HeadlessBassist

Anyone seen or played one of these? Apparently, all the money's on the E-string... https://eastwoodguitars.com/products/eastwood-the-sandman-2-string-bass?srsltid=AfmBOooeuftkRxv9OB_YanEqAVfXff4y82cr7_ZcO7ZM4XeZ3iAo9Ne9#case-fit

Definitely makes me feel like a shortarse.

Actually, he's nearly 6ft 3in.

John Mayer? Mahoosive bloke!

John: 🎶"Pino, your dinner's ready!"🎶 Pino: "Ya what..?"

Hehe, now edited with more detail and a different variety of fruit! 🤣

No, these are a completely different bass (Poplar Body, Indian Laurel Fingerboard, Ceramic Pickups) to the MIM Player II (more traditional Alder, Rosewood, Alnico 5, etc). And as for the pre 2016 American standard, you’re comparing a £550 bass to a £1700 bass. Apples and Oranges, my friend 😊

Congrats BM74 Those first gen Vinteras with the Pao Ferro fingerboard play and sound really nice. I came very close to buying the 60s one in Firemist Gold. Excellent basses for the money. Sounds like you scored a brilliant deal there.

I've never understood why people want to sound exactly like their heroes. I always took little tidbits from their techniques, like Rhino's creative use of very musical, but varied fills, Mark King's two handed semiquaver slap ideas, Victor Wooten's double thumbing and harmonics, Marcus Miller's parallel right arm slap technique, etc. But at the end of the day, I incorporated all these into my own style. I sound like me. You're never going to sound like Pino Palladino. "But if you spend £90 on our magic strings, you just might..." Yeah, right.

That's quite the evolution. Makes mine seem quite tame!

Walnut + Jazz + Kiwi's Graphite Neck?? Oh yeeeessss! Would have to be nitro glossed, though... 🤔

Eh? Eh? Whaaa..? Did somebody mention Walnut?

Congrats Carlitos! Looks lovely. I played one at BassDirect a few years ago and really liked the snappy howl they produce. I really like dealing with Will at BassBros. Bought my KingBass Mk-II from him.

I can definitely understand your evolution. The high spec Jazz gives you a lot more versatility. I think my tastes have stayed the same, but more and more, I'm finding examples of instrument brands I'd written off that I now really like, such as Music Man. I still love Status basses, but only use them for live trio jobs where that sheer punch and cutting through the mix is essential. But what really changes is the nature of the playing I'm hired to do. I'm all Jazz bass these days, basically because I play for a professional 50s & 60s multi-act tribute show. The Jazz is the instrument that fits and adapts to more music than anything else.

Untrue, yet very funny.

Definitely. Agreed. Also agree - I have many years of classically trained double bass technique and excellent intonation, but even I won't play a fretless live. Turn it through 90 degrees and all will be well... 🤣

1. I visited Franz Liszt's house in the Weimar Republic in the late 80s while I was a music student. Yes, yes, I know. He was out. Saw his Piano, though. Anyway, did you know that he totally knackered his tendons by taping wooden blocks in between his fingers in order to try and gain an even wider hand span? (Eejit!) 2. Also, is this the five minute argument, or the full half hour..?

If a potential buyer has the required £4500 and likes how it plays/sounds/looks, then why not? Mark & Co at Bass Direct have obviously done their due diligence, so it's up to the potential buyer. Not my cup of tea at that money, but then again, I would never buy a vintage Fender. I like the newer, more reliable ones. 😁

The Mexican Fender plant at Ensenada is putting out some lovely quality instruments these days. Obviously, try before you buy still applies to all Fenders if you can get to a dealer. As for the Player/Player PJ Mustang, it's a nice bass overall. But... Don't expect it to sound like a Mustang. It sounds like countless other full-scale PJ equipped Precisions. Basically, like a much larger, more generic bass. In order to get the true Mustang sound, you need the smaller Japanese split coil pickup used in the Mexican Vintera II Mustang and the American Performer Mustang. So back to that Player II PJ Mustang... Yes, it's a nice bass, but that big split coil makes it sound like a full size Precision. If that's what you want, then go for it. There's a nice satin Surf Green American Performer for sale in the BC classifieds, and a friend of mine has an Aubergine American Performer, a Competition Burgundy Vintera II & a Cherry Burst Player PJ for sale, two of which I previously owned for a short time. If you've got the budget, the one I've settled with is the American Performer. It's a great bass (and a real Mustang.) Hope that helps!

I have a question... Did anyone here actually put their money where their mouth is and actually buy a Pino Signature Stingray yet? (Just curious!) 🤔 Btw, don't look at me - I already bought a couple of eye-wateringly expensive instruments earlier this year. I was considering ordering a new bog standard Stingray Special in 'Brulee', but I think I'd be hard pressed to better my '95 Aguilar equipped 2eq Stingray which sounds amazing.

I think you might be surprised. I see a lot of people set everything to 12 o'clock and then maniacally overboost the output stage. 🤦‍♂️

Maybe it's an age thing - I grew up in the Trace Elliot era when we learned to set the gain to a level where it just started to peak, and THEN added the output volume. That also gives a much more faithful sound of your bass.

Loads of answers here. I only have one 5-string these days - my Status KingBass Mk-II. It has quite simply the best B-string I've ever heard, and that's on a comparatively light 125 gauge too. Of course, with the scarcity of these, the prices are going to be a lot higher than £2.5k, but a graphite neck'd 5-string will definitely surprise you with it's clarity across the board. There's a nice all-graphite Status 5 (which I've briefly played) on GumTree at the moment in the Leicester area for about £2k. Nice guy who I've traded with once before. https://www.gumtree.com/p/guitar-instrument/status-all-graphite-5-string-bass/1499697344 One other 5 which surprised me was the Hils Next Bass HNB5. That had a biblical sounding B. All for under £700.

Bartolini Mk1 pickups seem to be coming up a lot. They're basically a really flat, polite and clean sounding pickup. You often need to boost the bass a lot in order to get anything meaningful out of them, but barely any treble boost. They're just tuned oddly and need driving, or at least they are in my Cort Space 4. They're not gnarly or characterful. Just honest and polite.