TrevorG

Great demo. I think the rosewood fingerboards have a tiny bit more beef in the tone(which suits the P pickup). He's totally right about the sustain. Amazing!

Just got the riff on this other demo under my fingers. It's literally too hard for me to play on a slower neck!!!!!

11 minutes ago, MNY said:

@TrevorG go for it!  I’m sure you will do it having been there before. I was a paid amateur drummer of a good standard or so I was told. Unfortunately I suffer from bad RSI in my right elbow and lower arm which has curtailed my drumming. So bass it is for me going forward. 
Glad you like your Ultra Bass. I have played lots of boutique jazz basses, some owned by mates and some in shops and frankly my bass widdles on the lot of them. I don’t know what Fender have done with this model but they’ve done something pretty magical in my opinion. Yes they’re expensive, but they’re not relative to boutique jazz basses some of which won’t play or sound as good as the Ultras. 

Exactly!! My theory is they've noticed the baby boomers have retired and want to relive their youth by buying basses again except now they have much more money which is at risk of going to the boutique companies. Raising the bar on quality control alone must be pricey so you're paying for having no doubt about the standard of any Elite or any Ultra. With the Ultras they removed the gimmicks and just focused on what makes them play and sound better... a purer Fender that will double as a working, professional instrument and a good investment. Works for me!!

I am curious as to what you mean by “relevance”. I marvel at people changing their amps with the times as if it were a fashion choice. I’ve never been into fashion. Just wanted to find a voice that works and get back to practicing. There’s always going to be something better than what I have and sometimes I can actually afford them but I’ve resisted because I don’t trust myself not to get lost in GAS. My K1 was perfect for me three years ago.. it still is. That said I was shocked how much difference a new bass made but as I hadn’t bought one for 15 years it was a significant leap. If it’s not relevant to any one else... I don’t really care. 

I’ve ordered my wife to take away my debit card when I’m drunk and looking on amazon. 

3 hours ago, MNY said:

Thanks @TrevorG. My Jazz bass is pretty special. I have been lucky enough over the years to have had some very nice guitars ( Alembic, Zon etc) and the Ultra Jazz is possibly my favourite.  Not bad for someone who isn’t actually a bass player, well not a proper one at least.  Cheers.

I was a pro and, despite a rather demanding day job, I intend to be again. Same here with the past collection of great marques. I actually bought the PJ as a practice bass so I didn't have to drag my Spector up and down to work. Never thought I'd see the day when I'd consider selling the Spector but I just don't play it anymore. The Ultra is that good!

On 13/06/2020 at 12:25, MNY said:

Not the best photos but you will get the idea. Very impressed so far sounds great in passive mode but when you click the active switch it’s otherworldly!  I know it looks black, but it’s actually a very dark brown with a tiny gold speckle in it, hence the gold pick guard.

Really glad you're happy with it. My only regret with buying the natural aged Precision is that they weren't made in the Texas tea color..THAT'S BEAUTIFUL. That aside the P is the nicest fender I've ever played. Can't put it down. Congratulations.

I've had a NS5XL for 20 years. They have more gravitas than the Euros, both in feel and sound but no - only time the price is worth it is when you're selling it.

Ha! It's a bass clone from EHX! £60! Great buy.

Bought my US 5 string Spector XL in 2000. Bass was built in 1999. Serial number 018!  Nickleback was not on my radar and all I knew was it was the most playable, expressive neck I'd ever touched. Felt right with everything; rock, jazz, funk. But recently I've had shoulder problems and decided to get a lighter guitar for practice. Bought a fender pj. Which has got me thinking about tone. The Spector has a very sexy growl but the fender has a tone that's been grafted to a million records over the decades and just sounds right by default. There seems to have been a conversation going on in the bass fraternity for some time about the precision being the holy trail in the recording studio. I'd use the Spector anywhere but if a producer wanted a precision and I wanted a paycheck I wouldn't think twice about dropping the Spector.

Just bought the Bass Clone because it  was so cheap but turns out it's got plenty of character and quite flexible. EQ is very useful with my, almost too clean, rig.

While stewblack is preaching the virtues of other pedals I still have a pitch fork which is amazing but usurped by Source Audio's Spectrum. Tracking is really fast and octaves are really musical. Plus it does so much more.

Bought the Clone because I didn't realise how cheap they were. Great pedal. Wife bought me the Shnobel for Christmas. U.K. Customs put £100 on it to make it my most expensive pedal by far but it's a wonderful way to pimp your board.

Had the EBS multi comp. Great pedal but then I got a Cali 76. Never looked back. Can't fault it.

26 minutes ago, cetera said:

 

You said earlier it was 10lb 9oz

Some of these advertised figures don't seem accurate but have just weighed the Spector and 10lb9oz looks right, though the difference between the two guitars feels greater.

51 minutes ago, wateroftyne said:

Ash is denser than alder... I suspect there's a typo somewhere there. 6lbs is comically light...

Just weighed it... a smidge over eight and a half pounds. Hate to think what the Spector weighs!

14 hours ago, RedVee said:

Apparently the preamp is not as harsh as the one in the Elite, which is good!

Not aware of the problem with the elites. Do you have any links to articles about that please? There's a lot of top on this eq but it reminds me of demos I heard of 65 fenders which to my ears were very toppy. Can see it compensating well for strings that are getting dull.

16 hours ago, jrixn1 said:

That is very light.    I had a look at Sweetwater website and the four they have are around 9lb.  The 6lb one be an outlier - does it balance ok?

 

The balance is lovely but I may have got the weights wrong. The brochure I have says six pounds and it's a lot lighter than my Spector which is advertised as 10lb9oz. The basses in the picture are made from Alder. I have the aged natural which it's made from Ash for the grain. Alder is more dense. Maybe that is where the difference idea...

4 hours ago, Grahambythesea said:

Blimey, what’s it made of, balsa? That’s lighter than the chambered P types and many semis.

I'll check again but that's what it said.

1 hour ago, RedVee said:

Nice looking Bass!.......I am tempted to get the Mocha P Bass, but why on earth did they get rid of the truss rod wheel?

Seen talk of this elsewhere on the net. Never used it so I don't miss it but I heard you still needed adjustment tools to use it so I'm not sure of the advantage. P.S The Mocha looks really good!!

10 minutes ago, ezbass said:

Good to hear that Fender aren’t just putting a premium moniker on a standard type instrument and coining it in, but are actually turning out a proper, high level bass. Congrats on your purchase, enjoy.

Many thanks. I'm no fender devotee (in fact the last fender I owned was horrible)but it feels like fender have gone looking for the player who can afford expensive copies but would prefer the real McCoy.

1 minute ago, CameronJ said:

The ultra is 6 pounds?! Bloody hell. Looks like Fender have taken some serious leaves out of Sandberg’s SuperLight book

That's what I meant by "feels boutique". Along with the active board and the insanely fast neck the whole thing has the presence of a workshop special... only with a genuine Fender sound!😀

2 minutes ago, sprocketflup said:

Lovely! How much? Where from?

PMT in Manchester. £1795(£200 discount). 🍷😆

21 minutes ago, jezzaboy said:

Lovely bass but 4 pounds lighter than your Spector??? What weight is the S?

A P bass with a natural finish is always a looker.

 

In pretty sure it's 10lb 9oz. The P/J is six.

9 hours ago, mr zed said:

This is one of the new American Deluxe/Elite jobbies isn’t it? I recently acquired an Elite and it is Awesome. Hope you get as much joy out of your new Ultra as I am getting with the Elite. Lovely bass!

It had been unpacked at the store the same day I went in a bought it. I thought the seller was going to cry. Yes, the new Ultra series. I tried the Elite and was blown away. I think there may be a difference in the preamp and some body shape differences but that's it. Sadly, there were none in a colour that didn't clash with my snobbery.  Great basses.

Just needed a lighter guitar to practice on. Ended up with one of the best bassesI've ever played. Feels boutique, sounds classic Fender. Workmanship is stunning. Active and passive. Massive tonal range and four pounds lighter than my Spector. If there was such a thing as an ears-shoulder-and-fingers doctor I'm sure he would prescribed this bass.😁