ezbass

Cold as Ice - Foreigner

I was trying to think of bass players who are associated with Yamaha and there really aren’t that many that spring to my mind at least. Those that I can think of off the top of my head are: Billy Sheehan; John Patitucci; Nathan East; Peter Hook & Michael Anthony. I would have added John Myung, but he jumped ship to MM ages ago and Henrik Linder used to use a TRB, but now uses a Mattison sig model. Perhaps Yamaha need to make more of an effort to put their basses in the hands of more A listers, but perhaps they’re not that bothered. I noticed that their instruments, including a bass, were used in the latest version of A Star Is Born, but I wouldn’t have thought that this is the best kind of product placement in order to promote the brand. Nonetheless, I wouldn’t hesitate to use a Yamaha if they had something that fitted my requirements as they don’t make a bad instrument at any price point, as has been said before (they were certainly in my current search for a dreadnought).

In addition, never underestimate the hankering for the early golden days of electric guitar & bass by users. Guitarists especially are stuck in ‘50s when it comes to designs (not all obviously) and the big 2 feed this with an unending supply of reissues, year in, year out. Bassists are a little better, but not hugely. Look what happens every time Fender bring out a new, perfectly good design, it’s mothballed in pretty short order. Perhaps when newer players become the go to guitar heroes, they will be a shift in manufacturer perceptions by users. Chris Buck, for instance, uses Yamaha Rev Stars extensively, Mateus Osato is mainly a Suhr player, Lari Basilio is an Ibanez user. These are some of the up and coming in the guitar world, the new breed of bass players (League, Dart, etc) still seem to be old school users (giving MM old school status in this instance).

Axe Victim - BeBop Deluxe (it's been a while).

If it’s the look and tone of a P bass you’re looking for carry on, but if it’s just the tone and you fancy being a bit different, a JMJ Mustang is a great option with its custom Seymour Duncan pickup and fab neck. Add a pick for a proper gnarly tone with great fundamental.

Absolutely this ^^^ Size matters too, accurate measurement of the post holes is important.

How could I have forgotten about the Queen of bassface? The marvellous Este Haim. She has great tone and groove and plainly really gets into her playing.

I’d add Tal Wilkenfield, Rhonda Smith, Ida Neilson and Juna Serita to the list.

Join Together - The Who

Strange Brew - Cream

Caramel - Blur

Maruszczyk Elwood, Bass Direct have a couple at the moment.

You should be able to feel the waves of envy emanating from north of the border. A pair of Jabbas, something to be green about. Congrats, enjoy your acquisitions.

Pie Ho Silver Linin’ - Jeff Beck

Unless you add up all the sides, 20 (the 1 is hidden).

These photos put me in mind of this… If it wasn’t so damned expensive, I’d be all over this as Rob Allen makes a very fine bass indeed.

Width of a Circle - Bowie

Turning Japanese - The Vapours

I like that, it's just different enough.

Love the video, you have set a new standard in NBD presentation.

Dice!

I’m not guessing, could be anything as I’m fairly sure there isn’t a bass out there that doesn’t have haters on BC. However, why is it always the way that once you digest yourself of a particular type of instrument completely, that a band comes along that requires exactly that type of instrument? When I first quit guitar to play bass pretty much exclusively (I still has an acoustic guitar) a band came along that required a guitarist and they asked me. Just like that, I was pulled back into the skinny string vortex. Did the band last long? No, of course it didn’t, but it was too late by then and it would be another 10 years before I returned to the path of righteousness.

It was a bleak time and so over hyped at the time. Hopefully, this is just a case of the music media stoking a fire because of a ‘slow news day’.

UFO have a place in my musical education, sort of. I was first inspired to play the 6 string thing by the son of my parents’ friends. He had long hair and played an Eko Ranger 6 and I thought it and he were the coolest things I’d seen or heard (this is the early ‘70s). During one visit to their house, he asked me of the noise emanating from his neighbour’s house, “Do you know who that is?” and of course I didn’t, as I was too young. “That's UFO,” he told me, although I was nine the wiser really, but that stuck with me. His neighbour was one Larry Wallis, who was UFO’s guitar player at the time (he went on to be in early Motörhead and The Pink Fairies). I became a UFO fan down the road a way when Schenker was playing guitar and performing his disappearing act. The above doesn’t really add anything to this thread, but it’s an anecdote I like to share.

Go Mustang, full on chubby P tones in a different package.* *Just to muddy the GAS waters, you understand.