Misdee

Back in the 1980's there actually was a Chinese restaurant on or around the Edgeware Road called Lee Ho Fooks, I seem to remember. Whether the name was a reference to WZ, I have no idea!

Terrific YT vid demonstrating the sound of various graphite neck basses. Would have been nice to hear some fingerstyle playing too, but still a fascinating listen : They all sound good to me, but I am particularly partial to the more midrangey tone of the Schack. The Stati and the Bogart sound pretty similar to my ears, a bit mid-scooped.

A lot depends on which BB you have, and what kind of a sound and feel you like. Different brands of the same gauge can feel very different in terms of tension. Round core DR's like Hi-Beams or Sunbeams feel a lot more elastic than D'Addario XL, for example. I love the sound of Rotosound RS66 Swing Bass, but they tend to lose their lovely bright, aggressive tone pretty quickly. Once they go dull, they sound pretty average. They also have a very rough feel to them under your fingers( and on your frets). That roughness doesn't bother me, but some players find it uncomfortable. Elites Stainless Steel are a pretty good alternative if you want a bright tone and they seem to stay bright a bit longer than Rotosound.

Even high-end, very expensive basses often have shims.

This is a problem that can effect any bass, and on a bolt- on neck is easily fixed by inserting a shim in the neck pocket.

I appreciate what you are saying, Dr T, but why is it that we don't need to have graphs and scientific explanations about why other kinds of basses actually sound o.k when our ears are telling us otherwise? I would contend that, for whatever reason, there are a significant number of Musicman Stingrays that don't sound satisfactory on the G string. Not all Stingrays by any means, but some for sure. As with any such idiosyncrasy, it will annoy some people more than others.

I don't think any flats will give you the cut of roundwounds, but the supple tone of Thomastik Jazz flats is the closest I have found to what you are describing. To me ,they are the flats that a devoted roundwound player could learn to love. I certainly have. They're much more articulate than traditional-sounding flats, and have a low tension-feel to them like you want. They've got a really nice rubbery midrange to them that is very pleasing to the ear. You could play dub reggae on them or heavy rock and they will give you a great rendition of some classic tones . Very versatile and thoroughly recommended.

Oh dear!🙁

Now Warwick are involved, that could change... To be fair, this JM Sig Bongo is (to me) a very attractive bass in a lot of ways . It looks great in black with the Stealth pickups , I don't mind the split fingerboard woods and I think the preset EQ will probably sound great as it is. None of those things would put me off at all on a differently configured Bongo . With the JM Bongo it's just the fact that I couldn't play it🙁.My existing 5 string is 18mm spacing at the bridge and I find that difficult to adjust to.

I take your point entirely , but the correct analogy would be if you had the money for any Aston Martin that took your fancy, you wanted something a bit special and then they brought out a new model that was everything you didn't want . Of course Aston Martin can make whatever they want, as can EBMM. I am equally free to lament their choices. All I am saying is that from my own selfish point of view I wish EBMM had directed their energies elsewhere. John Myung is obviously a virtuoso player( although to say that Dream Theatre are not my cup of tea is something of an understatement...), but I doubt his personal requirements will suit many others who do not share his gift. Of course he need not pay any heed to my wishes ( who knows, he might not even of heard of me😄), but EBMM might do better as a company if they prioritised their customers . And as any successful retailer will tell you, the customer is king. I seriously doubt this bass will sell in significant quantities. Yes, it's always good for guitar companies to have top endorsees on their books, that is undeniable, but the trick is to translate that into sales. Regarding a used Bongo, I am looking for a custom version that might sound a little bit different to what I already have, ie different body wood, maple fingerboard, stainless steel frets ect, so a refinished stock model wouldn't really do . They did a tobacco sunburst and a blue burst BFR that fit the bill, but I didn't like the colours.

I have been watching the special editions with a keen eye, but none of them have been quite right. The dark cherry/ash/maple 5 string Bongo they offered last year would have been o.k if it was a four string( I like a minimum of 18mm spacing on a 5 string). I am sure if I am ptient something suitable will come up eventually🙂. The Bongo is indeed wicked . For a modern-sounding hifi kind of a bass, I prefer it to just about anything on the market. Such a powerful and punchy sound that always cuts through. Never fails to make me happy when I play it.

That's a very good point. I'd never thought of that, but I can feel a conspiracy theory coming on!😄

Yes, this one 's different to the one I already have. This one is useless to me. That is the significant difference.

I've already told you , I have already got a conventional Bongo. I don't like any of the three finishes currently available, so I wouldn't buy another stock model as things stand . I would like a Bongo with some custom options, like a maple fingerboard and maybe a different body wood. Do you have a problem with that? It sounds like you do. I am a little bit disappointed because instead EBMM are adding this rather esoteric bass to their range. I couldn't care less what the artist wants . Why should I?

I've already got a normal Bongo. I want to buy another Bongo that's a bit different to the one I already have. Nowadays they only offer Bongos in Stealth Black and two sparkly colours, none of which I would contemplate.

Hmmm. I love the Bongo and I am always miffed that they seem to put out special editions and now a signature model that are nowhere near what I want. Despite John Myung's awesome chops and profile with Dream Theatre, I cannot see EBMM selling many of these. A six string with very narrow spacing will have a limited appeal, regardless of its idiosyncratic novelties ie split fingerboard, pre-set eq ect. EBMM would do more business if they found a high-profile bass player with more conventional requirements and made him a signature model.

I've really enjoyed all these Guy Pratt lockdown videos. I bet if Status had made the Streamline back in the 1980's they would have sold a shed load of them. Every time I see a Streamline I am struck by what a beautiful design it is, and they look even more impressive in the flesh.

Well, I wouldn't really want to comment on anything outside of music regarding EC, but as a musician he is far from bland. Or should I say , more specifically, as a guitarist he is definitely not bland. He has got real fire and aggression in his playing , as well as all the other subtleties of a great musician . He may have suffered from his fairly conventional musical direction over the past 30 or maybe even 40 years, but he is still a lethal guitar player, no doubt about that. I think EC and Phil Collins have suffered the same fate in terms of their public perception as musicians in so much as they as both extraordinary players with a unique personality on their respective instruments, but they re dismissed out of hand by some musos because of their mainstream popularity. Yes, their music can tend towards the middle of the road, but as players they have always been as hip as anybody you could care to mention.

I've also had most basses except a Warwick! I remember when the Bass Centre ( best shop in the world ever) started distributing them in the U.K. Whenever I went in to the shop , Barry Moorhouse always seemed to be pushing them to a pro bass player who I didn't quite recognise but who was obviously someone quite important. I too would like to see Steinberger back in business, but I don't necessarily want a cheaper bass if it means compromising the quality. I want a proper L/XL, just like they used to be, and I don't mind paying for that.

It was like a dead spot, but every note on the E string was affected. Just one episode in a lifetime odyssey of annoying niggling faults . You can read about them all in my forthcoming book , Zen And The Art Of Bass Guitar Maintenance.

Regarding any perceived shortcomings in the overall design of the original Steinberger bass, I think it's fair to say that Ned got far more right than he did wrong. The innovative thinking involved in creating such a revolutionary design is quite breathtaking when you consider how basses looked and sounded in the late 1970's. It's not really fair to say that the Steinberger L/XL isn't worthwhile because it isn't perfect. NS added to the palette of tones available to bass players , and created a bass that was both beautiful and functional. Let's face it , Leo Fenders designs were not without their idiosyncrasies, but they are still superb instruments that in many ( most) ways have never really been bettered. Depending on who you talk to.

The 1024/2024 have fairly chunky neck profiles, maybe a little less oval than the '80's BB'S, IIRC.

That explains the more gutsy sound of the Streamline, , but the peculiar thing was, the E string on the Empathy sounded a bit off even when the bass was played acoustically, unplugged. The was a distinct lack of fundamental , leaving the string sounding hollow in comparison to the other three strings. It was subtle, but it drove me mad. I always suspected the bridge might have been involved in some way. No one seemed to be able to sort it out , so I gave up and sold it. I have never encountered anything similar on any other Status bass, it has to be said. Such a shame as it was a lovely bass otherwise, with a very generic 80's/ early 90's modern kind of sound. But bear in mind, it was the 1990's, so I couldn't really complain . It's easy to forget nowadays, but there was a time when that was what most bass players were after in terms of their tone. By comparison, more recent full-tilt ( i.e not the Streamline) Status basses I have played and heard sound have a very extended in the top end, and not sound dissimilar to an Alembic in some respects.

I had Status Empathy headed back in the 1990's and it was very different tone-wise to my Streamline. The sweepable mids were great, but from memory it was not as gutsy as the Streamline. Also, to my ears at least, the E string always sounded inconsistent with the other three strings . Very strange considering graphite usually make things so consistent from string to string. Very strange. Still, I remember it as a very playable bass. As 4000 says, Status are still well worth investigating . Every bass builder, no matter how good their work will have some negative comments if you look hard enough, and that includes the original Steinbergers. If I remember correctly, it was around 1989 when Fender acquired Kubicki. I played a few around that time and they were great, regardless of who made them. I seem to remember the Fender Custom Shop were involved in their manufacture. A lot of the tone was in the preamp, but it was a good sounding one. John Taylor played one in Duran Duran post- Live Aid era . David Hood, the Muscle Shoals session ace has one and has used it a lot over the years. They used to do a green one that looked great, as did the white one. Very Miami Vice.

What an interesting thread! Where do I start? The thing to remember about the Steinberger L/XL basses is that they were not really trying to sound warm or mellow like a traditional wooden bass. That's a big part of what was so great about them. Inadvertently, perhaps, Ned Steinberger created a bass with a tone that was ideal for how people were using the bass guitar in popular music at the beginning of the 1980's. The zeitgeist of the time was that more was more, and more was usually better. Bass players wanted to stand out. A Steinberger would give you that . What I still value about the L/XL basses is that they sounded modern and aggressive , whereas a lot ( most) of hifi, hi-tech basses have a tendency to sound way too refined and polite for my taste. A Steinberger sounds just as hefty as a Fender or Rickenbacker or any other old -school bass, if you want it to. The L in particular could sound downright nasty. I've got a Status Streamline 4 string that I bought new about four years ago and it is a great bass. It definitely sounds different to a Steinberger,- a bit warmer , I would say- but it is still the unapologetic sound of an all-graphite bass, and that's what I wanted. The quality of the manufacturing on mine is equal to anything I have ever seen, absolutely flawless. I must admit I don't use it very often, but I am sure I will get round to it. The ergonomics are a bit unusual if you are going to it from a Fender-style bass ect, but with the right strap and a bit of experimentation it is much easier to adjust to than the Steinberger for most folks . I note LFalex v1.1's gripes with interest , but a lot of them like getting pricked by strings( you can still get most regular gauges double ball end) and the custom -ordered series/parallel switching business are not going to affect me or most other players in all likelihood. And I think they sound pretty hefty, maybe not as aggressive and brittle as a Steinberger but not weak or wimpy by any means. Regarding graphite- necked Vigier basses , I remember going to the Bass Centre in the 1980's and early 1990s and playing a few and they were fantastic instruments, lightweight and punchy with a great sound to them. The only reason I didn't walk out of the shop with one was that the Bendetti pickups were very microphonic. You could heat the thump of your fingers tapping on them as you played them through the amp . Also, the nut was cut so the strings were very close to the edge of the fingerboard, a pet peev of mine. And Ped, you might be mildly interested that the beautiful white Passion Bass you have ( or had if you have sold it on ) might well be the one featured for review in Guitarist magazine back in 1985. I had the copy with it in .