OutToPlayJazz Posted June 14, 2008 Share Posted June 14, 2008 (edited) Hi guys/girls, I got a Marcus Miller Jazz this week. Not only is the attention to detail exquisite, but I've found that turning the "harsh" preamp down a little turns this into one of the coolest sounding basses I've ever heard! When I tried them in dealers in the past, I had the treble & bass pots up on full & it did sound truly awful, but a little playing with the eq later & you've got your authentic MM sound (apart from the Sadowsky innards, of course!) Loving the 70's back pickup spacing, the bullet trussrod & the 70's smaller tuners, too! Anyone else on here really into their Millers? Oh, and ordered an American Standard Precision while I was at it! Edited June 28, 2008 by OutToPlayJazz Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
molan Posted June 14, 2008 Share Posted June 14, 2008 Good shopping Mr Jazz Sounded like you were going to crack on the Precision front but getting an MM at the same time sounds cool. Did you get them both from the US or did you find what you wanted in the UK? Only asking as I was really close to ordering an MM from the States as the used ones are often really well priced. However I'm a bit wary of long distance ordering on something that has a slightly indifferent rep with regards to quality. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OutToPlayJazz Posted June 14, 2008 Author Share Posted June 14, 2008 Hi again, Molan. It actually came form Electro in Doncaster. Dave Ryan did me an amazing deal, meaning I actually earned money on my Hofner Contemporary & Squier VMJ fretless by trading them in. There's a first! The Japanese MM's are really nice quality overall. Never played a badly made one at all. Mine's the natural, so you can see the ash grain very clearly. All I've done is changed the Fender 45-105 strings for some Roto 40-100's. The bass has such a thick sound that I thought I'd keep the guages a little higher than I usually would. The 30-90's can be reserved for my Status basses. Also played a brand new just out of the box American Standard Precision (black with maple) & it absolutely sang. Lovely bass, so I've ordered 3TS with tort guard & maple board. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikeh Posted June 14, 2008 Share Posted June 14, 2008 I love the MM jazzes, I still regret trading mine, and I would love another one. The only shame with the pre i found was that it was boost only, so bass and treb all the off for flat but you couldnt cut the treble at all. Still a really good bass. If I ever got another one Id love a white one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
molan Posted June 14, 2008 Share Posted June 14, 2008 [quote name='OutToPlayJazz' post='218742' date='Jun 14 2008, 10:34 AM']Hi again, Molan. It actually came form Electro in Doncaster. Dave Ryan did me an amazing deal, meaning I actually earned money on my Hofner Contemporary & Squier VMJ fretless by trading them in. There's a first! The Japanese MM's are really nice quality overall. Never played a badly made one at all. Mine's the natural, so you can see the ash grain very clearly. All I've done is changed the Fender 45-105 strings for some Roto 40-100's. The bass has such a thick sound that I thought I'd keep the guages a little higher than I usually would. The 30-90's can be reserved for my Status basses. Also played a brand new just out of the box American Standard Precision (black with maple) & it absolutely sang. Lovely bass, so I've ordered 3TS with tort guard & maple board.[/quote] Cool - I really like the look of darker coloured basses with maple boards. I like the ash MM's as well. Still can't make up my mind about that pick guard though. My Status is coming home tomorrow so very much looking forward to giving it a good clean, new strings & playing it properly. I have some flat wound lighter gauge strings kicking around somewhere so may try them out. I'm sure it ought to have round wounds for that acoustic zing but flats might be fun for a more laid back vibe, lol. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thunderthumbs Posted June 14, 2008 Share Posted June 14, 2008 I've had my natural MM for about a year now, and I absolutely love it. I tend to use my Lakland JO5 for the first spot, but the MM really cleans up on the dance spot. And I know exactly what you mean about turning the bass & treble off a bit, otherwise it's just TOO much. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Floyd Pepper Posted June 14, 2008 Share Posted June 14, 2008 I've had my natural MM Jazz for about a year now but it still isn't my default bass. After having played Stingrays for the most, I always seem to struggle with the body size and weight. Don't get me wrong, I love the sound but it just doesn't feel right when playing. I guess thats the enjoyment of trying different things out. Actually I've just managed to get a used Jaydee and I'm absolutely loving that so it might be that the MM goes further down the pecking order. Cheers, J Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cLepto-bass Posted June 15, 2008 Share Posted June 15, 2008 I've had my MM for about 18 months and playing it through my Little Mark II is quite frankly awesome. It can do pretty much what ever i ask it do, and the playability matches. I got mine for a stupidly low £500 and that came with a top qulaity hard case and various other pieces which must have added up to £100 alone. When i first got it i had no idea that it was a signiture bass and i had only just heard of Marcus Miller but since then i have done alot of listening to his work and it has absolutely spured me on as a musician. All in all, well made cheap bass that indirectly made me play better better. Now all i've got to do is find the same in a drum kit, i dont think i can be that lucky twice though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OutToPlayJazz Posted June 28, 2008 Author Share Posted June 28, 2008 Pic now added... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rayman Posted June 28, 2008 Share Posted June 28, 2008 Superb basses I think, good choice sir. I've had 2 of them. I regretted selling my first one the next day, and hankered for another one for a year or so, until I got my present one, and I love it. [i]However[/i], you may notice it's up for sale . I'm using my Villex loaded jazz almost exclusively, it's just the cat pyjamas as far as I'm concerened, and none of the others are getting a look in, not even the MM. I'm not desparate to sell any of them if I'm honest, I just need a bit of cash, so if the MM doesn't sell I'll be delighted, it's a superb bass. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
7string Posted June 28, 2008 Share Posted June 28, 2008 Wasn't there an interview with Roger Sadowsky recently in which he said that the pre in Marcus Miller's bass was a Bartolini ?? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marcus Posted June 28, 2008 Share Posted June 28, 2008 The best money you'll spend is ripping out that 50c preamp and installing an Aguilar OBP1 !! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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