BassAgent

So I had tremendous GAS for a Music Man bass. Whether a MM Stingray, Sterling Ray34 or something else, as long as it had that Music Man sound and feel. So I posted a "wanted" ad on several platforms and got a message on Bassic.de from a guy in Belgium that was selling a 1994 Music Man Sterling. Black, with mutes, great condition, birdseye maple neck...exactly what I wanted. I had a gig in Belgium yesterday, and the bass was practically on te route, so we left an hour early, and I picked it up. And it's absolutely great. Good shape, great sound, birdseye neck, Hipshot D-tuner (but the original tuner was in the case), new knobs (but I also have the original knobs)... Awesome bass. It's from October 1994, and I can't wait to use it extensively

I'm very aware of that (I love my cheap Sadowsky basses as much as my expensive vintage Fenders and custom De Giers) but build quality, comfort and, to be honest, resale value, are also pretty important

Are SBMM basses allowed in this topic? Because I've been looking at a Stingray or Sterling and today I borrowed this SB14 from a friend and I'm really impressed by the sound and build quality. I'm going to check out a "real" MM Sterling next Sunday. 1993, with mutes, I believe it has flatwound strings, are there specific things I have to keep in mind when checking it out?

SBMM has made a Sterling model, the SB14. I know a guy that has one, still have to try it out. The EBMM Sterling does seem very attractive, but even harder to find than a Stingray...

Couldn't find a good topic about this, so here goes: So I've been having some serious GAS for a fretted Stingray lately. I'd love to get a "real" EBMM but they're pretty hard to find here and pretty expensive, too. You could pick up a Stingray for about 900-1100 euros a few years back, but now I'm really struggling to find one under 1500. A Stingray will never be my main bass as I'm a Fender-minded player, so I don't want to spend that kind of money on an "extra" bass. I've also been looking at the SBMM series. Can anybody shed some light on the difference between a "normal" (say, a mid 2000's) Stingray and a Sterling Ray34? I'd like a bit more subtle Stingray tone Thanks!

What about stuff like Serek, Wilcock?

I have tested a Sterling Ray35 a few years back to write a revew about and they're...pretty darn good in deed.

I rarely suffer from GAS these days but sometimes I feel it for a bass I know I don't need, I know I will not use but still I feel I want one. This time it's for a bass I thought I'd never want to get but I was visiting a great Belgian bass player the other day and he had a MM Stingray 5 with the older ceramic pickup and it felt and sounded absolutely killer. The weird thing is I don't really like the sound of a Stingray (except when fretless), I'm not a big fan of their playability (because I'm used to Jazz Basses) and I have no band where it could get used. But still. I want one. Help me. What's your GAS you know you shouldn't have?

I was listening to an album by Roger & Brian Eno, "Mixing Colours" and was again struck by Wintergreen. After hearing it again ánd hearing a piano cover by Jon Hopkins I couldn't stay behind. So I tried to make a little bass arrangement.

Kicks butt.

So what went out, what went in? IN: Sadowsky MetroExpress JJ4 Sadowsky MetroExpress JJ5 Fender Bassman 100 Leon Christiaens upright bass MXR M288 octaver Origin Cali76 Bass Aguilar Fuzzistor Cioks DC7 De Gier Prototype #13 pickups Pearl CO-04 compressor Trickfish Minnow OUT: Pearl CO-04 T-Rex Fuel Tank Nordstrand NJ4 pickups

Pwoah, that's absolutely gorgeous. Love the colour, too. I have considered having the same thing done to a Ray34 or old SUB before I found my current fretless Sterling (with a fretless Status neck). But this is something else, beautywise. Terrific.

I don't have scales so I don't know exactly but both my MetroExpresses are insanely light. 3.5 kgs or less.

It's so strange how people either really really really like or really really dislike the MetroExpresses. I took mine to a rehearsal today and was impressed yet again.

This. I'm currently at 12 basses (and one upright) and always thinking "what's next".

Booted the Boss to make way for more noise:

Sooooo this happened.

How do you like that Colorsound?

Blimey. I got mine for €35.

I have two cheapos which I love: an Aria digital reverb from the 80's and a Pearl CH-02 chorus, also from the eighties, which are absolutely terrific.

They are still being made but I was wondering if people have tried one, thought "hmm this is good but [pedal X] is better".

Last night, I was at a concert of Nordmann, a Belgian jazzrock group. Amazing band with a great bass player (Dries Geusens) and on two tracks, he used a great fuzz sound. I spoke to him afterwards and he told me he used an Aguilar Octamizer with a Fuzzistor. I already have a great octaver (MXR) and was wondering if there are more fuzzes that are as tight as the Fuzzistor. Has anyone compared it to for example a MXR M84? This is Dries' sound:

Pfff tough question. I've bought some seriously cool stuff this year, if I may say so. This was the luckiest catch: a 1976 Bassman 100, retolexed in red. Haven't used it yet but it will come. I put it in my head that I wanted a double bass so I bought this amazingly beautiful Dutch built 3/4 bass from 1992. Don't play it often, but when I do...lovely. But I think my favorite purchase of the year are these two boys: I got the five string in for a review in De Bassist and liked it so much I wanted to keep it, but actually wanted a four string so I bought that as well😁 Also bought some nice pedals this year (Cali76, Trickfish Minnow) but the basses are more...my thing. I like pedals, I love basses.

How do I just now find this topic? I have two vintage Fenders! This is my Jazz from May 1966. Neck is from January, pots from week 18. It's a refin, I had it refretted a few years back and I don't have the original case anymore. This bass is absolutely killer. The neck is crazy, the sound is brilliant and it has that typical 1966 "thump" on the E-string. I bought it partly because I loved Paul Turner's sound on the Abbey Road sessions with Jamiroquai, and he has a white '66 Jazz too. I met Paul a couple of years ago when he was introducing and promoting Stenback basses at Paul's Bass Matters here in NL, and while talking with him I mentioned this bass. He said "do you have it here?" and I did, and so did he! So we compared basses (I have an A profile neck, his is a B-neck) and absolutely agreed on that heavy "thump" on the E-string. One of the best basses I've ever played. This is my Precision from May 1971, also a refin and refret, but I have the original case to go with it. Currently strung with Labella flats. Very slim neck, great sound. Lovely P.