New Stanley Clarke bass... by Fender????

[fretmeister]

 

 

According to BGM - it's going to be built by Fender! He's still playing Alembic, but wanted something different too.

[Musicman20]

Strat Basss? Like a Musicman Big Al....

[visog]

Oh yes, Stanley's played Fender for many hours days now...

To be fair, he's always dabbled with other makers and manufactured his own once (Spellbinder). At his Animal Logic gig I saw, he brought a bunch of Ken Smiths. He's had Carl Thompson's for Picolos too.

Be interested to see what this 'Stratobasster' pans out like...

Edited September 13, 2018 by visog

[songofthewind]

I don't like the look of that. Parts bin special.

[itu]

My guess is that it's a piccolo. But the f-word and Clarke? Contradictionary terms?

Edited September 13, 2018 by itu

[TheGreek]

I bet it will have "special" parts on it...can't believe that SC would just have a Strat body with a bass neck...

[TheGreek]

No news on the Fender site. 

[Cato]

44 minutes ago, itu said:

My guess is that it's a piccolo. But the f-word and Clarke? Contradictionary terms?

That was my first thought, but the strings look too thick?

I saw an Ed Friedland review of the 3 pickup Music Man Big Al and that came across as a really versatile bass. I have to say that I prefer the looks of this one.

[Grangur]

Here's something that gives his view on Fender:

https://www.vintageguitar.com/21549/stanley-clarke/

Which other companies have approached you about endorsement deals?
They all have – every company that’s been out there. And I’ve actually liked a few. I’m not a big Fender fan, but I have a few Fender basses. Marcus [Miller] gave me one of his signature basses, and I used it on a few movies and the new Al Jarreau record. I really like how Warwick makes basses, they’re very nice.

 

So, here you have it....  if Fender pay a good royalty on sig models there's no limit to those who'll suck it up and take the money.

It seems he used the Marcus Miller bass on "Last Train to Sanity".

Edited September 13, 2018 by Grangur

[Chris2112]

He's played a diverse range of vasses over the years outside of his obvious association with Alembic. It doesn't strike me as unusual that he would play a Fender because, knowing Stan, it isn't just going to be off-the-rack. 

I'd be interested to hear the new record more than anything. I've always found Stanley Clarke to be very inconsistent in terms of his output. He's written a handful of bangers and plenty of pretty average records over the years and has admitted that the quality of his records has varied massively over the years. I thought 'The Toys of Men' was an absolute screamer when it came out and easily his best work since Animal Logic II. However, that record is now a decade old and I wasn't that keen on the new Stanley Clarke Band album.

[Rich]

Let us not forget his dalliance with the godawful dog's breakfast tasteful and restrained Loewenherz instruments.

 

[spongebob]

Good album, that new one that the photo is the back of! 😀

[Chris2112]

1 hour ago, Rich said:

Let us not forget his dalliance with the godawful dog's breakfast tasteful and restrained Loewenherz instruments.

 

I've never liked the look of those Loewenherz basses but that golden lion bridge piece is particularly foul. I think this one was gifted to Stanley and it was his first Loewenherz. I may be thinking of someone else, but if memory serves, the luthier gave it to Stanley at an airport in Europe.

[BigRedX]

Wasn't he playing an ACG at some point recently?

[Rich]

33 minutes ago, Chris2112 said:

if memory serves, the luthier gave it to Stanley at an airport in Europe.

"This is to take with me? Oh right. Well, errm, thank you, it's... very... umm, striking... you shouldn't have. No, you REALLY shouldn't have..."

[skelf]

3 hours ago, BigRedX said:

Wasn't he playing an ACG at some point recently?

He was supposed to be using my EQ01 in a new line of his Spellbinder basses which he was resurrecting.  Of which two custom models were made which we supplied custom electronics in the form of modified 01s but it came to nothing other than a lot of work mostly for John East and costs for both of us. 

[drTStingray]

Yet another potential artist bass from Fender? I wonder whether  this will disappear into the ether as briskly as the custom shop Flea Signature Stingray copy? To be fair, that was pre announced the same time as Musicman's Stingray Special, which appears to have been a great success.

The bass with Stanley looks a little like a reverse headstock bass V1?

 

Edited September 13, 2018 by drTStingray

[Chris2112]

3 hours ago, skelf said:

He was supposed to be using my EQ01 in a new line of his Spellbinder basses which he was resurrecting.  Of which two custom models were made which we supplied custom electronics in the form of modified 01s but it came to nothing other than a lot of work mostly for John East and costs for both of us. 

I remember looking at that Nuevo Spellbinder a while back and wondering how many had been built for customers. At $15,000 each, I didn't expect that even one would have been sold beyond the two prototypes. I suppose this confirms that. A shame that the project didn't get off the ground.

[visog]

I remember John Wetton saying in an interview that he had a Spellbinder, and that a customs officer in an airport recognised it from Stanley who'd just been through with his.

[skelf]

7 hours ago, Chris2112 said:

I remember looking at that Nuevo Spellbinder a while back and wondering how many had been built for customers. At $15,000 each, I didn't expect that even one would have been sold beyond the two prototypes. I suppose this confirms that. A shame that the project didn't get off the ground.

Those two were for SC and had the electronics we supplied. They were supposed to be for him to use which he did briefly before going back to Alembic. There was then going to be a production run with two versions a passive one and an ACG equipped one. They then tried to sell the two customs and we were to get part of the sale price to cover our costs. Nothing ever appeared. A hard lesson on dealing with famous people. Actually meet SC and he was very pleasant. 

[Sibob]

Doesn't look like Fender on the headstock, although probably a prototype if he's saying that Fender will build it.
In fact, looks almost like 'Spellbinder'!?

Si

Edited September 14, 2018 by Sibob

[Lozz196]

Looks like Fenders subsidiary company Fugly are making this one..............

[visog]

Well it doesn't look like the headstock on his more recent Spellbinders either:

 

[CameronJ]

It’s a Thomas Lieber creation - https://www.talkbass.com/threads/fender-stratocaster-bass.111120/page-6#post-21725965

 

https://www.lieberguitars.com/basses/

[drTStingray]

Sorry but it still looks like a reverse headstock bass V1 to me - not that SC playing a bass V1 would be outrageous - not quite his piccolo tone but if he wanted to get back to a 60s thick twangy feel.......