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Back in the late 90s a big music shop i visited to but my first real Fender, happily swapped the necks on two precisions so I had the configuration I wanted. It could be the distributor or the shop swapped necks for the customer rather than order a whole new bass in the right combination of colours and woods.

Can’t go wrong with some early morning acoustic-mandolin-funk courtesy of Vulfpeck and the immensely talented Chris Thile...

Totally agree, I can’t stop listening to Hard Work by Theo, great tune.

I am slowly working through the Vulfpeck back catalogue. I love a few of the better known tracks, back pocket, dean town etc but there is so much out there to get to know and love. I am currently obsessed with The Birdwatcher and The Speedwalker and the new track with Theo Katzman up front; Half of the way.

I think essentially Flea knows what he likes for live use after all these years. He likes that MM humbucker in the sweet spot and by the looks of it, a Stingray-ish thickness in the neck (not surprising after so many years playing them). He has been seen regularly with his old fender and a couple of other fender jazz basses and a Precision, and it’s pretty well documented that he uses/used a Wal and has recorded recent stuff on a Stingray. Ernie Ball don’t need to pay him a load of money to endorse a bass that is always going to be synonymous with flea that already sells well. From fragments I have read over the years I think Flea was basically being a d*ck about it and I don’t think Sterling Ball takes any crap from anyone. Modulus go out of business, Fender knock on your door offering some money and you say yes to a replica of your trusty 62 and say I also need basses that sound as close to the ones I love to use live, pretty simple really. I think that he’s obviously still peeved that Ernie Ball didn’t bow down to his celebrity, and still won’t use a stingray in public despite it being the bass everyone associated him with, that is essentially the spec and tone he still wants.

I think you have covered all of the main websites and really Facebook seems the last option you haven't explored. There are lots of musicians groups out there, so I would suggest signing up and seeing if there are any posts looking for dep or full time bass players, find some open mic nights and go along to see if there are any good players around? I have been lucky to find people to play with through one lucky advert about 8 years ago. I just kept meeting musicians who needed a bass player or needed a dep or wanted to form different bands on the side. There are a lot of bands and musicians out there who will play for nothing, or very little so its hard to find well paid work with a covers band. High end function work is hard to come by unless you all well marketed with great videos, demos, website, agent, great photos etc. When I was looking to push my band to the next level I looked at a lot of bands and agency websites and they were all younger, thinner, better presented and better looking than me and my band mates, and that is a factor IMO. At 35 I have become very disillusioned with being in bands and gigging. local clubs and bars don't really hire bands and when they do, they seem to think that everyone still wants the same old classic rock/pop covers, basically the same old cr*p that was old when I played it in cover bands 20 years ago. Either that or its blues music and festivals around where I live, and that's not for me in the slightest. Like others have said, maybe start something yourself? A friend of mine who was always in rock bands now plays acoustic guitar in an Americana/folky acoustic band with violin and mandolin etc and they get a great reception when they play. I think this is mostly down to the fact that they are a bit different, aren't loud and don't play cheesy rock or blues covers like every other band. They started out at open mic nights to get gig ready and they were normally one acoustic act in line-ups of 4-5 blues/rock bands and got great feedback form punters.

Nice to hear an opinion on these, I saw Thundercat with one recently (he probably needs it with the boat anchor he plays) and I thought it looked like a good comfort strap alternative.

Stupid title I know, but I couldn’t think of another way to phrase it. I was just playing my main bass and realised that it was much more of a calculated head over heart purchase than the ‘love at first sight’ instant GAS type of purchase I have made in the past. Its a superb bass (2000 MusicMan Stingray) with lovely subtle Birdseye satin silky smooth neck, but I didn’t instantly love it, partly due to the finish which is amber-burst. Things are changing though, over the past year I have become very comfortable with it and the neck is beautiful and when I take it out of the bag to play I am always pleasantly surprised how nice it looks, despite being more of a solid colour kinda guy. It has definitely been a slow burn romance, so I was wondering who else has a bass that they slowly grew to love and how long have you had it? Heres mine:

That just blew my mind with sound and concise logic, brilliant explanation, it makes a lot of sense. ⭐️

Am I in some Kind of weird time warp or were these released months ago? Why do Fender suddenly announce them as new?

It was a non string through Mexican PJ mustang with factory Fender strings (I can’t imagibe the shop bothered changing them). Like everyone has said, there should be some reduction in tension over a “normal” scale bass, but there didn’t appear to be any, in fact it felt harder under hand, very very strange. I wonder if someone had accidentally tuned them up an octave, is that even physically possible without breaking the strings or the bass? I need to try one again in an environment where I am not being nicely pressured. PMT are very friendly and accommodating but they go straight in with the finance, pay next year when you have been playing for 30 seconds.

That’s really interesting, thanks for the replies. I pondered on it last night and wondered whether it was something to do with my right hand position. It was a PJ mustang and without thinking I automatically anchored my thumb on the bridge pickup which is very close to the bridge. This could have effected how I perceived the overall tension. I do still remember the strings feeling very stiff under my fretting hand and it was hard to fret despite a reasonable action. I think there was definitively something not right with the tension so I think I need to try another one somewhere else to make sure 😄

Ooh love a bit of Nickel Creek. Seth Lakeman is worth a listen to if you like a bit of folk.

I went into PMT today to try and convince myself I don’t want/need/like mustang basses. Sadly it didn’t work too well and I could be in trouble when finances recover. Anyway for the second time, I was struck by how tight the strings were, the tension was really high, not just more than I thought it would be, but almost uncomfortably tight to play. It was properly tuned and I am pretty sure it was wearing original strings. I was always under the illusion the short scales would have nice soft wobbly string tension and be easy on the plucking hand but this was just like playing my Stingray. Is something going wrong here or was I deluded about the feel of a short scale all along? I know it’s hard to comment without playing I’m just interested in peoples thoughts and experiences.

Joseph Kaye might be worth contacting https://www.josephkayeguitars.com/ His instagram account has lots of pictures of restorations including some old acoustics.

I think a lot of us have felt the same over the years. I had a long period where I barely touched a bass through university and just played excessive amounts of soppy, mopey drivel on acoustic guitar. I love acoustic guitar and always keep one freshly strung and ready to go at home. Enjoy your acoustic playing, go and get yourself a lovely acoustic with the money you get from bass gear sales and go and get a real cheap playable bass to our in the corner just in case.

Typical Fender, the instruments are out in shops before there is any official acknowledgement that they officially exist, they really are a useless bunch. In such a big corporation with such a huge amount of resources, why cant they find someone to update their website. The original link I found has disappeared but I have pinched this from a chap on Talkbass: "I asked about more details on the Yosemite pickups, he said that they don't have all the marketing info together since this series isn't supposed to be released until January. Retailers have been selling them when they're not supposed to and they're trying to get it all together faster, the customer relations dept hasn't even seen them yet" Here's the specs: Colors: (0198600300)3-Color Sunburst (Rosewood Fingerboard) (0198600380) Arctic White (Rosewood Fingerboard) (0198602302) Satin Lake Placid Blue (Maple Fingerboard) (00198602384) Penny (Maple Fingerboard) Gloss Polyurethane, Satin Polyurethane (302) Body: Alder Neck: Maple, Modern “C”, Neck Finish:Satin Polyurethane Fingerboard: Maple or Rosewood, 9.5” (241 mm) FRETS: 20, Jumbo Scale Length: 34” (864 mm) Nut: Synthetic Bone, 1.625” (41.3 mm) Hardware: Nickel/Chrome Machine Heads: Fender® “F” Light-Weight Vintage-Paddle Keys with Tapered Shafts Bridge: 4-Saddle Vintage-Style with Steel Saddles Pickguard: 3-Ply Black/White/Black Pickups: Yosemite™ Single-Coil Jazz Bass (Bridge), Yosemite™ Split Sin-gle-Coil Precision Bass (Middle) Pickup Switching: N/A Controls: Volume 1. (Middle Pickup) Volume 2. (Bridge Pickup), Master Greasebucket™ Tone Circuit (Rolls Off Highs without Adding Bass) Strings: Fender® USA Bass 7250M, NPS (.045-.105 Gauges) Case: Deluxe Gig Bag, P/N 0991522000 MARKETING COPY: Born in Corona, California, the American Performer Precision Bass delivers the exceptional tone and feel you expect from an authentic Fender—along with new, player-oriented features that make it even more inspiring to play. The American Performer Precision Bass includes the Yosemite™ split-coil Precision Bass middle pickup and a growling Yosemite single-coil Jazz Bass bridge pickup, designed for rich, expressive tones. With flat-staggered pole pieces to increase output and a shellac potting that lets the coils breathe while controlling feedback, Yosemite pickups produce dynamic sounds ideal for any musical situation. The American Performer Precision Bass also features Greasebucket™ tone circuitry that lets you shape your highs without adding bass, preserving your sound. The “Modern C”-shaped neck sports a 9.5”-radius fingerboard that’s comfortable for almost any playing style, along with 20 jumbo frets, allowing you to easily express yourself musically.

Ooh that penny finish looks lovely. There was a Fender CS precision around that had a similar finish.

Buffet is the best bit of the night for me normally 😄. Always wait until everyone else has been though, unless the organisers/venue lay out a selection of trays just for the band (which has happened a few times). We ate before we started playing once, massive trays of nibbles, scewers, sandwiches etc and massive plate of mixed cakes and tray bakes. That with the three bottles of champagne they gave us made for a very lethargic and bloated first set 😂

To give Fender a smidge of credit, they have tried something new-ish. The PJ Mustang seems to have done well and there is definitely a surge of interest in short scales. The feedback was probably that, a lot of mustang players obviously just want the classic pickup so they have tried to create something in the middle. The sad thing is that the J pickup just doesn’t balance that well with the mustang pickup. But what do I know, I actually really like the PJ mustang.... I think they could have tried a 51 single coil P pickup in the bridge or gone double mustang pickup even? I can see why they haven’t gone for a full USA Mustang, I don’t think there is a market for it when there are so many excelled MIJ ones around and they offer a nitro finished vintage looking 66 style mustang in the JMJ signature model. That is a cool bass at a decent price point and in my previous experience the USA models aren’t a big enough leap in quality or options to warrant the cost. If they were feeling super innovative they could have tried a mustang with modern tweaks like truss rod wheel adjustment, super light tuners, roasted neck cool colours, but would they have then got criticised for deviating too much from the classic formula? All I know is I want a PJ Mustang or a JMJ but this offering is not for me.

Sting has been using his 57 precision for over 25 years and and apparently uses a Jazz in the studio that he has had since he first started out in Last Exit

Jack Stratton talks a little about the new bass in this video about at about 26.12. Hes quite vague and the issue of general release seems to be mostly focussed on how EBMM do business and how it may be slightly at odds with how Vulfpeck operate. Interesting.... https://youtu.be/2FLmIvY_aHE

I have had a set on at least one bass for over ten years now and I can’t see that changing anytime soon. I just love the soft slinky feel of the strings, and the tone just last so long. They are well worth the investment if your body chemistry ‘kills off’ other strings. I did a price comparison to another brand and in the same period I had one set of Elixirs on, I would easily have been through four sets of the other brand which would have cost me a chunk more than the Elixirs. Just as a side note, I can highly recommend D’Addario NYXL strings too, great feel, brighter tone out of the gate than Elixirs, and I have had a set on my stingray since August last year. Yes they have lost a bit of zing but they still sound good, feel good, and no signs of any corrosion, which for me is unheard of. They aren’t even advertised as a long life string either!

I have been through so many basses but there is just something about the Stingray that just keeps sucking me back in. like others have said they are just snappy and precise sounding and can sound so big. There are some stupidly cheap ones around secondhand even some really nice special models that are a lot cheaper than a new one if your in a budget.