The Last Bass Outpost

So certain products can't be Made in USA anymore if a certain amount of foreign parts is used?

I just tried a Player II Modified P for the magazine. The headstock reads 'Made in Ensenada' which of course is a city in Mexico. I don't want it to be too political, but is it?

We can talk of MIE bassses now

Tha one looks really cool and it matches the garden chairs well. The cat doesn't seem impressed, though.

Quote from: Dave W on May 06, 2025, 08:14:34 AMWe're getting way off topic here, but all the MM style on MEC's website are passive. If they make active ones, they're hiding them from me.

We sure are. I just was on the MEC website and you're totally right. All passive. I did review some basses with active MEC MM style pickups. I'm sure. I guess they are discontinued.

Quote from: Dave W on May 03, 2025, 03:18:14 AMThe MEC MMs are passive.

MEC has closed active ones too.

Quote from: Dave W on May 01, 2025, 08:29:25 AMEMGs are active, I'm not aware of any others.

Easy enough to install a bypass switch. I've had adequate warning that the battery is going. though.

Genuine MM pickups are low output, they're designed to work with a preamp. There are higher output MM style pickups on the market.

Yeah, I mean all the original pickups are passive. EMG makes active ones and Warwick/MEC too.

Quote from: Alanko on May 01, 2025, 02:35:21 PMPickups are always passive, high impedance in Stingrays.

The Dan Armstrong copy probably sounds a bit blah as the pickup will be wired with the coils in series and with quite powerful ceramic magnets, so it is a hot loud vanilla nothingberg of a pickup. No character just loud.

All MM pickups are passive, the electronics in a MM are active. Of course some brands make active MM style pickups

Have to dig my copy up and play it! Enjoy your bass!

Really cool! Enjoy it

You're welcome!

I tried one, reviewed it... ...and bought it. my 2 cents:


It's an impressive bass. It came without gigbag, but well boxed. I chose the olympic white Precision with maple board. The Olympic white is off white and I like that much better than the completely white bodies. The maple board is glued one, so no skunk stripe at the back of the neck. Frets and fretwork impeccable. The headstock has the tuner with the smaller baseplates, but it has Fender stamped in, which is a nice touch. The simple black only logo on the front of the headstock is understated, tidy and nice.

The pickguard is a nice, thick and well cut 3-ply. The control knobs have the little adjustment screws and like on my Mexican P (a bit of a disappointment for a 1000 euro MIM Bass) the pots are more on/off and bright/warm, and not realy lineair. Of course you can change them.

The bridge is the flimsy Fender one, which I like. Now the only thing I don't understand: the bridge saddles are matte chrome finished. It looks aluminium. I don't know if that has a reason? Maybe that's just wat Cort uses? I don't really like the look, but we're talking saddles and I really don't care, after a couple of days.

The body is poplar and the pickup ceramic. It just sounds as expected and I can't really hear differences with my maple board MIM Player P. I did change the strings to d'Addario NYXL's, which are my favourites at the moment. The really make a bass come alive a bit more.

The MIM Player P has the standard Fender strings. I think the Standard has a bit more low-end (because of the NYXLs?) but the sound is very similar. So yeah: I like the Standard a lot and I love the looks of an off-white P with a maple neck and black guard.
   

 

For all the Spotify members. The '79 live album Gigs by Sweet d'Buster is available now.

Bass player Herman Deinum plays with a P, steel rounds and a Marshall stack, but it are his bass parts. Check the song Manja which is like one long bass solo with a bass solo in the end. Gorgeous. The whole album is a bass masterclass and the overall vibe is pop/rock meets prog.

Band leader, singerm and saxophone player is Bertus Borgers. He played on a lot of Herman Brood & His Wild Romance  albums and he toured the US woth the Golden Earring.

Ohja, ik zie het nu! Eigenlijk een moderne draailier dus! What is that in English? Hurdy gurdy?