kyuuga

No, you're not. It really depends on what music you listen to but in some genres the bass tone is mostly the same because it's heavily modified and EQ'ed in the mixing process. Now there's obviously some clear exceptions, but most of the times the bass tone comes from the engineers & the player's hands. Even records where the bass is very prominent like in Rush's Moving Pictures, there was a huge debate on whether Geddy Lee was using a Rickenbacker or a Jazz Bass on Tom Sawyer for ages...because his tone is unique but it comes from him and his setup, not so much from what kind of bass he uses. Keep in mind that people experiment with different setups for live performances mostly. You can definitely tell a Stingray from a Precision with flatwounds live even in a mix - but then again, if the player uses a very soft touch, the difference will be neglibile no matter what instrument he uses. There's a lot of nuances and variables to this question that make it tricky. But I'd say that it mostly depends on what genres of music you're listening to and how big is the band.

Regarding number 2: I always see that argument and to me it's just bollocks. Unless you're playing in a big band or a super loud Metal act where the bass is barely audible, tone matters a great deal in how the audience enjoys the sound. They may not know it, but it does. I could use the same argument for guitar/drums/etc: to a regular person who has no music knowledge and who is just watching a live show, every snare and hi-hat sounds the same...or so they think. I'm of the firm belief that besides being good at your instrument, having a great tone fit for the project you're playing in is a MUST. And it WILL make a huge difference. Are you playing in a power trio à la Rush/Nirvana and your bass tone is extremely boomy with scooped mids? Then honestly I don't care how good your fingers are and how your slapping is off this world, to me you're just another average musician. Are you playing in a blues-rock band with two guitarrists who like having those crunchy tones with your treble full on and a really hi-fi sound? You could have the best licks in the world but you're doing absolutely nothing there and the band's sound will be god damn awful without some low end booty to support it. Those are just two examples but I could go on and on and on. Bass tone DOES matter and it's up to every single musician and band to know how to EQ their instruments in order to provide the best possible sound out of their songs. Otherwise, no matter how good your technique is, your sound will not be enjoyable and most people won't even know why but they WILL walk away.

Because honestly a cover band whose bandleader alone chooses to play a random Jeff Beck song isn't probably very serious about its work and isn't drawing a large crowd. I have no problem against the artist or the song itself but unless it's a tribute band I don't see how that tune would draw people to the crowd. And I was right. Playing with friends is always fun, you just need to figure out if it's worth it or not for you. I'd hardly believe that an all-instrumental cover band is going to have a place in the local market unless your members are very well known and have a huge following. It's not uncommon (nowadays it's actually very common) for musicians to be in cover bands to make a few bucks on the side. But they normally do it for the money and they play well known songs that get people dancing and enjoying themselves to get a decent paycheck. If I want to just play random songs for the fun of it I'll either jam on my bedroom or get together with a couple of friends to do it. To each his own, you just need to think about what you want to do with your time.

Here's my question: it seems that you're in a cover band, right? What kind of covers do you play and which audience do you appeal to? I'd only be in a cover band for 2 out of 3 reasons: 1) the money is good; 2) the songs we play are awesome; 3) it's a band with friends and we all have fun together. Now if you're going to play a completely random song by Jeff Beck I'm assuming that the band isn't actually making much money because no one is going to want to listen to that when they're checking a cover band at a pub. You're supposed to either bring out a theme (like a tribute band) or some very famous hits from the past decades. That's not one of them for sure. Why did the band leader choose that song? Just because he likes it and wants to play it? That doesn't seem very fair/smart to me. If I'm in a cover band I assume I'm gonna play some hits or some specific themes that will appeal to the audiences and bring out the masses for some cash flow, I'm not going to spend my time learning some songs just because someone wants to play it with a band. In your situation I'd just re-think what I'm doing in that band. Are you there for fun or for making money? Because, from what you just posted, it doesn't seem that you're getting any of those.

Depends on what music I'd be playing... Some Rock/Hard Rock originals? Then I'd get a Gallien Krueger MB Fusion 500 paired with a GK NEO212 with a Spector Euro4 LX going through a VT Bass Deluxe and an EBS Multi-Comp. That's sound monstrous. For some Funk/Pop/R&B/classic Rock covers? Same amp/cab combination but I'd opt for a Sandberg TT passive bass paired with a few situational pedals - EBS Multi-Comp, MXR M82 (Envelope), MXR M83 (Chorus) and whatever the songs would need. Blues/Country? Again, same amp combination, but with a classic Fender Precision bass (probably a 50's reissue MiM) and little to no pedals - just the EBS Multi-Comp perhaps. Basically I'd use the GK setup (very, very versatile in my opinion but I might be a bit biased) and a small pedalboard that'd change according to the gig. The main differences would be the basses I use.

Really shitty customer service from the store. In today's age I still wonder why music stores have the audacity to have poor customer service - it should be one of their main selling points over online, bigger establishments and yet big giants like Thomann and Andertons seem way more reliable. Anyhow you made an awesome decision, Status necks are amazing and I'm sure you'll be satisfied. Really happy to see how they handled the process as well. Post pictures when you collect it! Cheers.

Oh right, my bad, the lightning threw me off. You'd be surprised at how many famous bands use lower priced models. Ghost isn't a terribly rich band and I'm sure their bassist earns enough for a living but when your tour through so many places it's much better to bring a medium-budget, reliable bass rather than a higher-end because things can, and probably will, get damaged. Besides a MIM sounds as good as a MIA and with just a few upgrades probably even better.

That looks exactly like the MIM Standard Jaguar bass who was on the market between 2016-ish and early 2018. There's an added knob on top, probably for pickup switching (I think?) but other than that it looks stock. Why are you surprised it's not MIA?

No sir. The MIA version (there was only one) had an active circuit. The MIM one is the passive.

The MIM models came shortly after the American ones were discontinued (2015). So they probably started selling either in late '15 or 2016. The first iteration (MIM Jaguar Standard) came in OLYMPIC WHITE, some shade of grey and another colour I can't remember. This new Player Series (2018) comes in Tidepool Blue, Sage Green and some kind of red. So the olympic white Jaguar you are searching was made from 2015 to late 2017 approx. and there should be some in stores right now. And if you find one they definitely wanna get rid of it so you can get some good prices. The American model also had an olympic white colour with tortoise pickguard, so there's both versions in OL.

Not sure what's your point here. The price of EBMM instruments soared on all currencies (including Euros and Dollars) not just pounds. So it really doesn't have much to do with the pound going down. Definitely. Not sure how many they're going to sell. I, for one, would love to have one of those but 2100£/2300€ is way too much for a bass. It's not even the price in itself, it's the fact that, like most of us, I'm a weekend warrior/gigging musician who plays on a lot of bars and travels a lot to play. I don't exactly have a roadie who can carry my stuff around and make sure it stays intact. I just can't feel comfortable lugging around such an expensive piece of gear and having the constant fear that it might get stolen and/or badly damaged. And I can't afford having one of those high end basses just for home practice/recording sessions obviously. My instruments are a tool and therefore they need to serve a constant purpose - in this case, long trips & rough gigs. The ideal price point for me is around 700€-1000€ because you can still get a very high quality instrument but at the same time if something happens to it it's not THAT problematic. I mean it'd still be a huge loss but way better than losing a brand new 2300€ instrument...

What is this EQ brother...that's nuts! Especially with a Stingray that must sound terrible. No wonder the bridge pickup sounds honky. The Stingray is already very trebly by nature and if you're adding +9dB to 9Khz then it'll be a nightmare. Here's what I'd do if I were you: ditch your pre-saved EQ ideas completely. Seriously, you can't always EQ the same way. Your amp's EQ is only there to shape your sound when you move to different rooms to compensate for types of areas where you'll be playing. Anything else too extreme and you're just ruining your tone. Set everything flat and then think to yourself: what's REALLY missing from my sound? Very important tip: what sounds good by yourself in your room is totally different from what sounds good with a band. And, as mentioned previously, different rooms will have very different sounds. Also, try adjusting your bass preamp EQ first. A lot of small adjustments to fit your band (adding low end, removing high end, pushing the mids through the mix, etc) can be done on the Stingray's preamp and it'll sound much better. Just don't go too nuts on the EQ. You can do some tone-shaping with it but not that extreme.

One of the best basslines ever created in my opinion. Looks simple at first and then you see how hard it is to pull off with all the ghost notes in-between. John Taylor had a genius moment when he created and recorded that.

Funny that you say that because I actually have an OLP MM2 with a Seymour Duncan MM pickup and a John East preamp and I also use a GK MB Fusion 800 and it sounds massive. That's kinda the tone I'm looking to explore a bit more. I love my GK amp and I'll probably stick with a Stingray.

Thank you! I'm planning on buying my first real Stingray since I'm absolutely in love with them. I own an OLP MM2 and ever since I got it I've been obsessed with the Stingray - the neck shape (I have big hands), the design, the feeling... But the HS is definitely the version I'm looking at. From the few demos there's on YouTube it looks like it can somewhat emulate a Jazz bass tone with the neck coil + bridge coil, it has that signature 'Ray sound with only the bridge humbucker and can also serve a mellower purpose with the neck coil only. My question is: from what I've seen some people say there's drops in volume when you switch pickup configurations. Like going from single H to front+bridge coil makes you lose a ton of volume. Is that correct or not really? Also does the single-coil get in the way of slapping as much as an HH or not really?

I'd give my left nut to have a Wal like that.

How do you like the HS model? it's rarely talked about (H being the obviously most popular config followed by HH) but I feel it's probably the most versatile and not as obtrusive as the HH. Do you feel that way?

So, we all know that there are certain basses & amps that really have their distinct features. For instance, if we were to pair a Fender Precision + a tube Ampeg we'd certainly have a monstrous low end to work with. My question is: what bass/amp has the most defined midrange? What would you use to get the most agressive/distinct sounding mid-sound? One that not only cuts through a band mix but also sounds amazing?

For sure. In the long run, the only losers in this trade is the Rickenbacker company, not you guys who have done an outstanding job in providing a real hub for the people. Bless you all, keep up the good work.

Maybe I didn't word it correctly. All I'm saying is that I find that a very odd policy for a company.

Wow, what the hell, I didn't know that! That's some next level of bigotry.

Exactly what I thought about at first. "Cochise" bass tone is somewhat similar and Tim. C uses a Wah pedal together with his distortion pedal on that one. As for Billy's tone in this one, I'd definitely shoot for a Wah first. I just tried it on my setup (using a VT Bass DI as the Overdrive and a MXR Envelope Filter) and it definitely ROARS like Sheehan on this track - not quite the same obviously but it's there. What seems essential is to: a) either get a Wah pedal with a "Dry" feature so that it doesn't completely suck your low end (like the MXR one); b) split your signal so that you get the Overdriven Wah sound while retaining the massive low end.

Don't know much about law but those names are only registered in the US right? Hofner is made in Germany, does that still apply?

Two too many knobs? It's supposedly like a Stingray - one knob for volume and two for active EQ. It's as simple as you can get for an active bass.