Can you ID Michael League's "new" bass?

[DJ Bebop]

For dust you are and to dust you will return.

 

[lowfreqgeek]

Oh, the Indignation!

The bass reminds me of a Fender JP-90 without the bridge pickup. As far as the materials and options, it's another P-bass-thing with it's own character. Cool. As far as the price, who cares? Unless you're dead set to have one, why be indignant that someone would see a different value in *ANY* bass than you see? Go buy a Squier or Harley Benton or Luna or Mitchell or Rogue, or whatever cheap P-bass-thing floats your boat. If someone wants to buy one of these, they can have at it!

 

[songwriter21]

It's pretty funny watching people creatively turn what was universally considered a defect laden material since the dawn of woodworking into a highly desirable ($$$$$) feature in a few short sentences.

I personally will not be buying into this "tone wood superiority by way of infestation" theory.

The only believable or real virtue I can indirectly glean from all that airy vibrating second skin marketing spiel is that the body might weigh a little bit less.

I don't dislike lacquer. The truth is more the opposite, I still prefer to work with it for myself to a very limited extent, but I don't ascribe to or sign onto all the typical nonsense virtuous claims about vibrations, tone, breathing, etc.

I think John Suhr's expert comment about this is worthy of preservation.


What Suhr said is true about urethane, especially if applied very thinly. It will sink into the wood grain, like lacquer. It may take longer, but if it's thin enough then not even all that long. I had an Alder Jazz body that Marty Bell finished for me in very thin urethane Fiesta Red. That finish sank into the wood grain--not in an unpleasant way--very quickly.

Actually I'll play. I imagine it sounds just like a 20-fret P-bass, thanks to the off-the shelf Aguilar pickup that any of us could mail-order for just over $100. Off-the-shelf Hipshot hardware that any of us could mail-order for $200 ($70 fo the bridge and $130 for the tuners) is hardly unique. As for "allowing the wood to vibrate to it's fullest potential" - IME vibration and resononance in solid-body instruments are the primary causes of dead-spots. No doubt the neck feels nice, but 8k for what is essentially a P-bass feels like a different universe to the one I live in.

Not only that, having to provide a whole bunch of personal data just to get a bit more information is a red line for me. I'm sure I'm not alone in this.

Gross. Not the wood but the ego to charge so much for a simple bass.

The bug holes are "tonal chambers" that give the bass an "airy sound"?

OK

Agreed, wholeheartedly...I worked in the auto business for 10-15 years, and as many salespeople said, "There's an a** for every seat."

 

[Joe Clark]

Woodworm
Woodworms are the secret to the Amrita's airy sound - these insect larvae bore into the beautiful alder body, transforming the holes into tiny tonal chambers.

Finish
The Nitrocellulose finish on both the body and neck is like a second skin, allowing the wood to vibrate to its fullest potential. The result is a truly natural look that evokes a sense of timelessness.
​

Thoughts?

​

I agree about nitro being the best finish for resonance and letting the wood speak better than poly finishes.

 

[droo46]

Woodworm
Woodworms are the secret to the Amrita's airy sound - these insect larvae bore into the beautiful alder body, transforming the holes into tiny tonal chambers.

Finish
The Nitrocellulose finish on both the body and neck is like a second skin, allowing the wood to vibrate to its fullest potential. The result is a truly natural look that evokes a sense of timelessness.
​

Thoughts?

​

They're really out here selling toan holes, huh?

 

[Chrisenbacker69]

Maybe they're very musical worms...

 

[Grinderman]

They're really out here selling toan holes, huh?

Worms make the toan.

 

[Grinderman]

I agree about nitro being the best finish for resonance and letting the wood speak better than poly finishes.

What if it's acrylic lacquer?

 

[aguacateojos]

Per The Simpsons, speed holes!

 

[Grinderman]

What if it's acrylic lacquer?

Fullerplast?

 

[JohnnyChatter]

Hahahaha. I'll admit I don't mind the look of the bass but this seems more like they had some wood that moth worms got into and wanted to make some money off it. I wonder if I let some termites loose on my basses if it would increase the resale value?

 

[Lowendtech]

So, if I wanted to achieve this tone bore hole thing on an existing bass, a cordless drill and a small drill bit will do the trick?

asking for a friend.

 

[Grinderman]

So, if I wanted to achieve this tone bore hole thing on an existing bass, a cordless drill and a small drill bit will do the trick?

asking for a friend.

Free-range termites, less effort.

 

[Les Fret]

That P bass is nothing special I think. But those baritone guitars look really nice.

 

[yodedude2]

... Finish
The Nitrocellulose finish on both the body and neck is like a second skin, ...​

Thoughts?

my first thought is ... whatever michael league wants to play, i'd like to hear him play it.

my second thought is ... if the finish on the body & neck is like a second skin, what is the first skin?

 

[Grinderman]

my first thought is ... whatever michael league wants to play, i'd like to hear him play it.

my second thought is ... if the finish on the body & neck is like a second skin, what is the first skin?

I wondered the same. Maybe the sealer they use is something else.

 

[jonathanhughes]

Woodworm
Woodworms are the secret to the Amrita's airy sound - these insect larvae bore into the beautiful alder body, transforming the holes into tiny tonal chambers.

Finish
The Nitrocellulose finish on both the body and neck is like a second skin, allowing the wood to vibrate to its fullest potential. The result is a truly natural look that evokes a sense of timelessness.
​

Thoughts?

​

I saw Snarky Puppy a few months ago, and if I recall correctly, Michael League played the entire gig up an octave through an octave pedal with just the effected sound, so i have no idea how the bass actually sounds. I hate the look of that wood, that's for sure!

 

[Grinderman]

I saw Snarky Puppy a few months ago, and if I recall correctly, Michael League played the entire gig up an octave through an octave pedal with just the effected sound, so i have no idea how the bass actually sounds. I hate the look of that wood, that's for sure!

Always on/set-n-forget is a bold move, isn't it? What did you think of that?

 

[HP Hovercraft]

Great, now we have to hear about toneworms

 

[74hc]

Bacci

it's his custom model

I was going to say just find out who he signed with lately for a signature bass.