F-Bass Alain Caron 5

From the f bass web site:
"Birdseye maple neck [bolt on], extended range 28 fret, ebony fingerboard
figured maple body with acoustic chambers, spruce top
One bridge position magnetic pickup and ebony bridge with individual RMC piezo pickups.
Violin Amber Burst finish standard"
This is a fretless bass. As the name suggests it was developed in association with the Canadian bass virtuoso Alain Caron. According to the maker George Furlanetto, Alain's bass has always had the basic features of this bass. However the AC-5 has changed and improved over the years.
This is a boutique bass, rich with flawless detail. As an example the cover of the custom pickp is cut from the top piece, the knobs are carved wood. There is an optional 4 band EQ I highly recommend! The magnetic pickup is dual or single coil, and a piezo pickup can be added via a separate volume knob. The deep cutaway provides easy access to the '24th' fret position. Strings run thru the hand carved bridge.

The bass is rich looking, the sound is even richer! The variety of tone(s) is astounding, it can be warm, throaty, cutting and sing! The low B is defined, but not the tightest I've heard.

The pickup seems perfectly placed, and when switched to single coil it cuts while still retaining a beautiful tone. Add in he RMC piezo for a big tone. The piezo is the best I have heard. The four tone controls (optional) are voiced for this bass. The active low/mid/high are boost only. The fourth control is a passive 'high' control that is effective with the piezo pick up.

The chambers give this bass a big sound. The notes grow and have a life of thier own. Having said this, I will say this is not my first choice for standard rock tunes, the sound is rich & pretty, and has no 'thud'.

The acitve tone controls are a big plus.

Here is the deal. I love the the fretless sounds of Jaco, Jimmy Haslip, & Alain Caron, etc. This is the only bass I ever just plugged into an amp and heard the same wonderful tones coming from my hands that I had only heard before on records or CDs.

How do they do it? It's represents the highest level of craftsmanship. The fluid lines are flawless in detail. One downside is the bridge is carved, and not adjustable.

The neck is compact and playable over the entire range of the instrument. The scale is unique at 34.5".

I found that my bass needs a minor 'spring and fall' truss adjustment. I live in the KC area where temperature and humidity change.

Call up F Bass and you talk to the man himself, George Furlanetto.

I have been playing about 7 years. I love this bass, it fit's prominently in my personal style. It is my first choice for fretless.

This bass sounds best to me on a clean flat rig. I use it with a Peavey Tmax 2x10, SWR Workingman 15 (w/ 10" exension cabinet), and in jazz combos with an Acoustic Image.

FYI - the basses I have used in comparison include Peavey Cirrus, Lakeland classic & Skyline 5 strings, and a Renaissance 5 string.

I own a 1999 F Bass Alain Caron 5. It's the first F Bass that I've ever owned and it's a keeper. I spoke with George Furlanetto about the differences between the BNF and the Caron 5. His response was the Caorn was a little more acoustic. The inherent differences can be found at the web site, but for face value the Caron has a spruce top, figured maple back, acoustic chambers, magnetic/piezo pickup in the sweet spot, passive electronics. The neck is figured maple with ebony fretboard. The bass comes with a gig bag. The gig bag is high grade codura with pockets and the "F Bass" logo. I don't want to say negative because the gig bag is fine for most situations, but for an instrument of this caliber, not to mention price, a hardshell should be standard.

The bass is well suited for just about any style. I like to play all styles of music, whatever sounds good. I am currently using an Alembic preamp, Crest Audio (CA-6) and Acme Low B 4X10. This bass has enough character with everthing set flat. The passive electronics are quiet and the push/pull bridge control which activates the piezo is quiet at any volume. Your can get a wide variety of tones out of this bass from dark reggae to very bright with the tone and piezo controls. These tones are all mix and match, bass, mids and treble ranges. I had my doubts about passive electronics. This bass cuts through with no problem. This is the only passive bass I have right now, and the sound is huge. I can't really compare the bass to any other because it has a unique fretless tone/growl. Every bass has it's certain spots where it sounds better than others. With a little vibrato the notes really sing and spread out as the note decays. You can get everything ranging from the upright to the modern thing.

When I received the bass from Corner Music, the action was good. All I had to due was tune it up and that was it. I have never had to adjust the truss. The pickup, in the sweet spot, was adjusted perfectly for me to rest my thumb. I didn't find any flaws with the bass sunburst finish or black hardware. The wooden knobs were seated properly, no loose pots.

I have done most home/studio recording with it and haven't played it out live yet. Although the bass is very light, the hardware feels like it could take a beating and the finish protects the wood adequately. As I mentioned before I haven't had to adjust the truss once and I live in very humid, changing area. This bass was made to play in every situation.

I haven't had to call the folks at F Bass for any problems, but with the repuation and experience I have had with them so far, I'm not worried.

I have been playing for approximately 20 years and I've owned many high end basses. If this bass was stolen, I'd wouldn't hesitate to buy 2 more. This is my favorite bass because of it's versatility and it's like a comfortable pair of old shoes. The last thing I want to say is I should have listened to George and got the 6 string. However, I think Alain has that reserved.