Still Playing Your Joe Dart Bass?

[PNW Tony]

I understand there's a new thread about the new Joe Dart Bass crop. This is not about that. This is a question I was thinking about a few days ago before this new run was announced. There was tremendous buzz here on TB back when the first and then second crops appeared in recent years. I've enjoyed Joe's playing for quite a while and I am never averse to a reason to buy a new bass, so I got a JD-1. I figured it's not much money, not bad looking, and not like any other basses I own, so why not? Unfortunately for me, it quickly arrived and I quickly found that just couldn't like it. After a week or two of trying to justify keeping it, I sold it off to make someone else's day. I don't want to harsh anyone's happy, so I'll just say it's not for me. I've wondered how other players felt about it after they got their hands on one. Still got it and love it? Sold it and regret it? Meh? Such a range of possible responses.

 

[mpdd]

i'd actually like to try one in a store, i ended up buying the cheapest mia stingray in so cal on FB marketplace

 

[tb-player]

You forgot 99.9% of TB:

Never owned one.

 

[REV]

" Not for me" doesn't really explain why you didn't like the bass.

 

[5StringBlues]

With a carrot

 

[PNW Tony]

You forgot 99.9% of TB:

Never owned one.

That's definitely a good point, but there seems to be a lot of interest in these 'limited run' basses. People here were excited to be on the list and then counting days until delivery. I'd like to know how they felt after they got it. If it turns out that not many people actually got one, then that's an interesting result, too.

 

[dune]

I understand there's a new thread about the new Joe Dart Bass crop. This is not about that. This is a question I was thinking about a few days ago before this new run was announced. There was tremendous buzz here on TB back when the first and then second crops appeared in recent years. I've enjoyed Joe's playing for quite a while and I am never averse to a reason to buy a new bass, so I got a JD-1. I figured it's not much money, not bad looking, and not like any other basses I own, so why not? Unfortunately for me, it quickly arrived and I quickly found that just couldn't like it. After a week or two of trying to justify keeping it, I sold it off to make someone else's day. I don't want to harsh anyone's happy, so I'll just say it's not for me. I've wondered how other players felt about it after they got their hands on one. Still got it and love it? Sold it and regret it? Meh? Such a range of possible responses.

This is a great question.
The very first thing that popped into my head when I saw the thread come up about the new ones was:
"I wonder just how much bass-specific revenue is driven by Talkbass?" I know of no way to come up with that number, but I'll bet it's not insignificant. I know it gets a lot of credit for much of what I spend on bass stuff.

 

[Thumpin6string]

Nope, never. I would never waste my money on one.

 

[Smooth_bass88]

an important poll, indeed

 

[Podgorny]

I had one of the 2024 Sterlings for about 72 hours before I re-sold it. Decent bass for the price, but I didn't love it. Ended up selling it and buying an old Stingray, which I still have.

 

[coyote1]

I’ve heard rumors that he once played the Robelli SWD. Just rumors, mind you. Well I have one of those and I play it from time to time, so I’ll consider that “yes, I’m still playing my Joe Dart bass”.

Close enough for jazz.

EDIT: I see him playing it in the Vulfpeck Disco Ulysses vid (found right here on talkbass)! Wow, I have a desired and slightly legendary bass! lol

 

[T McClure]

There are only ten of the Sterling Joe Dart basses out there on Reverb right now. There are six of the EBMM Joe Dart basses, and they made far fewer of those EBMM models.

Seems like there would be more Sterlings out there for sale if people were unhappy. Or maybe they were cheap enough they people are fine sitting on them.

 

[Hurricane Jimmie]

So Anyway, I got swept up in the Joe Dart Talk Bass frenzy and ordered one. Ordering window of one month, $400 for a new bass, short-scale, one knob, 8-month wait, flat wounds, not knowing who Joe Dart was, TB thread to chat about it... the wait was a lot of fun!

When they started shipping, I received a very well-made bass mid-week and played a gig with it that weekend. Didn't really connect with it....I think it was the stiffness of the flat wounds that I didn't like. Didn't gig with it after that and didn't play it much around the house.
It was too nice not to be played by someone, so I put a CL post on it and sold it to a local Joe Dart fan. There were several people interested.

I had some fun, broke even and got the bass into more appreciative hands.
No complaints and I had a little fun. We're good.

 

[Hurricane Jimmie]

It burnt up Votes: 3 17.6%​

Come on Mate, you know the TB rules.
Pictures or it didn't happen.

This is too good an explanation not to have the story.

 

[jdjk7]

You forgot 99.9% of TB:

Never owned one.

That's definitely a good point, but there seems to be a lot of interest in these 'limited run' basses. People here were excited to be on the list and then counting days until delivery. I'd like to know how they felt after they got it. If it turns out that not many people actually got one, then that's an interesting result, too.

It's not really that good of a point, because the entire point of the poll is gathering the experience of those who have owned it. If it mattered who had and who hadn't owned a Joe Dart bass, the question would be, "Have you owned a Joe Dart bass?"

Otherwise the inclusion of a vast majority whose experiences are irrelevant to the question would be deleterious to actually gaining insight from the poll.

 

[Clark W]

This is a great question.
The very first thing that popped into my head when I saw the thread come up about the new ones was:
"I wonder just how much bass-specific revenue is driven by Talkbass?" I know of no way to come up with that number, but I'll bet it's not insignificant. I know it gets a lot of credit for much of what I spend on bass stuff.

If it wasn't for TB, I probably wouldn't have bought half the gear I've bought since joining TB in 2018. Now is that a good thing or a bad thing? It depends on whether you're asking my ears or my bank account

 

[PNW Tony]

I’ve heard rumors that he once played the Robelli SWD. Just rumors, mind you. Well I have one of those and I play it from time to time, so I’ll consider that “yes, I’m still playing my Joe Dart bass”.

Close enough for jazz.

EDIT: I see him playing it in the Vulfpeck Disco Ulysses vid (found right here on talkbass)! Wow, I have a desired and slightly legendary bass! lol

Wait a minute, I like that logic. Joe often plays a Jazz Bass. I have a Jazz Bass, too, so I'm playing a Joe Dart bass, too? But wait; my Jazz Bass is Jaco Jazz Bass with a Flea neck (while waiting for a new fretless neck), so I'm playing a Jaco Flea Joe Dart bass? Confounding.

 

[coyote1]

If it wasn't for TB, I probably wouldn't have bought half the gear I've bought since joining TB in 2018. Now is that a good thing or a bad thing? It depends on whether you're asking my ears or my bank account

I don’t think a single thing I’ve purchased has been attributable to this site… or to any site anywhere. I’ve *avoided* a few mistakes perhaps as a result of online interaction, but there’s never been an instance of “I gotta have it” from such interaction.

 

[tb-player]

It's not really that good of a point, because the entire point of the poll is gathering the experience of those who have owned it. If it mattered who had and who hadn't owned a Joe Dart bass, the question would be, "Have you owned a Joe Dart bass?"

Otherwise the inclusion of a vast majority whose experiences are irrelevant to the question would be deleterious to actually gaining insight from the poll.

You are correct. It was not a good point. It was a joke.

 

[_Obra_]

Very surprising poll results for me