no wonky finish marks either. The action was a little high for me and the 2 truss rods also got a quarter turn. All of the bridge adjustment screws (24 of them) were loose and needed tightening. With a bass in this price range I don't expect the final assembly to be perfect which is why my tool kit goes to every gig and rehearsal. 
Let me just say, the bridge on this bass is awesome!! Individual string through body saddles completely adjustable sitting on the mounting plate.

How's it sound? Well, I was actually somewhat surprised at the output level. For an active bass, it was barely any louder than my passive basses. Before I even began playing I tossed the battery that came with it for a fresh one, so it wasn't the battery. It sounded very tight and punchy like an active bass should. Cut through well. Our sound-guy said it sounded great and sat in the mix well. We recorded the shows and it did sound good to me, though bass is never high enough in the mix for me. :smile: Single coil hum was very pronounced and noticable if I rolled the balance knob off of centre -Pretty much expected with single coils, but I leave the balance in the middle anyway on fretted basses.
The volume level is not a big issue for me, as switching from passive to active, I won't have to adjust much on my amp. If I keep the bass (and I probably will), I may look at swapping out to a Bart or Aguilar preamp down the road.

I used the bass most of the first night and all of the second night except for our 2 encore tunes. I was lost most of the first night - kept grabbing the wrong strings as I've been playing 4 strings the last year. The second night was better, but the learning curve from a 4 to 6 is quite steep. Once I get more familiar with it, I bet it will see about 75% of the gigs. I still love my P-bass too much to leave it sit unplayed for too long.

Overall...

Looks, feels and plays great.
Electronics sound good, though not tremendous output and could stand to be upgraded. 

For the price paid, it's a fantastic bass. Worth the price just for the neck and bridge alone.


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## Fajah (Jun 28, 2006)

james on bass said:


> Overall...
> 
> Looks, feels and plays great.
> Electronics sound good, though not tremendous output and could stand to be upgraded.
> ...


Congrats on finally receiving it. I give you allot of credit for playing it right off the bat at a gig, for I feel I would need some time to get used to 6 strings versus 4. 

How does it compare to the other 6 stringer you once owned? 

Lawrie


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## Hamm Guitars (Jan 12, 2007)

james on bass said:


> ...
> I was actually surprised at how small the body was in person. Not tiny, but smaller than I was anticipating.
> ...


 Is it really neck heavy? Does the headstock want to hit the floor when you let go of it?

Andy


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## JBassJohn (Feb 19, 2007)

Congrats on the new bass James and great review.


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## james on bass (Feb 4, 2006)

Hamm. - It is slightly neck heavy. It's not diving like a Thunderbird though. Easily managable. I was using a very cheap nylon strap that I had in one of my gig bags for a spare. A proper strap should do the trick. If not, I'll move one of the strap posts a bit.

Fajah. - compared to the other 6 stringer, it is very close. The necks feel identical, though this is dual truss-rod, the other was single. The sound is close, though the double humbuckers had much greater output as should be expected. The electronics on the other didn't have much of a hum either. I personally like the looks of this bass better than the other with the $$. The other had a very nice beefy bridge, but this one is just awesome. If you want the fretless version of my bass and want to solo the bridge pickup for the Jaco tone, be prepared for some single coil hum in between tunes.


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## Fajah (Jun 28, 2006)

james on bass said:


> Fajah. - compared to the other 6 stringer, it is very close. The necks feel identical, though this is dual truss-rod, the other was single. The sound is close, though the double humbuckers had much greater output as should be expected. The electronics on the other didn't have much of a hum either. I personally like the looks of this bass better than the other with the $$. The other had a very nice beefy bridge, but this one is just awesome. If you want the fretless version of my bass and want to solo the bridge pickup for the Jaco tone, be prepared for some single coil hum in between tunes.


Thanks for taking the time to offer a report and answer questions James. Like you, I like the looks of the WEB better. I also like the idea of having two truss rods with such a wide neck, and the bridge does look awesome. The "hum" concerns me a bit, but I guess I'll just have to see to what degree I can live with it and how it is in a playing situation.

The trigger is being pulled today.

Lawrie


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## Fajah (Jun 28, 2006)

Update - The trigger is pulled :banana:......fretless.


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## james on bass (Feb 4, 2006)

Fajah said:


> Update - The trigger is pulled :banana:......fretless.


:food-smiley-004:

I think a meet & greet is order.


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## Fajah (Jun 28, 2006)

james on bass said:


> :food-smiley-004:
> 
> I think a meet & greet is order.


Totally agree.


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## FenderMan (May 24, 2007)

Congrats on the bass. I am curious as to how good the B sounds on this bass? We are starting to get into some serious extended range bass lines so I may be getting 6 at some point.

Dan


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## james on bass (Feb 4, 2006)

FenderMan said:


> Congrats on the bass. I am curious as to how good the B sounds on this bass? We are starting to get into some serious extended range bass lines so I may be getting 6 at some point.
> 
> Dan


Actually, I forgot to mention that in my review. The B-string rings out nice and true. No audible difference from the b to the other strings. I wasn't sure what to expect as the 5 string SX I had for a short while suffered from a weak b-string, even with an upgraded bridge.


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## FenderMan (May 24, 2007)

james on bass said:


> Actually, I forgot to mention that in my review. The B-string rings out nice and true. No audible difference from the b to the other strings. I wasn't sure what to expect as the 5 string SX I had for a short while suffered from a weak b-string, even with an upgraded bridge.


That's good to know. I wonder if the SX actually has 4 string PUPs....I had heard that was the case on TB a few times. Those are two of the things I have been checking for in my quest for an ERB, evenness and clarity. Seems to be all over the map. However I did find a very affordable gem that I will post about a little later 

Thanks!


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## james on bass (Feb 4, 2006)

FenderMan said:


> That's good to know. I wonder if the SX actually has 4 string PUPs....I had heard that was the case on TB a few times.
> Thanks!


They are about the same width as their 4 string pups but with extra pole pieces. Don't totally line up with the strings.


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## james on bass (Feb 4, 2006)

Here's some pics...


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## FenderMan (May 24, 2007)

That looks really nice. I particularly like the body shape and the quilting looks better than the stock pic. :food-smiley-004:


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## Fajah (Jun 28, 2006)

Nice pics James....I'm pumped...... especially since I just saw this on the Fedex website this morning;

*Feb 15, 2008* 3:22 AM

*On FedEx vehicle for delivery :banana:*

MISSISSAUGA, ON 

By the way, have you changed the strings yet? If so, what do you have on there? I currently have D'Addario half rounds on my SJB-75 (which I've really enjoyed) and they make a 6 string set. 

Lawrie


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## Fajah (Jun 28, 2006)

Bass just arrived. Haven't plugged it in yet, but at first glance.....this is a thing of beauty. Way to pick'em James.

Lawrie


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## Fajah (Jun 28, 2006)

Proof of purchase :smile:


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## james on bass (Feb 4, 2006)

Sweet!! Let me know what you think. I'm curious.


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## Fajah (Jun 28, 2006)

james on bass said:


> Sweet!! Let me know what you think. I'm curious.


I'll do a side by side virtual comparison based on your review James.

_"The bass looks absolutely stunning! I was actually surprised at how small the body was in person."_

Total agreement here. The finish is flawless and looks way better than the pictures on Rondo's site. I love the quilted top and like you, was taken aback by the size of the body. So much smaller than my SJB. I really like the design.

_"No bad frets, the neck feels very smooth, tight neck joint, no wonky finish marks either."_

Can't speak to the frets because.......I ain't got any :smile: . Very smooth satin finished neck and comfortable. I've only played it sitting down so far and found it to be fairly well balanced. I didn't have to fight neck dive at all. 

_"The action was a little high for me and the 2 truss rods also got a quarter turn."_

The setup on mine out of the box is quite nice. Unlike my SJB, I don't feel the need to tweak anything at the moment. I will change the strings to half rounds and let the bass settle for a while. 

_"All of the bridge adjustment screws (24 of them) were loose and needed tightening. With a bass in this price range I don't expect the final assembly to be perfect."_

All the hardware came nice and tight on mine. Tuners are good, pots are smooth, and I especially like the "notched" center position on the tone and balance controls. The only flaw that I've noticed is that there's a slight space between the nut and the fretboard. It's really not sitting where it should, but doesn't seem to have a negetive effect.

_"Let me just say, the bridge on this bass is awesome!!"_

Agreed. Makes the bridge on my SJB look like it came from Toys R Us.

_"How's it sound? For an active bass, it was barely any louder than my passive basses. It sounded very tight and punchy like an active bass should. Single coil hum was very pronounced and noticable if I rolled the balance knob off of centre -Pretty much expected with single coils, but I leave the balance in the middle anyway on fretted basses."_

I've never owned an active bass, so I have no basis for comparison. Plugged into my Peavey Max 110, it sounds great. The single coil hum is there, but hardly noticable, but that's probably because I was playing at low volume through a practice amp. There was no hum whatsoever with the balance knob in the middle, and that's where I like to have it as well. I found that the volume is even for all strings including the low B. The pole piece line up under the strings is 99%. In fact, better than my SJB. 

After playing it for an hour or so, I experienced the following which has nothing to do with anything specific to the Douglas;

1) The string spacing. You're right James, it's very easy to grab the wrong strings but I feel it's something that won't take very long to get used to.

2) The "B" string. There's no question that I'll have to go over my tune list and review all my bass lines, for going from 4 to 6 brings in a whole new dimension. If I had owned a 5-string previously, it would probably be a no brainer. 

3) The C string. I've always said to fellow guitar players, that although the bass looks similar to a guitar, it's a completely different instrument to play. It requires a unique set of skills and mindset musically. I proved this to myself yesterday. When I first tuned up the bass, I tuned the C down to B thinking that since I have 5 out of 6 strings tuned like a guitar, I'll just play it like a guitar. In my mind, I also thought that playing a 6 string bass tuned differently will screw up my guitar playing. As it turned out, the opposite happened. I found it very difficult to play with the C tuned down to B. I tuned it back to C and was able to play all sorts of lines without issue. I picked up my guitar later on in the evening and played without issue. Totally bizarre. 

4) Fretless. This is the big one. Playing a fretless is a whole different skill unto itself. I was a classically trained bass player in my youth, so I thought that it wouldn't take too long to adjust to it. How wrong I was. My intonation completely sucked, even with fret markers on the neck. Got allot practicing to do in this area. I can say this.....the tonal quality of a fretless is to die for, especially for jazz. When you get up on those high notes with a bit of vibrato.....my goodness....it's sweet. 

To sum it up, I'm extremely impressed with the bass from all aspects. It's very playable "out of the box" in contrast to my SX. I always do my own setups, but because this is a fretless and I want to have the nut positioned properly, I'm going to invest in a proffessional setup......but after I've played it for a couple of months. $253.38 CDN for a 6-string bass landed at my door of this quality and feel is astounding. I don't know how they do it. 

Thanks again James for helping me make the decision.

Lawrie


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## james on bass (Feb 4, 2006)

:food-smiley-004:

Glad you like it. I'd hate to make recommendations only to piss someone else off! 

Do me a favour. Play the fretless, then unplug and play your SX without touching anything on your amp. What's the volume difference like?


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## Fajah (Jun 28, 2006)

james on bass said:


> :food-smiley-004:
> Do me a favour. Play the fretless, then unplug and play your SX without touching anything on your amp. What's the volume difference like?


With all controls set to the what would be the middle position on both basses, and with no volume changes on the amp, I would say the SX is louder. 

Lawrie


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## james on bass (Feb 4, 2006)

Fajah said:


> With all controls set to the what would be the middle position on both basses, and with no volume changes on the amp, I would say the SX is louder.
> 
> Lawrie


That's really puzzling. An active bass should be a lot louder than a passive. They've got that active bass brightness and punch, but with less volume.


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## Fajah (Jun 28, 2006)

james on bass said:


> That's really puzzling. An active bass should be a lot louder than a passive. They've got that active bass brightness and punch, but with less volume.


One would think so, although I've never owned an active bass. Are you finding the same thing?


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## JBassJohn (Feb 19, 2007)

This is something I ran into when I bought my MTD Z5 as well. It was my first active instrument and I expected it to be louder but it wasn't. In my opinion it turned out to be a good thing because I didn't have to adjust the gain on my amp when changing basses.


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## james on bass (Feb 4, 2006)

JBassJohn said:


> This is something I ran into when I bought my MTD Z5 as well. It was my first active instrument and I expected it to be louder but it wasn't. In my opinion it turned out to be a good thing because I didn't have to adjust the gain on my amp when changing basses.


Same thing with me. No major adjustments switching to my other basses so I'm not complaining - just somewhat puzzled.


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## Fajah (Jun 28, 2006)

Got a chance to jam for a couple of hours last night playing through my Peavey Basic 112. Bass sounded sweet. My intonation wasn't that bad...probably because of the 4 hours of practice earlier in the day.

With regards to the volume, I have the following switch on my amp;










When I enabled the switch, the volume was really cut down, so much so I had to play without it. I'm concerned that I'm risking damage to the amp. It looks like I may have to get something with a bit more power, for there's no way it will cut it (volume wise) on the active setting.

Lawrie


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## JBassJohn (Feb 19, 2007)

I don't think you have to worry about that. The input pad is there to prevent am instrument with a really high output from overdriving your pre-amp. From what you and James are saying this is not the case with your new basses. Both my amps have an input pad and I do not use them with my MTD because the output level is similar to my jazz bass.


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## Fajah (Jun 28, 2006)

JBassJohn said:


> I don't think you have to worry about that. The input pad is there to prevent am instrument with a really high output from overdriving your pre-amp. From what you and James are saying this is not the case with your new basses. Both my amps have an input pad and I do not use them with my MTD because the output level is similar to my jazz bass.


Great to know....thanks. At least for now I saved some money :smile:.


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## Hamm Guitars (Jan 12, 2007)

*Low output from preamp*

Hi Guys,

I have a few questions regarding the low output from the preamp.

Does the EQ allow you to boost frequencies, or just cut them?
Is there a center detent on the volume control (at unity gain) or is it all the way up?
Is the output jack a standard mono 1/4" jack or is it a stereo jack -if it is stereo and you pull the jack out half way does it make any difference in the volume? There should be a stereo jack that turns the preamp off when the bass is unplugged.
Have you tried it without a battery to see if it still passes signal? I've seen preamps run in paralell with the unaltered signal and are set at unity unless some sort of boost is dialed in (like with the EQ), but never in a guitar or bass.
Have you opened it up and checked the wiring?
Have you tried connecting one of the pickups directly to your amp? Perhaps the output of the pickups are very low and the pre-amp is bringing them up to a usable level.
It doesn't make much sense to throw a preamp into the signal chain if it is not either boosting your signal, providing you with active EQ, reducing noise or matching impedance.


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## JBassJohn (Feb 19, 2007)

You're right, I should have clarified... With the EQ on my MTD set flat. (all at centre detantes) the output is about the same as my jazz bass. I can cut and boost frequencies which definitely affects the output of the bass.


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## james on bass (Feb 4, 2006)

The treble and bass EQ is a standard cut/boost eq with standard detent. It does a fine job cutting and boosting. 

It is not a stereo jack.
The bass does not work without the battery.
I haven't really checked the wiring out. Will do so in the very near future.

Like I mentioned, the tone is a great active sounding tone, just not the huge volume I was expecting.


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## Fajah (Jun 28, 2006)

james on bass said:


> The treble and bass EQ is a standard cut/boost eq with standard detent. It does a fine job cutting and boosting. Like I mentioned, the tone is a great active sounding tone, just not the huge volume I was expecting.


Although I was a bit apprehensive, I played the fretless last night throughout our whole jam session. There's no question that the active equalization for tone works great. Volume wise, it's about the same output as my SJB. However, I think that I could use more horsepower amp wise. My Basic 112 at 50 watts (into 8 ohms) is pretty much at it's limit when competing with 2 saxes, drums, and a guitar. I don't think I'm really getting the full advantage of having an active bass. 

Surprisingly, my intonation was pretty good, and I played in tune most of the night. It's not as much of a learning curve as I thought it would be, and I'm getting pretty comfortable with it. There were a couple of tunes that I completely messed up....all from grabbing the wrong strings. This inturn through my timing off, so looping bass parts was a challenge. 

On the other hand, I substituted some of my guitar soloing for some bass improv on a few tunes. This is where the having a 6-string fretless really shines in my opinion......and it was too much fun.

I'm really enjoying the bass......and the musical challenge.

Lawrie


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## Fajah (Jun 28, 2006)

james on bass said:


> Electronics sound good, though not tremendous output


Hey James,

Just a couple of really dumb questions regarding the output on your Douglas:

1) Were able to adjust the pickup height?

2) If so, was there a any difference in output?

My bass is set up great, but I've noticed that there's quite a bit of space between the pups and the strings. I went to adjust them, but can't. 

Lawrie


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## james on bass (Feb 4, 2006)

Raising the pickups did increase the output a little bit. They don't adjust all that easily, but if you loosen the screws a bit, you should be able to lift the pickups up and they will stay in place.


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## Fajah (Jun 28, 2006)

james on bass said:


> Raising the pickups did increase the output a little bit. They don't adjust all that easily, but if you loosen the screws a bit, you should be able to lift the pickups up and they will stay in place.


Thanks James. I loosened the screws on one pup and nothing happened, so I I didn't want to force the issue. I'll try again.

Lawrie


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## Fajah (Jun 28, 2006)

Just as a follow up, my pickups won't budge. Not a big deal and not worth the time and effort to do surgery. The only other issue I had with the bass was neck dive which I know has been discussed. Here's where I repositioned the strap buttons to fix the issue. It's not 100%, but it's very comfortable now and no longer an issue. It actually feels the same as my SX when standing.




















Lawrie


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## james on bass (Feb 4, 2006)

Interesting. I didn't go that far with the repositioning, but I could how that should work. I may give that a shot.


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## Fajah (Jun 28, 2006)

james on bass said:


> Interesting. I didn't go that far with the repositioning, but I could how that should work. I may give that a shot.


Took me a couple of tries to get the positioning right. I filled the holes with gloss black nailpolish, and one would have to look very close to see the them. You would notice it of course.

By positioning the strap buttons it this way, the bottom strap comes underneath the bass, up over your shoulder, and down to the top strap. It's not perfect and with the lousy guitar strap I have, it's still a bit neck heavy. However, as soon I place my right arm on the bass, it balances out pretty nicely. At least to the point that I don't need any left hand support at all when I'm standing and playing. One of these days I'll get a good quality strap.


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## Hamm Guitars (Jan 12, 2007)

Fajah said:


> Just as a follow up, my pickups won't budge.....
> Lawrie


You might have to take them out and put something under them - like foam rubber (cut up mouse pad or whatever you have), or get some stronger springs. Make sure that they are centered in their holes and not catching on the side of the cavity, or any shielding material that might be present. Make sure the pickup screws are not threaded all the way to the top of the screw head as well - you don't want the threads grabing the actual pickup.


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## Fajah (Jun 28, 2006)

Hamm Guitars said:


> You might have to take them out and put something under them - like foam rubber (cut up mouse pad or whatever you have), or get some stronger springs. Make sure that they are centered in their holes and not catching on the side of the cavity, or any shielding material that might be present. Make sure the pickup screws are not threaded all the way to the top of the screw head as well - you don't want the threads grabing the actual pickup.


I like the mouse pad idea. I actually pulled the screws out to the point where the pickups should have at least wiggled loose. Both the bridge and the neck would not budge at all, so something else is definitely going on.


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## Fajah (Jun 28, 2006)

Well....I got my answer from removing the neck pickup. They are not adjustable. In fact, I think Douglas borrowed Hamm's design idea in that the pickups have mousepad like rubber (taped to the pup) underneath and sit right on the body. I'm going to replace all the screws and add some springs which will be a cheap and easy fix. There's also enough wire to allow for plenty of travel.

Off to Capsule Music for parts.......


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## Fajah (Jun 28, 2006)

8 Screws = $3.50
8 Springs = $3.50
Tax = $.91
Labour = $0 (did it myself)

Total = $7.91

Adjustable Pickups = PRICELESS

In all seriousnous, a really quick and easy job. Capsule didn't have quite the right springs, but what I picked worked. There also seems to be an improvement in the volume output now that the strings are WAY closer which also could be my imagination. I'll know next time I play with my group.

Lawrie


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