The Last Bass Outpost

Quote from: ilan on January 29, 2025, 07:06:46 AMMJT offers two shades of blue paisley

I like that - fortunately I'm not in the market!

I remember the MIJ reissues, having lived in Tokyo in the '80s. I remember wishing it was blue paisley instead of blue flower - my dad liked paisley prints for some reason - he was pre-boomer. I would definitely rock one of these! (probably an MIJ reissue, I'm in no hurry for this one, and at my rate of buying basses currently, it's a null set...)

I've seen the sale notices - a little voice inside me wondered if maybe they were shutting down - this makes a lot of sense. I should go in and save my purchase history, I've been getting strings from there for years - over a decade for sure, maybe close to 2?

Quote from: Dave W on December 11, 2024, 12:13:11 AMFender and Gibson/Epi seem tobe able to get their product into Tokyo stores, while potential buyers here are waiting.

My guess is that Tokyo must be a better market.

That's a really interesting point! Reflecting on the visits to guitar bass stores in Tokyo, it is definitely a pretty intense market - so many basses - so many stores - besides the visit to Ochanomizu with the insane ratio of guitar stores, I just saw a sampling. There definitely appears to be a market, from relatively cheap stuff (I noticed Made in China Bacchus basses for example) to mid-range Fender Japan and Yamaha, to pretty expensive Japan-made stuff like Atelier Z, to Fender America/Gibson/etc., to used and vintage stuff. There is a range of vintage stuff, but a lot of '70s and earlier Fender, for example.

So who is buying this stuff?!! Are there still rich Japanese people? Apparently so, though I didn't actually witness anyone actually buying anything. Another related question is the relationship between the yen and the dollar. The exchange rate is really good for the good ol' USA, at 150 yen=1 USD. That trio of Jack Casady Signatures in the Ikebukuro store was impressive, and I was surprised how cheap they came out to be - basically $700 USD vs. the $849 at Sweetwater. I found a Blu sig new at Ishibashi for 242,000 yen/a little under $1600 USD, basically matching the Sweetwater price. Gibson most likely isn't that popular, so they need to offer stuff cheaper? Where is the Jack Casady Signature made? I guess that's a question for a different thread!

Quote from: Dave W on December 08, 2024, 10:32:28 PMThat two-tone sunburst is really nice, and I'm not usually a fan of sunbursts.

Agreed!

I've become a big fan of hers. I love the song Vintage - the song has really grown on me, I've listened to the EP on and off and that's growing on me too. I like the electronic elements with the r'n'b style bass. I also appreciate that she shares her knowledge about music in instructional videos. I know some people aren't impressed, but I'm psyched to see a bassist who is also making their own music and singing (while playing) and even soloing! There's a vid of her playing bass solos to a packed house at the Greek Theatre in Berkeley - how many people get to do that?!! I think she is representing bassist/musicians well.

So I was psyched to finally see her sig bass in person, in Tokyo no less!



My favorite aspect of her bass is the bound neck with dots! There was a period in '66 I think when Fender added binding but didn't switch to blocks right away - Fender Japan did a reissue when I was living in Japan in the 2000s that I considered getting. The Blu sig felt good to me - no noticeable dead-spots on the G string - that was something I was actively checking. Wish I could have played it through an amp but still glad I got to play it. She's making an in-store appearance at the end of the month there at Fender Flagship Tokyo in Harajuku - I would love to go to that!

I had to go to Tokyo to finally see one in person!





Shoulda taken a pic of the upper side of the neck - I did go back and it looks like 3-5-7-9-12 etc. markers where the fret would be, though I didn't play it so can't confirm 100%

My second bass was a Fernandes copy of Paul McCartney's Ric - here's a pic from the catalog:

Quote from: uwe on October 05, 2017, 04:15:44 PM
Dave Holland (before his career with Judas Priest), very lyrical playing.

It's actually Steve Swallow (after his gay porn career?  )

Someone in this thread just says it's got "custom pickups" but someone else says they ended up with the bass:

I am sad to report that the Gibson EB2 pictured in the top picture was purchased by me in the mid 90s when I was doing a lot of riding around in a van, jumping around and crashing into guitar players who were doing the same. Said instrument met an untimely demise one night when I tossed it high in the air, got a light in my eye and completely missed it as it went past my outstretched arm and hit the ground- shearing the headstock clean off, smashing the top of the body and spilling some of the custom electronics across the front row. I solemnly polished the remains and put them in my bass case. Bits of teh bass hang in several Boston area repair shops as a reminder of my stupidity.

It was a great sounding bass and it took me a long time to find another instrument that I had such a personal connection with. I would have liked another 60s Gibson, but couldn't afford one. All of Steve's modifications devalued the bass and I actually bought it for $500 originally.

This is my personal favorite double-mud - vintage though

https://youtu.be/PNo1VqARE7Y?t=3m16s

Afterglo

Quote from: Pekka on March 29, 2017, 08:53:03 AM
Weber is great. "Yellow Fields" is on my to-buy -list and his work on Ralph Towner's "Solstice" is great. That Kate Bush album was the first time I heard him.

Kate also used another fabulous upright player, Danny Thompson. His sound is very different to Weber's of course.

I recently got "Later That Evening" from which this is a highlight.

Yes! This album is awesome!

I loved Kate Bush when I was in high school, but my LP of Hounds of Love didn't have the inner sleeve so I never knew who played what until much later - never made the connection that Eberhard Weber was playing on this. I need to pick this up on CD again! In high school I had all the 12" singles I could get - I thought the 12" remixes were better than the originals sometimes.

Quote from: uwe on March 29, 2017, 11:36:41 AM
I think wah is one of the few more sensible effects on bass.

This has one of my favorite bass sounds of all time! Especially this part:

https://youtu.be/d11MN-oUgkY?t=1m4s

This is another one of my favorite wah bass performances - Dave Holland, I love his electric bass playing from this period with Miles Davis:

https://youtu.be/WbvkgR5K-YE?t=35m7s

There's a version of Bitches Brew from the next year that is also amazing - fusion jazz metal at its finest!

I was kind of interested in the Cliff Burton Tribute Series Power Fuzz Wah but restrained myself - would want to try it first.

Quote from: Jeff Scott on February 25, 2017, 02:21:34 PM
I'd go for one if the fingerboard were also painted the same as the rest of the bass.

I was kind of thinking the same thing - this could use the Blackstar treatment!