drTStingray

IIRC, and it’s the same bass I’m thinking of, it went back to the factory when new owing to a defect discovered and they fitted a new neck. It’s an OE neck I would imagine.

No you didn’t offend but I was surprised so many people felt strongly enough to say they didn’t like the bass, seemingly just to contradict the OP!! I’m not doubting they don’t like it!! I wasn’t thinking it was - however i remain surprised at the volume of ‘I don’t like it’ posts in some threads on bass forums (probably the most idiotic example is re Rickenbacker on this particular forum). There is some reasonable debate often and helpful responses for people but the ‘it’s fugly’ posts are frankly a bit fatuous and dare I say, arguably, don’t add much - there is a fine line between trolling and sensible posts?

Yep agreed - that’s really nice and especially the neck. I think I know who owns (or used to own that). There’s quite a following for Big Als so I would imagine it would sell quite quickly. As for the one at Bass Direct, I’m surprised it was so cheap - was it an SSS though (seems to be the most sought after version) - or maybe Bass Direct weren’t aware of the volume of people looking for them (in the US often though). One thing which never ceases to amaze me is the number of people who are willing to take the trouble to log in on forums and post totally negative views on a thread (fugly etc etc). To the extent we get more fugly comments than anything else - I’m not sure how helpful those comments are - seems a bit like pi**ing in the wind to me as the people who like the instrument will just think they’re rather silly!! I often feel people’s love for certain 50s/60s designed and rather average instruments is odd (I’m thinking, from memory any electrical device from 1960 came with built in hum and other negatives but no-one would dream of using them instead of properly engineered modern stuff using a range of elements invented in the last 50+ years nowadays, certainly on a day to day basis) but mediocre instruments containing the same - well some musicians seem to absolutely love em - such instruments are also fugly in some cases (IMHO) - however I’m really not inclined to log in and tell everyone - like most people, I just walk past what I’m not interested in!!

Im pretty sure you can get them on easy (ish) instalments!!! 😉

Love this - the bass appears to look, sound and play great according to Lobster and the sound on the video. Im presuming you get the ‘tone off’ sound by favouring the neck pick up and playing nearer the neck.

I normally use 100-45 strings on all my basses but tried a set of 95-35s on my Stingray 4HH. I found I used that bass almost exclusively for years. The difference I would describe is it made the bass sound far more modern sounding (eg Mark King - but without the level of skill (obviously!!), compared with say, Bernard Edwards, in term of sound). Ive also had a 125 - 40 set (Ernie Ball pink pack roundwounds) on a Stingray 5 for a while and love the sound of that. However I don’t think lighter gauge strings reduce the groove - groove is in the hands of the player. Clearly these comparisons are based on using Stingray basses which have quite a broad range of sounds anyway - I wouldn't know the difference they’d make say on a Precision.

It’s perfectly clear in the EBMM blurb (linked in various places in this thread) - you may have got that idea from the various interpretations/ misinterpretations on the inter webs (not least Talkbass 😀). I think the first 100 have JD signed certificates as well.

Although the first 100 (LE with numbered neck plates and certificates) are sold out, pretty sure you can still order the regular ones which are the same less those items. I checked the specs back to back yesterday between these basses and the original Joe Dart signature - the body does have minor differences in dimensions and the headstock is also slightly longer, so these are not based on the Sterling shape.

Gotta love Larry Graham - this is a brilliant cover of Hair (encouraged me to learn it after 45 yrs!!!) and this contains my favourite ever Larry Graham bass part - blew me away when I first heard it in the mid 70s - double thumbing and all (and contains at least half a dozen fills I’ve nicked and used ever since - listen carefully - other famous players have used them as well!!)

Really? I think she’s great - good to hear prominent bass on these dance orientated pop tunes - it happens quite a lot these days. I like the way she deals with the material in a witty way - adds humour.

I dunno - I think it sounds like great modern funk to me, with a nod back to the late 70s and also 90s. Superb groove. Love the way the arrangement has just bass and drums playing on the verses after the horn interludes - then the guitar and keyboard chords on the pre chorus building to the chorus with the whole lot plus the vocoder stuff. I think it’s really cool - love the sounds of the Stingray - v fat. I was listening to some stuff I’d played on earlier using my Classic Stingray and it sounds similar - it had roundwounds fitted in those days - it’s now sporting TI flats.

Trouble is there are no ‘guilty men’ - it’s a faceless corporation it seems? Although with the name of the revered CLF (or at least the parent company) !! Apparently these have humbuckers 😂

Duplicated post…….

And when you discovered the supposed V8 (labelled as such on the engine cover) wasn’t and you took it back to the supplier and they just gave you the runaround and didn’t deal with the matter (in spite of the fact they have the correct engines available) what would you do? Really? You have both and know that for a fact? In any case many manufacturers make basses which are engineered not to be noisy, with ‘single coil’ pick ups. Anyway that’s not the point - humbuckers are designed to avoid hum - it’s a bit rich to have a bass advertised with humbuckers where they clearly don’t fulfil that function!! Again that really is not the point BUT - to some people buying one of those basses, that is a significant investment. Are you suggesting that just because a bass is cheap the public should accept inaccurate advertising and false claims? Unbelievable 🙄

Some people have bought this type of bass thinking it has humbuckers because not only do they look like it but the advertising blurb says they are - they’ve then discovered the so called humbuckers are noisy - whilst some bass players are quite happy to put up with noisy single coil pick ups many are not. So the analogy (car) is correct - the company has advertised a fundamental part of the instrument to be something it isn’t. So @Ricky Rioli id respectfully suggest your analysis of the analogy is flawed if not totally wrong. Just because some bass playing consumers are willing to put up with total mediocrity, appalling customer service and downright inaccurate advertising from particular manufacturers is not a reason for everyone putting up with it. It also contravenes consumer legislation in many territories. I’ve no personal axe to grind BUT companies advertising falsely or exhibiting obfuscation when they get things wrong, and demonstrating scant regard for their customers via the aftermarket support they provide do hugely annoy me 🤬 if it’s a major company who should know better it’s even worse!

Me too - I thought about buying the earlier model but then the TC came along, which I preferred. Not so much here, but on Talkbass, I’m astonished so many people who don’t like it take the trouble to wade in and say so, many of whom haven’t even bothered to read the spec and thus make daft inaccurate comments and extend those comments to discussions on the suitability of Joe Dart to even have a signature bass. I suppose that’s the internet for you - but the fact they’ve sold out in a day and a half and apparently only a couple to forum contributors does sort of point to the level to which forums represent bass players as a whole (Mr Hall of Rickenbacker, another manufacturer who receives much hate on forums, quoted a fraction of one per cent at one point)! Yeah agreed - it’s also a fat sound like Bernard Edwards. PS hope you’re over Covid soon 👍

Someone who has complained about these has posted on Talkbass copies of the email trails - appears to be a sorry tale of woefully inadequate customer service giving the customer the run around (who would have guessed - FMIC’s woeful customer service, when things go wrong, has cropped up here in the past 🙄🥴). It appears Thomann has removed them from sale - it will be interesting to see if the manufacturer had to answer any consumer/advertising standard issues from a legal viewpoint in due course. As Lobster has said, it’s a bit like buying a car advertised as having a V8 engine and then discovering it’s 4 cylinder.

I thought the first Joe Dart shipped with Cobalt slinky flats - but yeah both those and the Group flats are great. Flats sound on the Joe Dart bass via Markbass and compressor is the core sound on this. It’s a fat sound - love it!! 😎

Did you track the others down? I remember coming to your place to buy that Bongo (brought my then brand new Classic Stingray with me). That particular Bongo has the added dimension of the piezo - gives it a cool additional flavour.

He hasn’t generally for some time - watch the Vulfpeck at Madison Square Gardens concerts on You Tube - he uses the single H Joe Dart bass - sounds much fatter than the Jazz did on older videos. In fact that’s exactly the sound I aim for live now (using various Musicman basses and Markbass) (thinking of getting a compressor as well).

Yeah it does to me as well (but without the hum!!) They cost less than a Fender CS team built Pino signature bass - which are relatively simple mass produced basses with selected materials - these are assembled in a similar way so arguably simply a high quality signature bass, albeit a quirky one (which matches the artist). More photos here showing more detail. One thing you can be sure of, it’ll be top quality. https://www.basschat.co.uk/topic/463934-musicman-joe-dart-11-bass/ One other thought, I think 2 people on Talkbass have said they’ve ordered them - if that stays the same, it gives an indication of the level of general representation of all bass players on Talkbass (2% 😀😂). A lot of hot air going on over there as well!!

Well for a bass which several people here (and a lot on Talkbass) have questioned the quality of and claim to be able to knock up in their own private sheds, it looks rather nice to me (but there again I rather like natural ash finished basses) pics by EBMM

I didn’t realise that - Rob Harries is an excellent guitarist. That’s such a catchy song and the groove is excellent.

This is a Sterling by Musicman Ray 34 but doesn’t appear to display dead spots

There’s a typo in the other thread (which appeared after this one). 100 minutes should say 100 instruments. In reality that is the first 100 instruments have a special neck plate and include a Joe Dart signed certificate. Seem to be selling out of the initial ones quickly - but I’m guessing it will become a standard signature instrument.