Misdee

They're jealous because we have proper pop music. They're jealous because we're cool. They're jealous because we know how to make a proper cup of tea.

I remember when the Bass Center were the UK distributor for Warwick. I never realized they supplied the strings for their basses in those days, but it makes sense.

Regarding the Thumb Bass, have you ever considered trying Warwick Black Label strings on it? I know they are not a particularly common string choice, but there is a certain synergy between those strings and Warwick basses. Firstly, they are quite pliable in terms of tension/feel for their given gauge. Something of a respite to the tight feel you get with a lot of Warwick basses. Secondly, they have got a particular sound that compliments that slightly compressed Warwick tone very well. Not as bright as some strings but strong mids. Not dissimilar to regular Dunlops in that respect. I used to use them on an active Jazz Bass I had that was my main bass in the early 2000's and they worked a treat. Nowadays I think the do a coated set(EMP) similar to Elixir, but I can't vouch for them myself.

I suppose people's reactions to how these basses look is pertinent in so much as that is probably the biggest reason why these basses never really caught on and were discontinued. I am frequently struck by the converse in so much as I am very often shocked and surprised by the basses people on forums find appealing and attractive. Basses I would shun are almost invariably enthused about by all and sundry.😄

It is indeed the same preamp as the Reflex, I seem to remember. I've got a Reflex and it does indeed sound immense. The bottom end is huge, probably the deepest of any bass I have ever owned. And I've owned a lot. These Big Al basses sounded terrific too, but I could never reconcile myself to the body shape.

Not only would a St Vincent bass neck dive like a stone, with a body that shape the neck would feel significantly further to the left than on more conventional shapes, ie the reach towards the nut.

That was a brand new version of the Musician Bass in 1985. I remember my guitarist friend showing me it in the new Ibanez catalogue at the time. The last incarnation of the Musician basses after this one had a scaled- down body, I seem to remember. Lovely bass, by the way

And this Bass Lobster guy. That claw thing is really creepy.

EBMM do indeed make very good pickups. I certainly wouldn't swap an EBMM pickup for an aftermarket replacement. At best it would be a sideways move.🙂 However, decent-sounding though they may be, I've been looking at the specifications for the pickups on this bass. The fact that they are split-coil to cancel hum(nothing new in that) does not make them akin to a P Bass, by the way. It makes them a hum-cancelling J Bass pickup. They sound fine, but I really can't see (or hear) anything remotely special about them. Lots of J Bass pickups sound like these ones. Anyhow you want to try dress it up, this is a kind-of Jazz Bass with no finish on it that will probably start to look pretty grubby over time because it is unfinished. Don't get me wrong, this will be a good quality bass for what it is and if it captures people's imagination then great, I hope they enjoy their purchase. But is anyone really trying to tell me that this bass offers something unique or remotely new? Am I supposed to believe that this bass isn't essentially just another Jazz Bass ( sans tone control)? It's Joe Dart and his mates making fun of the musical instrument industry. The idea is to reinvent the wheel and sell it as something other than the wheel, whilst using it as a wheel. Maybe they will refine the design further to bring out the Joe Dart 3 and you will just get an empty limited edition case and a thank you note. No uneccessary bass to get in the way.

It's true. JT writes about it in his autobiography. I bought my Ibanez Musician for about £350- ish ( it's a long time ago!) in 1984, from what I remember, but I probably got a discount on the full retail price.

Well,two (or three, if you are now including the Alembic) classic 1980s basses to choose between, all of which have a lot going for them. I must admit to having a preference for the Ibanez; the Musician Bass was one of the basses I most coveted back in the late '70s/ early '80s when they first came out. Sting had one, as did Colin Moulding. Funnily enough, I remember John Taylor from Duran Duran recounting how he had wanted an Ibanez Musician Bass the same as Sting had but couldn't afford one and so bought an Aria SB because it was similarly modern but a bit more affordable. I bought a brand new MC 924 in about 1984 and I remember being so happy I couldn't sleep. I used to get up in the night just to look at it. Wonderful sound, proper Japanese build quality, quite hefty weight but most basses were in those days. Aria SB1000 is a classic too, albeit with a very different vibe to the Ibanez. Usually pretty heavy, great sounds available and a very fast neck. Can be prone to the strings whizzing off the edge of the fingerboard due to the way the nut is cut in relation to the narrow neck dimensions. Also, the pickups have been known to become defective over time and are not easily replaced. As for the Alembic, it was a "budget" model at the time, but as with any Alembic, it was still a pretty big budget. I've played a couple of Spoilers and they were lush, played effortlessly and had the authentic Alembic tone ect. 32 inch scale so easy to get around on. All great choices. I still love the Ibanez, but don't let my prefences prejudice you. If you can get to play and compare them then that would be the best guide. .

I don't know about anyone else, but in my life I have found that when I couldn't afford very much, I was most keen to buy the things I wanted but could barely afford. Later in life when I could more easily afford things, I didn't feel the same urgency to get my hands on them. Just knowing I could have them whenever the fancy took me was enough. For so many years I only had one or two basses at a time. I used to dream about going to The Bass Center at Wapping and laying down the cash for something suitability expensive and exotic. I will never forget the first time I visited that shop and the overwhelming impression it made on me. It was like Willy Wonka and The Chocolate Factory but with basses. No Umpa Lumpas maybe,( then again it was the eighties and fake tan was definitely a thing...) but the it was truly magical nevertheless. As far as I was concerned, whatever money I could get my hands on from then on I was just holding on to it for a while until I could hand it over to Barry Moorhouse and his wonderful shop. Nowadays it has to be something special to rouse me from my torpor. I almost dread buying basses because you have to make sure that they work properly ( and bitter experience has taught me that spending a lot of money on a bass is no guarantee of it being put together properly, but that's another story) and is the right weight ect. Also, you never really know if you actually like a bass until you've had it a while. Funnily enough, for the first time in quite a while I just saw something( Fender Custom Shop) appealing late last night that has aroused my interest. I don't need it, it's overpriced and all of that, but it's "me" if you see what I mean. I will now work through my process of deliberation, indecision and uncertainty over the next few days until hopefully the shop sells it and then I can begin my regret phase. Works out cheaper in the end.🙂

Fenderish tone is the unadorned sound of a Fender bass, it's characteristic sound. Lots of the players you reference have made very good use of it. To my ears, you get a little bit more of it with a vintage-style Fender bridge.

I have found that the BBOT Fender bridge definitely has a more "Fenderish" tone than the higher mass alternatives I have tried. Hipshot make superb bridges, that's for sure, and the Kickass gives you the option of steel or brass saddles, but different is not necessarily better. To me, the biggest advantage of alternative bridges to the BBOT is adjustabliity and stability rather than tone or sustain. The untracked saddles on the BBOT are prone to movement. The Kickass and similar also weigh significantly more than the BBOT

To my sensibilities, Joe Dart is one of the very best bass players of recent years. There are lots of virtuoso players about nowadays, but Joe Dart stands apart as someone with real soul in his playing. He has got a great taste and imagination and I love his style. I just hope anyone who buys one of these basses realises that you won't get Joe Dart and Jack Stratton's undeniable charm and wit along with it. It'll just be yourself and a Jazz Bass with no finish on and no tone control. That was the point I was trying to make, however badly. Or put another way, why not just buy a Jazz Bass? That's probably what Joe would do. In fact, that's almost certainly what he did.

No worries my friend. Be good to yourself and get 🙂well soon.

Advertising works

I think you need to reread my post, my friend. That is the whole point of what I wrote. Joe Dart couldn't care less about gear. That's why I said he is irreverent ( i.e showing lack of respect for something that is generally taken seriously) about equipment. I know exactly who Jack Stratton is and what he does. He is a great talent. As is Joe Dart. On the novelty issue, the general public may not care less, but that is irrelevant. The general public will not be buying it, bass players will. If they didn't want people to buy them they wouldn't make them available for sale and then publicize that fact. And I'm not complaining this product exists, just pointing out what it actually is.

I've never tried Elixir strings, so couldn't really comment about the tension. Elites Players are very bright for nickel strings and stay pretty bright for a good while in my experience. The Ultramag Rotos are a different proposition to the RS66 of yesteryear. I too used Swing Bass back in the 1980s and they sounded great but went dull too quickly, from what I remember. No such problem with the UltraMag in my experience. FWIW, the strings I keep going back to are Dunlop Nickel, the ones in the black pack, not the Ultra Brights. They are fine for rock music ( Billy Gould from Faith No More uses them) or any other styles you care to mention and they are pretty reasonably priced. I too dislike high tension strings and they feel just right to me. The sound is very well balanced all round and they still sound good when they die off a bit . If you like a more elastic feel then the Dunlop Ultra rBrghts might be a good choice because they are notably more pliable than most other strings of an equivalent gauge.

Every day I am bombarded by constant chatter in the media about the cost of living crisis and the rising prices of utilities and food, but there seems to be no mention whatsoever about the rising cost of basses. Since well before Putin invaded the Ukraine we have been asked to pay increasingly unrealistic prices for new basses and no one seems to care. Where was Rishi Sunak and Money Saving Expert when EBMM put their prices up? I am currently without a Stingray and now I need two ( one for rounds, one for flats). No mention of that in the Budget, no token £150 cash rebate. No wonder people are having to use food banks if it's three grand for a Stingray Special nowadays. No doubt I will be joining them soon. I haven't bought a bass lately because I look at likely candidates and assess whether they are worth the asking price, and mostly the answer is no. I've already got enough basses to keep me entertained, but even this approach is folly, because I know that when the price has risen even more I will wish I had bought them after all. I suppose the overall lesson in all this is that if you are looking for happiness in material things, you will never find it, only dissatisfaction and the need for more things. But I will still end up buying more things.

I've heard NYXLs on a few YT demos and they really do seem to stand out as having an exceptionally good sound. They seem to incredibly punchy and present. The only thing that has held me back from trying a set is that I read some folks on Talkbass complaining that NYXLs had worn their frets more than usual. I would be interested to hear if anyone on Basschat who has used them for a while has any comments on this potential pitfall. I have used a fair few sets of XLs myself over the years and they are excellent strings, but if the O.P is looking for an alternative, have you considered either Elites Players or Rotosound Ultramag? Both are nickel strings with a very up-front sound that should stand up well in the mix. Also, they are a reasonable price and widely available so might be worth a punt.

So essentially I am being encouraged to pay close to three grand for a half-finished Jazz Bass made by EBMM? It's a gear endorsement by someone who is irreverent about gear and the fetishisation of equipment in general. Buying one of these basses only really makes sense if you get Joe Dart and his mates along with it to keep you entertained, because the novelty of the bass will wear off fairly quickly, I expect. The only thing this bass offers me that I haven't got already is satire.

Just don't be surprised if you get angry demonstrations outside your next gig accusing you of cultural appropriation and racial stereotyping.

Oh, how I remember some of these records! Just another reminder to me of what the reality of life was really like for most people in the 1970s. A lot of people found these records genuinely hilarious at the time, but just remember what we were watching on television ect. It was a much less sophisticated time with much less choice than we have subsequently become accustomed to. Nowadays we see Radio 1 in the 70s for the for the sinister grooming ring that it was, but in those days they reigned supreme in dictating public taste. There was just as much crap music back then as any time before or since. We only remember the good stuff, that's for sure. To put these records in context you would have to spend an evening watching '70s television. That would be a sobering prospect. Of course it wasn't all bad, but it was mainly bad.