The official "Show your basses" thread part 19!

[BassAgent]

My house is too small.

 

[DaBigBadaBoom]

My house is too small.

I just showed my gf this and she said, "if you EVER buy that many basses...."

 

[BassAgent]

When I bought the Sterling on the left my gf said "well, all your stands are full, are you FINALLY finished" and I said "never say never".

 

[Deleted member 409896]

My house is too small.

same problem, except it's motorcycles.

 

[BassAgent]

OK so the fretless 1994 Music Man Stingray showed up.

It's probably going to be my new number one. Best bass I've owned and top 2-3 best basses I've played.

Holy sh1t.

View attachment 7083197

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I've played a few fretless Rays but this is a WHOLE other thing.

After 30 seconds I completely forgot it was fretless.

And the condition... This is a 30 year old bass. It has 2 dings and a small scratch. Gotten B stock in worse shape.

100% original.

Now... Should I try and get a matching fretted bass from the same time period? Incredibly tempting.

To get this and the fretless 79 P in the same week is a bit overwhelming.

Surprised how different the 2018 is compared to the 1994, even considering the extra feet.

View attachment 7083217

That is beeaauuuuuutiful. Lovely fretless. Congrats!

 

[DaBigBadaBoom]

That is beeaauuuuuutiful. Lovely fretless. Congrats!

Thank you!!

Seriously considering going fully fretless now. Easiest playing instrument I've owned.

 

[DaBigBadaBoom]

When I bought the Sterling on the left my gf said "well, all your stands are full, are you FINALLY finished" and I said "never say never".

Mine is a drummer. So let's just say her gear takes up more space than mine.

Currently

 

[Jugghaid]

Added this one recently. Ampro P5. I added the gold anodized PG.

 

[Jeff Scott]

4004L SPC

 

[Jazzzed]

Family portrait

 

[cholyoke]

Family portraitView attachment 7084221

A rick, Destroyer and Jackson V with a reverse P and Kahler vibrato? I like your style.

 

[Jazzzed]

A rick, Destroyer and Jackson V with a reverse P and Kahler vibrato? I like your style.

Thanks. I think if I ever go 5 string, I’ll probably go with a Modulus in blue, green, or natural grain. The Destroyer is strung up BEAD right now though.

 

[Longwheelbass]

New kid on the block.

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Cool! Is it a 30" scale? Love the Bass VI vibes.

 

[Nunovsky]

Cool! Is it a 30" scale? Love the Bass VI vibes.

Yes, it's a short scale and the body is actually the same as the Bass VI.

 

[rushgenesis2112]

Yes, it's a short scale and the body is actually the same as the Bass VI.

I don’t know about you, but I feel like the rascal could have been the Bass VIs 4-string cousin from the 60s, too. Somehow, to me, it fits right into the Fender pantheon. Paranormal indeed.

 

[Longwheelbass]

I don’t know about you, but I feel like the rascal could have been the Bass VIs 4-string cousin from the 60s, too. Somehow, to me, it fits right into the Fender pantheon. Paranormal indeed.

I would say you're likely correct in that someone in R&D must have been at least thinking about a 4 string version back when the Bass VI was in production. I do know this though, many years ago I wanted a VI and due to their rarity and ever-rising pricetags, I decided to build one, then two...using parts from Musikraft and then all the hardware from the usual vendors. Enjoyed them immensely, but an idea began to form - why not a Jazzmaster VI? I can't remember how, but someone put me onto a gentleman who was part of the team who developed the Bass VI, and we got talking on the internet. Turns out he was a big Jazzmaster fan and even though he was in his 70's back in the 2010's, he was still fondo of winding pickups. I told him of my plan to build a Jazzmaster VI, and he casually mentioned that he'd done one back in the 70's, using a stock JM body and a Bass VI neck. He also of course had to custom rout the trem cavity further back and the bridge posts to accommodate the 30" scale, an easy task when you work at Fender...
So he wound me a couple of JM pickups for my project, and they are still in it, well one is and the other is actually in a JM guitar. The bass sounds even better than the original spec Bass VI's that I built. A friend from Costa Rica was milling up aluminum widebody Bass VI bridges at the time and I was lucky enough to get one from him. The body was made by another buddy in Seattle from a barn demolition at a farm that was built in the 1800's, it's very dry, very dense western red cedar we think, but it absolutely sings. As Nigel Tufnell once said, "Listen - can you hear it, can you hear the sustain?..."

 

[Rod Barchetta]

This is the my current collection. This is also my office. I consider them works of art adorning my wall. Spinning around to gaze at them daily is one of my life's simple pleasures. But alas, I have a dilemma. I love them all, but I have decided to take my bass playing talents to Brazil.

I'm moving to Copacabana in January. I'm taking the family there for Christmas and New Years and then returning to Brazil Jan 26 to start life in my new apartment 1 block from the beach. I can take two bass guitars as a carry on this first trip and I plan on bringing at least two more when I come back in Jan. The goal is eventually get them all there, but shipping bass guitars internationally isn't cheap or easy on the instrument. It may just be an iterative process of flights to eventually get them all there. I'm keeping a place in the states and applying for dual citizenship (like my wife and daughter).

So I had to decide who gets to go first. And the winners are:

PRS Kingfisher with Seymour Duncan SSB-4s and Bartolini pre-amp
Sire Z7
Sire P7 5 string with Hipshot Lollipop tuners
Sire M5 5 string

I think this gives me the most options. I have the Z7 tuned to Eb with 55-75-90-110 Power Slinky Flatwounds. The P7 is my P bass option and the M5 is my chameleon. The PRS is my favorite bass. After I added the new P/Us and preamp, it became the best sounding bass I own. And it is freaking gorgeous. Others have challenged it, but it remains the top dog. Let me know what you think.

 

[JIO]

4004L SPC

View attachment 7083945

nice oak wall paneling...

 

[JIO]

 

[JIO]

I would say you're likely correct in that someone in R&D must have been at least thinking about a 4 string version back when the Bass VI was in production. I do know this though, many years ago I wanted a VI and due to their rarity and ever-rising pricetags, I decided to build one, then two...using parts from Musikraft and then all the hardware from the usual vendors. Enjoyed them immensely, but an idea began to form - why not a Jazzmaster VI? I can't remember how, but someone put me onto a gentleman who was part of the team who developed the Bass VI, and we got talking on the internet. Turns out he was a big Jazzmaster fan and even though he was in his 70's back in the 2010's, he was still fondo of winding pickups. I told him of my plan to build a Jazzmaster VI, and he casually mentioned that he'd done one back in the 70's, using a stock JM body and a Bass VI neck. He also of course had to custom rout the trem cavity further back and the bridge posts to accommodate the 30" scale, an easy task when you work at Fender...
So he wound me a couple of JM pickups for my project, and they are still in it, well one is and the other is actually in a JM guitar. The bass sounds even better than the original spec Bass VI's that I built. A friend from Costa Rica was milling up aluminum widebody Bass VI bridges at the time and I was lucky enough to get one from him. The body was made by another buddy in Seattle from a barn demolition at a farm that was built in the 1800's, it's very dry, very dense western red cedar we think, but it absolutely sings. As Nigel Tufnell once said, "Listen - can you hear it, can you hear the sustain?..."
View attachment 7085266

The Rascal is a conglomerate for sure - a bit of this and a bit of that. ESP/Grass Roots made a 4-string bass (34" scale) version of the Fender VI -