HeadlessBassist

Aha! They call it a 'carefully aged' Road Worn finish. So maybe it's meant to look old, but pretty well looked after?

Oddly enough, I was thinking the same thing, Andy. There doesn't seem to be any damage on them. The tuning keys look a little tarnished, but I didn't see any chips or carpark gravel rash in the video. I'll look at Fender's demo in a while...

If it's a copy of a 60's bass it'll be a glossed neck, but the nitro finish neck gloss that everyone seems to hate will probably be mostly missing as it was on my RW Flea Jazz. I'm lucky to not get sweaty hands, so it's never bothered me.

Very true - I've often found that Sound Engineers fall into two categories; Those who want to bury you at the bottom of the mix, and those who want to give you equal footing with everything else going on. I had one engineer who I worked with long term who constantly claimed he couldn't "place" my Status sound, whereas others love it, as it can't be buried, so it becomes a feature. I haven't really done many jobs with my current Stingray crop, but I can tell you that mid way through one job with the 95 2EQ Stingray, a gentleman remarked how pleasant it was to be able to hear all the individual bass notes, instead of a woofly mess. So result, I guess. The lack of subtlety is why I don't use a Status or Stingray for the live tribute show. Here, the Jazz basses come into their element, even the powerful active Elite. I can boost out the parts with the preamp in fast walking bass lines, or I can run passive and gently palm mute for sparser, more subtle ballads. There is definitely a difference between instruments where you 'hear' too much preamp, as opposed to those that quietly get on with boosting the actual sound of the pickups and the wood.

The Charcoal Frost for me, although maybe not - there's no Jazz. 😢

Empire Music first out of the gate as always. 😊

Agreed. I don't know how much of it is the 30+ year old ash/maple, or how different the OBP-2 and Aguilar pickup is (I know they modeled it tonally on a late 70's model), but my 2eq 9v is probably the best Stingray I've ever heard.

I find the same with my '95 ash Stingray with Aguilar pickups/preamp. For a simple 9v bass it sounds huge with sustain for days. It actually leaves my 2023 18v Stingray Special 5 in the dust tone-wise. I think I used to be an 'eq-hooligan' once upon a time as well. Now with the Rays I tend to boost the treble and bass about 30-40%. That gives me all the shove and sparkle I need. The other little known thing about the Stingray preamps is that when you back off the treble a little from your 'sizzle point', the sound thickens considerably. Yes, the Jazz is a more polite and even-tempered beast, but the Stingray's chewy thickness and sparkle is hard to beat with anything this side of a Status.

That's a fabulous looking thing. Obviously going by the mantra of, "He who dies with the most strings wins!"

Firstly, remember that Reverb prices are always 'jacked up' significantly from what the seller actually gets. I'd say the Cort A5 series are always a better bet than the Squier, which mainly have a very cheap preamp in them. There are some passive ones, but you don't see them come up very often. The CORTs are always really nice and consistent basses. If you get the Bartolini preamp and pickups you're getting a good all-round bass. Some of them even have MarkBass preamps. I'll PM you another option as a buyer, too. Buying sight unseen is always going to be a gamble. But I sympathize with you on the demise of most of the big music shops these days.

Yes, would be good to hear it fingerstyle when you get back.

Sounds brilliant. Clear as a bell!

I've used the 30-90 set of Bass Centre Elites for years on my Status basses. I also recently took a part exchange Jack Professional in a fit of 1988 nostalgia (I bought a new Jack Professional when I was 18), which suited the same strings very nicely. On my main Status, I've recently tried a set of GHS Stainless Steel 30-90s. They're a little higher in tension than the Bass Centre strings, but boy are they bright. They sound fantastic. I've tried to gee up Gore (the parent company for Elixir) to make light DBE strings, as I exclusively use Elixir 40-95s on all my other basses, but sadly they don't seem interested. 😩

Hey Steve, now we're getting a little closer to fulfillment of the first batch of orders, could you maybe fill us in a little on the story of this graphite neck production odyssey of yours? What made you undertake this brilliantly ambitious project? (Obviously Status stopping graphite production in '22 has hit some of us quite hard.) Are you doing most of the work yourself, or do you have a China-based factory/maker/partner? Questions, questions... So many questions

I'd hope that most players take a more balanced approach. Professionally, I use mainly Fender Jazz basses - not custom shop fare, but ordinary run of the mill production ones, yet they are instruments that are special to my hands & my ears, and do the job I need them to do over thirty-forty live tribute shows a year. (2018 American Original & 2016 American Elite.) I still have my boutique basses, mainly by Status, because I've been with the brand for 35 years, the instruments fit me like a glove, and I love the peerless quality control that comes from every bass going through the hands of one man, not to mention the snap and howl and how they cut through any mix. They are something I will hopefully always have, and are usually played on highly technical trio gigs where I can really stretch my stuff. They have their place, basically. So I don't think there is any snobbery as such. Just a case of the right tool for the right job. And remember, it's not just a 'hobby' for some of us - It's our livelihood.

That's a very nice bass, Paul. Congrats! The early 50's P isn't my sound, but I'd imagine it must produce [sonically] exactly what you're after. Enjoy! 😎👍🏻

Just needs your MiniNinjaRob logo on the ends of the headstock now! Can you do some sound samples of the finished article, please? (Just the voice memo recorder on your phone would do...)

Plenty of mids for 'the nose' and just knock some treble off. Remember that the listening public and band mates will generally say, "It sounds like a bass."

I have a left field suggestion for you, Mark... Having recently bought one, how about Leo's follow up to the Precision? A Stingray 5 would seem to fit the bill, either in single H or HH form. String spacing [although too narrow for some] on the Stingray 5 is 17.5mm. Makes it feel lithe and fast under the fingers, and definitely has the punch you're after.

Loving the Headstock Logo. Looks very professional