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Stings Police Arsenal

#122
ONE OF Sting's Hammer Bass:

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SOLD in here: [Invalid or Expired Link Removed]

In Action:

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His other Hammer bass (8 strings fretless)

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in "De do dodo" Video Clip

 
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#123
eligilam said:
When Sting played on Saturday Night Live about 10 years ago, what was that sort of futuristic all-black unlined fretless he was playing? I think it was some sort of Ibanez, but could never confirm.
Click to expand...

I think it's not just 10 years ago, it's about 20 years ago perhaps LOL... it's been discussed here:
nofretz

http://www.talkbass.com/threads/whats-fretless-bass-sting-use-in-soul-cages-concert-video.379565/

and here:

http://www.talkbass.com/threads/sting-on-saturday-night-live-bass.70376/#post-790512


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nofretz said:
Here are the brochure scans:

NOTE: 3 basses are shown on this pamphlet, but look for the pics/info about "RB888MB" for info on Sting's bass (pictured in bottom right of both scans).
Click to expand...

(Courtessy of @http://www.talkbass.com/threads/stings-soul-cages-fretless.520348/)

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The video:

 
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#124
That black Ibanez was never offered as a fretless model. So that's a custom build or made.
I knew only three basses in that combination: Stings, nofretz' and mine:

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Those basses at hard rock cafe or similar are only signed by Sting. I also never seen him playing a 5 string never mind a Warwick.

Regards
Andreas
 
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#125
andreaska said:
That black Ibanez was never offered as a fretless model. So that's a custom build or made.
I knew only three basses in that combination: Stings, nofretz' and mine:

g4uvd98x.jpg


Those basses at hard rock cafe or similar are only signed by Sting. I also never seen him playing a 5 string never mind a Warwick.

Regards
Andreas
Click to expand...
Nice bass you have,...but I have seen more than three basses like that in fretless being sold in ebay these last three years or so.

And about the Hard Rock bass,.. I don't know about the Hamburg, but the one in Hard Rock Bali, at 1999, when I play in their hotel's birthday event, (I even had the privilege to try the bass for a minute) I have talked with the Hard Rock Bali owner, about it, and He told me that Sting himself brought that very Warwick bass (of his) along in his 'arsenal' of some five basses or so at about year before when He stayed at the Hard Rock Bali hotel, and he even played it (the Warwick) at the loose jam sessions at the very venue at that moment, before announce it to be donated to the HR Bali, and signed it...although there 's no evidence (photo etc of it)..because the Sting's management requirement (no publicity of the event).
Once again I'll say, people (as rich) like Sting, we never know what else basses he has, except what we seen live or in the media,..but I'm sure They normally have more than we know.
 
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#126
Those Hamer basses are cool, I believe that the Cruise bass was not used a lot, maybe for 1 or 2 shows. And the 8 string Explorer style, I read somewhere Sting though it looked cool, but upon playing it for a show or 2 realized it was more cumbersome than the regular basses.

It would be interesting to know if he still has all the Police basses; we know he has the Jazz bass, but the others seem to have disappeared from public. He kept using the Spector for a while.

Sandy Horne from The Spoons has a Spector from the same first run, hers is a low serial number, and white like Sting's. Nice instrument.

Most photos from 1980 show either the fretted or frettless Ibanez Musician basses. Or the fretless, maple necked white Ibanez bass, with Sting on the end of the fretboard. Anyone know what model that one was? I cannot find it, must have been custom made for him.

Another interesting photo shows Sting and the red Fender fretless in fall of 1981 in France or Spain, so he brought it back out for at least part of the tour.
 
#129
Hi all Sting gear hounds. I found evidence that the natural P bass did not become red right away, when Andy got his red Hamer. There has been some talk about it being painted red, at the same time they visited the Hamer factory, when Andy got the red Hamer guitar, as used on Don Kirschner's Rock Concert, on Feb. 6 1980. There is a photo of the band playing, and the red Hamer of Andy's is on the stage as a spare, but Sting's bass is till natural. I speculate (!), that he liked the colour, and was ready for a change with the bass, so had it painted sometime AFTER Andy got his guitar. Page 76 of the book "The Police Released" shows this. Sting is still wearing the flight suit, and Stewart is playing the blue kit. Possibly he got it painted when he got his 8 string Hamer bass???? Too bad Sting will not tell us.
 
#130
Remember when 'the Police' were considered to be basically a punk band in the beginning?

Somewhere I have a live recording onto cassette from I believe 1978 at the old 'One Block West' in Kansas City, it was a very high quality broadcast too.

The first thing that stood out to me was the bass sound....at the time I just called it "lead bass", sort of what McCartney would occasionally do with the Beatles!

I need to find that cassette or a copy of that performance....they were a very raw band but very much reggae influenced.

I never thought they sounded particularly polished on that live cassette from 1978...... 'Roxanne' was getting a LOT of airplay locally at the time.

As I stated, the bass REALLY stood out.....very melodic and mixed upfront.
 
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#133


Yes you're right, the bass in that record mixed upfront (esp at earlier songs), albeit sounded compressed (perhaps also by the tape was used), while 'duller' at the same time -almost like Sting's bass sound today since the last two decade or so- make it sounded different than Sting's The Police Era bass usually sounded - which usually more treble and phased (like I'm sure also what we'd hear directly from the speakers if we're there at the concert at that time). I'm sure the mixer of the record is a big fan of Sting and his bass LOL.

Sting bass playing along with the drums also tighter and a bit more laidback- as usual in the early years of The Police than the latter 'bass vs drum race event' IMHO :D
Perhaps at that time, Ego were still considerably maintaned more than at the latter era.

Sting sang live Amazingly as usual. Andy Summers was in the mood, and surprisingly, Stewart Copeland was much more a beat and tempo guard than He usually does.
Great live performance. Great energy. great bootleg.
Superb
 
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#134
Interesting thread. I have a Van Zalinge Z bass (originally purchased as an ex demo model from the BUCA bv showroom in Bussum in 1986). This is one of the production models (rather than one of the dozen or so instruments that were hand crafted by Henk Van Zalinge and referred to by Sting), but lovely quality nevertheless.
It's fairly basic - simple jack socket, plug and play with a Z transducer (Polytone type).
I've been playing it more frequently recently - lovely dark, sustained sound through a Polytone MiniBrute from around the same period.


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#139
Nice & really appreciate it H, I'm sure the beauty is always in excellent condition under your hands,...I wish I have the money when the time come :D BTW.. would you care to take the hassles of doing some (audio or video) recording of the bass to share them with me perhaps please?
 

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