Dingus

I really like Justin Timberlake's music, and not just because he looks very much like a slightly younger version of me but with less impressive dance moves . If you listen to his albums, there is some very soulful , state-of-the-art modern R&B going on there . It's pop music, but it's very good and very sophisticated pop music. Needless to say, all his musicians are tighter- than- tight players .

One day Fender will offer a new service by which they start making basses that are actually made properly. You know, where the neck fits in the neck pocket properly and that kind of thing. I shudder to think what kind of Frankenstein's monster might eventually arrive on your doorstep if you actually ordered one of these creations. Fender seem to have a hard time knocking out consistently-made basses when [i]they[/i] are in control. If the customer gets any degree of autonomy then anarchy could easily ensue.

It's always best to be honest about what you really want. I've seen plenty of adverts for guitarists that specify they don't want applications from Steve Vai , and wanted ads for drummers that recommend that Jeff Porcaro wannabes look elsewhere, so why should bass be any different? Most people, including other musicians, hold the bass guitar in fairly low esteem anyway , and the only thing they deride more than someone who can't play very well is someone who [i]can[/i] play very well.

[quote name='Spaced' timestamp='1397920634' post='2428665'] Come on, I haven't liked anything since Tonight but The Next Day is an absolute quality album! [/quote] Two good tracks, in my opinion.

Here we go...

[quote name='Graham' timestamp='1397923375' post='2428694'] Are the Butler EMGs active? [/quote] No , passive.

[quote name='JazzBassfreak' timestamp='1397912841' post='2428542'] So as most of you have probably seen I'm looking to trade away my Alembic for an Average stingray or Bongo bass. Crazy I know, but I'm just looking for something less "flashy"? Maybe that's not the right word, not sure. Anyway what are Musicman basses like to play compared to "Boutique" basses or say Fender Jazz basses? I've developed a recent interest in Musicman instruments and decided I want one in my collection that I won't feel guilty for gigging. So some lucky bassist on here will get my beaut of an Alembic sooner or later! [/quote] To directly answer your question, EBMM basses compare very favourably with a lot of boutique instruments. You are indeed a bit mental ( to use the medical term) to consider swapping your Alembic for one, but that is , of course, your choice to make . Find a good Music Man bass and , at what it does, it will play and sound as good as just about any bass on the market, boutique or otherwise. Where EBMM bass fall short of boutique basses like your Alembic is in the overall integrity and finer points of the construction , most notably in so much as the MM basses have got straightforward flatsawn necks without any laminations or graphite reinforcement, and it is quite noticeable how EBMM have moved towards slightly more substantial neck profiles in recent years to try and combat the common instability of their earlier basses thinner necks. Overall though, EBMM basses represent excellent value for money , either bought new or secondhand. If you like the crisply defined sound of Jazz Basses and your Alembic and Fodera basses then I would strongly recommend checking out the Bongo. It's a fabulous bass in my opinion , with a unique tone that has all the inherent punch of the Stingray, but a with a much more modern , articulate voice that is easier to be heard clearly. The Reflex /25th Anniversary is good, too. The Stingray is, of course, a classic that we all know and mostly love, but it has a very distinctive and stylized sound that , whilst being very useful in its' own right, can be a bit limiting, in my opinion. In many ways, the Stingray is one of those basses that is beyond criticism and a good one is great fun to play and a joy to listen to, but to my tastes at least , it has always been quite a specialized instrument. It will do one thing , and that is be a Stingray. I hasten to add, however, that a Stingray is a great thing to be.

[quote name='steve-bbb' timestamp='1397890593' post='2428202'] How very dare you! [/quote] The Emperor has got no clothes on ! Bowie hasn't made a decent album since Lets Dance, but he does still turn out the odd decent track that makes you realize what we we all missing out on . Should try harder , and could do [i]so much[/i] better.

Robert Palmer always had great taste , and his choice of musicians was usually impeccable. I love that Pressure Drop album he did with Little Feat ( and James Jamerson) on in particular , but he made so many great records over the years.

You would probably struggle to find one under nine pounds. Most will probably weigh between nine and ten pounds. Most manufacturers quoted weights are just approximations anyway , as in reality wooden basses vary greatly from one example to the next.

I'm not that keen on the styling of that bass either , but bear in mind that it's supposed to be for the bass player in Black Sabbath, and so it has a certain "comic book" doom-laden styling in keeping with the kind of iconography associated with that brand. For people who want to buy into that , I suppose it's a suitable bass. Just a regular USA Bob Glaub ( or 44-64 as it is now known) is perfectly sufficient for my tastes , but then again, I am not the Prince Of Darkness. To me , I think the Geezer bass would look better with just one tasteful inlay at the twelfth fret. Those EMG pickups look like they might be good. I can't really say whether they sound good because the sound clips have got a bit too much distortion on them for my tastes. What I would be most interested in finding out is whether EMG's claims to have evened out the apparent output of the P and J pickups is borne out in reality .Very few PJ sets can truly manage that feat, not least of all because certain laws of physics and acoustics are working against that aim , but maybe EMG have pulled it off this time .

[quote name='krispn' timestamp='1397909701' post='2428497'] Sorry lads I just put this on to see how much controversy it would kick off opposed to genuinely constructive feed back. [/quote] If that was what you really wanted to do then you have failed miserably, I'm afraid. You should have asked whether it was better to use flatwound or roundwound strings on your new bass. Twenty pages and three weeks of "heated discussion" later , you would still have been none the wiser but a United Nations Peacekeeping Force would be on standby to move in to restore order. ( The correct answer is "roundwounds", by the way).

[quote name='JapanAxe' timestamp='1397841311' post='2427900'] [/quote] It's true. They are both rubbish.

I have seen plenty of similar adverts looking for bass players over the years, and it doesn't surprise me one bit, or even strike me as particularly condescending. At least they are being open and pretty specific about what they do and don't want. Lots of musicians ( including other bass players) have an aversion to fancy bass players . As exactly the kind of fancy bass player they have in mind that they want to avoid, I am equally keen to avoid them. I have no desire to play music with anybody who thinks that The Velvet Underground were some kind of high- watermark in popular music or that Nick Cave is a singer. Unless of course it turns out to be David Bowie, but, realistically, he is unlikely to be placing an ad on the uni noticeboard, even after the crap he's been turning out for the last thirty years. He probably wouldn't want another sex symbol in the band either, so that's me scuppered before I've even tuned up my bass at the audition. Some people think I am condescending, but they are just idiots and I feel sorry for them, to be honest with you. .

I'm not a big fan of the BBOT. It sounds O.K, I suppose, but in my experience the saddles are prone to movement and constantly slip on it, and it needs readjusting every time you change strings. If you are going to use a BBOT, at least make it one with tracks on the baseplate for the saddles to sit in. Other more substantial alternatives such as the Badass ( or Lakland!) offer more stability and better clarity to the overall sound, in my experience at least. My old Jazz Bass sounded loads better when I had a Badass installed , especially in the upper registers, from what I remember. .

[quote name='steve-soar' timestamp='1397774449' post='2427413'] Red, Red Whine. [/quote] [quote name='Billy Apple' timestamp='1397775002' post='2427419'] Only 1 in 10 would get that [/quote] [quote name='foal30' timestamp='1397794626' post='2427462'] it's still some food for thought [/quote] Stop that right now. If it happens again, I'm leaving.

Another thing to consider is that , from memory ( I've never directly compared them ) , the base plate on a Badass may well be a bit thicker than the Lakland bridge. The Badass is certainly has a higher profile than a standard Fender bridge. That means if you swap to a Badass then you may have to either shim the neck or countersink the new bridge to get the action as low on your bass. Swapping the perfectly good Lakland bridge to a Badass would be an extremely pointless exercise. The Badass is a good bridge in its' own right , but the Lakland is also excellent in so much as it works well and sounds good. What more could you want ? Also, as other folks have mentioned , that oval bridge is in effect Lakland's trademark. It would be silly to deface your bass by removing it for no discernible advantage.