Misdee

I used to have a Ibanez Musician Bass back in the mid -1980s. I had wanted one for years and when I eventually got one I was so happy I couldn't sleep for two nights! Oh, for that level of excitement nowadays!

They were pretty iconic basses at the time, what with Sting ( and lots of other top players) using them. It's a shame that Ibanez developed from the manufactured in Japan quality brand they were into what they are now. Basses like they used to make would be expensive nowadays, but it would be a price worth paying for instruments that were still the same level of quality as from their Golden Age.

19 hours ago, Grimalkin said:

I can't think of anything recent, but then I can't think of anything that would beat Swift's observations of almost three hundred years ago, he could have written it yesterday afternoon:

 

"His majesty, in another audience, was at the pains to recapitulate the sum of all I had spoken; compared the questions he made with the answers I had given; then taking me into his hands, and stroking me gently, delivered himself in these words, which I shall never forget, nor the manner he spoke them in: “My little friend Grildrig, you have made a most admirable panegyric upon your country; you have clearly proved, that ignorance, idleness, and vice, are the proper ingredients for qualifying a legislator; that laws are best explained, interpreted, and applied, by those whose interest and abilities lie in perverting, confounding, and eluding them. I observe among you some lines of an institution, which, in its original, might have been tolerable, but these half erased, and the rest wholly blurred and blotted by corruptions. It does not appear, from all you have said, how any one perfection is required toward the procurement of any one station among you; much less, that men are ennobled on account of their virtue; that priests are advanced for their piety or learning; soldiers, for their conduct or valour; judges, for their integrity; senators, for the love of their country; or counsellors for their wisdom. As for yourself,” continued the king, “who have spent the greatest part of your life in travelling, I am well disposed to hope you may hitherto have escaped many vices of your country. But by what I have gathered from your own relation, and the answers I have with much pains wrung and extorted from you, I cannot but conclude the bulk of your natives to be the most pernicious race of little odious vermin that nature ever suffered to crawl upon the surface of the earth.”

Jonathan Swift - Gulliver's Travels: Travels into Several Remote Nations of the World 1726.

The current cultural zeitgeist is more Taylor Swift, and that means contrived blandness and, above all, studious avoidance of real controversy. Don't do anything that could alienate a significant amount of consumers or sponsors.

Few things are more revolting than F anny Craddock's cooking. Even after all these years it's indelibly etched upon my memory. A culinary antidote to '70s nostalgia.

The BBOT has definitely got its own sound, and it's a very good sound It's more "open" in the treble and upper midrange. Hi mass bridges tend to sound a bit more compact to me. As others have mentioned though, the advantages of other designs is as much that they are more stable and more practical than the BBOT. 

Hi mass also bridges give noticeably more clarity and sustain higher up the neck, in my experience.

On 14/10/2022 at 16:46, lowdown said:

Max Romeo - Wet Dream.

"When pressed, Max Romeo insisted the song was about fixing a leaky roof, but few outside of the Carpenter's Union believed him".

 

 

Lie down girl let me push it up, push it up, lie down
Lie down girl let me push it up, push it up, lie down

Look how you're big and fat, like a big, big shot
Give the crumpet to big foot Joe, give the craddock to me

Lie down girl let me push it up, push it up, lie down
Lie down girl let me push it up, push it up, lie down

 

 

I'm not sure what craddock is, but it sounds a bit too close to haddock for my liking. 

Doug Rauch.

 He is best known for his playing in Santana in the early to mid,1970s. Also played with Carly Simon Betty Davis, Lenny White, Billy Cobham and very briefly with David Bowie.

A superb player and highly original bass player who was ahead of his time.  He had the whole funky 16th note thing going long before the wider world was aware of Jaco, and he did some double thumping too.

Unfortunately Doug became overwhelmed by drug problems and depression by the time he was 26, dropped out of the music business and died at 28 years old in 1979.  One of the very best players of that era, for sure.

 By way of contrast, another one would be Chris Bostock who played with the JoBoxers in the early 1980s and a few other notables during that decade. Always liked his playing but he didn't go on to make very many more recordings.

It's easy to be flippant but I wouldn't underestimate the difference screw holes can make.

Screw holes make a Fender bass a de facto hollow body. Think of it as micro-chambering. There is bound to be differences in  both tone and weight between screw hole basses and the ones Fender couldn't be arsed with. If you look closely at some of the Masterbuilt Custom Shop basses, the screw holes are quite exquisite. God is in the details.

And if you think drilling a few simple holes is easy, wait until you need them drilling in your own head. Then tell me how easy it is.

I can't help but think that this might be the thin end of the wedge. Like Warwick basses and their wax finish that has to be laboriously maintained by the owner( the thin end of the wenge, you might say) which saves Warwick the trouble and expense of finishing their basses. It starts with a screw hole and before you know it you will have to route your own truss rod channel.

 I put it to  you that Fender, stung by criticism of their dubious quality control, and, have developed a strategy to gradually make the customer increasingly responsible for the manufacturing process. Five years from now when you buy a Fender bass you will get a box of parts, a sheet of instructions and a good luck message that also functions as a legal disclaimer.

Just now, MungoBass said:

We now know for sure that ashtrays are included then! 😀

But definitely not the screw holes, apparently. So much for period-correct. To me, vintage Fenders have always been all about the screw holes. 

On 15/10/2022 at 17:13, ezbass said:

I was trying to think of bass players who are associated with Yamaha and there really aren’t that many that spring to my mind at least. Those that I can think of off the top of my head are: Billy Sheehan; John Patitucci; Nathan East; Peter Hook & Michael Anthony. I would have added John Myung, but he jumped ship to MM ages ago and Henrik Linder used to use a TRB, but now uses a Mattison sig model. Perhaps Yamaha need to make more of an effort to put their basses in the hands of more A listers, but perhaps they’re not that bothered. I noticed that their instruments, including a bass, were used in the latest version of A Star Is Born, but I wouldn’t have thought that this is the best kind of product placement in order to promote the brand.

 

Nonetheless, I wouldn’t hesitate to use a Yamaha if they had something that fitted my requirements as they don’t make a bad instrument at any price point, as has been said before (they were certainly in my current search for a dreadnought).

Over the years a lot of top pro players have used Yamaha basses, and a fair few continue to do so. The players you mention are quite a roster just in themselves!

I am, unfortunately, old enough to remember when the BB basses first came out  in the late 1970s/ early 1980s and they were pretty high profile at the time.  Paul McCartney, Lee Sklar, Jimmy Haslip, David Hungate, Abraham Laboriel, Paul Jackson and the bloke from Chas and Dave all had one, to name but a few. They were definitely prestige instruments at the time. Carlos Santana had popularized the SG2000 and Yamaha were looking to do the same for the BB bass.

A lot of well known music was recorded with Yamaha basses. I really don't see them as an inferior brand at all. In fact I think they have quite an impressive heritage when it comes to who has used them and the tracks they are on.

To be fair, I think Fender's popularity is based on the fact that they are the originators of so much that we take for granted nowadays. Their invention and creativity is not to be underestimated. How much value for money they offer in the current UK market place is another matter in so much as their equipment is much less expensive in the USA and Fender are not responsible for the exchange rate and levels of taxation on retail goods in the UK.

I know Fender quality control can be a bit(very) haphazard, but they are still in many ways the most important guitar company in the world. The strength of a company like Yamaha is that they have taken the innovation of companies like Fender, learnt from it and built upon it, creating their own identity in the process.

18 hours ago, Tim2291 said:

I 100% agree with you! Anyone who plays my cheapo RBX comments on how well it plays! Tonewise it could be better... but I am comparing it's tone to my Ibanez with Bartolini PUPs and preamp so maybe not a fair comparison! I'd probably be saying the same if I had an entry level Squier tbf!

If someone asked me to recommend an decent quality instrument for a beginner I would always point them towards Yamaha as their first line of enquiry.

By the same token, Yamaha pro-level gear is top-notch. I've played Yamaha basses that are easily as good as anything boutique builders have to offer, and they're more robust, on the whole. They make equally good guitars, drums, keyboards ect. Their recording studio and hi-fi equipment is very nice,too. As a brand, l don't think Yamaha has anything to prove to anybody.

2 hours ago, Linus27 said:

 

I once had an absolutely gorgeous Fender Mike Dirnt Precision is yellow that looked and sounded amazing. I got so many compliments from sound engineers and I adored the look of it. Probably close to one of the best looking basses I've owned. However, despite desperately wanting to love playing it, it was so heavy and the neck was so chunky that it just became hard work and tiresome to play and I grabbed my AVRI 75 Jazz instead. I still miss it now but even if I had it, I doubt I would play it.

In my experience basses are quite like shoes; if they are slightly uncomfortable when you first try them then after a while they will be so uncomfortable that you can't bear them anymore. 

To me, Yamaha is a prestige brand, just like Fender, Gibson,et al. From entry level to high end, they can give most other manufacturers a run for their money. 

16 minutes ago, Cairobill said:

Exactly - weight is a key question. For e.g. I'm also quite interested in the 50s tele reissues. My brother has a beautiful AVRI blackguard that weighs in at 6.5lbs. I've already seen a comparison video where the comparable AVII is much heavier.

 

Two grand is a lot of money to pay for something you are less than completely happy with. An instrument that is too heavy will always be too heavy and you will get little joy from playing it.

Like many other folks, I have learnt from experience that getting a new Fender that ticks all the right boxes can be a bit of an odyssey. That said, it's by no means a set of problems and challenges exclusive to Fender. 

I also like the look of the green one.

All my favourite female players have already been mentioned  in this thread many times, so I won't reiterate that.

Regarding why female bass players are not that numerous, if you look with a critical eye then contemporary music is just another example of an area where work roles still have a tendency to divide along gender lines. In the music business you are still far more likely to find a woman singer, (or backing singer) than drummer or bass player. There's no real reason for that except that social convention deems some roles as feminine and others as masculine. I don't think it's a conspiracy, more a persistent prejudice. Just like you still are more likely to encounter a male roofing contractor and a female nurse.

A larger physical stature is a definite advantage in playing the bass, but not essential by any means. I'm a man of fairly slight build and it has never held me back my playing particularly. That said, since I got my first short scale bass a couple of years ago and  enjoying how easy it is to play, it has occurred to me that that me playing that bass must be like a bigger bloke than me playing a long scale bass.

I also need to invent a credible narrative about why I need another Jazz Bass.

2 hours ago, Cairobill said:

Yup - I thought the same. Fully expected them to be hovering up near 2.5K. 

 

It's just enough money that it's not out of the question.  If you consider that it's three grand for a Stingray nowadays, it's not that bad. Three and a half to five grand for a Custom Shop bass is more than I am prepared to pay for any Fender bass, and a good example of one of these basses would be a very acceptable substitute.

The challenge now is (as ever) finding a light one that Fender have put together correctly.

Okay, I stand corrected. It's just that on the video there are no screw holes on the demo bass, or any mention of the metalwork in question.

I've got a 74 AVRI Jazz and it came with the full kit and caboodle. Overall it's a lovely package. Not that I can  enjoy playing a Fender bass with the covers on but it's nice to look at.

These are only "kind-of" vintage reissues. For all they go on about period-accuracy, it looks like they have neglected certain details. Where are the  metal pickup covers, for a start? 

Still look like nice basses, nevertheless. It's just a shame that the pound is so weak against the dollar. I'm surprised they are priced under two grand, the way things are going. What we need is a Cost of Living payment from the government to make up for the increase in the price of basses since they wrecked the economy. It's the least they could do, given the circumstances.

Lovely bass. I don't think you will be disappointed.

Does anyone else remember D'Addario Slow Wound strings? They were terrific but they discontinued them, they said because they had upgraded the manufacturing of the regular XL bass strings so they sounded so similar it wasn't worth making the  (more expensive) Slow Wound anymore.

Regarding longevity in non-coated nickel strings, my experience has been that Elites Players have just about been the best in terms of retaining their brightness and punch. I don't play it very often, but I've got a set on a Yamaha BB2024x that must have been on for twelve years since I bought it!  They still sound and feel fine. Still tune perfectly well, too.

Maybe it's a sign of middle age but I feel increasingly less inclined to try and sound like John Entwistle and Chris Squire nowadays, anyway. Dead strings can be a bit more forgiving of my playing, too!😊

On 07/10/2022 at 11:59, Mike Brooks said:

If this is of any use to you, happy to be of service... so far, upto 15 gigs with plenty of life left in them.

 

Thanks Mike, I've been watching the series with great interest.  For one thing, it had never occurred to me before that the apparent tension of certain strings might change with use. 

For what it's worth, the first set of bass strings I ever bought well over forty years ago were Rotosound RS66, and all these years later a fresh set of Swing Bass are still the best sounding strings on the market in my opinion. 

 Dunlop Nickel 40-100 ( black label) are my string of choice on most basses for the last 10 years or so. I also have D'Addario XL 40-100 on a couple of basses so I can give a reasonable assessment of the relative feel of the two sets.

I would describe the tension of the Dunlops as "normal" and the D'Addarios as slightly more taught by comparison.

The Dunlops certainly aren't low tension like DR round core strings or indeed Dunlop Super Bright strings. To me they feel just right. Just like the D'Addarios, they give a good all-purpose tone and they work well on a wide variety of basses. 

In my opinion they don't die off too quickly in so much as that they aren't overly bright to begin with. Once they are played in a bit they stay usable for ages, providing you aren't looking for Rotosound RS66 clank. I don't notice much difference to the D'Addarios in that respect. I know that Billy Gould from Faith No More uses exactly the same Dunlop 40-100 and he gets an exceedingly bright tone. Some would say too bright. 

They are/ were a reasonable price too, the current economic chaos not withstanding.