Misdee

The great thing about the Steinberger is it's not trying to sound like a conventional bass. It's a tone all of its own. I remember trying them out them in shops and being surprised by the substantial sound and feel of them. The Streamline is excellent in its own way, and has certain advantages, but the Steinberger will always be the ultimate graphite bass to me. What you need now is a GK 800RB amp and Hartke 4x10 XL cabinet to play this bass through for the full 1980s experience.

You are a man after my own heart, Rodger. The only bass that I have never owned that torments me to this day. The Steinberger XL is still the best sounding graphite bass ever made in my opinion, and such an elegant and beautiful design concept. I longed for one back in the 1980s but they were way beyond my pocket at the time. I even had the Steinberger catalogue, I seem to remember. I've got a Status Streamline now as a substitute, and I'd be very interested to hear how you think they compare tonally and otherwise. The Status is a wonderful instrument that sounds great and a very ergonomic design, but to me the Steinberger has a tone that is unbeatable.

Wow, this is getting complicated. It's a lot easier(although more expensive) just to get a Stingray Special and imagine it's an old one! Sounds great, feels great,plays great, no weak G string and it doesn't weigh a ton.

Whatever the cause, there is definitely a problem of an apparently weaker G string sound on a lot of Stingray basses. It's worse on some than others, that's for sure, and I don't doubt that the settings on the bass EQ and amp make a difference to how noticeable it is. It's difficult to define because the problem of perceived weakness on the G string is not just to do with volume but, crucially, also how much fundamental there is in the notes played on that string. Many years ago I had an active bass (not a Stingray) that had a similar problem, but with the E string and it drove me crazy. No matter how much you adjusted the pickup to compensate with volume it still didn't sound constant with the other three strings. The problem was the difference in fundamental harmonic in that E string, Never could sort it out so I ended up selling the bass and buying something else I didn't like. Interestingly enough, from personal experience the EBMM Bongo, Reflex and the new Stingray Special do not exhibit this problem with the G string, no matter how you EQ them. That emphasizes the problem with some Stingrays. I am interested to find a definitive answer to whether the two band EQ is cut and boost or boost only on the bass. According to EBMM, both are cut and boost. But is the "flat" position where a centre detent would be actually flat or is the bass actually still boosted to give a residually bottom-heavy tone, if you see what I mean?

In terms of overall profile (rather than just nut width) there is a some variation, depending on which model and era you are considering. The 2024x basses have a pretty chunky profile compared to an early 80s BB3000, for example. The current P34 has a very noticeably more slender profile than either of those, or any other BB I've played for that matter. Many generic BB models have what I would describe as an elliptical "flat oval" neck profile that is very comfortable to most folks (including me). Just like the 40mm nut width is a good compromise, so is the carve of the classic BB neck shape. Not too fat, not too thin.

Well, let's make it clear that there is no suggestion from any of us that the new owner even remotely endorses those sentiments. The Confederate flag is taboo nowadays, but that is a fairly recent phenomenon. Particularly in the USA, that flag has a complex symbolism attached to it. For certain sections of American society it's been an emblem of anti-establishment rebellion as much as an reference to the antebellum South. But we are living in an age where subtitles and nuance are obliterated by the need to be seen as virtuous. If you're just playing the bass at home then fair enough. I would just be careful taking it out and playing it in public.

I would love to know who thought it was a good idea to get this bass painted up like this! I would bet either Country and Western or maybe hair metal, with an outside chance of Southern rock a la Lynyrd Skynard. I suppose you could always try arguing that the Civil War wasn't primarily about the morality of slavery and more about the conflict of two economic systems and the fundamental dichotomy of American political system that persists to the present day between Federal authority and the rights of individual States to self-determination. It would be a hard sell, though. Might be easier just to get the bass refinished. Looks like a nice bass and has lots of potential. Enjoy it.

I would put my money on the OPs bass having belonged to a punk rocker for a period of time. Either that or it's been used for gardening and/or general building work at some point in the past. I would love to play this bass though. I don't believe in "mojo", but I am willing to accept that "vibe" might exist in certain circumstances. No doubt if EBMM did a limited edition reissue of this bass it would cost a fortune with all the relicing ect and would sell out immediately. Back in the late 80s/ early 1990s I had a Sunburst/ maple 82/83 pre-EBMM Stingray that was dead mint and very light weight but I never really appreciated it until after I had sold it. I thought all Stingrays were like that ! Also, I remember it having that uniquely Stingray tone a bit too much for my taste back then. How times change, because I love that sound nowadays.

If the 1025 sounds like my 2025 (it probably does) then the tone is lacking nothing by not having active electronics. It's just right as it is. Active eq gives you the option of making on-board adjustments to the tone, but playing devil's advocate, how much is that really a priority to you? There was an era I remember well when active basses were all the rage, but those days are long gone now and players have rediscovered the virtues of passive electronics. For active basses a lot depends on the design of the preamp and how good it sounds. Some are a lot better than others. You can find satisfying instruments of both varieties, both active and passive so I wouldn't exclude either option, but it's wrong to assume that an active bass automatically offers an advantage over a passive one, unless you have found a specific need for the benefits of an active preamp when you are playing bass.

If anyone is interested, check out Debbie Harry's solo album that came out in 1981, Kookoo. Bernard Edwards is on bass and it's some of his very best work. He is way up in the mix and doing his thing like only Bernard can do. It might as well be a Bernard Edwards solo album! If you like his playing you really should give it a listen. Debbie Harry features quite a lot too, as you might expect.

I went to see DeFunkt back in the mid-80's. Kim Clarke and her Stingray were indeed awesome. She gave it a proper spanking.

Call me pernikity if you like but if I was hiring a Police tribute act I would stipulate in the contract that under no circumstances would Sting be allowed to eat pork pie. Andy Summers and Stewart Copeland can eat all the processed pork they like but Sting will stick to macrobiotic tofu and bulgar wheat. A yoga mat will also be provided.

I remember when black Stingrays were in short supply both sides of the Atlantic ( and probably elsewhere) because of the Flea association. Seemingly everybody (except me) wanted to be Flea. A Flea signature model would have definitely been a big seller, but the trick is to make it profitable. That is not as easy as you might think. Also, I remember that back in the early 1990s EBMM were chronically back-ordered. If you wanted a specific bass you might have to wait a year or so. The factory at that time might not have been able to keep up with demand for a Flea bass. That said, they managed OK with the EVH signature guitar, so who knows?

But even after Flea withdrew his endorsement to all intents and purposes it was still his signature model. EBMM did indeed sell a whole lot of basses because of the Flea association, and probably still do to some extent. So in retrospect Sterling Ball got plenty of gain for very little pain. Modulus Flea/FU basses had a higher price and far more limited distribution than EBMM, for sure, but they must also have had a radically different business model that took that into account. Or at least they should have.

Singers voices go awry as they get older. It's just a fact of life. Even great singers lose it sooner or later. To be fair, Debbie Harry was never a great singer, but she had a style and a delivery that made her great at being a pop star. Nothing wrong with that. It must be very hard for performers who have enjoyed stardom because of their talent and good looks to accept that time conquers everything and everybody. I imagine being a geriatric Debbie Harry is quite a difficult thing to negotiate. I thought she looked great in those visor shades and more power to her for dying her hair grey.

True, but the rest of the industry has largely surrendered nowadays and decided to follow Fenders model. To the extent that even EBMM have started to copy Fender's models, eg the Caprice, Cutlass, Joe Dart 2.

I am not a Glasto aficionado, but I watched Elton on Sunday night and couldn't help but realise that this was something rather special. I've rarely seen a performance that unified people like that one. I can only think of Queen at Live Aid, really. It's a terrible cliché but it's true, those songs have become part of people's lives and part of the cultural fabric of our nation. What's great about Elton is that he doesn't pretend to be a normal person. He's had fifty-odd years of being the superstar Elton John and he is unashamedly different and difficult. But ,paradoxically, ordinary folks identify with him and his music.

Thinking about it, Flea's patronage didn't manage to keep Modulus afloat, so on reflection maybe Sterling Ball is a very shrewd CEO.

Sounds unreasonable, I agree. But then again,Fender are partial to a signature rebranding of their basses. Look at the Sean Hurley Precision Bass. I suppose that does have a mute, but it's pretty tenuous isn't it? Remember the Phil Lynott P Bass? Essentially a P Bass with a mirror (and an eye-watering price tag) on it. I can see where Flea was coming from. There's no doubt EBMM were selling basses on the back of Flea's popularity,but I don't think he was ever going to get a cut. Maybe his revenge was to get Fender to make him a signature Stingray.

Nice work putting this montage together, Bart. Flea is an iconic Stingray player, no doubt about that. He is also one of the very few bass players people who don't play the bass and know nothing about bass players have heard of and are impressed by. I remember during the era Flea was using Stingray basses him complaining about the necks being unstable and incessantly needing adjustment. I also remember other Stingray players making the same complaint at the time. Still, 30 years later EBMM necks are still flatsawn without any reinforcement, but mine seem to behave okay. Having said that, I would have to point out that nowadays I am only touring between my bedroom and living room with my basses, so climatic changes are fairly minimal. More importantly though, I remember what a monumentally influential bass player Flea was in the early 1990s. No bass player in history has inspired so many bad wannabes. It was seemingly impossible to go to a see an amature band anywhere in the world without having to endure a usually painfully bad channelling of Flea's bass aesthetic. It was an epidemic. Even some established band's bass players in came under Flea's spell. From those he inspired,the slapping I could live with, the bombastic punk funk attitude less so. Flea pulls it off because it's authentically him, but no one else does. I will always be a fan of his playing, though.

Monkey Biz, they were called,I seem to recall. But back in the early 1980s there was Soundwave in Romford. That was the first dedicated bass shop I remember. I never got to go to the shop but I remember the adverts listing their stock in the gear section of Sounds music paper. They were something to do with the fledgling Trace Elliot amps and Status basses. I think maybe they were made on their premesis or something like that. That was the only place in the UK you could buy a Steinberger bass when they first came to the UK in 1982, and the price wass £999, if I remember correctly. That's £3322 in today's money, apparently. Quite reasonable by today's standards, the only problem being back in 1982 I didn't have the train fare to Romford, let alone £999. Unlike nowadays when bass players will buy any old tat at any price so long as it has a romantic association with the past, back in the 1980s bass shops were important because it was all about having the latest thing. The kind of gear people fetishise nowadays - P Basses, Gibson Grabbers, short scale basses,flat wound strings, old vave amps ect- were considered extremely undesirable and outmoded. The more modern, hifi and hi-tech your gear was the better. There wasn't the worldwide marketplace facilitated by the internet that we take for granted nowadays and shops like the Bass Centre had the contacts to import the most desirable and exotic equipment into the UK. Reading between the lines, I think the advent of the internet was the beginning of the end for the Bass Centre as it was in its heyday because it effectively ended that shop's exclusive access to so much equipment. UK bass players had more options as to where they spent their money. Purely nostalgia on my part but I preferred the old days and the excitement of a trip to the Bass Centre compared to waiting for the DPD man to deliver a cardboard carton.

Martin who eventually became the manager was a big Billy Sheehan fan, I seem to remember.

The Bass Centre in Wapping was the best shop in the world ever. In its heyday they had a stunning array of basses, amps and everything else. Just as important though, was that Barry and the rest of the staff were always very decent people to deal with, whether you were buying or just trying stuff out. There was something about that shop that epitomised playing bass in the 1980s. I went to the other branches in Manchester, Birmingham and LA, and they were all good, but Wapping was the best.