- Dec 5, 2002
- 4,165
- 2,254
- Disclosures
- Endorsing Artist: Ernie Ball Music Man/Sterling By Music Man
For reasons I can’t explain, I’ve always wanted one good hollowbody (HB) bass. Many of you know that I prefer Music Man basses over everything else and I could easily survive with just one Bongo or Big Al. I understand that I don’t NEED a HB. I don’t even really understand why I want one, but I do. I chalk it up to some kind of chemical imbalance. Or bad wiring.
I can’t remember how many I’ve bought and sold. The best of the lot was the Lakland from way back before the Permian extinction, but that relies on faded memories, nostalgia, and martini-based fog. It might not have been that great, but I seem to think it was better - so it could even be true.
I gave up for a few years. My “market research” was too expensive. Music Man basses were far better than any HBs I tried, so I called it off….but I still secretly wanted one. We all have desires that we dare not talk about in public.
When Chowny built a mid-priced (semi) HB a few years back, I had an opportunity to pick up a NAMM model at a bargain price. And so I did. The thing looked great. It sounded great, too. I had a few little questions about the electronics, but I’m one of those “get one good tone and go” guys. I got good tone from it, so I mostly ignored the knobbage. It was super playable. I wanted to gig it in my ridiculous snarky semi-rockabilly band, coWpilot, but I could never find a way to make it work on a strap. The front of the bass always wanted to stare at the tops of my feet. It was a wrestling match. I listened to but did not implement suggestions that may have worked. I’m a bassist, not a tinkerer. Off the shelf, the instrument should perform properly, right? I’m not slagging the Chowny HB at all. I really liked the bass but it wasn’t going to work on stage (for me). I am thankful that there are so many decent instruments out there at reasonable prices. Chowny is doing good work.
A few more years flew by. A Casady? Nah. (Not yet, anyway.) Others caught my attention, but I resisted. Then, Leland Sklar appeared with this outrageous Warwick HB, but I wasn’t going to own a Warwick, was I? Of course not. Plus his was quite spendy. Were I fabulously well-to-do, sure, I would have tried it, but I am most certainly not fabulously well-to-do. Oh, they make an Asian import version? Oh, and there’s a used one on the Talkbass classifieds? Oh, and I scored on taxes this year?
So of course you known what happened. Anyone could guess.
And it isn’t perfect. It still hangs a little weird (some have said the same regarding me) but it’s not as pronounced as the last few I’ve tried. It doesn’t neck dive. I guess really that if you want to play a HB, you’re going to have to make peace with certain ergonomic aspects. And the edge of the body where my forearm crosses it can be annoying, too. Again, make your peace with it because they’re all like that as far as I can tell.
So I spent the Big Money on strings, wanting to give this bass every advantage (because I don’t want to buy any more HBs!) and strung it up with Thomastik Infeld Jazz Flats. Yes, they’re expensive but I guess they’re worth it because these will probably be going strong long after I’m dead. I let the bass sit for a few days after I strung it up because other stuff was going on. The strings settled in nicely and don’t even have that initial tacky feel that flats sometimes have.
I’ve been working on a tune with my musical partner; he’s actually off in Florida while I am working solo on the basic tracks with horns and stuff – it’s a remake of a Louie Armstrong song and needs organic sounds, which I’m attempting to pull off. I initially recorded the bass track with a 5 string Music Man bass and it sounded great. They always do, even when I am playing them. But I got to thinking about it and decided that I wanted a HB bass just for this sort of thing. Maybe. Like I said, why I want one is a mystery to me. I plugged it in, though, and did two complete passes at the bass part and sat back to choose one. This thing is GREAT. My musical partner, when he saw it, said, “I really like this bass so I know you’ll sell it by the end of the month”, which is sometimes accurate, but I don’t think so.
The tone is definitely organic. Very woody. If I stuffed a nappy under the strings at the bridge, it might even fool you into thinking it was an upright (I’d have to play fewer notes to make it convincing). I still don’t care for the vibe of the Warwick solid body basses, but they did a good thing here. And I hate to admit that, but it’s true. I do kind of wish it was green, though. Oh, and – I found out they make a five string version! I found this out after buying this one. Dang. But the search, I sincerely hope, is over.
i hope you can make some peace with your ax --- it would be great for you both --- congratulations on your new instrument! 
Congrats on the NHBBD!
