Godin Shifter / Fret-King Ventura - Three pick ups a new trend?

neepheid · July 03, 2011, 04:10:22 AM

Quote from: Psycho Bass Guy on July 01, 2011, 08:15:40 AM
...which I would love to hear with a 'hog body. Maple really limited the tones to what I like to call "the JBL tone." IOW, what flavor of too bright would you like?

I think mine (1978) has an alder body.

Dave W · July 03, 2011, 09:10:08 AM

Does the Hodad have a 1 meg tone pot? That would explain the almost all or nothing effect.

Psycho Bass Guy · July 03, 2011, 02:08:39 PM

Quote from: neepheid on July 03, 2011, 04:04:08 AM
I know, but that doesn't change the fact that it's how they appear on your doorstep in stock condition.

No argument there. I tried them when they were new and didn't like them. The cheap hardware went hand-in-hand with their prices. I was never a tic-tac fan anyway.

QuoteI also hated the fact that the Epi had no selector switch, so I fitted one. Drilling into a carved top, set neck instrument was an interesting challenge

I also dislike the 3 point bridge, but without major complicated surgery there wasn't much I could do about it.

I have a selector on my TP 12'er and have found it superfluous. I like that the old standard basses lack one. I'm a fan of the three-point. Whomever owend my bass prior obviously did not understand how to adjust it or the neck. The minimal tweaking and ease and accuracy of adjustment required to get it in playing shape with proper intonation puts Fender-style bridges to shame, but it requires a little more thought. Mine arrived with a neck backbow and the bridge set much too high and pitched way too shallow. Loosening the trussrod and repitching the bridge went much easier than I thought it would.

neepheid · July 04, 2011, 09:48:48 AM

Quote from: Dave W on July 03, 2011, 09:10:08 AM
Does the Hodad have a 1 meg tone pot? That would explain the almost all or nothing effect.

It does - a 1Meg/100k stack pot. The most unusual pot values on a concentric I've come into contact with.

Dave W · July 04, 2011, 11:38:39 AM

I've read that vintage Danos have 1 meg tone pots too, at least some of them, and that it was done b/c the pickups were so bright.

Psycho Bass Guy · July 05, 2011, 01:49:15 AM

1 meg's would roll off less high end than 500 or 250K's.

Dave W · July 05, 2011, 08:04:49 AM

D'oh! You're right, of course. The 100k pot would roll off more.

My old 77 Tele Bass (humbucker edition) and the Tele Deluxe had 1 meg tone pots which rolled off less high end. Those had nearly an on/off switch effect. Not quite, though.

That still leaves me wondering about the Hodad.