Conan Posted January 8, 2015 Posted January 8, 2015 Interesting! Pretty good spec there - even compared to a Fender MM.... if they can deliver that quality for under £300 I will be amazed! Not sure how much it will appeal to its target audience though. MM is not particularly well known among "young people", but then again does that matter? How many people notice the name on the headstock, especially when they are just starting off playing? That's a pretty awesome "starter" bass, but it is till quite a lot more expensive than some of the cheaper Squiers and way more than the likes of J&D and Harley Benton - which are also damn good basses for the money. Its a great time to be a bass player starting off. When I think of the [email="cr@p"]cr@p[/email] that was available back in the seventies for beginners... Quote
chris_b Posted January 8, 2015 Posted January 8, 2015 I know I'm not the target audience for this but, the world needs another entry level bass? Quote
Conan Posted January 8, 2015 Posted January 8, 2015 [quote name='Machines' timestamp='1420706964' post='2652262'] I imagine with the fairly unique preamp... [/quote] Not sure how unique it is (as the specs are not easy to find) but on the face of it it looks and sounds rather like the East J-Retro that is available as an aftermarket mod for the existing Fender MM bass. I agree with Marcus that a midrange control on a bass (and especially on a J bass) is very useful indeed. That preamp looks a bit complex for a lot of beginners though - I've been playing 35 years and I found the East version just too much faff! Quote
Conan Posted January 8, 2015 Posted January 8, 2015 [quote name='chris_b' timestamp='1420724089' post='2652565'] I know I'm not the target audience for this but, the world needs another entry level bass? [/quote] Why not? There is plenty (maybe too much) choice and variety in the mid to high level market - why shouldn't beginners or cash-strapped players have choice? To be fair though, other than the preamp I'm not sure there is much that is novel here - although the woods used for contruction seem to be good quality (assuming that the wood influences the tone, of course! ). Quote
Annoying Twit Posted January 8, 2015 Posted January 8, 2015 (edited) The basses look nice. However the advertising material are in need of some serious proofreading. "This new basE..." "Most other basses at the body wood is made with North American Alder." "Swarp Ash body". Edited January 8, 2015 by Annoying Twit Quote
HowieBass Posted January 8, 2015 Posted January 8, 2015 Not just me then who's irked by poor grammar and misspellings! Quote
Conan Posted January 8, 2015 Posted January 8, 2015 [quote name='HowieBass' timestamp='1420728008' post='2652663'] Not just me then who's irked by poor grammar and misspellings! [/quote] Maybe the proof-reading was done by Marcus Miler (sic)? Quote
White Cloud Posted January 8, 2015 Posted January 8, 2015 [quote name='chris_b' timestamp='1420724089' post='2652565'] I know I'm not the target audience for this but, the world needs another entry level bass? [/quote] If these deliver on the early promise that they show, and I really hope they do, then this wont be just any old "another" entry level bass. They look great...however the proof will be in the pudding Quote
LeftyJ Posted January 8, 2015 Posted January 8, 2015 (edited) [quote name='AndyTravis' timestamp='1420652716' post='2651774'] Is this the end for the Fender MM bass? Interesting, also have seen that Stu Hamm has now switched to Warwick from Washburn. [/quote] No, it's the other way round I spy with my little eye - either just a mirrorred photo, "because it looked cool in the layout of the website", or they're doing a lefty version too. Can't share the damn photo though, because the whole page is one big bloody JPEG Also some other weird photoshop quirks: above the "lefty" is a picture of a sunburst V7 with the bridge reversed, but above that is a picture of the very same bass with the bridge photoshopped on properly. Edited January 8, 2015 by LeftyJ Quote
Moos3h Posted January 8, 2015 Posted January 8, 2015 Interesting. I rather like the Jazz (headstock is a bit munty but I think I could live with it) but that has to be one of the most poorly crafted sites I've stumbled across. Put some effort in guys, some of us do pay attention, you know! Quote
SingleMalt Posted January 8, 2015 Posted January 8, 2015 The blond one looks very nice, and at a reasonable price. I have to say I really dislike the headstock shape though. [quote name='Moos3h' timestamp='1420747112' post='2653035'] but that has to be one of the most poorly crafted sites I've stumbled across. Put some effort in guys, some of us do pay attention, you know! [/quote] Exactly. The pages are just huge images (trying so hard to look like something Apple made) that don't even scale to fit on different sized screens. I'd love to meet the web developer that thinks an 8MB webpage is a good idea, the header image alone is over 1MB. Not to mention how horrible text images are for SEO. Quote
Machines Posted January 8, 2015 Posted January 8, 2015 I did think it was a bit slow on my phone even on 4G. Quote
bubinga5 Posted January 9, 2015 Posted January 9, 2015 i really hope Marcus doest dirty his name by making/endorsing a crap instrument Quote
Conan Posted January 9, 2015 Posted January 9, 2015 [quote name='bubinga5' timestamp='1420763354' post='2653292'] i really hope Marcus doest dirty his name by making/endorsing a crap instrument [/quote] Why? Surely that's his prerogative? Anyway, if he believes his own hype these are going to be pretty astounding basses for the money. How often does a proper pro put his (or her) name to a product that is designed from the outset to be affordable but good quality? I'd say that he will probably enhance his reputation as a "good guy" if these basses deliver even [b][i]some[/i][/b] of what they promise. Quote
White Cloud Posted January 9, 2015 Posted January 9, 2015 I would imagine that the production costs of the raw material required for a large production line of F type basses would actually be extremely low (decent quality Alder/Ash/Rosewood). Therefore, imo these basses will stand or fall by the quality of their fit & finish, electronics package and hardware Quote
AndyTravis Posted January 9, 2015 Posted January 9, 2015 Mrs T has given the green light, 2 bedrooms to decorate first, but she's said 'then the kitty money is all yours'. Quote
Badass Posted January 9, 2015 Posted January 9, 2015 (edited) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2lvVCrLU76E Edited January 9, 2015 by Badass Quote
AndyTravis Posted January 14, 2015 Posted January 14, 2015 Wondering if there will be a video of the 5 string, eager to know what the b string is like... Quote
wateroftyne Posted January 14, 2015 Posted January 14, 2015 Well, say what you like about the unproofed copy, but they've got me drooling and I don't even like Jazzes. What fab colours and photos! Fender's marketing bods should sit up and take notice... Quote
Sibob Posted January 20, 2015 Posted January 20, 2015 Headstock reminds be of A-Basses: http://abasses.com/bass.html Si Quote
waynepunkdude Posted January 20, 2015 Posted January 20, 2015 No more ugly scratch plate, looks like a winner. Quote
Misdee Posted January 20, 2015 Posted January 20, 2015 Maybe my priorities are slightly different from most other folk, but on the evidence we have seen and heard so far, these basses appear to be exactly what they are: another pair of fairly generic and uninspiring - sounding cheap basses, albeit played by Marcus Miller. The Fender - style bass looks great, but sounds budget, even in Marcus Miller's hands. The other bass is self-consciously modern, and as such looks rather dated, paradoxically enough. I suppose these basses would be great for a beginner or for a bit of fun but there doesn't seem to be much to recommend either beyond their snappy looks. Reading between the lines, even Marcus doesn't appear that enthusiastic to me. The next time some in- the- know muso starts giving you the " It's all in the fingers " routine, show them these vids. Quote
Conan Posted January 21, 2015 Posted January 21, 2015 [quote name='Misdee' timestamp='1421796192' post='2665260'] The Fender - style bass looks great, but sounds budget, even in Marcus Miller's hands. [/quote] I'm not sure I agree. I think they sound fine. Hard to judge from a youtube video though, but they sound pretty much like a Jazz bass to me... Looking at the pickup positions though, the bridge pickup seems to be in a typical sixties placement - whereas in Marcus's original basses and his Fender signature models it is in the seventies position. Not sure how much difference that would actually make mind... Quote
chris_b Posted January 21, 2015 Posted January 21, 2015 The 60's vs 70's pickup positions were relevant for passive basses and did change the sound of the bass. These Sire basses are active which removes most of the pickup position issues. Quote
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