CameronJ

The end of this article confirms the JMJ Mustang coming in black: https://www.musicradar.com/news/summer-namm-2019-fender-launches-signature-electric-guitars-for-spoon-men-britt-daniel-and-lincoln-brewster

Sound like a convenient solution...but at gigging volumes, pumping hundreds of watts through an AB/Y pedal designed for instrument level signal surely can’t be good? I’m no expert but it doesn’t sound too healthy to me! Probably works fine for low volume levels? Calling @obbm / @Bill Fitzmaurice?

The most obvious difference is they’ll sound completely different. One is a passive P/J and the other is active with dual humbuckers... One thing I’ll say is that the difference between lower and higher end Ibanez BTBs is much more noticeable than the difference between the lower and higher end Yamaha BBs. If going the BTB route I’d personally suggest going for the best model you can afford. Neither the BTB range nor the BB range are famed for being lightweight so I’d rule that out as a deciding factor! The 5 string BTBs have 19mm string spacing at the bridge vs 18mm for the BB, which may or may not be important to you (it isn’t to me) however, the neck profiles are very different. The 5 string BTB necks feel significantly wider & flatter along the whole length of the neck compared to the BB but that won’t be a total shock given that you’ve tried the 6 string version already. Ultimately what drew me away from the BTB range was that the majority of the music I listen to and play was recorded on P basses and J basses, so that’s where my tastes have turned these days. Your mileage may vary!

Sorry

Someone over on Talkbass has suggested the JMJ Mustang may be coming out in black at some point? I’m intrigued...

That’s a pretty shambolic delay

Black all the way. It works well with the pickup surrounds. Looking very classy!

Bloody hell. Some very nice stuff on the site!

The colours should all be the same colour - pretty sure that was the case when they were still in stock at Bass Direct. Someone at GuitarGuitar HQ has made a dodgy decision there. Still, it’ll probably sell...

Not sure why the one in blue/purple is £400 more than the aqua sparkle?!

Somehow I don’t think @dannybuoy was trying to equate your Ibanez SR to a Jazz Bass in his post. Humbuckers - even single coils with a phantom/ghost coil - will always sound darker than a true single coil as a general rule. I’m pretty sure Danny was just pointing out that Nordstrands are livelier than Barts, as an analogy to describe the difference in brightness between single coils (brighter/livelier) and humbuckers (darker/duller).

To be fair, your confusion is justified

That’s an excellent clip! Surprised that there are so many bass-specific rigs on the Kemper. I’d never really looked into it before. Full preset list here: https://www.kemper-amps.com/factoryrigs

On paper, all of what you’ve said is true. But alas, in my dotage I find myself after a more traditional Jazz aesthetic and true single coils - noise be damned!

Ah, that’s good to know. Thanks for the heads up! @therealting that’s a whole lotta aftermarket thumbrest action @dave_bass5 I remember seeing photos of your modded DJ5 over on Talkbass. Looked great! The DJ5 I tried a while ago sounded pretty much identical to the 55-60 on the wall next to it, bright and zingy (in a good way) but I much preferred the neck profile on the 55.

They’re humbuckers though...?

What kind of noise was it? Hiss, hum or buzz?

Given the cost of refinishing a bass to a high standard, I think I’m willing to be patient...

Both of the octavers you’ve mentioned are digital. If you want warm, you want analogue. My personal #1 recommendation is the Aguilar Octamizer (There are a couple for sale here at the moment) but failing that, try and find yourself a Digitech Bass Synth Wah (digital I know) and use the solo octave setting. It’s one of the warmest sounding digital Octave sounds I’ve ever encountered, whilst also being one of the cheapest.

Hence my desire for Yamaha to remedy my situation... Back on topic