Ernie Ball Musicman Big Al 4 SSS

[Musicman20]

The Big Al SSS Bass – My review!

So, this has been a long time coming! Not because I haven’t had time, but because Ive only just got my hands on one.

To cut a long story short, I had a Big Al 5 SSS on order, but unfortunately I had to cancel it. This was back in May 2010.

Fast forward to this month, and now my work/job position is great, and I have also obtained a position/training contract in a law firm which I have been searching for a long time for! Great times!

So, to celebrate this, and my 30th birthday that is looming, I got the Big Al 5 SSS back on order, and I also traded in some instruments for other new EBMMs, (see signature, Im a lucky guy).

The great chaps at S&T UK thought they had the exact spec arriving last week! Eg no wait! It turns out to be a single H, so unfortunately I still have the 3-4 month wait (not a problem, Im patient with these basses!)

So, to make up for this, I was loaned a Big Al 4 SSS to make sure its what Im looking for, (I was stuck between this and a Bongo).

I knew Id like it, I just wanted to test one!

So, the bass arrives on Saturday. I had 2 days to enjoy it at home to see what its like.

[u]Style[/u]

Now don’t get me wrong, I fell in love with the look when I saw the proto threads. But, the bass is MUCH nicer than you can imagine once it is in your hands. Those straight edges are curved fantastically at the end, so it looks modern, but still a classic. The paintwork was fantastic, and the sculpt at the back of the neck with the 5 bolt neck plate looked so well crafted it was unreal.

The comfort factor is excellent. Those lines do make the bass one very comfortable bass!

This bass has to be seen to be fully appreciated.

Personally, I think the best colours are White and Vintage Sunburst….but that’s me.

[u]Neck[/u]

Super fast, super smooth, yet not too cramped like I find Jazz bass necks can be. I have small hands, but I like room to play. This Sterling neck profile is excellent. It felt like an old trusty pair of slippers in moments.

[u]Quality[/u]

As mentioned, the paintwork was fabulous, as was the neck sculpt and neck to body join. It FEELS like an EBMM quality instrument. It looks like its worth more than you pay! Excellent QC all over the bass.

My only gripe was that the neck pup probably needed adjusting a little higher, but hey, that’s minor and just takes a moment! Its an easy few seconds job.
Action was amazing, and there was virtually no buzz. I like it low like this!

[u]Sound[/u]

This is the big one. What exactly does a bass with all these options sound like?

I would start by saying its like nothing EBMM have released before, yet has that DNA in the tone. Imagine a more vintage sounding EBMM bass, but still with that punch and output that you expect.

Do the single coils sound ‘big’? Yes. This is what I wanted to test! ALL three work well solo’d. The neck has that old school motown warmth and thump, but with clarity. NO mud, whatsoever.

The middle is a very, ahem, P Bass like, but with a massive output, (and more in active mode!). This is a very good thing! I like the Tele style P bass, but Id much prefer it in this package. It WILL also give you that P bass grind if you want it, but with EBMM sounds. I used the TC RH450 tube tone, and WOW, does it sound nice.

The bridge, my favourite! Imagine a Jaco-ish tone, but with big lows and a meatier midrange. Want sizzle? Add EQ! Want old school, goto passive and mess with the tone control.

Combine these, and you have a monster. The best combination for me was neck and bridge. You can rock out with this setting!

Next, the killer setting. Bridge and middle in series. POWWWW! This sounds HUGE. Its close to a Ray, but not close as to warrant it ‘just a Ray sound’. It’s a more modern midrangey tone, and so punchy! This WILL cut through a mix.

Ok, onto the other controls.

Passive – They have nailed the passive vibe 100%. If you like Fender but want something fresh and exciting, you will love this. The tone control works flawlessly. Modern and bright or fat and warm.

Active -Switch into active, and there isn’t a huge volume ‘jump’, which is great. You do however, notice it, which is the main thing.

With it being a Bongo-esque active EQ, it was new to me. A little goes a long way. I found cutting the treble a smidge, boosting the mids (both) by a tiny bit, and leaving the bass flat was perfect for me. Those controls are VERY powerful and give you so much to play with. There is nothing like an onboard EBMM EQ….it just works perfectly and I cannot ever understand why people would swap them out!

So, that’s the sound. It goes from motown to rock grind to jazz solo to EBMM signature tone all in one…..and then some!

The pickups look like they mean business, and they are very comfy to rest your thumb on, which is great.

I can imagine these basses sound brilliant with flats. I will make sure I do this at some point when mine arrive.

[u]Conclusion[/u]

This bass design is great, stands out a little, but also has ‘classic’ written all over it.

Make sure when you try it, that the amp is set up flat, you are in the right input for the bass, and you have a good 30 mins to play around at least!

Cheers!

[wateroftyne]

Cool!

I think these basses look totally HAWT.

[CHRISDABASS]

I want one!!

[Musicman20]

[quote name='CHRISDABASS' post='989043' date='Oct 15 2010, 11:28 AM']I want one!!

[/quote]

Ive decided the 4 string version im getting is also going to be an SSS....as Ive already got two Stingrays in 4 string format with Hs...SSS all the way!