NJE

Ah balls....I was on the verge of selling all my kit to get a Stingray and this has just about tipped me over the edge.

I have been through a few 5 strings now and would say that my top two would be a Lakland 55-02 and then my old MusicMan Stingray 5. I loved the sound of the stingray but the string spacing was way too tight for me. The Lakland has been super reliable and consistent for me, good B string definition and the EQ on board I find very subtle, and musical and I only ever need to cut or boost a small amount.

I know its easy for us to talk about what Fender should and shouldn't be doing but did no one in Fender think to take some test pieces out into the public domain, bass shows or something and get opinions on these instruments?? The same old sh*tty colours and some new sh*tty additions, why not throw in some of the cool vintage colours from the past that aren't being used on other models? Another thing with the US standard/pro instruments that has always done my head in, is the router hump by the neck joint, why in gods name cant they sort that out and grade it in and finish the instrument properly? I have had 3 Squiers that don't have it and they play fine and the necks never fell off or anything drastic like that. I have a huge in-explainable sort spot for Fender, the RW and vintage USA stuff seems to be well received, but they seem to be losing the plot IMO. To think what superb quality instrument you could buy for £1500.......the mind boggles as to why anyone would buy a new USA fender.

Does the reissued old smoothie actually have a pickup cover stuck together with tape? I saw some pictures online that seems to show tape. It's fun I guess but would seriously bloody annoy me if so.

Like someone said above, there are a lot of types of blues so an idea of what your playing would be useful. Joe Bonamassa's band is great and lots of good audio on youtube to listen to. Willie Weeks does some great stuff with Eric Clapton or have a listen to some Stevie Ray Vaughan, cant remember his bass player but there is a class live concert of his on youtube as well. Oteil Burbridge is pretty great too..

Firstly NICE BASS!!! I have found with any P bass I have owned over the years that I love the sound live, it seems to just sit perfectly and like you, I can hear the notes so much clearer. The issue I always find is that for some reason I hate the sound in rehearsal rooms and when I practice and play at home. I think the ideal for me is to have a nice PJ that could do the P thing live but then dial in some bridge pickup for home and rehearsals and more disco type stuff.

I think he is bloody superb, yeah he can talk a bit of bollocks every now and again but who doesn't?? I fell in love with Stings solo material first I guess, I was aware of the big police hits but it was 10 summoners tales, mercury falling, and brand new day, that were the albums I loved. I still think Mercury Falling is a fabulous album with some incredible lyrics and songs. He was also a huge inspiration as a bass player for me, I think someone said it previously, such simple but brilliantly clever lines that support the songs so well. I saw him on the brand new day tour and he was phenomenal, one of the most incredible musical experiences I have ever had.

I agree with the comments above, he seems like a very genuine chap who just enjoys his music and basses, very humble as well. This has not helped my GAS for a stingray at all, but does anyone else get p*ssed off that MusicMan wont do any decent options on basses for the general public, but almost every artist I have seen on their Instagram and facebook page seems to have custom options on basses!! For example, classic stingray hardware in black, roasted maple neck on natural body and dual pickups as per Tim Commerfords bass. I saw a Classic stingray the other day that had contours as well with a roasted maple neck, and a classic stingray with ebony board. I know they do special runs but its usually one color.....anyway rant over, lovely chap and nice gear too.

I subscribed for years and years and then just stopped as I got fed up with the same old people being featured and I had very little interest in any of them. Also I think the internet and forums are so much quicker at getting information on new products, I have already seen reviews on youtube or on forums before BGM get their hands on them. Ibass magazine which has now merged with Scots Bass Lessons is a great online magazine with superbly shot videos and interviews. I can also highly recommend iGuitarmag which has some ace reviews and videos of gear with our very own Dood and its FREE!!!!! you just need a tablet or clever-phone.

I am exactly the same, I have serious P bass GAS most of the time, but I have owned a few now and I just cannot get on with them for all of the music that I play. Superb for soul and rock type stuff but I just cannot get on with the feel and sound when I need to play a lot of disco funky type stuff. Now I know you can play any type of music on any bass, but I miss that bridge pickup to mix in with the P pickup to get a tighter sound for a lot of what I play. A PJ is probably my ideal bass but I cant find one I like that wouldn't require me to mod it. In a perfect world I basically want a Pino Signature with a bridge pickup.....sorted! I also struggle with my right hand position on precisions, I don't like playing over the pickup for a lot of songs because I don't like the slack feel of the strings there, I guess I don't get the attack I want.

I saw this guitar on Instagram and really liked the idea behind it, if recall correctly even the guy that builds them wasn't sure how it would work out. There are a lot of smaller companies making Metal/Djent style guitars (I am sure they do other guitars but I am generalising) with some incredible finishes at the moment. Mayones/Daemoness/Skervesen/Ormsby are all producing fantastic looking pointy 6/7/8 string guitars with amaing burst and colour combinations. Its a shame none of them make a decent looking bass (apart form Mayones) with some of the finishes. This is one of the best finishes I have ever seen, it looks like the photos they take of galaxies and nebulas in deep space....

This just makes me even more intrigued as to what developments are coming. The site is still down which is just adding to the anticipation, I am sure it wont be that dramatic now. Lets face it, he doesn't need any more business, he already has a huge waiting list. I have a feeling Stenback basses will be the new Celinder.

I have played the 63? USA vintage Precision and thought it was exceptionally good. The guy in the shop quietly admitted to me that most people don't think there is much, if anything in it compared to 'New' (non relic) team built CS basses. In my very humble opinion where the CS stuff comes into its own is the relic stuff. I know most people don't see the point or like them, but for me its all about the necks on those instruments, I have only every played two basses which felt as nice as a CS relic neck, a Sei and a GB Spitfire. The rolled edges and fretwork was amazing on the CS stuff I have played, guitars included. I dont know if the Hurley is a relic or not but if it is the neck is likely to be very good. To be honest, you need to find one in stock somewhere and try a Pino while your there if possible.

I bought one, didn't fit across all of the strings on my fiver, muted so heavily the note was barely even there. I thought it was garbage and just used a chunk of foam after that which had a better level of muting for me, but everyone is different and a lot of people have bought them so I am probably the odd one out. I might have been imagining it but both my fiend an I were convinced the tuning of the string went out if you moved it forwards an backwards from the bridge. As it was so heavily muted it was hard to tell.

There were a few bands/musicians and actual performances that really made me want to pursue bass. One of those performances and moments that still sticks out in my head was seeing Spacehog on TFI Friday playing 'in the meantime'. I saw Royston out front on bass playing such a great melodic groove and that was me sucked in to playing bass and singing in a rock band. They had some great tunes across the albums but some of it was a bit lame. In the meantime still makes the hairs on my neck stand up as it was the soundtrack to some great years growing up.

[quote name='Horizontalste' timestamp='1473255283' post='3128379'] [attachment=227292:DSC_0559.JPG] Haven't decided if I like the white yet....... [/quote] That looks classy if you ask me. I love the white pickup cover on stingrays, it gives it a bit of a custom vintage look. I think tort would work on that blue with the white pickup but then again I love clashing colours on basses. This is seriously not helping my Stingray GAS, I think the Lakland is going up soon, I cant resist.

I use Bass, Apogee Interface, Laptop, Garageband and then I can use the Internet to practice whatever I want to. I tend to use Youtube playlists for cover band rehearsals, incredibly handy.

The only ones I have seen are around £4250, so seriously top end instruments, but if I am not mistaken he makes pretty much everything except tuners, even strap buttons. That's why I am guessing there is a cheaper range coming but I could be way off.

I don't know if there are many followers of Tom Stenback but the site is down and they have announced that you can no longer place orders, the demand is too high, so there will be basses sold on a first come first served basis on the website. He also says there is exciting news so I'm intrigued to see if there is some kind of development in the business plan, perhaps some out-sourcing of some manufacture to produce a cheaper range whilst he works on the top end stuff like Sadowsky? I'm excited anyway, I love what Tom Stenback is doing.

[quote name='Machines' timestamp='1472212140' post='3119478'] I think the 'overpriced' accusation is based around their generally understated looks. [/quote] Yeah fair point I do get that to a certain extent, some of them don't look like 2k worth of bass.

Lakland US basses are very high on my 'to try' list. I have a Lakland Skyline 55-02 which was bought as i needed a solid 5 string active bass after selling some of my more expensive kit. I am not a massive Lakland fanboy by any means, it was bought because it fits teh musical situation at the moment and it was bloody cheap for the spec. I find the Skyline models considerably better than offerings from other companies that cost a lot more. I have been left incredibly underwhelmed by 2k Sadowsky Metros and Fenders and I was desperate to love these instruments when I played them. I still crave a Fender CS, I am definitely a fender fanboy, but cant find a decent one after 5-6 attempts. If the US Laklands are even 10% more refined than the Skylines, then I cant see how anyone would say they are overpriced compared the the stupid amount Fender charge for CS stuff and how much Sadowsky charge for Metro basses. I would take a skyline over a Sadowsky Metro any day, mine is even on a level with my old Overwater basses. Some of the finest bass players talked about on these forums have and still do use Lakland US basses, even though they have other high end endorsements, which must mean something. It just surprises me that a lot of people say how overpriced they are and 'not worth the money' when they have never even played one in the flesh. I tried £3000 worth of secondhand Alleva Coppolo once, I put it down after about 2 minutes, dull as dishwater IMO but I would never have made that assumption without playing one first.

Mine definitely have their places in the house and they are not tolerated for long periods of time in the living room on the sofa for instance. I do usually have a gig bag and kit lying around the dining room (where I usually practice with the laptop) and that is fine, plus I do have my own 'guitar room and an office, so no reason for them to be lying around. My wife has always known me as a musician so she knows its part of the package.

I have to give this a read. My friend is a studio musician and between us we have loads of antics and stories about people and situations that we both desperately want to write down. Most of ours revolve around actually 'being there' and seeing what happened so when we are both old miserable buggers we are going to write a sitcom along the lines of The Detectorists.