Misdee

Thanks for the info Chris. Looks like I will be adding a BBP34 to my collection then !

I've got a couple of BB2024's and they are the best basses I have ever owned in nearly forty years of playing bass. I'm sure you'll be pleased with your purchase in the long term. I'd be very interested to hear more of your impression of the BB P34. I'm really keen to know how it compares with the previous range in terms of sound, playability and and overall quality.

The original post was asking which model MM to plump for, so I mentioned the Bongo because I am a big fan. I've had a few Stingrays myself, and one in particular had a problem with the G string. You don't have to look too far to find others who've had the same problem. I've played bass for over 40 years and owned some very good instruments. I wouldn't discourage anyone from buying a Stingray, I just want this chap to be aware of some of the issues. They are often heavy and that can be a bigger problem than any tendency to sound uneven. Great basses, if you can find a good one, nevertheless.

To be fair,this a very common gripe about Stingrays, and even EBMM have all but admitted it is an inherent characteristic of these basses. It is not just a matter of people being inexperienced at setups.

This is exactly what I mean by a propagandised version of music history. I was about at the time and yes there was plenty of crap music before punk rock. However, there has been just as much crap music since the advent of the Sex Pistols and their supposed salvation of popular music from the demon of self-indulgence. So what then, exactly did this seismic change bring about? The Sex Pistols were essentially a media event not a musical one. There was nothing remotely new about the sound of the band. Their significance was all about context. They have been turned into something that they never actually were, in reality, by people with their own agendas.

Super Furry Animals ? I can smell a rat. Surely one of their friends or relatives compiled this list. They might just scrape into the top twenty bands from Wales. Another questionable inclusion would have to be T Rex. And Radiohead at 3 ? Such lists seem to have been put together by music critics of broadsheet newspapers, who want to rewrite the story of rock music to fit their own pretentious agenda. Thats why bands like Iron Maiden have been conspicuously omitted. They don't fit into their airbrushed view of history, despite being one of the biggest selling and most influential British bands ever. To be honest with you, I can't stand their music myself, but nonetheless Maiden are surely much more important than most of the bands on this list.

One thing to consider about a Stingray is that many of them tend to be rather heavy, and they have an inherent problem with the G string sounding weak. My own personal preference when it comes to MM basses is the Bongo, but I totally understand that the looks are not to everybody's taste. I've got an HH Bongo and it is an absolutely fantastic bass, light with an incredibly powerful and punchy sound.

May I ask Leroy, having read elsewhere on another thread that (like me) you are very aware of weight when it comes to basses, how are you coping with this beauty? Mick Karn is my favourite fretless player too.Japan were a great band.

What's more, I don't even remember particularly being aware of the weight of individual basses. Back in the 80's I had a pre-EBMM Stingray. Chances are it weighed at least 10 lbs, going by what vintage examples weigh in at. In my memory, it was weightless! Nowadays I am just as neurotic as everybody else about bass weight. I have it in my mind that Jazz basses seem heavier than other styles of the same given weight. i.e. a 9lb Jazz bass feels more cumbersome than a 9lb Precision. I know this defies the laws of physics, and yes I probably do need some kind of professional help.

Stunning!

I'm getting backache just reading some of these posts! My heaviest basses are 9 1/2 lbs, and anything heavier than that would be useless to me personally. I am, however, very weight-sensitive. What strikes me most is how much weight has become an issue nowadays. Back in the 70s and 80s I really don't remember anybody commenting (let alone whinging) about the weight of basses. And believe me, there were plenty of boat-anchors about! The shops were full of Kramer, Aria, Ibanez, JayDee, Wal etc. all of which were weighty by today's standards. In those days heavy weight was seen as a mark of quality woods and substantial hardware .But then, men were men in those days!

It's fair to say that slap bass certainly isn't as mainstream as it once was :- listen to the Top 40 from just about any week in the 1980's and it was epidemic - but it still has a place. There is no reason why bass players of any generation can't use this technique tastefully and imaginatively. As Duke Ellington famously said: if it sounds good, it is good. As a bass player who started playing in the late 70's, I like a bit of slap now and again, especially if it has an old-school vibe. In no way am I primarily a slapper, but like Dr T, I enjoy playing that style and practice it regularly. Nothing wrong with that!

I don't think high action necessarily sounds better [i]per se, [/i]but it definitely does sound different. I much prefer the sound and playability of a low action because I actually want a bit of clang and buzz when I dig in to emphasise a bit of aggression. Others may favour the opposite approach for equally valid reasons. There is no right and wrong to this. Everyone to their own taste!

Don't be surprised if EBMM steal your idea and start marketing this adaptation. They have already committed heresy by introducing a passive Fender- style P and PJ, so what do they have to lose?

MusicMan Bongo is a unique sounding bass. There really is no alternative. Does the hi-fi active modern bass sound better than just about anything else around, IMO.

When people say "less is more" what they are saying is that in a given circumstance the music is best served by a more sparse approach. Nobody would argue with the efficacy of that. But is less always more? Would The Who have made better music if John Entwhistle had adopted that ethos? Or Chris Squire with Yes? What about the Red Hot Chilli Peppers if Flea had been a shy retiring minimalist?

[quote name='2elliot' timestamp='1498836951' post='3327487'] I wonder why the price difference between bb2024 and bb34 is so great? Both made in Japan. [/quote] Looks like Yamaha are pitching the new top -of -the-range model at a much lower price point than the previous series. These basses look to be essentially straightforward conventional PJ models The 20 series was, by comparison, unique and really rather special. I doubt these new basses feature spline joints etc. Nevertheless, any Japanese -made Yamahas will still be pretty good, regardless!

What is going to kill CD is downloads rather than vinyl. To my grandkids a vinyl record might as well be a penny-farthing bike. Besides which, with the advent of Tidal and lossless audio etc. downloads can sound very good on a decent system.

Unless something has changed recently, the US-made Laklands do indeed have their fret-jobs done by hand. The Plek machine is for the Skylines. My US Lakland PJ plays so well that it's a bit spooky!

Back in the 70's and 80's loads of pop chart records had great bass lines. The Top 40 was chock-a-block with them.

Regarding MM overall quality, I too have always found it to be very good indeed, but by the same token, every brand can have the odd sub-standard example. I've never played a Sandberg, and I hope you all realise that my criticisms of the aesthetics, whilst heart-felt, are a tad tongue in cheek .Ultimately there is no substitute for sitting down with a bass and finding out if you enjoy playing it. I know it is stating the obvious,but five minutes with a bass in your hand is usually more useful than five hours looking at pictures and reading about it.

I'll talk you out of a Sandberg. The headstock is too big and ungainly. And those oversized single magnet slugs on the Fender -style pickups don't look right. And I don't like the name either.

TI Jazz Flats sound wicked on a Jazz Bass. Yes, they can affect the way you think and play but that is not a bad thing by any means.

It might be my prejudice, but this Darkglass stuff seems to be geared towards what you might call New Metal/Math Rock genres rather than more mainstream musical styles. It does look like lovely quality equipment, though, and I really like the styling. As an aside, in keeping with MM20s observations on tone, I've serious misgivings about the amount of distortion it is practical for a bass guitar to use in a band situation. Too much fuzz just sounds "fizzy." A bit of grit and grind is one thing, but there is definitely such a thing as too much. In practice, most bands would benefit from having a clean, solid bass tone, especially in heavy music where the guitars are already exploiting distortion.

I heard about this farewell Sabbath gig last night on Radio 4. For a whole host of reasons it is making me feel very old! I remember only too well,in the 1970's when Black Sabbath, along with Status Quo, were the preferred sound track for denim-clad bovver boys at every comprehensive school in Britain. I was never a fan, but nonetheless, history should recognise that after The Beatles, Sabbath are the most influential band this country has ever produced. Hard Rock/Heavy Metal is a hugely popular on a global scale and Black Sabbath defined the genre. They were the first and have never been bettered. It's not surprising that they are past their best. These "See the legends in the flesh" tours are almost invariably crap. Let's face it, they are all mainly doing it for the money. Nevertheless, Black Sabbath were once magnificent trail-blazers and a great British export. They deserve credit for that.