(belated)NBD - Music Man Joe Dart Sterling

(I posted this thread about a month ago and then shortly after received a month suspension (ooops), so some of you may have seen this already, apologies.)

I just wanted to share this amazing bass with everyone. I got this used for a really good price on Reverb (under 2K) about a month ago. When it came, the feel was AMAZING. So light, so fast and smooth.

The look, however, and the whole Joe Dart "schtick" that I was seeing repeated "ad nauseum" online ("you're not versatile," etc. argh.) was not for me, so I decided to add a regular EBMM knob and white sterling pickguard, making it look like a more traditional Sterling. The "No Dart" if you will.

Next, I added LaBella LTF strings, and that was it, absolutely PERFECT bass. To me, it sounds like 60% P-bass, 40% Stingray, which to me is just an epic tone. It had that tone with the stock strings, but the LaBellas REALLY brought it out even more and made it way easier to play and warmer sounding. I just can't put this bass down!! It sounds like a super rich, gooey late 70s funk bass. (through SVT) I'll go ahead and say yea, "Bernard Edwards."

I also have a P with LaBella LTFs, and even through the strings are the same the tone is completely different. In fact, after playing this and you pickup the P, it sounds even more "P" than you remember. They 2 basses complement each other SO WELL and I couldn't imagine needing another tone or having a better tone.

I am sure some would say I am crazy to drill a pickguard on a$2500 bass (that resells for over$4K) but I don't care I love it!

 

I think that tasteful mods are always welcome, especially when they stick with a “factory” look. I always like to make little mods to make my bass unique.

I also actually had the volume knob replaced with a Tonestyler Bass 10 for a while. I like it a lot but in the end I decided it had too many positions and was just a tad cumbersome to click through them all. I am considering some other alternatives for replacing the volume with some sort of tone knob, maybe a Bass 6 tonestyler or a traditional, Fender style tone pot.

Anyone know what kind of tone pot is in the Cutlass bass?

 

This is a special pickup for this bass with just 2 wires: "Music Man Custom wound Sterling Bass pickup- ceramic magnet, parallel coils, no phantom coil"

do you have a tone pot recommendation?

 

I love tort but not with natural finish. I also have black as a backup.

 

I’m going to call Ernie ball and see if they would be kind enough to sell me one or tell me what was used. The volume pot in this bass is unbranded and it’s 100 K.

 

nooooooo
lol

i want to install a tone knob just to counter that rhetoric

will do!