Joe Dart Signature Round 4

[BassApprentice]

Yes, if you don't like the basses or the band, you aren't being forced to buy one or comment on it.

 

However this is a fun change to the whole signature bass model. I wouldn't have stumped up for the full USA model prices, but now all three are available as Sterling models in both the natural and the black for the next 2 months...I avoided the first batch but I'm going to have a tough time not buying a Joe Dart 2 in the Natural this time round.

 

£575 all in. Yes the shipping is still a farce. Sad they haven't managed to find a way but at least the cost is fully upfront.

Edited Tuesday at 19:43 by BassApprentice

[FugaziBomb]

I always wonder if these passive music man models are successful for the company in terms of sales. It just seems so weird to me to take a Stingray bass and strip it of the things that make it special - the preamp and the humbucker. I had the same thought when they were making the Cutlass and Caprice basses.  Adding some kind of preamp in there that plays to the legacy of the company seemed to be the obvious choice to me.  I'm just one guy, though, and I'm sure market analysis shows trends are different than my own opinions.

 

Still, I would have really dug a Caprice with the classic 2 band preamp as a feature.

Edited Tuesday at 20:06 by FugaziBomb

[BassApprentice]

Well they sold out of the all the US models first couple of times round, and they sold 4,500 of the first batch of the Joe Dart Sterlings. It's a testament to the Vulfpeck marketing machine that they can keep repeating this and I can't say EBMM will be complaining!

[Kyndainverse]

I’m not a Joe Dart fan. But there is something very appealing to me about the III in black. 

[neepheid]

2 hours ago, BassApprentice said:

Yes, if you don't like the basses or the band, you aren't being forced to buy one or comment on it.

 

Umm, u ok hun?

[bassist_lewis]

Quite likely I'll put this on the credit card and it will conveniently show up after my wedding. So it'll look to the new Mrs Bassist as if I was being responsible with my money 👍

[fretmeister]

I am in serious negotiations with MrsF.

 

Just the single bucker in natural will do for me. 

[LeftyJ]

13 hours ago, FugaziBomb said:

I always wonder if these passive music man models are successful for the company in terms of sales. It just seems so weird to me to take a Stingray bass and strip it of the things that make it special - the preamp and the humbucker.

 

Some early Stingray prototypes had a reverse P pickup in the MM pickup position. So indeed absolutely nothing like on the Joe Dart shorty, but it's not weird either. 

 

 

[Floyd Pepper]

13 hours ago, FugaziBomb said:

I always wonder if these passive music man models are successful for the company in terms of sales. It just seems so weird to me to take a Stingray bass and strip it of the things that make it special - the preamp and the humbucker. I had the same thought when they were making the Cutlass and Caprice basses.  Adding some kind of preamp in there that plays to the legacy of the company seemed to be the obvious choice to me.  I'm just one guy, though, and I'm sure market analysis shows trends are different than my own opinions.

 

Still, I would have really dug a Caprice with the classic 2 band preamp as a feature.

I took a punt and got one of the original Sterling JD's last year and I've been super impressed with it as I prefer passive basses. So much so, that I also got a Pete Wentz (Even though I'd never heard of him) passive Stingray after hearing this clip - 

 

[Kev]

I'd still like one of these, but its £399 odd for a Ray 4 (closest core line bass) and that one comes with an active preamp.

 

£575 is just too much for what it is, which is a shame.

[BassApprentice]

15 minutes ago, Kev said:

£575 is just too much for what it is, which is a shame.

And that's the debate I am still having here.

 

I like them, they are cool, but having the base range components for that price is a smidge too high. If they just had the nicer bridge, I'd probably be much more keen.

[Cato]

If it wasn't for the £200 shipping I'd be very tempted to get a JD1 and maybe see if I could get a preamp fitted at somepoint down the road.

 

At £393 they look like a bargain. At  closer to £600 not so much.

Edited yesterday at 19:25 by Cato

[fretmeister]

I have wifely permission!

 

Bow before my negotiation skills!   

 

(Also, I have to do a lot of DIY round the house).

[Highfox]

€754 to here.

I think I'll skip it.

[ezbass]

Even with the shipping and taxes, the newer one is still one of the cheapest, ‘name brand’, short scale, P basses available. If the nut width was wider, I’d be having a long hard think about a black one.

[fretmeister]

4 hours ago, fretmeister said:

I have wifely permission!

 

Bow before my negotiation skills!   

 

(Also, I have to do a lot of DIY round the house).

 

 

Might not be as easy as I thought. The proper USA ones are usually between 7lb and 7.5lb, but it seems that the Sterlings are much closer to 9lb, and unfortunately that's too much for me these days. All but 1 of my basses are under 7lb.

 

aaarrrrgggghhhhhh

[Vanheusen77]

I like the look of them, but I agree the idea of a passive stingray is a bit wierd. Again, I love the purist conceptual part of it, but in reality the sound you hear on Vulfpeck records sounds like it has a massive low frequency eq boost. Same thing with a passive J on the back pickup only. It’s a sound that’s cool in theory but for most practical purposes it’s just not supportive enough without a lot of processing. But what do I know? Jaco didn’t let any of this stop him!

[fretmeister]

It’s a Sterling not a stingray.

 

And it’s actually inspired by an old passive copy of one that Vulfpeck had, that they particularly liked for recording.

So other than things like EVH’s frankenstrat it’s about the first signature model based on something dirt cheap.

[Vanheusen77]

8 minutes ago, fretmeister said:

 

So other than things like EVH’s frankenstrat it’s about the first signature model based on something dirt cheap.

I love this concept!

[AlexDelores]

The JDSterlings have just made these things by On Guitars look too complicated.

 

Are we living in the minimalist bass era now? I don’t hate it tbh!

 

[BassApprentice]

Well as of 30 seconds ago, this will now cost you 10% more. So over £600.

 

I'm out. Cheers Donald, ya balding orange buffoon.

[fretmeister]

10 hours ago, BassApprentice said:

Well as of 30 seconds ago, this will now cost you 10% more. So over £600.

 

I'm out. Cheers Donald, ya balding orange buffoon.

 

I've just looked at my basket - it's gone down to £566.36. Probably due exchange rate alterations.

 

Until UK tariffs are done in retaliation it shouldn't affect us. USA tariffs don't affect us buying USA goods. We'll need our own tariffs for that.

[Cato]

1 hour ago, fretmeister said:

Until UK tariffs are done in retaliation it shouldn't affect us. USA tariffs don't affect us buying USA goods. We'll need our own tariffs for that.

 

Not sure about that.

 

I think it may depend on whether the basses are imported into the US before they are exported to British buyers.

 

There's not a lot of detail yet on exactly how the tariffs will be implemented or whether there will be an exemption for foreign buyers in the above scenario.

 

Might be a while before we find out.

[fretmeister]

That depends on whether US companies making things outside of the US are covered.

 

If there was anyone mentally competent / stable in the White House that isn't a pet we'd know that already.

[Cato]

10 minutes ago, fretmeister said:

That depends on whether US companies making things outside of the US are covered.

 

My understanding is that US companies who manufacture outside the US are one of the main targets.

 

I was reading somwthing earlier about US running shoe manufacturers, who dominate the global market but who almost exclusively manufacture in Asia, being amongst those at the very sharp end of the tariffs in the US market.

 

 

https://www.reuters.com/business/retail-consumer/us-tariffs-vietnam-would-be-blow-nike-other-sportswear-brands-2025-04-01/

 

But it's early days & I'm not sure anyone, posibly including those in the Whitehouse, really knows how this is going to work yet 

Edited 11 hours ago by Cato