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Ibanez Musician Bass Club

#3,421
Scotland66 said:
Sting '79 recordings, Adam Clayton 81-84, John McVie, & John Entwistle..in late 70's early 80's were endorsees.
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Someone worked out Sting’s original ‘79 Musician was the bass he used more than any other, in the Police.

Adam Clayton also had a MC888 that was used long after he stopped using his ‘80 MC824 and MC924. Edge used it for years, for playing 40 and there are photos of Adam using it in the studio, during the Zooropa sessions. He used it for With or Without You on their last tour, which makes me wonder if he used it on the original. You can see it’s had plenty of use.

 
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#3,423
Can I join? Here's mine... '79. Got it last year:
mc800.jpeg
 
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#3,427
Hi Everyone! New here, recently fell in love with the Musician Basses....and just snagged a beautiful 1982 MC 940 Fretless online! Sadly, I'm having second thoughts, due to the Super P/Js vs the Super 4 models. From recordings I've heard, the Super 4s seem to have a good deal more character and openess, which is what I'm looking for. They just sound unique imo. Should I cancel and try and hold out for a Super 4 model, or is it negligible? Thank you!
 
#3,429
Michael Jewels said:
I don’t know what to tell you.

The P/Js sound familiar, while the Super 4s don’t.

If I had to describe the tone of my bass, it would be like a cleaner, more open-sounding Gibson Thunderbird bass.

I’m not even sure that’s accurate.

My MC900.
View attachment 4994592
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That makes total sense to me in subjective sound terms. I appreciate the description! And that is a beautiful bass right there…
 
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#3,430
mttdvs said:
Hi Everyone! New here, recently fell in love with the Musician Basses....and just snagged a beautiful 1982 MC 940 Fretless online! Sadly, I'm having second thoughts, due to the Super P/Js vs the Super 4 models. From recordings I've heard, the Super 4s seem to have a good deal more character and openess, which is what I'm looking for. They just sound unique imo. Should I cancel and try and hold out for a Super 4 model, or is it negligible? Thank you!
Click to expand...
Having owned both I can tell you that the sound is quite different between the two. The Super P/J arrangement is hotter than an equivalent Fender - maybe something closer to the high output DiMarzios that were so popular at that time. Overall, it's not that different than most P/J equipped basses, but it never really quite cops a P-bass - which is no surprise given how different the construction is. It definitely doesn't have the hot single-coil thing that the previous Musicians had. That's fairly unique to those basses.

That's not necessarily a reason to pass a later one over, though. The later (post-'81), beveled bodies are very comfortable and the necks are a little bit slimmer. They're very nice to play. They're also not as heavy as the first generation Musician basses and I can assure you that gets noticeable after a couple of hours! The fretless 940s are also a lot less common in the later version so that's pretty cool, too.

I still have my two 1979 Musicians but I sold my 1983 and it's one of the very few basses I kind of wish I had held onto. Given the choice right now I think I'd still stick with my '79s, but it would be nice to have both.... The '82 is a very different animal, but it's still a great instrument in its own right.
 
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#3,432
I do have both versions, fretted and fretless. The older ones have more of a "twang" sound, crisp and clear. The newer ones are more allround and "modern" sounding. But there are more ways to get the right sound for you, other than the pickups. Think about experimenting with different strings. I use roundwounds, flats, and also nylon tapewound strings. Different strings lead to different sounds. All Musicians are good, every one has a certain character, you can make them sound like you want, but try different approaches.
 
#3,433
Thanks for the insight, everyone! Ended up cancelling the order without issue to wait until it feels right.
What does intrigue me with the Super 4 models, is the position of the neck pickup between years. Although more crowded, it seems like you might get a broader range of sound character from the models with it closer to the neck, opening up space between the neck and bridge pickup, no?
 
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#3,434
mttdvs said:
Thanks for the insight, everyone! Ended up cancelling the order without issue to wait until it feels right.
What does intrigue me with the Super 4 models, is the position of the neck pickup between years. Although more crowded, it seems like you might get a broader range of sound character from the models with it closer to the neck, opening up space between the neck and bridge pickup, no?
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I love the neck pickup tone of my oldest MC, with the pickup closest to the neck. I prefer the middle position/both on, where they are closer together. So all options are good.

I’m actually working on doing a video demonstrating and comparing my Musicians. Not sure when it will be done. There’s so much information, it could be a feature film.
 
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