The official "Show your basses" thread part 19!

[eastcoasteddie]

Finally made some updated photos…

Fretless:

My “Custom” S[qu]andberg Brooklyn-ET-M2
This is probably my favorite bass to just pick up and noodle on- it growls even while unplugged.

L2500

Fretted Jazz V is currently under the knife getting a new body
NBD (New Body Day) = New BASS Day?

 

[God's Favorite Bass]

As the joke goes -

"You know why guitars player do not like to ride bikes - then they only get to use 2 pedals".

Well that's about where I am minus the bike hate because I love bikes but I just have a compressor and a clean boost. I do use a chorus for 1 song at a pretty aggressive underwater setting where everything is on G with the D just droning against it, so 2 1/2 pedals. Or 2 pedals and a kickstand.

 

[God's Favorite Bass]

As I have posted - my first bass I ever purchased was my 71 P bass. Well in the 80's I bought my 2nd bass and sold it (why).

Well yesterday I found a listing here for one just like it - so I got it. Will be in in a few days.

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Oh creamy!

 

[MovinTarget]

Well that's about where I am minus the bike hate because I love bikes but I just have a compressor and a clean boost. I do use a chorus for 1 song at a pretty aggressive underwater setting where everything is on G with the D just droning against it, so 2 1/2 pedals. Or 2 pedals and a kickstand.

Down to 2 pedals but still have the ones they replaced.... I may hold on to the comp/Sustainer b/c it has this magical ability to send harmonics into a frenzy when you crank the sustain... sounds like bells chiming.

 

[fourstringbliss]

Got this beauty nearing completion. Mahogany body with a flame maple top.. it’s gonna be loaded with dual Nordstrand Big Blademan pickups w/ their proprietary JC-3b preamp.. roasted maple neck / unmarked roasted maple fretboard.. it’s gonna be wild! View attachment 4703840
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There have been many many many many many many different Fender designs over the years with various innovations, however, the P and J are eternal with the Jag a distant third (imo). If they alter the base specs of those two basses there would probably be a revolt.

For whatever shortcomings, they have been massed produced with fairly identical specs for over half a century.

They are universal.

They are the baseline (no pun intended).

They are familiar.

Any new designs would be chasing the Jag, and even that has a pretty decent following. Everything else seems to come and go.

And I'm not even married to Fender!

Just my 2 cents.

Yeah, the Meteora seems like the new Dimension Bass which disappeared shortly after it came out.

 

[JIO]

That's right...And I just remembered I tried a Talman onna floor at GC a while back and while I didn't like it enough to want one, I did remark somewhere on TB that it surprisingly had almost no neck dive!
So I'm thinking now that if Fender's Meteora sells good, we may well be looking at the principal Fender body shape of the future? ~I'm almost ready for one now, but Fender would have to make it in short scale, like a Mustang..

Interesting... as a Thunderbird owner since '78, I've not had experience with a Fender bass neck-diving. (and I own/play a few J's and a couple P's) But as always, YOMV. I'm surprised the Meteora doesn't neck-dive as the upper strap-peg is at the 13th fret. I guess what balances it is the exaggerated lower part of the body adding extra weight. Oh, and that design is far from original - a few Japanese guitar bodies from the '60s were shaped like that - I'd say Fender "appropriated" them to allude to the those retro designs.

 

[Greywoulf]

There have been many many many many many many different Fender designs over the years with various innovations, however, the P and J are eternal with the Jag a distant third (imo). If they alter the base specs of those two basses there would probably be a revolt.
For whatever shortcomings, they have been massed produced with fairly identical specs for over half a century.
They are universal.
They are the baseline (no pun intended).
They are familiar.
Any new designs would be chasing the Jag, and even that has a pretty decent following. Everything else seems to come and go.
And I'm not even married to Fender!
Just my 2 cents.

You're forgetting about the 1000's of bassists who do not buy Fenders now for various reasons who might appreciate a perfectly balanced, improved active Jazz with humbuckers, such as the Meteora. Even Fender's detractors can admit that Fender's basses are put together solidly and are usually good quality instruments. So a more playable one just might succeed with some of them...
And as for fanatical sentimental fans, I'm sure Fender would keep making enough of their old faithful dogs to keep them happy. ~As long as there's $$ innit, why not?
But if everyone loved Fender's baseline stuff the way it is now, we wouldn't have multitudes of other bass companies...

 

[MovinTarget]

You're forgetting about the 1000's of bassists who do not buy Fenders now for various reasons who might appreciate a perfectly balanced, improved active Jazz with humbuckers, such as the Meteora. Even Fender's detractors can admit that Fender's basses are put together solidly and are usually good quality instruments. So a more playable one just might succeed with some of them...
And as for fanatical sentimental fans, I'm sure Fender would keep making enough of their old faithful dogs to keep them happy. ~As long as there's $$ innit, why not?
But if everyone loved Fender's baseline stuff the way it is now, we wouldn't have multitudes of other bass companies...

I'm not forgetting, I'm just saying that even if the Meteora were a major seller, the likelihood of them suddenly "rethinking" the standard P and J basses is unlikely.

 

[Amanitamuscaria]

My new one.

 

[CryingBass]

My new one.

Camouflaged! And very cool....

 

[LennyJ]

I'm not forgetting, I'm just saying that even if the Meteora were a major seller, the likelihood of them suddenly "rethinking" the standard P and J basses is unlikely.

I agree with you - my friend has a really high cost Sadowsky and to me it is a nice Fender Jazz - but still a jazz.

 

[fretno]

The green machine is awesome !

 

[JIO]

After the last 5 or 6 photos I've realized my pedal game is we-ee-eak.

I use every one during a set. Repurposed a Skill-Saw case for mobility/containment. BBE Sonic Stomp, MXR d.i.+ and Boss CS-2 stay on, the rest used when needed.

 

[God's Favorite Bass]

I use every one during a set. Repurposed a Skill-Saw case for mobility/containment. BBE Sonic Stomp, MXR d.i.+ and Boss CS-2 stay on, the rest used when needed.

View attachment 4708216

That's clever! I have a Fender Downtown Express which is ok but usually just a BBE Opticomp and a Fender Engager Boost with a low zoot Electro Harmonix Bass Clone for the little I use chorus. Not enough to constitute a board but enough for a granny knot.

 

[enormungus]

This is the current state of my Squier contemporary jazz bass with a Darkglass Tone Capsule wired in along with the passive tone control. It's fully working despite its rat's nest appearance.
I'm waiting on a new blend pot, new 9V battery connector and to decide if I'm going run it 100% Darkglass or have a passive/active switch and if I'm gonna keep the passive tone control whichever way I decide.

 

[definenredefine]

This is the current state of my Squier contemporary jazz bass with a Darkglass Tone Capsule wired in along with the passive tone control. It's fully working despite its rat's nest appearance.
I'm waiting on a new blend pot, new 9V battery connector and to decide if I'm going run it 100% Darkglass or have a passive/active switch and if I'm gonna keep the passive tone control whichever way I decide.
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I'm a sucker for a matching headstock and the Simpsons, so you win.

 

[enormungus]

I'm a sucker for a matching headstock and the Simpsons, so you win.

Same, but I've been digging black headstocks with maple fingerboards lately. I put this neck on my other jazz bass and thought "perfection" but had to put it back on this bass when I found a buyer. Of course the stock preamp immediately died and now here we are.
I like this combo a lot more then I expected I would have:

 

[travatron4000]

This is the current state of my Squier contemporary jazz bass with a Darkglass Tone Capsule wired in along with the passive tone control. It's fully working despite its rat's nest appearance.
I'm waiting on a new blend pot, new 9V battery connector and to decide if I'm going run it 100% Darkglass or have a passive/active switch and if I'm gonna keep the passive tone control whichever way I decide.
View attachment 4709412
View attachment 4709414
View attachment 4709415

I like those Contemporary basses. The SQR pickups are great but yeah, the stock pre-amp is garbage.

 

[enormungus]

I like those Contemporary basses. The SQR pickups are great but yeah, the stock pre-amp is garbage.

+1
I guess the treble/bass boost with no cut kinda makes sense when paired with the passive tone control to act as the "cut". But really the only decent thing I could gain from the stock preamp was more clank when using a pick and the treble maxed which only helps if you're going for a Bouncing Souls sort of sound. I think it would've been a bigger hit if it was passive and at a lower price point because it's good otherwise, except for maybe the tuners.

 

[ctmullins]

I usually keep a bass out during the day, just to pick up and play for a few minutes (or more) when the impulse strikes.

Today I walked through the room, and this perspective caught my eye. I thought it made a nice image.