drTStingray

What is it people on here say about singers and guitarists? The front man in that band had something of a reputation in the city he came from, having also been a boxer (I used to play in a band with a guitarist who had first hand experience!) I also recall reading that the lead violinist on that particular song was someone he'd met on the bus or something very similar - sounds like a recipe for conflict, with a soul band type horn section!! I can't stand playing the song either!!

Now those guys really do take the p*ss!! What's the betting the Eiffel Tower on the picture behind is a counterfeit and liable to collapse owing to structural issues - or the sofa's a counterfeit and liable to split down the middle - perhaps the chap himself is a counterfeit.... Reminds me very much of dodgy shell suits on sale in market stalls in the 1980s, which young ladies were in the habit of buying only to discover they ripped across the backside the first time they bent over 😧😂

Well I'll join you - we play an interpretation around the John Mayer version and seldom have I come across a root and fifth type of line and feel which is so satisfying to play as part of rhythm section (makes a change from those songs where I'm expected to stretch out and play a bit of Marcus Miller or Jaco style!!). Usually on a Stingray 5 - absolute bliss for me 😀

Indeed but why the build quality being marked down and the sound as well - with no apparent justification. The cost of the Fenders was mentioned negatively and they got a reduction for value as well - 8/10 I think. Presumably the gushy review plus lower cost influenced this (not - it was just a different reviewer and there's clearly not an editorial check for consistency)! As I also said there are recent reviews of ACG and Overwater Jazz style instruments none of which got full marks and a new SR5S got marked down for being too heavy (9.4 lbs for a 5 string). I have always been a loyal supporter of BGM - let's hope they do some decent articles or interviews in the near future otherwise like the lamented taken over BG magazine, I'll be consigning it to the boll**ks pile and ceasing to take it.

Yes, quite. The fact that some of the foibles of the Precision's playability are mentioned in the text but not reflected in the scoring suggests this as well. I think the cause is different individuals reviewing them and giving inconsistent scores rather than specifically toadying to a potential advertiser - and Fender don't seem to place more advertising than say Warwick or others. You'd have thought some editorial process would have caught this. For students of this travesty, a review of an Overwater in a previous issue also got less than perfect scores as did an ACG in this issue. Reading the article on the Fenders it appears the reviewer was scoring them against other Fenders and refers to flawless build quality and QC including the control cavities. Whether the Jazzes are shielded well enough to avoid the usual electrical hum is not mentioned.

Unlike the 'philanthropists' running FMIC, who charge far less (for their factory built mass production) but I'd wager their senior investors do!! However for those who wish to argue your average Ford Fiesta is better than a Ferrari have no fear - you now have semi official supporters..... I received my copy of BGM yesterday and in it the US Original Fender series are reviewed - they got ten/ten for build and sound - fair enough but in the same issue a Fodera got 8/10 for build quality for no stated reason - in fact they couldn't fault it except for the cost - but as they mark value for money anyway it seems a bit odd. In a previous issue they marked down the build quality on the new Stingray 5 on the basis they thought it was too heavy (9.4 lbs). That's lighter than all the Fenders (4 string) they just gave 10/10. My conclusion - their reviews are inconsistent at best, nonsense at worst or worse still, biased. My order for BG magazine is definitely being cancelled - the jury's out on BGM but I've become seriously irritated and have started questioning buying it!! Maybe Silvia Bluejay can talk some sense into the Editor!!

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I understand all these points you've made but I still think it's a generalisation to say a P Bass fits anywhere - well maybe it does but the range will be between fitting brilliantly to being rather meh. And whilst the P Bass may have been popular at various times (including now) as some people have said in this thread there have been times when it's been heavily out of favour. I just recoil at the gross generalisations - whilst respecting the fact that in some quarters, they're the epitome of a bass guitar, and in some studios in the 60s and 70s (and beyond and now) they were/are favoured, there was a lot more going on elsewhere which seems to escape some people's notice. There was a similar thread on Talkbass a year or so back making exactly the same claims for the Jazz Bass. I found the video quite interesting and helpful - although it did restate what I've already heard from some people before. Now down the Dog and Duck and other places and functions I tend to play, the Precision is present but certainly not ubiquitous - in fact it's quite rare sometimes - I think many of the guys involved have probably had one in the past but have changed to other things!

I watched the video and interview. Interesting stuff - Sean Hurley seems a nice enough bloke (as does Scott). What did I take from it - well it appears for some producers and artists the Precision is currently flavour of the month so if you're a pro and encounter them you might be required to use one (possibly theirs, with appalling action, listening to Scott). This idea that only P basses were used in the 60s was put into stark contrast as I watched the TOTP 1964-75 show on BBC4 - I was taken by the array of Gibson EB3s on display no doubt influenced by Jack Bruce and others. Take one band - the Kinks. The bassist was seen in the mid 60s with a sonic blue Precision but for Lola seemed to have graduated to an EB3 - much more rocky sound. There were very few Precisions appearing - and probably a few more Jazzes (especially into the 70s) - now I know this show was sung to a track so the music was mimed but I'm pretty sure those EB3s and Rickenbackers were in use on the recordings. Just like I can tell All Right Now was played on an EB3 (in fact I saw it live played on an EB3 at least 3 times). Im afraid my view of people who think a Precision fits everywhere both recorded and live, well it's probably good in some situations but the number of times I heard them disappear in mixes over the years and anyone who tells me they are perfect on All Right Now is, in my opinion, deluded - they may be described in some situations as adequate. Now I've got that rant out of the way, I was very curious about Sean Hurley playing lines across the strings around fret 12 (clearly with flat-wounds) - an interesting approach and reminded me very much of the sound of my Classic Stingray (TI flats no mutes) played in the same area. Not sure why he was doing it like that - would it be dead spots on the higher strings further down or for the timbre of the bass on the E and A that far up the string?

A lot of this comes down to paying for exclusivity and craftsmanship. Whether you like it or not or want to suggest a tea chest with a piece of string attached to it is as good as an exclusive piece of hand crafted instrument construction is immaterial (and most of us know who's barking mad in that discussion), that's what it comes down to. Its the same in any area of consumer product more or less. (Musical instruments are generally considered luxury goods - so their popularity or otherwise is often a pointer to general economic well being - the fact sales have been generally depressed for so long should tell you something)!

This is only surpassed by the ones who knock over the singer's in set order lyrics folder!!!! 😂

These threads never work for the reasons mentioned. The same is true of cars - I've recently watched a programme about Aston Martin cars and can see from the quality of materials and how much handmade content, by skilled labour along with the minute volumes produced compared with mass manufacturers all add up to huge price tags. Of course there'll always be people who don't accept the result is worth the money and are perfectly happy with their bog standard Ford Fiesta!! Now on a Bass forum you're also up against that group of people who claim you only need a Squier Precision to do anything you'll ever require in a bass guitar and nothing will persuade such people otherwise (I'd wager most of such owners haven't played anything else) - apparently, according to a recent thread that's all you need to be a crack sessions musician as well......... Of course, such people have overlooked the standard and type of Persian rug required to be stood on for the best studio vibe and sound - or the Motown interface or Alembic or whatever preamp used in combination on many of these recordings with rudimentary instruments. Where does this leave us with the £8k instrument - well with not very many people buying them and a great crowd of other people who can't afford to (usually) and not being able to distinguish absolute mass production from hand made craftsmanship and everything in between. On another subject (but the discussion has verged on capitalism/N Korea) If ever there was a totalitarian (communist) state bass guitar (ie enforced choice) it must surely be the Precision bass according to quite a few recent threads!!

Yeah agreed - sounded especially good on the Buble standards.

It's a keyboard on the original - I thought he did a good job of it as it did have that fat but focussed sound to it - the opposite of Le Freak.

Really not sure but it sounded great - very fat sound during Junior - Mama Used to Say. His EUB sounded good as well. As did the Laklands from the guy in the George Ezra band. Jerry Barnes' sound is really too thin for Chic and apart from the occassional Marcus Miller/ Abe Laboriel esque fill was not audible or fat enough sounding - that instrumental break in Le Freak relies on the bass part to support it and it didn't (on my tele) - in fact I could barely hear it other than said fizzy fills. In some ways I was disappointed Dave Swift didn't play on it as his sound was far more appropriate. The guy playing with Rudimental used what looked like a version of a 50s P without pick guard on the Anita Baker song - that was also indistinct and not very audible. However the several Rudimental collaborations were great. The whole show was extremely enjoyable I thought. I'm also fully aware that liking one of Jools' programmes is far too contentious for Basschat........ Here's another - there were some wicked brass arrangements.... Unless I was seeing things, Dave Swift appeared to be using a reasonably well concealed music stand (Buble big band standards).

I've been enjoying it - great idea to have Jess Glynne and George Ezra on - decent up to date pop music along with Buble singing with the big band. Some great bass playing from Dave Swift. Great to see the bass player playing a Fretless Lakland 55/94? on the George Ezra single (rather than the fretted Precision mimed I've seen previously). I caught a bit of Madness just before the fireworks - Jools is a million times better!!

He was famous throughout the 80s and later for Fretless playing, largely with his 79 Stingray, long before the P bass period. In his own words, he was in demand to use that sound on lots of albums and songs after the Paul Young Wherever I Lay My Hat single. A good example of the live sound can be heard on Live Aid - compare with Marcus Miller's sound on Bryan Ferry's set. Back in those days it seems producers and sound engineers had no problem dealing with other types of basses (my own experience has been they still don't). I guess it all depends what you're playing and who for.

I didn't realise they were team-built - so the just over £2k for a Stingray Special doesn't sound expensive in comparison. I guess there's a mark-up for the Pino name then. How much do they ask for a master-built one? Oh and worrying regarding the truss rods. Let's hope they fixed the basses.

Bwahahahaha! I'm presuming the article explicitly excludes from its terms of reference any deity-like adulation of Precision basses on the basis its creator (the most holy) is no longer alive and the current curators are a non-descript corporation. Apparently, a study reported in Psychology Today discusses how a similar effect works in reverse - but serial detractors need to vent spleen on a specific living figurehead on whom to heap their scorn, whether relevant or not to any product available in the market place (hence vitriolic attacks on individuals associated with, well every major manufacturer except Fender!!). Occurred in early days of the industrial revolution with people having claimed to have been insulted or ignored by the likes of James Watt, and counter claiming their inventions simply didn't work. Thankfully common sense prevailed and the steam engine became that wonderful thing that was still in daily use at the time of invention of the Precision bass. 😂😂😂😁

I'm sorry if I've upset anyone - I wasn't intending to slag off any pro musicians in this and in my youth I was interested broadly in any recorded or performed bass parts - including those on Nana Mouskouri or even the Singing Nun records - still do I guess. However it was the Andy Fraser/Jack Bruce et al that inspired me to actually start playing in the first place - rock music - that was the point I was making. Interesting to hear session still exist - clearly nothing like the 60s or 70s (93 commercial studios in London down to less than 10 I believe - if that). Now if you focus on dance and pop music you'll find some stonking bass parts around even now - I'm sure they're not all played on Precisions - even bass guitars though!!

That's what you pay for hand selected parts, hand assembled etc in the US by master craftsmen. The team built CS stuff is cheaper and more or less manufactured in a similar way to EBMM stuff - EBMM's necks are hand finished which is where some of the magic occurs along with the woods and finishes. As I understand, many of the CS features are only available as master built. We will be getting 'my entry level Squier by Fender P bass is every bit as good as a US or US CS one' threads next - well no it obviously isn't but if the Squier suits your pocket and aspirations then it will no doubt do an adequate job. I do worry a little about the resilience of some of these reissue basses made by parts of Fender - didn't someone have a truss rod break on one recently here - not sure if they replaced the bass or not but I would have been pretty furious if they hadn't.

I guess if you were Jamerson you'd have been entitled to throw it at the wall afterwards and exclaim 'never give me this pile of s**t to play again'!! And let's hope frets 5 to 7 on the G string weren't huge dead spots requiring playing a C scale from fret 8 on the E string. Id love to understand what this concept of 'sessions' bass player is in 2018 - I was led to believe this was a 1960s concept along with sessions players playing on pop band's songs. All I can say is back in my day (when a lot of people played Precisions or Jazzes but a lot didn't) we had exciting players like John Deacon, Andy Fraser, Jack Bruce - whose playing truly inspired people - none of them were the 'mere bass player' whose role could be taken at a moment's notice by a hired hack with a 'generic' bass sound. If today's players are intended to aspire to being clones of Joe Osborne, the bass player out of the James Last Orchestra etc, then I think we have to worry for the state of music. As has been said, many pro players are in bands - others play in musical shows (where the Fender P bass is not ubiquitous). I certainly did not aspire to play on Nana Mouskouri records when I started playing bass - I really can't see kids today being inspired by these concepts of bass players or their skills having a lack of worth and being worthless unless transferred to the lowest common denominator of instruments to allow people in the control room to cop off for a smoke after they spent 3 hrs getting the drum sound right. Trevor Horn said they spent days if not weeks getting the bass sound (including the sequencing) to what they wanted on Two Tribes. That sort of suggests the concept of the bass being a mere plug and play is a bit of an oversimplification. Now if you aspire to playing on Grandad by Clive Dunn then fine (but even Herbie Flowers played a Jazz)! The idea of enforced choice doesnt sit well - smacks of totalitarianism!!

One can but hope - I suspect he might be one of old scorned guys 😏

As a company with an enviable customer service reputation and also one which has just relaunched an updated Stingray bass, which seems to be universally applauded and liked, the CURRENT reality is clearly not the one presented by one or two posters on here.

I doubt they're too worried about getting your business. What a stupid thing to say!!! I have no idea regarding the Rickenbacker forum but comments about the EBMM forum really are about 10-15 yrs out of date. It was quite tetchy at one time - HOWEVER there were also people who behaved like utter anusses on there as well and eventually got banned as a result - and still crop up every now and then on other forums causing trouble or trolling - or even under different names on the EBMM forum. Rather like scorned women...... Ive always thought Scott Ball's posts on Talkbass are extremely helpful and far from the stuff you're describing - as I say I think you're probably somewhere 10 yrs in the past on that subject.