Leaderboard

I'm lucky enough to own a 1978 Pro ii, built out of Matsomoku factory. Its a dream to play. loads of mojo. Pups upgraded years ago to Dimazio pickups. Loads of punch and tone. Not sure of its value? but a keeper none the less.

Picked up one of these babies today and it's absolutely sweet !

I bought one about a week ago. A 2009 Musicman Stingray. 3 band EQ, single pickup. Candy red, rosewood fretboard I've only really had Fenders before, so I can only describe it relative to those... Build quality is great. Components seem excellent quality, and the fit and finish is great. If you've played fenders before, you'll find the neck is very much like a Precision. It's quite heavy, but not too heavy. Nice and solid. Sounds nice acoustically. The G string was a bit quieter than the others. I'm convinced it's because the pickup polepiece doesn't line up properly with the G string. This is apparently a common issue with Stingrays. I fixed it by raising the pickup at the treble side, and managed to get the string volumes balanced enough to where it isn't an issue. You'd think in an otherwise very well designed bass they would have fixed this years ago. But no. Apparently the new ones DO have the polepieces in the right place... but 2 grand's a lot to pay imo for that My takeaway from the G string polepiece issue is that it's pretty sensitive to how you have your pickup height set - so be aware of that Re the sound and having a single pickup. The most noticable thing is that the kinds of warm, vocal mids you might get from a precision are totally absent. And the second thing is that the low end is deep and tight. I heard the preamp has a high pass filter, and it sounds like it. There's loads of thick, punchy bass, but it somehow has a tightness to it. As if it rolls off quickly below 40hz. My main bass is/was a precision, and I use an SVT. So my go-to sound is that classic grindy rock tone (with a plectrum) with the SVT deep switch in, and a bit of mid scoop. Loads of low end, but it's more of a fat and woolly low end, and those precisiony, expressive mids. You can't get anything close to that with the Stingray. With a plectrum, you get LOADS of zingy top end, and that tight bass, with no real Fendery mids no matter what you do. It's very scooped, even when you goose the mids on the EQ For a punk or rock gig I would leave the Stingray at home and take the Precision, unless it was something modern like RATM or RHCP etc For a pop/funk/disco type gigs, the Stingray would be perfect. It seems to have been primarily intended for fingerstyle players. The frequencies that the pickup and preamp accentuate are ideal for a nice tight, modern fingerstyle sound. Lovely for fingerstyle The 3 band EQ is interesting. I tend to leave everything centered. Sounds best to me that way. The treble and bass tend to either let you take far too much off, or add far too much on. The middle isn't really a traditional mid frequency knob like on a fender amp, it's more like a knob that lets you make the sound go from fairly scooped to very scooped... whatever you do, there isn't much mids I heard someone say (and I agree) that a fender jazz (both pickups on) is more scooped than a precision, with deeper lows and higher mids. And that the Stingray is even more scooped - deeper lows and has even higher frequency mids. I think that's a good way of putting it. If there's a path from P to J, then the Stingray is the next step along I think no matter what you do it'll sound like a Stingray. But I think it has enough to make it a fantastic bass in the right context. It's certainly not a swiss army knife, and almost certainly the wrong bass for certain things I really do like mine. Got it off eBay for £900, and I'm glad I got it. Not sure I'd buy a new one for the prices they're asking now

My SB1000. Iconic, in my opinion. Nothing comes close

Any excuse to pop a picture of this 1981 SBR-150

I've had a small windfall - about the size of a new tip-top-notch bass as it happens - and I'm having serious GAS for a Stingray Classic 4 string. I buy a new bass about once a decade so it's a BIG decision for me and I need to know how many of you guys (possibly the greatest bass playing experts on the interweb so I trust you) rate this bass? How's the quality of build and is having a single humbucker a limitation? Has anyone bought one recently and are you pleased with it? Obviously I'm looking for encouragement but if there are any serious worries I'd probably rather know!

Hi my name is Alex and I have Dirt Pedal Adddiction Syndrome. I also have a great affection for envelope filters. I can't afford to buy new ones so mainly build DIY. So many pedals! I've been questing for the ultimate fuzz plus envelope filter tone. Bass - US G&L L-2000 made in 2000AD! In the UK, London, playing in a 90's rave band.

Funnily enough I’ve had basses built by both Martin at Sei and Jon at Shuker and both were fantastic experiences. If I had to choose though, Jon was the more approachable and much more open to working with me on my design and build. Both very high quality builders though & all fantastic basses. Proof of the pudding is I now own 2 Shuker Jazz basses (both shown on the Shuker web page you’ve linked to) and no Sei Jazz basses.

Hi guys, just wanted everyone who has replied to my original post to know; the transaction with Alex went absolutely seamlessly, despite my reservations. It was just such a different way of doing things. And a way in which I am totally unfamiliar, being from the UK lol!! It seems that this way of doing things is so normal in some EU countries other than UK, and I had no bed to worry. Thanks Alex, so glad you are so pleased with your purchase, wish you all the best. Timmynumbers 👍

OR... for £1169 you could buy very nearly thirteen used Trace Elliot combos and keep one at each venue. Saves carrying 'em.

Pure class, this. Lovely bass

I had a TH350 and it never wanted for more beans. Where will it all end? 'Markbass announce 2kW RMS @ 4ohms amp the size of a credit card - earplugs included'.

i ve asked my wife and she said defo fingering !

Started to knock the sharp corners off to match the vibe of the original carve. The light is starting to go but made a decent start with spokeshave and cabinet scrapers:

Which Mac?? Gary Mac!!

With regards to active/passive controls, a while ago I came to the realisation that what I'd really want is a passive tone control coupled to an active mids control with adjustable frequency centre, something like the John East module which covers 100Hz - 1000Hz (or 200Hz - 2000Hz, as it's got a switch for both ranges). I don't need a bass control, really. Treble? A passive control is sweeter, for my taste. What I want is to control what happens in the middle, and with a wide range like that, I can get punchy low mids, or hollow tones, or beautiful deep bass tones... For me the on-board EQ on active basses is merely to fine tune my sound and make some small adjustments for specific songs, but the basic sound comes from the amplifier's EQ. The small adjustments I want are all in the mid range or something that a passive treble cut is better suited for.

I can't help but to get a little giddy with excitement over Jon's headless basses! I think you are quite right to say you have your own template! I think your two have the most identifiable outline in the range surely!? (Don't change it for the next one, ok?)

and mine...

Anyone bought one of these, I don't think they've been out long? There's a fretted and a fretless version too. I like the look and the sound, though I wish they had a thumb rest above the strings a bit like on the similar Cort B4 FL MHPZ, which has a Fishman Piezo and a Bartolini mag pickup instead of just the piezo on the Ibanez, I don't think you can order the Corts in the UK, only from Thomann.

New I think - though I'd be tempted by a Trans-orange pre-loved if available!

Jon is coming to the Midlands Bass Bash next year. I am looking forward to just shaking his hand and thanking him for the one and a half Shukers I own.

Economics. It's been possible to make a dustpan and brush that actually picks up dust for many years. Try and buy one.

https://rover.ebay.com/rover/0/0/0?mpre=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.ebay.co.uk%2Fulk%2Fitm%2F143001497752 You just don't see these in this condition with the perspex ashtrays AND the perspex 'H' logo. Seriously tempted. Fantastic necks and monster tone for weeks. If you can afford it, buy it - these are getting rare.

The EBS Reidmar 750, costing less than half that figure, uses the same power module and has a "Drive" function if you want some grit. I know which one I'd go for.🤔 Frank.

Same meat, different gravy - the Hohner B2 variants. B2, B2A, B2B, B2AD etc.

Nice!

Cool! I'm half way through - just drilled the case. I agree, great kits, but also well thought out pedals - the pumpernickle was about the only pedal I could find that ticked all my boxes in any form - clean sounding comp with enough controls to be meaningful (not just more or less squash!), AND blend. Add the blinking lights and I'm in heaven!

The 1994 London cast recording has some fabulous playing and great tone on it.

These types of ads seem to be prevalent in all sectors now. There are similar sites advertising £3k bikes for hundreds of pounds. They all "take" paypal. I get a feeling that the real scam is the harvesting of your PayPal details via a phishing site that looks like PayPal.

Crafted in China. Wrecked in Cardiff..

An audition is when you know what your auditioning for. What songs do you want to play. They wanted a juke box on the spot. I tried to jam they couldn't. I'm out

True - I’ve seen a few basses though that say they are passive but actually it’s just an active eq bypass and although good for getting a passive tone, it all goes south when the battery goes!

Me too there seems to be plenty of volume, more than I will ever need.

And one lined fretboard

Awww! Thank you! The original flip finish was pretty amazing, but when it went back for it's service (after 8 or 9 years active use!) it came back with the new crackled chameleon flip paint finish - and whatever he did it plays and sounds better than ever! My 7 string I think will be next for a service but no need just yet. Still going strong in to it's 10th year. Maybe nearer 11 I forget. Jon is a really nice guy; an understanding engineer who really knows his wood choices. I can't think of a better way to understand more about our basses, so I would recommend the course. Jon is a great teacher. Thing is though, now I know what he is capable of, my next two basses have already been planned... on paper at least!

I have to say @Dood, your purple headless 6 string elicits pure jealousy from me. Just outrageously stunning! Having engaged in email discussion with Jon about some upcoming mods I have planned, he seems to be a really nice guy - always a bonus when parting with one’s hard earned cash. I’m actually considering doing one of Jon’s bass building courses at some point!

If it gets to a "sensible" price before the last few hours it can scare off those looking for a bargain in the last few seconds.

Hey project_c, thank you so much for that, sorry I've only just seen the post from you. Much appreciated, thank you.

I saw the headline in my suggested content, saw that it was a Daily Mail article, ignored it. Hateful publication.

I'm not convinced that a big music department-store is the best place to buy a double bass - mostly they are getting stuff made down to a price by big factories rather than looking for quality. Maybe try a specialist (Bassbags) or a sensible 2nd hand dealer (the DoubleBassRoom). Something like this for instance : https://thedoublebassroom.com/product/1970s-czech-luby-hybrid-3-4/#.Wu-JnH8h1EY. would probably be hard to beat. I think it was this one https://thedoublebassroom.com/product/hungarian-1965-3-4/#.Wu-K-n8h1EZ that came to a recent bass bash and was really rather good.