Hey everyone! Here's my latest video where we take a deep dive into the Music Man Big Al 5! This is a long one as we go through all the pickup combos and play with the preamp quite a bit. Enjoy!
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Musicman Big Al Club
- Thread starter Melvin7822
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Hey everyone! Here's my latest video where we take a deep dive into the Music Man Big Al 5! This is a long one as we go through all the pickup combos and play with the preamp quite a bit. Enjoy!
Well done ! I like that you start with the passive mode and explain the PUs combinations with the tone blend before going through the active electronics. I should play mine more often in passive mode
Well done ! I like that you Starr with the passive mode and explain the PUs with the tone blend before explaining the active electronics. I should play mine more often in passive mode
Thank you! I spent some time thinking how I would present the features of this bass because there's so much to unpack. Glad you liked that!
I Liked you video, you did a great job showing all the combinations. It is a very nice sounding bass and I find the controls easy to understand, particularly the on off button for each pick up and the active circuit, what could be easier that on off? Mines a four.
Now that white 5er looks like my old Al 5SSS; matching heastock, tort, old tuners.
RE, the SSS pickups.
These are stacked coil units. They only look like singles, but if you pull a cover off its a coil stacked on top of another. But yes they sound fantastic!
RE, the SSS pickups.
These are stacked coil units. They only look like singles, but if you pull a cover off its a coil stacked on top of another. But yes they sound fantastic!
Big Al, yessir. After all of the buttons and switches and magical diddles to fiddle with what I found years ago is that (for me) all three pickups passive and in series is where the dragon lives. I love this bass more than I love corn dogs.
The first year ones were alder body, and only came in 4 string.
The second year (2010) they changed to the mahogany body and the 5 string came out.
I suppose its possible to find a 9 pounder 4 string.
Around 2013 they changed to the wavy shaped lightweight tuners and that made a big difference on balance. I had one of each old tuner/new tuner.
My Big Al 5 of (probably) initial production is 10.01lbs
My 4 of the last production batch is 8.51lbs
(both SSS)
Wanted to get the lightweight pegs for the 5 but those are not straight drop in
The SSS has a lot of potential tone but in the end the standard passive/all button up/2 rear pick up is for me the killer tone, P-mode (middle only) is great too. I think i use at some occasion the preamp to get a better cutting slap tone or make a bassy reggae sound, it's a great pre-amp for sure!
My 4 of the last production batch is 8.51lbs
(both SSS)
Wanted to get the lightweight pegs for the 5 but those are not straight drop in
The SSS has a lot of potential tone but in the end the standard passive/all button up/2 rear pick up is for me the killer tone, P-mode (middle only) is great too. I think i use at some occasion the preamp to get a better cutting slap tone or make a bassy reggae sound, it's a great pre-amp for sure!
Mine is an '09 and it's 9 lbs 11 oz (so 9.7 lbs) but it's well balanced and the body is smaller than it looks so it doesn't feel heavy to me. I had a Warwick Streamer that weighed 9.4 lbs and it felt much heavier. I also added a hipshot drop tuner (the correct one with the short shaft!!!) and it added a few ounces.
maple neck.. lightweight...clean...damn your really score the perfect combo
here is my 5 with the middle pickup only (pbass)
For those of you Big Al lovers, I just posted mine in the classifieds.
For Sale/Trade - 2009 EBMM Big Al 4 SSS
For Sale/Trade - 2009 EBMM Big Al 4 SSS
kinda interesting development, EBMM released today a new model, Joe Dart II bass, with 2 single coil pickups that immediately reminded me of the pickups in the Big Al, and no tone control, like no jazz bass ever.
Joe Dart II | Basses | Ernie Ball Music Man
Joe Dart II | Basses | Ernie Ball Music Man
