HeadlessBassist

I don’t know really - haven’t had a chance to try one as yet. I’ve listened to some YT demos and they certainly sound nice enough. Some very interesting innovation too. There’s a new headstock shape (better than the old little square one), and a new “headless” design, which has a headstock, but no tuning keys. Prices don’t seem too bad, but I guess you have to add the import duty on as well.

Any Status with clean strings. The 30X preamps were set up with very carefully chosen frequencies so you can play them with full treble and bass without any of the usual hiss or harshness. A Spector with tone pump and EMGs. A Warwick ’Double Buck’ bass. Another astonishingly sizzly bass. A slightly more budget friendly choice: The Cort Artisan Space Bass 4/5. Very clean sound, again with very friendly and clear top end. Also, if you can find one, a HH Fender Dimension Deluxe/Elite. I still miss mine.

Have you had a TalkBass-based personality transplant, or something? 🤪

I don't think it's a failure in either case. Basically, some instruments suit certain people, particularly in terms of playability and sound. And we all have different hands and ears. I just accept that I'm not really a Precision player. I've tried many times, but I always migrate back to the Jazz. I love the sound of a really good Jazz bass and how it feels and responds to my light, dynamic touch. My sort of P-alike for sessions is a Vintera II Mustang with Thomastik Jazz Flats. It's close enough for Jazz, as it were.

In the case of this thread, the dead truly live again!

It’s mainly the scarcity that is pushing the prices up. Obviously the premium graphite necked stuff is going for all the money these days, but the wooden necks with graphite rods are catching up fast. I’m heading down to Kent on Friday to pick up a really nice ‘94 Series-1 wooden through neck instrument. Even that will be up for around £900 if I choose to move it on.

You know something? Watching Pino playing in the John Mayer Trio, I always wondered why he always stood right in front of that massively tall Ampeg cab. The obvious answer is that it’s the only place he could actually hear his Precision strung with flats. He would have had less of an issue with a Jazz on rounds.

You'll be looking at the oddly named. P5 4-string. They're very good basses.

Nice review, BeLow. I miss the print magazines for Bassists too. I might just have a look into one of these, after I'm done looking into Klos basses...

Yes, MarkBass amplifiers tend to make vintagey, wooden basses sound very gritty and growly. I get a completely different sound from my MarkBass 210 tilting combo than from my TC Electronic stuff. MarkBass tends to have a very boosted, yet honest sound. You hear literally everything, whereas the TC's are very smooth and sweet sounding, but heavily processed.

Didn't they have a sort of primitive parametric eq too?

The series before was called the American Special, wasn't it? There will probably be another similar product with a couple of small improvements and something taken away (my bet is truss rod above the nut and skunk stripe on the back of the neck, like the cheaper Mexican instruments and the newest American Ultra II.)

Possibly a good thing for us lot - Out of sight, out of mind (and hopefully less out of pocket!)

26 frets? That's two better, isn't it?

I can understand that completely. The T-Bass was always a fantastic instrument. If you know, you know. As for WAL, huge respect and huge values, but rather meh to play.

Those cheap "Flea Bass" models in lurid colours that were truly awful to play. Hopefully they all ended up in a skip [trans. dumpster]. Big Block Precision - always wanted one and recently missed one on the 'Bay. 90's Dean basses. I had a couple of pupils who had them and they always seemed like pretty nice things.

There seem to be a few around at the moment. Here's one at the Gallery which isn't massively overpriced. https://thebassgallery.com/products/status-the-groove-iv?variant=46633760096489&country=GB&currency=GBP&utm_medium=product_sync&utm_source=google&utm_content=sag_organic&utm_campaign=sag_organic&srsltid=AfmBOopiVE_OhOYCJI10FBQKQCVp94KLIt_xYO2A1eqkpV2Q84UAe-LKR94

Are they selling the basses as well?

I see you've just blown your cover as one of the Geurrilla Skeptics 😎

A very clean and clinical Precision, maybe. Less nasal mids and more even. The fingerboard is less radial too, very flat and even response all the way up the board.

That's the weird looking mid 80's John Page designed one, isn't it? They only made them for about a year if I remember rightly.

I had one about 15 years ago. The passive single pickup one. Fantastic bass. Sold it to a guitarist friend who is even now using it for bassing duties with a pro 60s band and he still loves it over a decade later.

Headless is the way forward (Headless convert here for the last 37 years.) The 4-string is still quite a new product. I've seen a couple used as new ones around for around £525.

I'm going to go left field with my usual reasonably priced choice. Slightly radical looks, great build quality, excellent balance, lovely clean sounding preamp, seven piece laminate neck, roasted maple fingerboard and serious playability for the money - Cort Artisan Space Bass 4. I've had both the 5 and the 4 now, and the 4-string version is still blowing me away with it's speedy neck'd playability and portability. Oh, and you can have a brand new one for just over £600. What's not to like?