LTD BB1005 Bunny Brunel Test & Review – The Blue Wonder

esp-ltd-bb-1005-quilted-maple-black-aqua

(Translated from German: http://www.gitarrebass.de Gitarre & Bass Magazine)

LTD BB1005

Rapid fusion action on a stately Fivestring, with a further extended range: Bunny Brunel’s signature model from LTD brings some top performances together.

The Quilted Maple blanket with stylish transparent varnish ensures the appropriate eye-catching appearance. The BB1005 is available in Black Aqua, Burnt Orange and See Through Black Sunburst; Except for the bundled models, a Fretless is also available. According to its name, this instrument is equipped for all styles.

Big Player

First, the blue testbass presents itself as a powerful instrument with a large body and an elongated head plate, total length 119 cm. The Longscale neck is made of maple and straight, the side-glued corpus wings consist of alder, with the whole front of the bodysuit with a beautiful cloudy top.

On the wide ebony fingerboard is plenty of space for a clean finger, which at the same time means that the Brunel Fivestring is not necessarily the most comfortable player for short fingers. At the flat neck profile it should not lie, however, the string position can be set very low without frills.

The solid hipshot bridge is a solid, so that the strings can be inserted from the rear through the body or can be attached conventionally from the front. The semi-finished precision tuners also come from the same manufacturer, the tuner for the low-frequency H-string being equipped with an extender lever that lowers the thickest string to the A as required.

The electrical equipment, which comes completely from Aguilar, provides for a sound versatility. In the bridge position sits a 5M-humbucker with fat Alnico magnets, at the neck also an Alnico-equipped J-Pickup. This is, of course, not a simple single coil, but a two-coil hum-Canceling design, so that all the pickup mixes that can be recalled at the crossover are free of hum. For further sound variation is a three-band active EQ on board, the center band of which can be switched by pull switch between 400 and 800 Hz.

Much of everything

Due to the flat neck / body transition, the 24th position is also completely unobstructed, and the BB1005 is also perfectly balanced due to the long corpus spine and without any approach from the top of the belt. The weight of approx. 4.2 kg is not exaggerated for a grown five and ensures that the body is calm and stable to the body.

The Brunel-Fivestring with its continuous neck, the massive neck and the optional string guide from the front, is the result of a lush sustain development and swinging pleasure arke maple ensures that the sound does not get too soft and soothing, but precisely and directly starts, Which is also important for fast-paced fusion carnivals.

Even the extender for the H-string is really usable. Actually one would only have to see under the deep H undefined booby, but actually the Brunel Fivestring also a cleanly defined A is effected. A certain surprise is provided by the electric touch, where the fat Alnico humbucker produces a rather airy and bony sound.

This is clearly due to the relatively high-pitched placement, where there are fewer bass components in the string amplitude. Convincingly, the 5M humbucker brings a clear, tidy sound with offensive growl. The narrow J-Pickup in the neck position is responsible for real bass depth and thickness, and the splitcoil fulfills this role with balanced broadband and a fine shot of offensive Alnico presence. The fact that its pole pieces protrude somewhat from the cap according to the handlebuck, could, in the case of a misdirected slap, lead to clattering noise when the strings hit the magnets.

The active OBP3 sound control is gaining power, resulting in different results in the different frequency bands. For the basses, for example, the excessively radical cuts are wasteful, because practically nobody really uses such dry settings. In the middle, the drastic effect is much more practical, especially since the switchable center frequency can still shift the striking nose, which makes the bundled testbass sound almost like a fretless.

On the other hand, extreme radical attenuations can be adjusted if an extratrocke radio sound or a soft, soft restraint is required. In the case of the height controller, the strong effect does not occur at all because it acts at quite high frequencies; This results in the detection of fine-metallic brilliance tips, but not hard and sharp presences.

Alternatives

Five-string electric basses with healthy equipment are already available in the most favorable price categories. But mostly these are vintage designs with screw neck, modern styled models with continuous neck construction are already scarce – and it goes directly into higher price categories. To this extent, the signature five-string strings, equipped with brand-name features, do not represent the mainstream. Ibanez, however, also builds similarly elaborate Neck-thru models, which are offered at attractive prices because of the more favorable production in Indonesia.

Summary

Bunny Brunel’s Signature model has a lot to offer: plenty of space for the fingers on the wide fretboard, a lot of bridge mass and a lot of sustain for lush swinging pleasure, a lot of tone with 24 freely accessible fret plus H string extender and many variations due to the rich Electric equipment – you get a lot of bass for the money, and the higher price class for a Korean LTD model should not be more astonishing.

Continue reading “LTD BB1005 Bunny Brunel Test & Review – The Blue Wonder”

BUNNY BRUNEL DESIGNS FOR ESP

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Bunny Brunel holding his ESP design

After 25 years of designing basses for Carvin, legendary bass player Bunny Brunel has changed companies.  He now designers for ESP Guitars, and has
designed four basses, including the special one-of-a-kind bass with his daughter Gigi’s handprint.  The basses are available in ESP Guitar stores worldwide, as well as online.  Carvin and Carvin patrons didn’t take the news well at all, but when we asked Bunny how he felt about the change, he was delighted.

Bunny Brunel:

Bunny Brunel’s Bass with Gigi’s handprint (Photo: Devino Tricoche)

“It’s been a good 25 years with Carvin, but all good things must come to an end.  I feel I will be doing great things as a designer for ESP.  I’m excited about the possibilities!”

Image 1 (L) – Bunny Brunel holding his first newly designed bass from ESP Guitars (Photo: Arun Nevader)

Image 2 (R) – The ESP bass which is one-of-a-kind, designed by Bunny Brunel.  It has the handprints of Gigi, his 12-year-old daughter. (Photo: Devino Tricoche)

Review: ESP Bunny Brunel Signature Models

bassplayer.com | BY  ED FRIEDLAND | October 7, 2015

Bunny Brunel is well known as an early progenitor of fretless electric bass in fusion, but he has also been involved in instrument design for many years. His previous signature model was one of Carvin’s most popular instruments, and his electric-upright design is a unique and effective contribution to the EUB genre. But even before that, Brunel helped to design prototypes with Gibson that never hit the open market. Now teamed up with ESP Guitars, Brunel brings out version 2.0 of his signature instrument, in fretless 5-string and fretted 4-string models. The new BB1005FL and 1004 basses bear a close resemblance to their predecessors, but a detailed look reveals changes to the platform that could make this the best Bunny bass yet.

All-Access Basses

Brunel’s design goal has always been an instrument that gives unfettered access to all the notes, is well balanced physically and musically, and provides a wide variety of tones. The ESP models certainly live up to those ideals, and they stand out in the crowded import field as a real alternative to higher-priced exotic models. While you don’t have to be a fusion player to appreciate the Brunels’ playability, those who use the entire range of the fingerboard will find the necks very player-friendly. The fretless 5 felt roomy, but not too spread out. The asymmetrical neck profile gave me better access to the lower strings in high positions and fit my hand’s shape naturally. The fretted 4-string model has a nicely rounded C profile that reminded me of a mid-’70s Jazz Bass. The ebony fingerboard looks great and provides plenty of snap for the slap lover, and the fretless 5 is unique for its polyester- coated fingerboard. Ever since Jaco slathered marine epoxy on his Jazz Bass fingerboard, fretless players have been fascinated by this idea. Brunel himself has always preferred this on his personal instruments, but his previous signature model did not offer this option. To be fair, applying the coating is a messy, toxic, and painstaking job that most luthiers try to avoid. It is unusual for a production line instrument to come with this feature, so kudos are in order. The main purpose behind the coating is to protect the wooden fingerboard from damage inflicted by roundwound strings, but it has a sonic influence as well. The high-frequency response from the string against the super-slick surface is definitely present in the final tone—it’s the icing on a very substantial cake. The fretless board was dressed to perfection, allowing each register to sustain naturally. As for mwah? We’ve got your mwah right here. The spreading, vocal-like articulation is easily produced in any spot on the 1005FL lined fingerboard. One feature held over from previous models is orienting the 5-string’s position dots as if it were a 4; if you’re new to 5-string, it’s comforting, as the dots are easier to see.

The new ESP BB basses are powered by Aguilar electronics, with a MM-style humbucker in bridge position, and a hum-canceling J-pickup in the neck slot. The Aggie OBP-3 preamp provides plenty of gain, a 3-band EQ implemented with a concentric pot for bass and treble, and a separate control for the mids with a push/pull pot to switch the frequency from 400Hz to 800Hz. While I’m not opposed to concentric controls, they can be tricky to set up properly, and I found that on both review instruments the stacked knobs tended to stick together, making it hard to adjust just one band. A push/pull pot for the volume control accesses passive mode, and the Aguilar pickups have all the output you need for a more old-school tone. Both instruments come with Hipshot hardware, and the traditional clover- style paddle tuners look extra cool in the flatblack finish. Both instruments also come standard with the Hipshot Bass Xtender. While the previous incarnation of the Brunel signature model offered a wide range of wood choices, cosmetic options, and pickups, ESP has decided to limit the finishes for now to Burnt Orange or Black Aqua for the 5-string and a Black Burst for the 4, both over nicely figured quilted maple veneer.

Thumping Bunnies

As a Carvin endorser back in the ’90s, I owned several Bunny Brunel models, in 4, 5, and 6-string versions, fretted and fretless, and while the ESP bears a strong resemblance, it feels very different. The ESP neck profile is a bit fuller, and the area around the body/neck joint is beefier, creating rigidity where it most benefits the sound. While I don’t typically describe neck-through-body instruments as “punchy,” these Bunnies can definitely thump. The fretted 4-string invites the thumb to slap it around, and the pickup configuration covers the classic MM-fueled spank tone of Louis “Thunder Thumbs” Johnson with ease. But the pickup blend produces a thicker texture with depth and clarity. The hum-canceling neck pickup let me fully explore the hollow chunk of a ’51-style P-Bass without 60-cycle dreck spoiling the fun. The preamp made it easy to conjure up virtually any tone I desired, but the nature of the beast is clear articulation. The tone of a bass line will pop while still being supportive in nature, but if you are a soloist, the BB basses are definitely your friend. With the bridge pickup favored, the BBs provided the punch and directness that brings a bass solo to the front. Approached passively, I could get a whole palette of more traditional Fender-like tones from the Bunny, making it applicable for pretty much any type of gig.

As Brunel is highly regarded as a fretless player, his fretless model is predictably dialed in to perfection. I was impressed with the consistency of the fingerboard dressing—I’ve paid hundreds of dollars to get my fretless boards feeling this good, and on an out-of-the-box import? Very nice. The BB11005FL responds to touch like a much more expensive bass; it can burp, hit, spread, and whine if you’ve got the hands to make it happen. Playing moving runs on the BB, it seemed all I had to do was stop on a note to get a lot of sustain. The glassiness of the coated board provides a little edge that gets you heard, and adds some finger mojo to the overall tone.

The new Bunny Brunel signature models are well suited to the demands of hardcore jazz fusion, but their playability and versatility make them a great choice for any gig.

SPECIFICATIONS

ESP

BB1005FL & BB1004
Street 
BB1005FL, $1,400; BB1004, $1,300
Pros Well balanced, versatile tone, better-than-average build quality
Cons Concentric tone controls “stick”
Bottom Line Basses that play well and sound great for any style of playing.

SPECS

ESP BB1005FL, BB1004
Construction 
Neck-through
Body Alder
Neck Three-piece maple
Fingerboard 1004, ebony; 1005FL, acrylic-coated
Fingerboard radius 1005FL, 16″; 1004, 12″
Frets 1005FL, 24 fret lines; 1004, 24 XJ
Nut Molded
Neck width at nut 1005FL, 1.75″; 1004, 1.5″
Bridge Hipshot A-style; e” string spacing
Scale length 34″
Pickups Aguilar MM & humbucking J
Tuners Hipshot w/Bass Xtender
Weight 1005FL, 9.2 lbs; 1004, 9 lbs
Made in Korea
Contact espguitars.com


Original Source: http://www.bassplayer.com/gear/1164/review-esp-bunny-brunel-signature-models/54391

 

Bunny Brunel Joins The ESP Family

espguitars.com | Mar 6, 2015

ESP is happy to announce that world-renowned bassist Bunny Brunel, whose talents have been employed by a wide range of artists covering many genres of music, is now part of the ESP Guitars family. As you may already know, we also recently announced the introduction of two new Bunny Brunel Signature Series basses: the BB-1004/QM and the BB-1005FL/QM.

“I’m a fusion player, but I play every style,” says Bunny Brunel. “Pop, rock and roll, and much more. My signature basses from ESP match any kind of music.”

“We are thrilled to have Bunny onboard at ESP,” says Jeff Moore, ESP senior vice president. “He represents the type of bass player who we love, with the ability to astound other musicians with his technical playing chops, and is respected by all. He came to us in search of a bass that would be up to the task of his many live performances and recording dates, and we were happy to deliver.”

Primarily known as a jazz fusion bassist, Bunny Brunel’s resume looks like a “who’s who” of the jazz world, having played with Chick Corea, Herbie Hancock, Wayne Shorter, Tony Williams, Jack DeJohnette, Natalie Cole, Stevie Wonder, Stanley Clarke, Dizzy Gillespie, Tania Maria, Patrick Moraz, Ziggy Marley, Al Di Meola, and many more. His melodic approach to bass playing covers everything from smooth fretless growls to tight funk popping. He is a member of the fusion group CAB and also lends his talents to film and TV scoring.

Bunny’s two Signature Series basses are the LTD BB-1004/QM and LTD BB-1005FL/QM. The BB-1004 is a 4-string bass in See Thru Black Sunburst finish, while the BB-1005/FL is a fretless 5-string model in Burnt Orange. Both basses incorporate neck-thru-body construction, quilted maple top, ebony fingerboard, and a special Aguilar pickup set with an OBP-3 active preamp. Bunny was very active in regard to the basses’ designs, with a goal to create an instrument with excellent playing feel and balance, as well as tonal variety that made it appropriate for multiple music genres. He has also just released his latest solo album, Invent Your Future, which features jazz fusion notables Patrick Moraz, Virgil Donati, Patrice Rushen, and many more, and includes songs composed by Brunel as well as Chick Corea, Jaco Pastorius, and others. Continue reading “Bunny Brunel Joins The ESP Family”