Still Playing Your Joe Dart Bass?

[manchego_eggo]

got a jdiii and didnt love the ergonomics so sold it. i wish the body was a bit bigger and the pickup set a little further back.

oddly enough, my daily driver is EBMM short scale stingray

 

[YaBoiNicki98]

Mine took a bit of work but its currently my favorite bass in my small rotation to play. I sanded the neck slightly cause it was a bit round for my baby hands, and put on a set of La Bella flats cause the factory ones were a bit too clanky.

 

[FugaziBomb]

I never owned it, so I'm not gonna vote, but I can tell you that for the short time I sat with one, I knew my money would be better spent on literally anything else. Having a stingray without the preamp and pickguard just felt like a Temu copy. The store had another passive bass with a MM humbucker - maybe a Luna? - that was like $300 and I thought it ran circles around the Joe Dart that was like 5x the price.

They also had an Old Smoothie Ray - the one with the 5 string pickguard so the strings fell between the pole pieces - and those things don't get enough love. I swear it out burped my regular old Stingray.

 

[SLO Surfer]

I've kept mine and gig it regularly. I get compliments on it's tone and looks all the time from musicians, sound guys, and non-musicians. It's honestly crazy good build quality/playability/tone for how much it cost...IF you're into the sound of a passive Stingray with flats. I have trouble every weekend trying to decide on gigging my $3,000 custom EBMM Stingray Special or my $500 SBMM Joe Dart 1.

it's not for me.

Care to share why you thought you would like it but ended up not liking it? That could help some who are on the fence about buying the 2026 model.

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.

I don't think very many people on TB got one. There were only like 5-10 people on here counting days until delivery, but dozens who were saying things like, "Nope, never. I would never waste my money on one." I'd agree with the latter on the EBMM Joe Dart's that run for nearly $3,000, that seemed crazy to me for what you get. But for $400-600 I think the SBMM Joe Dart's are a good deal...IF you're into a passive Stingray with flats vibe.

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

Joe actually used the Robelli to create the JD1; He brought that same instrument from the Disco Ulysses vid into the Ernie Ball brothers, and essentially their factory copied it into the Joe Dart 1. Pretty funny, EBMM came full circle and made a knock off of a knock off.

 

[SDC1-ClickClack]

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.

Jaco Joe Flea? No.
I? Nah. Nay!
Jaco? Joe? Flea? Nah, nay!

Spoiler: (For anyone confused)

"Iko Iko"

 

[SLO Surfer]

The store had another passive bass with a MM humbucker - maybe a Luna? - that was like $300 and I thought it ran circles around the Joe Dart that was like 5x the price.

I think you played and are talking about the EBMM Joe Dart basses that cost nearly $3k. (I agree those are severley over-priced) It's not very clear because there's no specific clarification, but this post/vote is about the SBMM Joe Dart's that only cost $400-500.

Those Old Smoothie's are special!

 

[Carl Hillman]

I got rid of my Joe Dart bass after a week because it did not, in fact, make me sound like Joe Dart.



(jk, I've never owned one.)

 

[ghostdog93]

At the risk of continuing the off topic silliness, I personally never understood the hype around any of the JD models, other than the fact that some of them looked cool.

Then again, I don't understand the hype surrounding vintage Fenders either, so there's that.

 

[sleddogn]

i'm guessing it's the "knob" that most don't like, oh and the bass too.... lol

 

[sikrob]

SBMM JD-2 is my daily driver. Plays and sounds nicer than my older MIM Jazz Deluxe.

I also had a SBMM JD-1 that I liked the feel for but found myself missing the Jazz pick up config too much. Was considering selling it before they announced the cheap JD-2, then just wait to sell it until after I got my JD-2 and broke even!

My Jazz bass is now kind of a project. Neck developed a minor twist over the years, active electronics and mid control knob had issues and is currently rewired to a single passive volume knob (more minimal than the JD-2 ). Torn on what to do with that, but miss having a bass with at least a treble roll off, so considering modifying my JD to be more traditional Jazz controls (pup select, master volume, tone), but haven’t had the time.

 

[Smallmouth_Bass]

The newly released (pre-order) Joe Dart Vision is interesting in that is does not have any electronics. The pickup must be wired to the output jack. Not many points of failure in that design! There is another bass that has that, and the Joe Dart Vision is only $34,601 less than that one.

 

[jimmydean]

Don't think much of that JD bass and even less of that one "big knob" .

 

[SDC1-ClickClack]

Don't think much of that JD bass and even less of that one "big knob" .

Now, now: That's no way to refer to Mister Dart.

 

[andare]

At the risk of continuing the off topic silliness, I personally never understood the hype around any of the JD models, other than the fact that some of them looked cool.

Then again, I don't understand the hype surrounding vintage Fenders either, so there's that.

At least vintage Fenders sound good to me so I fully understand the hype. And those sweet dark rosewood boards, ooh mama.

 

[andare]

The newly released (pre-order) Joe Dart Vision is interesting in that is does not have any electronics. The pickup must be wired to the output jack. Not many points of failure in that design! There is another bass that has that, and the Joe Dart vision is only $34,601 less than that one.

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The Presentation is even dumber because it doesn't even have an output jack, only an XLR jack (unless the bass in your picture is a different model). It also eschews the toilet seat pickguard for a toilet seat body

 

[Low Main]

My take was always that Joe Dart would sound great on almost anything and that he would continue being Joe and I would continue being me.

I can't make a Stingray sound like a Stingray. Like I think a Ray ought to sound. Just doesn't happen. C'est la vie.

I never thought about checking out the Dart bass because I was pretty much all set with my old Ibanez RB 820. Passive, 1 pickup, 2 knobs, coil switch.

I chuckled at Jack Stratton's video rant when the original Dart one knob bass came out and there was starting to be some blowback about the design.

"DON'T tell me it's not versa-TILE enough! YOU'RE not versa-TILE enough!"

Yeah, Jack. I just hope an apparel manufacturer doesn't introduce a signature line of the fraternity volleyball team outfit that Jack wears onstage.

 

[Smallmouth_Bass]

The Presentation is even dumber because it doesn't even have an output jack, only an XLR jack (unless the bass in your picture is a different model). It also eschews the toilet seat pickguard for a toilet seat body

I'd love to try one (the Anthony Jackson Presentation II Fodera). I am sure I would sound like crap on it, but it will still be fun to try.

I understand the minimalism in the Joe Dart basses. He is obviously a set it and forget it type of guy. Many of us are like that too. I only generally use a few settings on my bass the whole night.

 

[sean_on_bass]

the appeal is the limited release coupled with a totally bare bones design, which i think is pretty cool. don't own one but would rock one any day.

 

[andare]

My take is Joe's tone has gotten worse since he ditched the Jazz for his signature basses, much like Vulfpeck's music.
I'm not a fan of Jazz basses but they are appropriate for a lot of their songs. He plays very very well but my favorite tones of his were with his MIM Jazz and the Precision Jr. His signature basses all sound dull to me.

 

[FugaziBomb]

I think you played and are talking about the EBMM Joe Dart basses that cost nearly $3k. (I agree those are severley over-priced) It's not very clear because there's no specific clarification, but this post/vote is about the SBMM Joe Dart's that only cost $400-500.

Those Old Smoothie's are special!

Yeah, it was def the Ernie Ball.