The Last Bass Outpost
Gear Discussion Forums => Other Bass Brands => Topic started by: vates on January 23, 2013, 01:02:23 AM
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OMG
(http://sphotos-h.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc6/196255_413638395383577_1660988066_n.jpg)
(http://sphotos-d.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-prn1/64634_413638098716940_2114230894_n.jpg)
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Wow, that's never been done before! ;D
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Hahahahaa! Save your money buy a Cataldo. (http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v102/godofthunder59/CataldoGOTsignature1.jpg)
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Welcome to the party, Mike!
(http://i976.photobucket.com/albums/ae241/cata1d0/NR%202012/P1050543.jpg)
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I know it is such a minor detail but the pick guards on these basses just looks wrong except the Cataldo 5. The Lulls are too close to the edge on the top, similar but opposite to the third series Bach's. The Cataldo 5 has it centered correctly.
I suspect it is because on the Lulls the neck sits furthur into the body, probably to counter neck dive, but personally I just don't like the look.
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It's clear that some basses are marked up more than others! As we've seen, high price doesn't guarantee high quality or value.
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(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v102/godofthunder59/JOHNNYSMOKEBuffaloNYwaterfront8-19-13144.jpg) ;D
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Cataldo 3 plus 2 headstock eliminates neck dive and the NR51 fits in a standard gig bag.
It's clear that some basses are marked up more than others! As we've seen, high price doesn't guarantee high quality or value.
Very true, Bill. Mike Lull has a bricks and mortar operation and employees to pay. Add to that are suppliers who make and finish all his components, plus a dealer network and a NAMM booth. IMO his prices are reasonable, they're all custom basses and he has a lot of overhead. He's getting a fair return after many years of hard work. My hat's off to him.
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Oh, I see: wrong forum :)
It's clear that some basses are marked up more than others! As we've seen, high price doesn't guarantee high quality or value.
Lull basses are of exceptional quality. I have/had three Lull basses and all of them were top-notch.
Welcome to the party, Mike!
(http://i976.photobucket.com/albums/ae241/cata1d0/NR%202012/P1050543.jpg)
now that looks nice. what are the specs? (cataldo site is down at the moment)
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now that looks nice.
Now there's an understatement. I don't like 5 strings or green basses but that picture is giving me GAS in a big way.
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Quality, price and value are what separate average products from excellent products. I don't doubt that Lull basses are excellent quality, however, the price doesn't always promise that it's better value and quality than a less expensive one made by someone with lower overhead and and markup. That's the free market!
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now that looks nice. what are the specs? (cataldo site is down at the moment)
Here's the build thread
http://bassoutpost.com/index.php?topic=6241.0
Bodies are Honduras, not African, mahogany. Nitrocellulose lacquer finishes, not polyurethane. EX5 ThunderBucker pickups (single or twin) in 63, 66 or MAX spec. God of Thunder original NR spec pick guard wityh finger rest. Top mounted jack. 21 fret AP neck, Hipshot Ultralite tuners. Original NR spec control cavity cover, CTS pots, etc.
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Here's the build thread
http://bassoutpost.com/index.php?topic=6241.0
Bodies are Honduras, not African, mahogany. Nitrocellulose lacquer finishes, not polyurethane. EX5 ThunderBucker pickups (single or twin) in 63, 66 or MAX spec. God of Thunder original NR spec pick guard wityh finger rest. Top mounted jack. 21 fret AP neck, Hipshot Ultralite tuners. Original NR spec control cavity cover, CTS pots, etc.
Thank you. And what are other specs: nut width, fingerboard radius, string spacing at bridge? Are generic allparts necks reshaped? What is the average weight of such bass? How do these balance on a strap?
And I assume these come with maple necks, right?
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Quality, price and value are what separate average products from excellent products. I don't doubt that Lull basses are excellent quality, however, the price doesn't always promise that it's better value and quality than a less expensive one made by someone with lower overhead and and markup. That's the free market!
I've owned about 70 basses, without question my Lull is hands down the best bass I've ever owned. All I can say is I never knew how good an instrument could be until I tried one of his - sometimes the reason things cost more is quality and that's certainly the case with one of Mike's basses, I think Mr. Vates understands as he owns a Lull, the naysayers ought to try one before critisizing, especially just for price.
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Lull makes a great bass I'm sure but I can't get down with the truss rod rout at the neck heel. Makes the bass look like it has a belly button. Lull's NR is bolt on too right? Isn't set neck construction a big part of what makes an NR sound like an NR? Same with the T bass, why should bolt on be better than 9 ply neck through?
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I think my Club is the best bass ever made. Partly because I paid an arm and a leg for it. :toast:
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Lull makes a great bass I'm sure but I can't get down with the truss rod rout at the neck heel. Makes the bass look like it has a belly button. Lull's NR is bolt on too right? Isn't set neck construction a big part of what makes an NR sound like an NR? Same with the T bass, why should bolt on be better than 9 ply neck through?
If you're comparing a 7ender bolt on neck to an original Gibson NR I's agree with your conclusion, but a modern multi bolt neck with the ferrules (or what ever you call them) like Mike's or Carlo's is virtually the same. My case in point would my BaCH NR's vs the Lull, both single pup bass using those two different methods of construction and sounded identical.
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I guess the sound diff is probably negligible. It just seems so antithetical to the spirit of the original design, like if someone made Les Paul guitar copys with bolt on necks, I have a feeling guitarists would not be impressed. Graphite bars also seem unnecessary, if not an outright sham, and add extra synthetic material where wood could be.
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Sorry Mark I will never buy Lull.
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Sorry Mark I will never buy Lull.
No need to apologize Bro, there's plenty of things I won't buy too!
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To be clear I have never criticized his product. The whole Lull /Hipshot thing has put me off.
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To be clear I have never criticized his product. The whole Hipshot /Lull thing has put me off.
I'll PM you what I know about it a bit later today :)
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I've seen a Lull and it was very nice, but nothing I would lust after and pay a premium for.
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I would love to play one, but as far as ownership is concerned, these things are well out of the league of a working stiff in Cincinnnati. And I generally gig a lot.
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I don't doubt it's an excellent bass for a minute, but I despise the "boutique bass looking like a classic"-concept. If I play a Precision I want it to be from Fender, and a Ric shape has to be from Ric and a TBird shape from Gibson. I'm old-fashioned that way. And if I'd buy a Lull, I'd want it to look like a Lull, just like my Parker Fly looks like no other bass made by anyone else.
But of course there is a market for boutique classics, but it eludes me why. I'd feel more comfortable on stage playing a MIM Fender P than a boutique jewel aping that shape/look. But that's just me.
At the same time I'm not a "'design captured in amber for posterity"-nerd (no, we don't have any of these here!), if Gibson brought out, say, an active TBird with a neck heel truss rod cavity today and called it 21th Century Thunderboy, I'd be perfectly fine with that.
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I have to say that Uwe has a point. How many versions of a P bass or TB can there be out there? The implication from bass builders is their boutique version is somehow superior to a Fender or Gibson mass produced instrument. I've played a couple Lull and other boutique basses (traded in at the HOG for something else) and I didn't see or hear that they were that special, especially in light of their price. Something mass produced is not inherently inferior to something made by hand and vice versa. A bolt on is a bolt on and while the material quality is key, a P bass has only so many ways to improve on the original design and execution.
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The BaCH is a no-regrets purchase especially since original NRs are way out of my price range and scarce as hell at that. Besides, Scott buys them all! ;D
I'm certainly not knocking Lull's basses, or anyone else's for that matter (other than hideous looks-like-every-other-boutique-bass-out-there basses).
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I don't doubt it's an excellent bass for a minute, but I despise the "boutique bass looking like a classic"-concept. If I play a Precision I want it to be from Fender, and a Ric shape has to be from Ric and a TBird shape from Gibson. I'm old-fashioned that way. And if I'd buy a Lull, I'd want it to look like a Lull, just like my Parker Fly looks like no other bass made by anyone else.
But of course there is a market for boutique classics, but it eludes me why. I'd feel more comfortable on stage playing a MIM Fender P than a boutique jewel aping that shape/look. But that's just me.
At the same time I'm not a "'design captured in amber for posterity"-nerd (no, we don't have any of these here!), if Gibson brought out, say, an active TBird with a neck heel truss rod cavity today and called it 21th Century Thunderboy, I'd be perfectly fine with that.
There have of course been many Thunderbird clones.........Greco, Epi, Orville etc. Boutique issuses as well including Lull and Hotwire, of which you have one Fenderbird IIRC. Some of us may indeed be purist about it, I'm not. There are many very good Thunderbirds out there that don't happen to have the Gibson name on the headstock, some are more expensive, some less.
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If the product were as good as the original, but cheaper, then I'd see the point for the budget buyer...
I'd been after a Jazz for some time and was considering a copy but a Squier came up for silly money and I went for it - the fretless licensed neck cost more than the whole instrument...
I can understand the Gibson/Epi - Fender/Squier market, perfectly, and my wallet can appreciate it too...
The Bach idea is a great concept; Carlo's option is also bang-for-the-buck from what everyone has said so far... if I ever find myself in the market for another instrument, even if it were just a body to go with my spare Jazz neck, Carlo would be the one getting my greens...
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a P bass has only so many ways to improve on the original design and execution.
There is this Lull creation"
(http://mikelull.com/images/basses/jt4/03-gallery.jpg)
It should have a truss rod cover though.
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That Lull needs a Cowpoke pickguard!
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(http://mikelull.com/images/basses/jt4/03-gallery.jpg)
That's a beautiful bass.
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To my simple mind, it's all about the tone and feel. I don't care if a premium priced bass doesn't have Gibson or Fender on the headstock even though it was originally one of their designs. Does it offer me what I want at a price I think is reasonable? That's what it's all about.
My older son bought a used Lull 5 maybe 8-9 years ago. I didn't think it was anything special and he didn't keep it long so he must not have, either. If I played another one, I might love it. You never know. The fact that the headstock on an expensive bass said Lull instead of Fender meant nothing to me.
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That's beautiful but hardly unique. I am not a fan of truss rods at the heel on any bass.
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...I don't care if a premium priced bass doesn't have Gibson or Fender on the headstock even though it was originally one of their designs.
This one says "Squier" ;D
(http://i976.photobucket.com/albums/ae241/cata1d0/JAEZZbird/P1020714_zps0ce0bfe8.jpg)
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I like that, is it for sale?
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I like that, is it for sale?
That one's sold, but others are available. Also in black or silver metallic. Black p/g standard.
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If the product were as good as the original, but cheaper, then I'd see the point for the budget buyer...
I'd been after a Jazz for some time and was considering a copy but a Squier came up for silly money and I went for it - the fretless licensed neck cost more than the whole instrument...
I can understand the Gibson/Epi - Fender/Squier market, perfectly, and my wallet can appreciate it too...
The Bach idea is a great concept; Carlo's option is also bang-for-the-buck from what everyone has said so far... if I ever find myself in the market for another instrument, even if it were just a body to go with my spare Jazz neck, Carlo would be the one getting my greens...
The Hotwire is a Fenderbird which by nature you can get neither from Gibson or Fender!!! :mrgreen: I would have never ordered a maho neck-thru TBird clone with Hotwire. Again, there is nothing wrong playing a boutique ho :mrgreen: (or should I say boutique escort to denote the upmarket aspect a bit more?), I just don't think it's terribly original from the producer's point of view (but the market demands it, I know). A Rothko look picture painted by Picasso might be even more valuable, but I prefer a Picasso to look like a Picasso and a Rothko like a Rothko. And I do like a company trying new shapes - that is why I have a Parker Fly, a Kubicki, an EBMM Bongo and a Lace Helix in my collection. But Sandberg doing P Bass knock-offs and calling them "California Basses" makes me shudder a little.
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That latter comment I can understand...
Surrealism is my prefered artform, but I suppose that would not be a surprise... Jackie likes Rothko style works, which both Roshina and I have created for her over the years...
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I don't doubt it's an excellent bass for a minute, but I despise the "boutique bass looking like a classic"-concept. If I play a Precision I want it to be from Fender, and a Ric shape has to be from Ric and a TBird shape from Gibson. I'm old-fashioned that way. And if I'd buy a Lull, I'd want it to look like a Lull, just like my Parker Fly looks like no other bass made by anyone else.
But of course there is a market for boutique classics, but it eludes me why. I'd feel more comfortable on stage playing a MIM Fender P than a boutique jewel aping that shape/look. But that's just me.
At the same time I'm not a "'design captured in amber for posterity"-nerd (no, we don't have any of these here!), if Gibson brought out, say, an active TBird with a neck heel truss rod cavity today and called it 21th Century Thunderboy, I'd be perfectly fine with that.
But the Funderbird was OK?
;)