NBD: Mike Lull V4 in Mary Kaye & Gold. Instant #1

I recently sold my most expensive Fodera and have been doing a bit of shopping. I must say… Spencer Lull knows my love language.

Mike Lull V4
Ash body
Roasted Maple neck
Ebony board
Hand-wound Lull J pickups
Passive electronics
8.3lb

I’ve been wanting a good passive, 4-string jazz. This one happens to have a super comfortable slim-C profile. The finish is spectacular. Their new j pickups have a nice 60s vibe with a little extra sparkle. And the gold guard is stunning— acrylic w/ gold lacquer sprayed on the back, kind of like the old Gretch stuff.

It’s killer. & will quickly become my go to. Here’s a few photos…

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Nice! I really liked that trans orange M5V you had too.
 
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I recently sold my most expensive Fodera and have been doing a bit of shopping. I must say… Spencer Lull knows my love language.

Mike Lull V4
Ash body
Roasted Maple neck
Ebony board
Hand-wound Lull J pickups
Passive electronics
8.3lb

I’ve been wanting a good passive, 4-string jazz. This one happens to have a super comfortable slim-C profile. The finish is spectacular. Their new j pickups have a nice 60s vibe with a little extra sparkle. And the gold guard is stunning— acrylic w/ gold lacquer sprayed on the back, kind of like the old Gretch stuff.

It’s killer. & will quickly become my go to. Here’s a few photos…

View attachment 6994936View attachment 6994937View attachment 6994948View attachment 6994938View attachment 6994939View attachment 6994940
Ok, so that bass has me drooling.
My kind of J. Congrats on such a beauty!
 
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I thought you sold it. Or had it listed for sale at one point. That's two really nice basses you have!
Yeah, about the time I bought my Fodera, I kind of had to let the M5V go, due to the money. I really liked the Fodera but just didn't gel with it, which is tragic at that price point. Plus, it wasn't nearly as 'me' as the M5V. I guess I like a jazz bass.

Fortunately, the guy who bought the M5V ended up selling it back to me a couple of months later. It now has Nordstrand pickups and a Mike Pope Flexcore preamp. It is definitely next level. The Fodera is now sold and I'm set. :thumbsup:
 
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@tb-player Purple Sunset Stingray?!?! Pictures please! :hyper:

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Congrats on your new V4. They are excellent basses. I bought one a few months ago from the Bass Shop Seattle -- a very cool shop which usually has a few Lulls available.

It's interesting about the Fodera. When I was buying my V4, there was also a Sadowsky NYC available. The Sadowsky was truly very nice. It was active, of course, and had every bell and whistle, and played so nicely, like you expect from a Sadowsky. But, I liked the Lull better. It really captures the jazz bass tone and plays so wonderfully. At first I struggled a bit with the decision. The Sadowsky was, well a Sadowsky. I then realized I was being dopey, letting a brand name override what I was experiencing with the Lull. I came to my senses and came home with the V4. I love it.

This is actually my second Lull. I also have a P4 I got about four years ago. I feel fortunate to own two very fine instruments.
 
Congrats on your new V4. They are excellent basses. I bought one a few months ago from the Bass Shop Seattle -- a very cool shop which usually has a few Lulls available.

It's interesting about the Fodera. When I was buying my V4, there was also a Sadowsky NYC available. The Sadowsky was truly very nice. It was active, of course, and had every bell and whistle, and played so nicely, like you expect from a Sadowsky. But, I liked the Lull better. It really captures the jazz bass tone and plays so wonderfully. At first I struggled a bit with the decision. The Sadowsky was, well a Sadowsky. I then realized I was being dopey, letting a brand name override what I was experiencing with the Lull. I came to my senses and came home with the V4. I love it.

This is actually my second Lull. I also have a P4 I got about four years ago. I feel fortunate to own two very fine instruments.
I’ve owned multiple Sadowskys and multiple Lulls. As an East Coaster, Sadowsky is the direction I would lean as well. But I can’t say I love that preamp. Lull’s passive electronics sound good if not better.

I would say that Lull is the Sadowsky of the West Coast. And guys I know from the West Coast hold them in very high esteem. Now that Ian Allison is playing them, they’re getting even more national traction.

I think you likely chose well. :thumbsup:
 
Congrats on your new V4. They are excellent basses. I bought one a few months ago from the Bass Shop Seattle -- a very cool shop which usually has a few Lulls available.

It's interesting about the Fodera. When I was buying my V4, there was also a Sadowsky NYC available. The Sadowsky was truly very nice. It was active, of course, and had every bell and whistle, and played so nicely, like you expect from a Sadowsky. But, I liked the Lull better. It really captures the jazz bass tone and plays so wonderfully. At first I struggled a bit with the decision. The Sadowsky was, well a Sadowsky. I then realized I was being dopey, letting a brand name override what I was experiencing with the Lull. I came to my senses and came home with the V4. I love it.

This is actually my second Lull. I also have a P4 I got about four years ago. I feel fortunate to own two very fine instruments.
I’ve had a few Sadowsky Js. Very nice basses but I didn’t keep any of them. The M5V suits me better (and you can always put a Sadowsky preamp in a Lull if that’s the sound you want).
 
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I’ve owned multiple Sadowskys and multiple Lulls. As an East Coaster, Sadowsky is the direction I would lean as well. But I can’t say I love that preamp. Lull’s passive electronics sound good if not better.

I would say that Lull is the Sadowsky of the West Coast. And guys I know from the West Coast hold them in very high esteem. Now that Ian Allison is playing them, they’re getting even more national traction.

I think you likely chose well. :thumbsup:
Yeah, the preamp was the main thing with the Sadowsky. I didn't really like the tone all that much, and the V4 was so easy to dial in. I do live on the east coast and didn't know about Lulls, except from folks here on TB. Here's something you might find interesting. I brought my Lull P4 down to Mas Hino's shop (then) in Brooklyn for a set up a couple of years ago just after COVID was under control. He mentioned that mine was the first Lull he had in the NYC shop. He had seen and worked on several while in Japan, but not in NYC. When I first got the Lull, none of my music friends were familiar with it. Sadowsky, they told me, is "The bass." Fast forward a couple of years and two friends now also have Lulls.
 
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