Alembic Guitars Club
Connecting => Miscellaneous => Topic started by: stout71 on March 08, 2013, 08:17:04 AM
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Does anyone here have any experience with the classic Pedulla Buzz fretless basses? They were all the rage 10-15 years ago and were talked about as if they were the cream of the crop for fretless basses. I'm not suggesting they in any shape compete with Alembics, but a friend has a used 4-string he's willing to sell me. Does the polyester-coated fingerboard have any effect on the playability or sound? I'm interested in your thoughts.
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The coated fretboard emulates the Jaco sound, as he coated his converted fretless jazz bass wtih epoxy. For a good recent sonic example of this sound, watch on Showtime The History of the Eagles. Timothy B. Schmidt plays one on NY Minute. I own 2 Buzz basses myself, a standard one with extra treble and bass in the preamp, and an EZ-Q equiped one. They are very comfortable to play and the sound is still quite distinctive. Mike Pedulla is terrific with service as well.
I hope one day to own a 5 string Buzz, but first in Alembic land ....... a project yet to be started with woods reserved (and paid for).
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It's tuned piccolo, but Jeff Schmidt plays a Pedulla fretless in the video below. Sounds good to me!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TF4sJHBIYEo (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TF4sJHBIYEo)
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That is quite the awesome performance. I am wowwed by the harmonic tones that he generates and the buzz, although it may also be due to the tenor stringing. Thanks for sharing. I do love my Pedullas, and of course my Alembics!
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The thing I like about the Buzz is that it is intended to give you the best of both worlds (particularly with the EZ-Q) in terms of a dynamite fretless tone; and an equally dynamite fretted/slap tone.
This link features the fretless singing tone:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_SQoyrVnRrI (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_SQoyrVnRrI)
This one has some of the slapped sound:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6t61CsrTcO8 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6t61CsrTcO8)
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Good grief - just listen to Doug Johns to know their sounds. He plays fretted and fretless Pedullas - one on my personal wish list.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iIOatyMEThQ (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iIOatyMEThQ)
Steve
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I own a Pedulla PJ Buzz 4 . I was first introduced to Pedulla Buzz bass's by Mark Egan when he gave a couple of his Bass clinics in California in the early 1990's. I Participated in a couple of them and really liked the sound and feel of the instrument. Recently I have been considering getting Alembic Activators for mine. Check out the video ; http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P7lPev_V-e0 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P7lPev_V-e0)
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Very cool sounds from Egan, and a doubleneck at that, but that is one of the cheesiest videos I have ever seen.
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I've played them from time to time and always been impressed. Feel good, sound good. And the neck finish gives you lots of expressive variety.
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not sure if it's a fretless but here's a gorgeous 6'er!
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Pedulla-Hexabuzz-6-string-bass-1996-/230946089146?pt=Guitar&hash=item35c575a8ba (http://www.ebay.com/itm/Pedulla-Hexabuzz-6-string-bass-1996-/230946089146?pt=Guitar&hash=item35c575a8ba)
but I too have always been attracted to these basses and after seeing the video that Steve posted I'm convinced I need one!
~Taylor
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Buzz = fretless in Pedulla speak
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I had a Buzz 4 in the early 80s, mostly due to influence from Mark Egan, and it was a wonderful bass. It was the first bass that I had that was really high quality through and through. I sold it when I moved to a 5 string and really missed. It later popped up at Daddy's in Boston, but I was too broke to buy it back. Post a picture, maybe it's my old bass!
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That bass on eBay looks fretted to me! I think they do have fretted basses they also call buzz -- it's the body shape, isn't it?
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Unless someone converted it by adding frets, that is a fretless. HexaBuzz is the term Mike Pedulla uses for his 6 string fretless basses. His white fret lines do stand out. I would not rule out that someone may have added frets, as almost always the Pedulla fretless fretboards are coated with Polyester. I can see based on the pitures why one may conclude that it is fretted.
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You're right -- the fretted versions are called MVPs. And I'm a Pedulla owner myself. That bass does look fretted, though.
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It's not fretted, it has inlays where the lines are. When I was at Berklee, I did one of my proficiencies on my Buzz bass and I played the first Bach cello suite for the teachers and then a variety of other things they put me through. They thought it was pretty good, but one of them commented that I kept pulling my strings out of tune. I then pointed out that I was doing the best I could with the fretless I had only owned for 6 months. So, they all thought it was fretted from about 15 feet away.
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Not to hijack this, but Edwin... Check your inbox.... I have a quick question.....
As far as the sound of a buzz bass, the first time I heard one was in the early 90s.... A Motown review band, and yes it made a lasting impression... I even remember the stage lights hitting the epoxy and wondering if the board was glass!
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No message so far. I'll check the spam filter.
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Hmmmm.....
I sent it again....