drTStingray

Afraid I'm the exact opposite. Active circuit provides a fatness not available in a passive bass. I see it as Jamerson sound v Bernard Edwards sound - I always preferred the latter, especially in a band setting - possibly because I developed as a bass player through the 70s and 80s alongside the development of bass sounds during the same period. This describes the point very clearly (it's not Bernard Edwards) - the end has excellent bass. http://youtu.be/ZzZOef9tolQ Anyone turning up with a pastel shade Fender was considered, along with late 50s and early/mid 60s music, herendously unhip and dated. Even though some bands of that 60s era were still playing in cabaret settings to OAPs..... I think they still are!!! I also, where possible, don't stand too close to my speakers, or right next to the drummer. If the drummer is one of those very loud ones, you'll never hear very well.

I suppose you need to think about what would happen if you wanted to sell the bass. I think I would insist on them sending a replacement Flea Jazz neck from the factory. At least then you can reassemble the bass and sell it as original with factory replaced corrected neck if you ever want to. I'd certainly want to keep that Status neck. If they insist on you sending them the broken neck I'd copiously photograph it and send it them - but only on condition it's replaced with a factory OE serviceable one (needs to be Flea spec including relic job). Just my ten penworth - you wouldn't expect Ford to replace your broken Focus RS engine on warranty (there have been loads of recalls) with a partially complete different version? So why Fender. Frankly it'll cost them virtually nothing except shipping, if the UK distributor/retailer can be asked to get their fingers out. Its called aftermarket customer services - something most firms (Lakland was mentioned) do well. You get the feeling Fender is just not geared up for this. I have heard of broken truss rods on CS basses - it appears to be the vintage spec that sometimes causes them an issue. Thank goodness this wasn't an original 61 Jazz..........

The four over one is a classic layout in my view and results in a well balanced bass - and fits the logo perfectly 😏 This is my latest. It's light and the notes really jump off that ebony board with roasted maple neck and stainless steel frets. I tend to vary how I use my five strings, ranging from using the full two octaves across 5 frets ability (useful for some lines - such as jazzy walking lines) to playing as a four with some lower notes (if you want to use open strings as per a four string and getting the timbre of a four string this is useful), and the occassional use of lower notes than E is as effective as using occassional high notes at times. An example is using a low note for the last note after a coda. In reality I probably use a combination of approaches dependent on the song. Back to the headstock/bass balance. One of my favourite basses I own is an early 2000s Musicman 5H in natural with a maple neck and ceramic pick up. It's quite heavy - possibly 2 lbs heavier than the one pictured above, but it balances perfectly on a strap and sounds fantastic. The body is massively resonant. I use five strings quite often and really like them - but they are all MM basses (SR5H, SR5HHs, Bongo 5HHp, US Sub 5).

This is awful. It appears that Fender's customer services, rather like the design of its iconic instruments, live somewhere far in the past. Many companies (which have a far better reputation for their customer focus) would have dealt with this issue when it arose. It speaks volumes for Fender unfortunately - but I have heard other people describe their resolution of issues as dreadful. What a bunch of tw**s. Have you thought of starting a civil action to get the bass replaced? I would have thought the goods could be deemed as not fit for purpose.

Sorry, I'm no lover of this signature Bass but if you think that sounded like mud you need either a new sound system or a different aural focus. I think they were joking that many bassists moan about instrument versatility when it is generally them that lack the versatility!! I've found this often to be true as well. In fact the better the bass and its sound quality, the more technique limitations are magnified. A bit like a racing car in the hands of an average car driver.

Have a heart - this is the first ever Musicman signature bass...... Im sure Joe Dart's fans think there should be one. The main thing is the first lot sold in an hour or two. I'm guessing the demographic of this forum (and Talkbass) is miles off beam with the demographic of the fans of Vulfpeck - however some of us here think they're great - they're actually a great live act. I've never heard any crowd sing along to the bass line of a predominantly Bass orientated track before them (even Jaco or Mark King)!! 👍😏

Yeah Cobalt Flatwounds (or Slinky Flatwounds as they're packaged). Whats wrong with white pick up covers then? It's been a Musicman feature for decades on some models!

I generally agree with the point - but for instance an HH Stingray Special does a pretty good EB0 vibe with the bridge H selected - but it is not boomy and remains articulate. It's just the general tone that's similar. Joe Dart has used this bass exclusively on recent tours. It does the bridge pick up Jazz thing just fine - which is not surprising as it has a bridge H. Its a bit reminiscent of Tim C's natural Stingray from the 90s - natural is about the most iconic Musicman Bass colour - but presumably Joe has picked the spec - the figured maple neck is a nice touch. Doesn't the Mark Hoppus Precision have only a volume knob? Its good to see EBMM doing a signature bass - something they've not really done before.

Or even sound like a bass drum (with pillows stuffed in front of it!) 🤔😬

Indeed - my 4HHs turned up three months quicker so I had something to be going on with!!

A fun video and some v nice sounds there!! Apparently ships with Slinky Flatwounds (ie Cobalt Flats). So the first 50 had special neck plates - guessing you can still order them in March. Nice flame maple on that neck. Looks great in the pictures here. http://www.notreble.com/buzz/2019/03/01/ernie-ball-music-man-and-vulfpeck-announce-joe-dart-signature-bass/

They seem to have been selling a lot of guitars and more recently Stingray Special basses - hence me having to wait 7 months for my 5HHs!

This song predated the 'Precision is obligatory for pro musicians' era (summer 96).

They sold out in about an hour so not much chance!! Have they got a figured neck as well? I think they're available just in March. No doubt the limited edition passive short scale Stingray will be available on a very limited basis as well in due course. Good idea to sell these through the Vulf site.

Hilarious 😂

Blimey what's this got to do with erotica and famous items of 1957 origin (not Madonna - Precision basses)?.... That 'All Your Base Are Belong To Us' also seems to have been written by the same chap that wrote the last scam email claiming to be from my bank asking for personal details I received. Maybe im not seeing the link clearly enough. 🤔

I can't help feeling that those people who tell you they prefer a Precision to erotica any day are being disingenuous - or maybe a bit old!! 😂 I like that Tony Goggle signature one 👍

The Gaylord V11 was a strange looking beast - ill give you that. But I remember an upright player telling me a P Bass was all chrome and no tone!! 😬

This is a wonderful post with insight. I once had a Gaylord V11 - the one without a headstock - now that was a sexy bass!! Im certain that if I was required to play on modern pop music where the bass is inaudible and the drums are mixed like a marching band I'd think about using a Precision because as we know 'all pro bassists use a Precision' and I'd also remember that no bassist worth their salt 'takes their hands off the fretboard'. I'd also remember that 'the Precision Bass has been the voice of pop music since the 60s' - but only if you ignore the fact that much of the U.K. scene (and British Invasion) was using Epiphone Rivoli and the like in the 60s. Ive never really got it - apart from loving the P playing people like Jamerson and his 70s soul and funk followers, and Kaye and Dunn - but that was surely more about their playing and the vagaries of all electric instruments of the period. I preferred their more audible early 80s influenced players like Pino. Ive never got on with them since finding the neck unmanageable in about 1969 and hearing lots of examples of them disappearing in live mixes or being less than clear. Also I heard that some of my favourite passive bass parts of the late 70s were in fact pumped up in the studio by Alembic preamps. So I've preferred to choose a bass with more definition than a Precision and I don't want to carry around an Alembic preamp (although I did think about it at one time - and a Sadowski one). So rather like the headless Gaylord V11 I think this inaudible Bass fad must use a Precision engineer can't deal with anything else is a flavour of the month and people will come to their senses again 👍😂😀 Theyve never had this problem in dance music btw and drummers are often machines, which can be a great bonus in some cases!!! 😉 However I still love Precision basses - just think that yesteryear's upright player's snooty looking down on P bass players as playing instruments that are all chrome and no tone, today the similar is true for P players being snooty. Just love the bass you like be it a P or whatever - now I must get hold of one of those Gaylord V11s again 😬

Hooray - and great to see a video from Ed Friedland (who appears to be going to do some instrument reviews for them). I like the bit where he says the ethos will be to do a magazine about bass without being told by men in suits who don't know who Stanley Clarke is (he's a pro who doesn't play a P bass btw 😏😂😂) what to do!! I shall look forward to seeing this. Great stuff. I've always thought Ed Friedland's video reviews were great.

Perhaps that's why Bass is often inaudible in modern mixes then. Too much stereotyping of instrumentation to my mind. Take funky soul - Average White Band guitar instrumentation - Telecaster; Gretch White Falcon; Les Paul. Yes, Nile Rogers plays a Strat....... Whatever happened to player skill? It's possible to get thumpy 60s sound using muting of the bass - no matter what the bass is and strings are.

Interesting that the area of music history this seems to be stuck in is the 60s, judging by Sean Healey's bass choices. I can't believe that is a totally representative sample but its nontheless an interesting perspective. So all of us who came of bass playing age in the punk, funk, disco, 80s or 90s eras are totally out of it - or those into the Rickenbacker fuelled prog era, or the active Bass fuelled late 70s on - no place for Messrs Burnel and the like! Extraordinary really!! Ive been keeping an eye on all the pros (largely British) from the late 60s and early 70s and the Precision is by no means ubiquitous - it is represented but the EB3 appears quite a popular choice for the more punchy rock (eg Bowie) - even Dee Murray appears to use one with Elton John at times in the early 70s. So im guessing some people (including the recording industry) are just hung up with a rather narrow perception of the 60s currently.... no problem if that's what floats your boat - I personally find it a bit tiresome and probably inaccurate outside of the US.

Now now - and at least one was on a Burns 😏

Musicman has announced a short scale passive Stingray today. Includes a neo pick up, rotary coil selector (series, parallel/single coil), volume control (with push pull passive tone control) Not available here until September though. http://blog.music-man.com/instruments/ernie-ball-music-man-new-for-2019/?utm_source=email&utm_campaign=newfromnamm

Musicman has just announced a short scale passive electronics Stingray (with a series/parallel/single coil rotary control). May be worth considering but won't be available here until September.