BassAgent

How do I just now find this topic? I have two vintage Fenders!

This is my Jazz from May 1966. Neck is from January, pots from week 18. It's a refin, I had it refretted a few years back and I don't have the original case anymore. This bass is absolutely killer. The neck is crazy, the sound is brilliant and it has that typical 1966 "thump" on the E-string. I bought it partly because I loved Paul Turner's sound on the Abbey Road sessions with Jamiroquai, and he has a white '66 Jazz too. I met Paul a couple of years ago when he was introducing and promoting Stenback basses at Paul's Bass Matters here in NL, and while talking with him I mentioned this bass. He said "do you have it here?" and I did, and so did he! So we compared basses (I have an A profile neck, his is a B-neck) and absolutely agreed on that heavy "thump" on the E-string. One of the best basses I've ever played.

This is my Precision from May 1971, also a refin and refret, but I have the original case to go with it. Currently strung with Labella flats. Very slim neck, great sound. Lovely P.

Seeing Bill's basses was the very first time I realised basses could have more than 5 strings and still be very playable ánd cool. Rest in peace, mr Conklin.

Basses: Netherlands (De Gier), USA (Fender), Mexico (Fender), Japan (Blade), China (Sadowsky MetroExpress, Dingwall, Sterling), Indonesia (Yamaha), UK (Status neck)

Amps: Germany (Eich), China (Fender), USA (Fender)

Pedals: NL/USA/China/Japan/Taiwan

I'd have them remake my 1966 Jazz: very slim neck, aged olympic white, tortoise pickguard, threaded saddle bridge, dot inlay, neck binding, lollipop tuners and put some Fralin pickups in there. 

3 hours ago, TheGreek said:

WOW!!!

 

TRB 5IIf arrived this morning. Beautiful and amazing to play. Came set up with the lowest action on any bass I've ever played and fitted with flat wounds. No wear on the fretboard whatsoever. 

Though I only had 10mins playing it I was very impressed with the tonal quality...such gorgeous tones. 

I've experimented with fretless several times but this is inspirational.

What do you think??

 

 

That looks amazing! Enjoy it

Yeah I bought it like that from the original owner who had the original refinished and I think there was something wrong with the original fretboard so he had an ebony fretless board made for it. Sounded quite spectacular.

5 hours ago, TheGreek said:

What do you think?

When I was buying my first fretless bass (I think I was 11 or 12) it was between the RBX270F and the TRB5IIF (but in amber), and got the RBX (mostly because the TRB was too expensive at the time). Still have some slumbering GAS though, for that fretless TRB.

I have owned two TRBs:

I sold them both because they didn't fit my style and taste at the time but boy, are they awesome... I have the feeling the prices of TRBs are increasing after a long period of getting next to nothing for one: I sold the amber fretted 5II for about €500, but now I see people asking €800+ for one.

On 26/09/2021 at 15:05, BassAgent said:

Sold my Pearl compressor and added the Cali76. Very very siked.

Another update: I decided I needed a proper preamp pedal so I got myself a Trickfish Minnow. Killer.

Possibly, but this pedal offers more options (ground lift, -20 dB), a different EQ etcetera.

I'm looking at a new preamp pedal when going on tour playing with in-ear monitoring only and came across the Nordstrand Starlifter pedal

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It's around £280, which is not cheap but also a lot cheaper than e.g. the Noble preamp. Does anyone own one or have experience with using one of these?

Because of you guys I'm developing some serious Fodera Emperor GAS.

No, not the Empire, the Emperor

That Emperor is absolutely gorgeous.

Actually, Yamaha serials are pretty organized but they repeat every 10 years.

Well, it's still a Yamaha TRB-P so it's always a good bass. Very well built, great sound and great feel. They rarely come up for sale (same goes for the non-P versions by the way) so that possibly means people are holding on to them and playing them extensively. If one comes up for sale, I don't really see a change in prices compared to 10 years ago. 

It's strange indeed. Definitely not a Fender. The bridge is a BadAss which is fine, the pickups don't look like Fender pickups with their rounded edges. The neck says Squier to me, the tuners are a mystery to me. It might be a good bass (it looks like it could be quite decent) but parts basses are notoriously hard to sell. Wouldn't go for it, except if it's the exact bass you'd want for a price you can afford.

Thanks! I keep rediscovering that bass. It holds Lollar pickups and an Aguilar OBP-1 preamp and it's one of the best Jazzes I've ever played. Amazingly low setup, very comfortable neck, slim body...it has that active 70's sound which isn't always my thing but it's a great bass.

20 minutes ago, FDC484950 said:

Nope. The MetroExpress was a line made in the same place as the final Japanese line (called Metroline). One or two were still for sale new recently. Sadowsky offered a small number of finishes with apparently the same quality as the Japanese Metro basses. My experience was rather different.

 

Link: https://www.sadowsky.com/sadowsky-instruments/metroexpress/

I stand corrected.

14 minutes ago, FDC484950 said:

I briefly owned a MetroExpress made in Japan and the stacked pot wasn’t working and the B string was about 50% quieter than the E. This as a bass that retailed around £2K. The point I’m trying to make is that If they have genuinely sorted out the QC then it’s probably an attractive sub-£1K bass. Sire must be quite a thing competitor for a fair bit less, but I never had this kind of choice when I was learning - £500-£700 was by no means guaranteed to get a bass that was even moderately playable.

The MetroExpress has, AFAIK, always been made in China (as it was introduced by Warwick). The Japan basses were called Metro and more recently MetroLine (which are now being built in Germant). Different production, different bass.

Sold my Pearl compressor and added the Cali76. Very very siked.

5 hours ago, ezbass said:

. However, following @BassAgent’s review and subsequent double purchase, followed by @lonestar’s acquisition, I’d definitely be up for trying one now, but that logo has got to go 🤮.

I am honestly considering having that logo sanded off and adding a Sadowsky decal. The story of why the Sadowsky name isn't on the headstock as such (but as part of the RSD brand) is clear and easy, but still, yes, that logo is awful.

11 minutes ago, lonestar said:

I read that Roger said thathe has the pickups wound by Dimarzio or EMG on the NYC ones.

But still by his specs I presume.

2 minutes ago, Ricky Rioli said:

 

The Tributes all have the G&L designed bridges – are they from the same supplier as the USA models? The MFD pickups on the Tribute L-2000 and SB-2 are the same as the USA models, but the alnico pickups on the LB and JB models are not.

Yep, and the Sadowsky MetroExpress basses have Sadowsky brand pickups and tuners (although they look an awful lot like Hipshots), Sadowsky knobs, Sadowksy body design.

How much did Dan Lakin directly have to do with manufacturing Lakland Skyline guitars? Or Leo and George with G&L Tribute? Or Andy Mooney (Fender CEO) with Squier? The idea (in my view) is that the original designer licences his design to a factory and team of designers/luthiers to be able to make an affordable line of basses. Of course Roger Sadowsky doesn't wind the pickups himself. That's what the NYC basses are for.

So do my two MetroExpresses, and I know that Roger has very much been involved in the design of these basses.

That's also true. And apparently, it does.