“You’re not versatile!”. Joe Dart content.

[ped]

Oh and versatility - ANY bass is versatile in that you can play whatever you want on it, but this bass has one sound and it's apparent in every 'style'- it'll never sound like a P bass or a Jazz bass. A lot of people say 'it's in the fingers' but nobody can show a Stingray doing a Gibson EB0!

That's why Joe Dart will use it on some stuff but not everything, as many of his most famous lines are built around the sound of other instruments.

Don't mind the band but I don't like the whole 'overly retro' vibe many 'funk' bands go in for these days...

[Woodinblack]

3 minutes ago, ped said:

If I had to go 'one knob' I'd want a tone knob. I've said it before and I'll say it again - I've never used a volume knob on a bass!

Never used a G&L?

Conversely I haven't ever really used a tone knob on a bass

[ped]

1 minute ago, Woodinblack said:

Never used a G&L?

Conversely I haven't ever really used a tone knob on a bass

OK just that one time

[PawelG]

3 hours ago, spongebob said:

Thanks! Where can I hear more of his stuff?

This is a good start I think. Then search the web for some more 🙂

https://youtu.be/72_zXigcOrA

https://youtu.be/peYcNm3JTe8

 

[drTStingray]

1 hour ago, ped said:

Oh and versatility - ANY bass is versatile in that you can play whatever you want on it, but this bass has one sound and it's apparent in every 'style'- it'll never sound like a P bass or a Jazz bass. A lot of people say 'it's in the fingers' but nobody can show a Stingray doing a Gibson EB0!

That's why Joe Dart will use it on some stuff but not everything, as many of his most famous lines are built around the sound of other instruments.

Don't mind the band but I don't like the whole 'overly retro' vibe many 'funk' bands go in for these days...

I generally agree with the point - but for instance an HH Stingray Special does a pretty good EB0 vibe with the bridge H selected - but it is not boomy and remains articulate. It's just the general tone that's similar. 

Joe Dart has used this bass exclusively on recent tours. It does the bridge pick up Jazz thing just fine - which is not surprising as it has a bridge H. 

Its a bit reminiscent of Tim C's natural Stingray from the 90s - natural is about the most iconic Musicman Bass colour - but presumably Joe has picked the spec - the figured maple neck is a nice touch. 

Doesn't the Mark Hoppus Precision have only a volume knob?

Its good to see EBMM doing a signature bass - something they've not really done before. 

Edited March 2, 2019 by drTStingray
Correcting autocorrect

[leftybassman392]

I come from the Bob Willis school of bass ownership. For those who don't know, Bob Willis was an England cricketer of the '70s and '80s. He was one of the best bowlers of his era, and one of the worst batsmen. When asked why opposing bowlers seemed to find the edges of his bat with such regularity, he would routinely reply that he'd paid for them so why shouldn't he use them?

So it is with me and the knobs, buttons and switches on my basses.

[lemmywinks]

2 hours ago, krispn said:

It is one dimensional though. It all sounded the same to me Sure play with different techniques but the sound was pretty much ditto. I love Joe Darts playing and I've been listening to him since his playing on 'The Olllam' album 7 or so years ago.

That's what I thought. Shouting "you're not versatile!! then playing half a dozen technique variations (none of which are uncommon concepts) which all sound very similar even in isolation. Agree that a tone knob would be much more useful or maybe a notch sweep like on the old Hartke amps.

[lemmywinks]

Volume knobs are more of an annoyance for me, have to check they're still on full in case I've clumsily knocked them mid set.

[interpol52]

It sounded like Joe Dart playing a bass. Awesome!

In my hands it would sound very different.

Edited March 2, 2019 by interpol52

[spongebob]

2 hours ago, PawelG said:

This is a good start I think. Then search the web for some more 🙂

https://youtu.be/72_zXigcOrA

https://youtu.be/peYcNm3JTe8

 

Many thanks - will check those out! 

[chris_b]

No controls on a bass isn't the end of the world. We all have a matching set on the front of our amps.

How many players have pre-amp pedals?

Then again instruments in an orchestra have got by without controls for hundreds of years.

[Stub Mandrel]

 

11 hours ago, krispn said:

It is one dimensional though. It all sounded the same to me Sure play with different techniques but the sound was pretty much ditto. I love Joe Darts playing and I've been listening to him since his playing on 'The Olllam' album 7 or so years ago.

It's not just me then!

And by God it's fugly!

[Stub Mandrel]

11 hours ago, Woodinblack said:

Never used a G&L?

Conversely I haven't ever really used a tone knob on a bass

You sir, clearly need a Fully-loaded Fender Jaguar 🙂

TBH I usually leave the tone right up and just switch pickups.

Big exception is the Fender Performer where the TBX control is magical.

I got a bit weeny about tone in my gig days swapping basses between songs, plus having a Boss bass graphic eq pedal. Sad.....

 

 

[Woodinblack]

Personally I tend to not touch the controls on a bass, apart from the pickup configuration / balance. Any tone (or volume) changes I tend to do via the footswitches for the amp. 

[kevin_lindsay]

How come the pickup Joe uses on his own bass isn't the same as the one on the production model? 

[PawelG]

25 minutes ago, kevin_lindsay said:

How come the pickup Joe uses on his own bass isn't the same as the one on the production model? 

I thought he puts tape on the pole pieces sometimes to stop it reacting when he hits the strings with his “percussive ghost notes”, but I’m not not sure about that. I’ve seen him do it on a P bass too. 

[alyctes]

12 hours ago, krispn said:

A funky ducks derrière 😛

Band name!

[BigRedX]

On 02/03/2019 at 08:14, spongebob said:

Really should check out some Vulfpeck as I've never really heard them. 😀

Sleepify is their best album IMO

[Dubs]

There's a lot to be said for keeping it simple. Stick a Bart in it though rather than tape over the poles...

+1 on the Nate Smith love.

[BreadBin]

13 hours ago, PawelG said:

I thought he puts tape on the pole pieces sometimes to stop it reacting when he hits the strings with his “percussive ghost notes”, but I’m not not sure about that. I’ve seen him do it on a P bass too. 

I need to do this on my SUB - I'm getting loads of popping.

[Hellzero]

5 hours ago, Dubs said:

There's a lot to be said for keeping it simple. Stick a Bart in it though rather than tape over the poles...

+1 on the Nate Smith love.

Do you mean put a Bart on a Dart ? Ooh spiky ! 😉

[dannybuoy]

On 02/03/2019 at 07:27, Heathy said:

I like the idea of a passive Stingray, but the absence of the tone knob and the oversized volume knob just turns this into a novelty item IMO. I'm sure that the 50 will sell, though.

I have a Sandberg Basic with a single MM pickup. Whilst it has a 3 band EQ, I often leave it in passive mode (it has no passive tone control) and it sounds just right as it is. Flatwounds help, i.e. no harsh treble that needs to be reigned in by a tone control. You can always EQ at the amp or pedalboard, so I wouldn't call this a novelty item just for that.

That knob does look s h i t though!

[spencer.b]

I like it, bit different isn't it

Are the strings cobalt flats?

[spectoremg]

White pickups - eurgh 🤮

[TrevorR]

On 02/03/2019 at 09:40, FDC484950 said:

The OCD in me cannot get past the horizontal grain in the body vs the vertical grain on the headstock 😀

If it’s any consolation to your OCD, that’s grain in the body and flame in the headstock. The grain does still run along the length of the neck. No one, and I mean no one, in their right mind builds a neck with the wood grain running across it!