Music Man Caprice: True Boutique Quality

[B-line]

Lol! Thanks

I'll keep the details private - I'll just reiterate that Sweetwater was not at fault in this. It can't even be pinned to the shipping company, or to me specifically ... it's a weird one-off sort of thing that involves personal details, which is why I'll keep it private.

But the bass will be even better after a couple extra days build-up, right??

Absolutely, Better late than never!

 

[Inara]

She's here! I've only had a few minutes with her ... I like it so far. Pretty light, though there is neck dive, so I'll be looking into the Hipshot ultralights ... the problem isn't major, and even 2 or 3 ounces taken off the headstock will help. Action is way too high for me out of the box, but I'll work on that later. I like an ultra-low action, so the action on this would likely be absolutely fine for most other players.

I do love the tones available, and the neck is pretty sweet! I love the P pickup tone, and while I don't think I'll be using the bridge pickup soloed, dialing in a bit of it does add some bite / definition that I can see being useful.

I haven't played a fretted bass in about a year, so this will take some reacquaintance. This happens to me every time, lol. When I pick up a fretted bass after not playing one for a while (I once went 7 years not even owning a fretted bass), I'm initially horrified at these little wire lines that get so much in the way of my playing, lol. But I adjust eventually. Fretwork is impeccable on this one, which will make it easier to get back into things.

 

[B-line]

She's here! I've only had a few minutes with her ... I like it so far. Pretty light, though there is neck dive, so I'll be looking into the Hipshot ultralights ... the problem isn't major, and even 2 or 3 ounces taken off the headstock will help. Action is way too high for me out of the box, but I'll work on that later. I like an ultra-low action, so the action on this would likely be absolutely fine for most other players.

I do love the tones available, and the neck is pretty sweet! I love the P pickup tone, and while I don't think I'll be using the bridge pickup soloed, dialing in a bit of it does add some bite / definition that I can see being useful.

I haven't played a fretted bass in about a year, so this will take some reacquaintance. This happens to me every time, lol. When I pick up a fretted bass after not playing one for a while (I once went 7 years not even owning a fretted bass), I'm initially horrified at these little wire lines that get so much in the way of my playing, lol. But I adjust eventually. Fretwork is impeccable on this one, which will make it easier to get back into things.

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Wooo-Hooooooooo!

 

[SLO Surfer]

Congrats!!!

there is neck dive

I only played one in store on my lap and noticed some neck dive, but I'm curious how different it is hanging on the strap. I could see it being mitigated by simply having my right forearm arm draped over the body in normal playing position.

Looking forward to reading how the lighter tuners help or not. Keep us posted!

 

[Ant Illington]

My favorite store just got a Music Man Caprice in today. I was pretty skeptical because the P/J has been done more times than anyone can count. The Caprice is not ground breaking, but it is incredibly well executed. The fit and finish is absolutely boutique in quality. The finish of the neck reminds me of a Lull Jazz I played at Bass Central about eight years ago. The fretwork is flawless. The neck size reminds me of a Sterling. I am guessing the weight is 8 lbs. The only issue I noticed was a buzz on the open A that I am sure can be easily fixed.

The large pole piece pickups are incredibly loud and clear. I am pretty sure there is a dummy single coil out of sight on the Caprice because it is dead silent. The pots are all first rate and very responsive.

This bass is a great player. It would be a great bass for someone who only wants one bass. I absolutely loved playing it. I have to be careful because I love playing around on fours, but I really prefer fives when gigging. That said, this a bass worth saving up for. A young guy could probably be gigging this bass thirty years later without missing a beat.

The Caprice can hang with Sadowsky, A-C, you name it. This is a $1,700 bass that feels like a $3,500 boutique.
Needless to say, it crushes any Fender P/J I have ever heard or played. The same goes for class Yamaha P/Js too.

I agree completely. I played one, and a Cutlass, a few months ago at Guitar Center. I totally expected them to sound something like Stingrays but I'd say that they are completely different animals designed to be boutique-level Fender knock-offs- and they succeed.

 

[Inara]

Congrats!!!



I only played one in store on my lap and noticed some neck dive, but I'm curious how different it is hanging on the strap. I could see it being mitigated by simply having my right forearm arm draped over the body in normal playing position.

Looking forward to reading how the lighter tuners help or not. Keep us posted!

Agreed, once I'm in playing position, all is well and it's not noticeable. But if I remove my hands and forearm, the neck rotates the bass down to about horizontal level. Not a big thing, but it bugs me ... I like to be able to let go of my bass and it just not move, lol.

 

[Mr_O'B]

Agreed, once I'm in playing position, all is well and it's not noticeable. But if I remove my hands and forearm, the neck rotates the bass down to about horizontal level. Not a big thing, but it bugs me ... I like to be able to let go of my bass and it just not move, lol.

Make sure that the neck is not the problem regardless of the weight of the tuners.

Ultra light bodies are often paired with boat anchor weight necks. IMO, the pairing should never happen!

Don't be afraid to ship it back!

 

[Inara]

Ok, I spent 5 minutes doing minor adjustments at the bridge, not touching the truss rod at all, and this thing absolutely plays like a dream now! I think intonation needs a minor tweak, but it's super-close and I can take care of that this weekend. Strings are too bright for me, but I imagine they will break in and get a bit mellower. Or I can change them if that doesn't happen ... they feel great, so I'll give them a chance for a few weeks.

I'm truly impressed with these passive pickups and controls. Tiny tweaks to the pickup blend and / or the tone control shape the tone in wonderful and very usable ways. And I discovered that for certain things I actually CAN use the bridge pickup soloed! I've never been able to say that about a "J" bridge pickup (J in quotes because I know this is a humbucker, and not a traditional Jazz single-coil). Up to this point, if I wanted a tight grindy funky bridge tone, it was a Stingray only ... any pickup located closer to the bridge was just thin and useless to me, for my particular hands. This one I can actually use.

This is simply the best fretted bass I've ever owned for my needs right now, though that is a limited set, as my boutique basses have nearly all been fretless. But I've owned a fretted Stingray 5, an old G&L L1000, vintage Fender Precisions, a USA Fender Jazz 5, and a Pedulla MVP 6 (my one and only ever boutique fretted bass, lol). The G&L L1000 was in the same league, but much heavier and not nearly as versatile. The Pedulla was amazing, but I didn't ever really mesh with the 6 string. This instrument is just amazing!!!

 

[Inara]

Make sure that the neck is not the problem regardless of the weight of the tuners.

Ultra light bodies are often paired with boat anchor weight necks. IMO, the pairing should never happen!

Don't be afraid to ship it back!

Thanks! I don't think this is a major issue, as the dive really is minor. It might not even bother anyone else at all. I'm very picky, and also very weight-sensitive. I have a set of the ultralights, and will try them out this weekend (just press-fitting them to see how the dive is, as they will need a new hole drilled, which I'm not going to do at this point) ...

 

[Mr_O'B]

Thanks! I don't think this is a major issue, as the dive really is minor. It might not even bother anyone else at all. I'm very picky, and also very weight-sensitive. I have a set of the ultralights, and will try them out this weekend (just press-fitting them to see how the dive is, as they will need a new hole drilled, which I'm not going to do at this point) ...

Cool!

 

[copacetic]

She's here! I've only had a few minutes with her ... I like it so far. Pretty light, though there is neck dive, so I'll be looking into the Hipshot ultralights ... the problem isn't major, and even 2 or 3 ounces taken off the headstock will help. Action is way too high for me out of the box, but I'll work on that later. I like an ultra-low action, so the action on this would likely be absolutely fine for most other players.

I do love the tones available, and the neck is pretty sweet! I love the P pickup tone, and while I don't think I'll be using the bridge pickup soloed, dialing in a bit of it does add some bite / definition that I can see being useful.

I haven't played a fretted bass in about a year, so this will take some reacquaintance. This happens to me every time, lol. When I pick up a fretted bass after not playing one for a while (I once went 7 years not even owning a fretted bass), I'm initially horrified at these little wire lines that get so much in the way of my playing, lol. But I adjust eventually. Fretwork is impeccable on this one, which will make it easier to get back into things.

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Congrats. Get the Gotoh Resolites or the Hipshots. I put on the Gotohs. The difference was 6.8 oz. that made all the difference. I tried out 4 different Caprice basses before I came to my decision. They were all lightweight and weighe between 7 1/3 - 8 lbs. All had that slight neck dive. (Yes I realize with a strap you can balance it) but I like sitting for the most part and the dive comes into play. I settled for a Sunburst weighing in at 7 1/3 pounds and all is good. Tones galore. I also switch between a CELINDER J fretless and some Hofners. The Caprice is my go to since I got it.

 

[Inara]

Congrats. Get the Gotoh Resolites or the Hipshots. I put on the Gotohs. The difference was 6.8 oz. that made all the difference. I tried out 4 different Caprice basses before I came to my decision. They were all lightweight and weighe between 7 1/3 - 8 lbs. All had that slight neck dive. (Yes I realize with a strap you can balance it) but I like sitting for the most part and the dive comes into play. I settled for a Sunburst weighing in at 7 1/3 pounds and all is good. Tones galore. I also switch between a CELINDER J fretless and some Hofners. The Caprice is my go to since I got it.

Wow! Mine is 8 pounds 6 ounces right now ... I wish it were 7 & 1/3 pounds!!! But this one is completely in a comfortable weight range for me, especially if I can save a few ounces at the end of that long lever that we call a neck, lol.

 

[copacetic]

Congrats. Get the Gotoh Resolites or the Hipshots. I put on the Gotohs. The difference was 6.8 oz. that made all the difference. I tried out 4 different Caprice basses before I came to my decision. They were all lightweight and weighe between 7 1/3 - 8 lbs. All had that slight neck dive. (Yes I realize with a strap you can balance it) but I like sitting for the most part and the dive comes into play. I settled for a Sunburst weighing in at 7 1/3 pounds and all is good. Tones galore. I also switch between a CELINDER J fretless and some Hofners. The Caprice is my go to since I got it.

Just another note on the on board tuners with the Caprice. Before coming to my final decision I called Music Man up and they informed me that they used their standard tuners, the same as on their Sting Ray, Classic etc. and because if the lighter weight (great tone wood) bodies they were choosing for the Caprice models that was possibly an issue and they did admit that Hipshot and Gotoh had lighter weight replacements and gave me the hole size. So it was an easy fit.

 

[Inara]

Just another note on the on board tuners with the Caprice. Before coming to my final decision I called Music Man up and they informed me that they used their standard tuners, the same as on their Sting Ray, Classic etc. and because if the lighter weight (great tone wood) bodies they were choosing for the Caprice models that was possibly an issue and they did admit that Hipshot and Gotoh had lighter weight replacements and gave me the hole size. So it was an easy fit.

Thanks! I actually wasn't even aware that Gotoh had ultralight tuners. I'll go with the Hipshots probably ... is it the 11/16" hole size? I can measure of course, but if you already know ...

 

[Inara]

Ok, I know I'm gushing, but I just spent another few minutes playing, and it passes my "inspiration" test with flying colors. What I mean is that each really great bass I've gotten has instantly inspired my playing in a new way. I'll just start seeing / hearing new things, new possibilities, and as I'm improvising these just come out and start to develop and flow. I know that a part of this is just how exciting it is to get a new (to me) instrument at all. But the experience is, for me, very different between a good bass and a great one. This is definitely a great one.

And something brand new to me is how close I can get to the bridge with my right hand and still get a good tone. I've never been able to "dig in at the bridge" on any bass, until this one. I can just smoothly move my right hand back and forth between over the neck all the way to right over the bridge pickup and a bit behind it even, and I get a huge range of tonal variation, every bit of which is going to be usable. Every other bass I've owned, the usable tones for my hands stop about two-thirds of the way between the neck and bridge pickup, and going any further toward the bridge just gets thin and lifeless. I know this has more to do with my hands than anything, but this bass just seems to exactly suit me.

So far at least! I'm in love. <3

p.s. Oh, and the "blah, now I have to get used to frets again" feeling is already completely gone, lol.

 

[B-line]

Ok, I know I'm gushing, but I just spent another few minutes playing, and it passes my "inspiration" test with flying colors. What I mean is that each really great bass I've gotten has instantly inspired my playing in a new way. I'll just start seeing / hearing new things, new possibilities, and as I'm improvising these just come out and start to develop and flow. I know that a part of this is just how exciting it is to get a new (to me) instrument at all. But the experience is, for me, very different between a good bass and a great one. This is definitely a great one.

And something brand new to me is how close I can get to the bridge with my right hand and still get a good tone. I've never been able to "dig in at the bridge" on any bass, until this one. I can just smoothly move my right hand back and forth between over the neck all the way to right over the bridge pickup and a bit behind it even, and I get a huge range of tonal variation, every bit of which is going to be usable. Every other bass I've owned, the usable tones for my hands stop about two-thirds of the way between the neck and bridge pickup, and going any further toward the bridge just gets thin and lifeless. I know this has more to do with my hands than anything, but this bass just seems to exactly suit me.

So far at least! I'm in love. <3

p.s. Oh, and the "blah, now I have to get used to frets again" feeling is already completely gone, lol.

A wise Man once said:

"Ain't nuthin' like a new Bass, 'specially if its a EBMM, frets & all"
Forget who that was, maybe Moses or Alexander Graham Bell...

Anyway- I bet it only gets better. Lucky You!

 

[knockerjoe]

I have the hipshots on my Caprice. There is still a slight neck dive but
nothing that really bothers me.
Good luck with it!

 

[Dr. Cheese]

I agree completely. I played one, and a Cutlass, a few months ago at Guitar Center. I totally expected them to sound something like Stingrays but I'd say that they are completely different animals designed to be boutique-level Fender knock-offs- and they succeed.

They aren't exactly knockoffs because that bridge pickup is totally Un-Jazz, but I get your point.

 

[copacetic]

Thanks! I actually wasn't even aware that Gotoh had ultralight tuners. I'll go with the Hipshots probably ... is it the 11/16" hole size? I can measure of course, but if you already know ...

I'll have to get back to you in the hole size. Also I believe you mentioned way back there that you wanted d tuner so that one also adds some weight. So going ahead you'll really have to seek out the light weight tuner. Fortunately yours is a bit above 8 lbs. so you might get lucky with the Hipshot selections. But do take s look at the Gotohs as well. They are really good tuners/products.

 

[Inara]

Thanks @copacetic - if it's 11/16 hole size, I have an Ultralight detuner that will fit, plus 2 out of the other 3 ultralight tuners. I'll just need to buy a treble-side one to complete the set. I'll take one off tomorrow and check it out.