Misdee

Thomastiks on a Rick is indeed a wonderful tone, but not necessarily the right tone if you are trying to emulate Chris Squire rather than Paul McCartney (I love them both ). If you are prepared to go that light, have you considered the Thomastik Jazz rounds?They are expensive but they have got a unique sound that I think would really work beautifully with the natural growl of a Rickenbacker. And they are very low tension.

I remember playing a couple of these in shops when they were new ( how can it be over twenty years ago 😯?) and I can confirm that they were okay but definitely nothing special. I certainly wouldn't pay a lot of money for one. The neck is significantly slimmer than the standard model . I seem to remember that Sims shaved the neck down as well as fitting the LEDs. I bought a new American Deluxe Jazz Bass shortly after these came out, the one with the Noiseless pickups and fairly nondescript preamp. That bass sounded decent enough but it didn't play very well, and I doubt you would find much discernable sonic difference between one of these MK iterations and the run of the mill American Deluxe model of that era. There is also every chance that one of these basses suffers from the same inconsistencies as my bass did so let the buyer beware ,as the saying goes.

These Bongo basses really are superb instruments, I cannot say enough good things about them. I've got a 4HH and I would never part with it. What I like so much about the sound of these basses is that they have a unique personality that is unapologetically modern and identifiably Bongo Bass . One of the few newer basses on the market that is not trying to refer to the past or present itself as a retro pastiche. It's a sound that really cuts through the mix, that's for sure. As others have said, great playability too. These are just about my favourite modern hifi tone active basses, and I am including boutique instruments that cost far more than a Bongo, even at EBMM's eye- watering new prices. I just wish I had bought a 4H while they still made them. 😟 Anyhow, I hope you get a lot of pleasure from playing this beast. Just don't be surprised if you have to dial back your usual amp settings!🙂

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I only play at home nowadays too, but I like to think that I am completely ready and completly relevant if I get that call from a big-name band with a record deal. Knowing how I would use my envelope filter is part of that. 😄 To be honest with you, I've been sat here ready for the last thirty years or so, so they better hurry up before the money they are going to offer me starts to interfere with my eligibility for Pension Credit.😟

I too thought that they were Ibanez own Di Marzio rip-offs , but read elsewhere that the were DiMarzios so thought I must have got it wrong! The were super-gutsy sounding pickups. It's a shame they don't sell them nowadays as separate item. They would be a fascinating option to have.

I've got an Aguilar Filter Twin and it's really good. I think I like it so much because it has some "personality", for want of a better term, and also because it seems to have an organic warmth to its sound. Very wel made, too. For me the biggest challenge with a envelope filter is finding a musical context to use it in. It's a bit like drummers in big time rock groups back in the '70s who had a big gong behind them as the crowning glory of their drum kit. How many songs can use a gong on before it starts getting a bit too much? (The answer is "probably no more than one"). Similarly with an envelope filter. The only exception to that I can think of would be Chris Squire using his Mutron to great effect on a few tracks on Tormato. I'm sure there must be others, but I've no idea what they would be!

Graham Edwards playing a Roadster back in the day.

I remember playing these basses when they first came out at the dawn of the 1980s and they were superb instruments. Well made, really gutsy sound, modern tone but with plenty of balls. The Di Marzios probably contributed a great deal to that sound. Yes they were heavy, but no one seemed bothered about what basses weighed back then. Back in those days if you had rung a shop and asked them what bass weighed they would have thought you were an eccentric, and that's the polite word for it, if you know what I mean.😄 Heavy was a mark of quality. Alembics were heavy. On purpose. Ibanez were really in their golden era back It's such a shame they don't turn out Japanese-made basses like these any more. I do seem to remember however, that these basses had a very pronounced shallow D neck profile. On of my friends had one of these Roadster basses back in the mid 80s and I have a distinct recollection of the neck profile being like a slightly exaggerated version of a pre-EB Musician Stingray. Could be my memory playing tricks on me though. Forgive me if I am wrong!🙂

I remember seeing these on Facebook or somewhere like that and getting excited for two reasons.Firstly it's a short scale Ric, secondly and much more importantly, it's styled sort of after a Rickenbacker 4002! Those pickup covers ! I was full of anticipation at the thought of a 33 1/4 inch scale scale reissue of that rare beast. I imagined myself playing the short scale bass whilst I was waiting for my custom order 4002 to turn up.I am still waiting for either to materialize. ☹️ If Rickenbacker did bring out a short scale bass they would get snapped up pretty quickly I expect, bearing in mind how trendy short scale basses are nowadays. Short scale Ric with flats would be a very hipster-friendly combination. I also seem to remember Steve Harris from Iron Maiden citing the bass player from Golden Earring as one of his formative influences when he was a young player. Good to know Rinus Gerritsen is still out there playing.🙂

I have found with strings that more exotic brands such as TI or DR that cost twice as much as Elites or Rotosound ect aren't necessarily any better in terms of quality or tone, just different. It's just a matter of taste and subjective differences. But if you are unlucky enough to prefer the more expensive strings then you have to fork out or feel you are settling for second best.😟

Those TI Superalloys are magnificent strings, like all of TI's bass guitar range. They might be the best nickel rounds I have ever played. You will struggle to find anything that good, in my opinion. The thing about TI is that they are a bit weird in so much as they don't have much (any) variety in terms of gauge. I would cheerfully pay £40 for a set of Super Alloys if they did them in 40-100. Then again, if they weren't a bit weird as a company, maybe they wouldn't have come up with such a unique sound for so many of their bass strings. If you don't get on with D'Addario XLs , how about Dunlop Nickels? There are the Super Brights which are, well... pretty bright sounding and very elastic- feeling , or the regular Dunlop Nickel which I really enjoy and find to be an excellent all-rounder. They are not overly bright and have a nice warm midrange, to my ears anyway, but still have enough bite for most tastes. In terms of tension, they are a nowhere near as slack as the Super Brights , but certainly not tighter-feeling than average. I would describe them as a good string for middle-aged men. Sensible sound, sensible feel, sensible price. Another option would be Elites Player's series. Fairly inexpensive, readily available and very bright and punchy for nickel strings. Seem to last a long time, too

G&L should reissue the El Toro bass. Those basses have got a cult following and sell instantly on the second hand market.I remember them when they were current, but I've never got to play one. I still remember perusing the G&L adverts in Guitar Player magazine in the early 1980s and thinking how great theu looked in Fullerton Red These CLF bass look (and sound) fantastic to me , by the way. I really fancy one.

I will certainly give you first refusal on the fretless Si, but I cannot envisage myself selling it any time in the foreseeable future. 🙂 I would love to show you some pictures of my Lakland basses but they are all put away in storage at the moment. I don't really have any decent pictures of them to share unfortunately.

This is an example of the "fat neck equals fat tone" theory that rears its head from time to time. I am really not qualified to either confirm or dismiss this theory, but I can say unequivocally that a Jazz Bass style neck on a P Bass does not necessarily equate to a thin tone. I've got a couple of P Basses with Jazz neck dimensions and they both sound very fat indeed. How "fat" do you need it to sound anyway? A bass either sounds good or it doesn't. A super skinny neck may well impart a different sound, but I'm talking Fender Geddy Lee skinny rather than a more typical Jazz Bass profile. Anyhow, I am not so sure that,if you analyse it, a Fender Precision Bass is a particularly fat or "thunderous" sounding bass anyway. It's emphasis is on the low mids more than a super deep low end. It's got a woody complexity to the tone that is very appealing to the ear, and so suitable for so many styles of music. Conversely, if a P Bass sounds wrong with a Jazz neck then does a Jazz Bass with a fat neck sound wrong also?

What is this new Kingpin of which you speak? Tell us more! 😯

I like this finish much better on the Bongo than the Stingray. But on the Bongo the blacked-out pole pieces on the pickups ruin it for me. Those MM humbuckers are iconic, and I want to see the big round magnet slugs. Is it just me, or have EBMM decided to make most of their new basses look like the kind of thing that Bruno Mars bass player would use at the Grammy's, i.e a kind of nouveau-Liberace glitz that really won't age well. Other folks seem to love it, but I am not keen at all.

I've had that issue with the G string zipping off the edge of the fingerboard on Musicman 5 string basses of every vintage. It is definitely a problem on the older Stingray 5s as well as the newer ones. It drives me crazy on any bass, so it is something I am acutely aware of.

Whatever the strengths and weaknesses of the individual members of Status Quo as musicians, they made it work as a band and the bass and drums made it chug along with the necessary swagger . Back in their heyday of the 1970s Quo were a formidable live act. That was the real Status Quo, not the showbiz bit of a joke household name version that came later. Quo back in the 70s were dangerous.A proper rock group.

I think it would be quite feasible to put a regular condom over the microphone for extra protection. Then put the foam thing on top.

I love that black short scale ! Never seen one in that colour before. I really like Lakland basses, and regarding the fretless versions, I've got a 44-02 Deluxe fretless with an epoxy- coated ebony fingerboard and it's a wonderful bass. Lightweight, easy to play and with loads of really useful fretless tones. Does the Musicman thing, does the Jazz Bass thing and lots of other sounds of its own as well. I usually use the front coil of the humbucker with the mids and highs slightly boosted to get a uniquely Lakland kind of a sound and it really cuts through the mix. I'm a big fan of Lakland pickups too. I think they are very underrated. To my ears they sound as good as anything on the market, and they help give Lakland basses their own distinctive personality. I love the ChiSonics and the NeoPunch P Bass for passive basses, and the MM humbucker on the active ones sounds great as well. It's not quite as heavy in the bottom end as a Musicman, but it's got a bit more midrange support. I suppose another thing that defines Lakland basses is the small vintage-style frets. They give the basses a different feel, and some would argue a slightly different sound, i.e a bit more woody , for want of a better term. They don't suit every taste, but I have learnt to love them.

Wonderful to hear this as an isolated track, as it is to hear all the others you have posted. Now I know I've been playing this one almost right! Keep up the good work!