Misdee

Thanks for that, Emmett. The Sunburst one is a looker, that's for sure. I've always wanted a '70's style Jazz and this looks like a fantastic example. Grateful if anyone else can share their impressions of these Basses.

I'm seriously interested in buying one of these basses, but I am very unlikely to be able to try one out, and will have to buy sight unseen. Is there anyone who has one of these basses, or even just had a go on one who can tell me just how chunky the "U" profile neck feels compared to a typical Jazz Bass. My current Jazz Bass is a 2012 American Standard with the Modern "C" profile, and that to me is already a bit on the chunky side compared to a typical 1960's era Jazz neck. I am not necessarily averse to a slightly bigger neck, but I haven't got the biggest hands and there is a limit to what I can comfortably cope with. Any other thoughts, observations or indeed recommendations about this particular model would be very gratefully received. Cheers

I had an Ampeg SCR DI, and I have to say, the sound was an acquired taste. Even without the Ultra-Hi button on, I found the treble very, very prominent and I had to cut the treble control to less than nine o'clock or it was just unlistenable with my Fender PJ - style bass. I am a fan of Ampeg gear, but to my ears at least, once you strip away the marketing hype, the reality is that the SCR doesn't sound very much like the classic designs we all know and love.

TIs are a good choice for roundwound players who are thinking about dabbling in the world of flats. They have a more articulate tone than most flats, and the lower tension feels more familiar than a lot of flatwound designs.

The necks on Laklands are indeed very playable. I have tried Lakland basses with Fralins and Aeros side by side with newer models with Lakland's own Hanson pickups, and I thought that the Hanson pickups sounded better.They were certainly louder and more punchy than the Fralins, if slightly more modern sounding I definitely wouldn't consider the Hansons to be inferior in any way, so I wouldn't discourage anyone from contemplating buying a model with the newer pickups on. The Fralins have more of a vintage sound, maybe, if that is what you crave.

I love Musicman basses, and I particularly long to own a Stingray Classic, but unfortunately my ageing back and shoulder mean that I would need to find an exceptionally lightweight example. I know there are some out there, but they are few and far between. As it is, my HH Bongo is light, sounds amazingly punchy and has enough of the Musicman DNA to satisfy my needs. I know some people are not keen on the looks, but I personally think that the Bongo looks great with it's angular and futuristic 3-d champfering.

The bassline on that track was played by Randy Jackson (he of American Idol fame in more recent times). It was the first record he ever played on, I seem to to remember, and the beginning of his burgeoning career as a top session player.

[quote name='WhiteNGold' timestamp='1423251792' post='2682903'] I'm interested to know if the fretboard needs to be removed to install them...my PDN Stingray has a lacquered neck & fretboard join so that worries me... [/quote] Sims are quite secretive about how they actually fit the LEDs, but I am fairly sure they would be able to fit them to your bass without much problem. I've seen plenty of basses with painted and/or lacquered finishes on the neck with Sim's LEDs in the past. However, whether spending upwards of £600 or so to get them fitted is a good idea is another matter entirely. To me, it is a huge amount to spend on something which is essentially a superfluous novelty. For decades bass players managed without LEDs, until manufacturers created a desire for them. Ultimately it is just another gimmick designed to take your money from you. The first company to offer LEDs was Alembic back in the 1970's, usually as little red side- dots on the edge of the fingerboard. OK, I can see how they would be useful in certain situations, maybe, but then again in 30 odd years playing the bass I have never ever found a need for lights on the fingerboard. In the real world LEDs are unnecessary, from a playing point of view at least.It seems crass (and rather uncool) to be so focussed on flashy appearances. Having said that, the Mint Green Sterling with the matching colour lights does look pretty sharp! Maybe I need to find a boy band willing to feature a clapped-out-40- something bass player with a big belly.

I suppose this bass would be ok if you were some kind of an android, but for my taste the standard finishes on these basses look much better than this chrome. They have managed to make a beautiful bass look like a kitchen utensil.

Maybe my priorities are slightly different from most other folk, but on the evidence we have seen and heard so far, these basses appear to be exactly what they are: another pair of fairly generic and uninspiring - sounding cheap basses, albeit played by Marcus Miller. The Fender - style bass looks great, but sounds budget, even in Marcus Miller's hands. The other bass is self-consciously modern, and as such looks rather dated, paradoxically enough. I suppose these basses would be great for a beginner or for a bit of fun but there doesn't seem to be much to recommend either beyond their snappy looks. Reading between the lines, even Marcus doesn't appear that enthusiastic to me. The next time some in- the- know muso starts giving you the " It's all in the fingers " routine, show them these vids.

I can only speculate, but I would expect that someone has ordered this bass as a custom build, inspired by the Anthony Jackson Presentation Sig hollow body. That design is highly esoteric, what with a 36ins scale, 28 frets etc. It may well be that the chap who ordered this bass has found it a bit ungainly to play and just can't live with it. The good news for the owner is that, especially for nearly new basses such as this, the used price of Foderas is close to the full retail price, mainly because it circumvents what could be up to a 2 year wait for a new build. Regarding the tuners, these are probably the least generic/ cheap machine heads known to mankind. Actually they are custom jobs made out of titanium. as is the bridge and trussrod. I am an avid Fodera watcher, but for the foreseeable future I will have to content myself with playing my humble Fender Precision and imagining that it is one of these beauties.

Is indeed a great track. However I should point out that the melody is actually a beautiful traditional Irish tune called "Women of Ireland", so the Christians have had a bit of help in that respect! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2BqKromsDOk

The reason these basses cost $30.000+ is because of the amount of highly skilled work it takes to make such a unique instrument. These basses are not a novelty, but rather they are the ultimate in quality and craftsmanship. If small differences aren't important to you it may seem like a frivolous waste of money to buy such an expensive instrument, but if you are obsessed with seeking perfection the Fodera could be the way to go for some people. I think this particular bass is extraordinarily beautiful, even though I would have it specced slightly differently for my own taste. I love the way the overall design is reminiscent of an accoustic guitar,and I am sure that would be reflected in the amplified tone of this bass. The very plain-looking Spruce top was chosen by Fodera for it's accoustic properties rather than it's decoration value. Bear in mind that if you want a top quality piano, violin or double bass, $30,000 wont get you very much, so in that context this is a bit of a bargain.Some things in life are expensive and hand-crafted bespoke musical instruments are likely to be among them.

I don't know anything about Tony Jones, but the bass on that track was played by Pino Paladino, so it's not surprising that it's rather good.

[quote name='miles'tone' timestamp='1419815668' post='2642999'] Thanks for the info and helping to clear that up! Makes sense now, cheers [/quote] No problem, my friend,pleased to be of service! I'm a big fan of AJ's playing, but to be honest with you I much prefer his work on the pop records he played on in the 70's and 80's to the jazz and fusion stuff he has done subsequently. I can appreciate the amazing musicianship, but for the most part, that music is just not my cup of tea I'm afraid. This is the track that made me aware of AJ, and his playing on it is a masterclass in taste and subtlety: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qSx2HIi4dFg I love his playing on this track too.: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7RuxkqOg_jQ

[quote name='miles'tone' timestamp='1419278409' post='2638342'] Thanks for that. Not sure where I got the P bass thing from actually, always thought the O'jays stuff was a P. Great Jazz tone on the above vid. Any clips knocking about with AJ playing said Stingray? Edit: answered my own question.. Yes there are. Can't really see him clearly at all, but he is there sat behind the keys with a tobacco burst/maple Stingray: Chaka Khan Live TV Performance 1981 Whatcha Gonna…: [media]http://youtu.be/CIvYtfp66ro[/media] [/quote] Actually, AJ played and recorded primarily with a Fender Precision Bass right from the beginning of his career as a session musician in the early 1970's up until the late 1970's. All those tracks he did for Gamble and Huff such as the O'Jays were done with a P. He started using the Jazz Bass as his main instrument much later in the 70's. I've certainly never heard of him using a Stingray ever, so that is a new one on me! But I think that the answer to this riddle may well be that for some reason AJ is playing Hamish Stuart's Stingray. Hamish is playing guitar in Chaka's band and I recall seeing him playing an identical Stingray with AWB around 1979. I remember watching AJ play his Jazz Bass with Chaka Khan and it was very noticeable that he played right over the neck pickup and got a very P-like tone. He started using a six string on the Al Di Meola stuff in the very early 80's, but dissatisfied with the recorded tone of his Smith Bass he re-recorded most of Electric Rendezvous with his downtuned Jazz Bass.