NBD: MM

[ilan]

Bass #16...

My youngest son (15.5) was a jazz pianist until last year he switched to guitar and bass. He's self-taught, his background was more than sufficient for that, and he plays really well. He started on my short-scale '78 Fender Musicmaster, until he wanted to upgrade. He tried everything, and asked for a MM Stingray. I found this on eBay - bought for $818, and free shipping is significant (I'm located in Israel, shipping a bass is typically $150).

https://www.ebay.com/itm/273196946962

It arrived on Thursday. Really superb bass, fresh set of strings, Ishibashi had it perfectly set-up before shipping, ridiculously low action and still no fret buzz. The kid was ecstatic.

[Highlander]

  (should have placed his hands on your upright and told him learn before you earn... )

[amptech]

Wow, nice. Always liked them, have not seen many of them up here. What vintage is it?

[Dave W]

Looks great, especially for its age. I'm guessing early 90s with the chrome top battery box.

[4stringer77]

Congrats. He can play AC/DC or Chic in style with that one.

[ilan]

Congrats. He can play AC/DC or Chic in style with that one.

For the Bernard Edwards sound he will need flatwounds and I can assure you that this will not happen :-) he likes his strings roundwound, new and clanky.

[Rob]

For the Bernard Edwards sound he will need flatwounds and I can assure you that this will not happen :-) he likes his strings roundwound, new and clanky.

Gee Ilan I really liked him until that secret was exposed 

[Dave W]

Judging by the worship of flatwounds on bass forums, you could easily come to the conclusion that they are the preferred type of string. Definitely not so.

[westen44]

Judging by the worship of flatwounds on bass forums, you could easily come to the conclusion that they are the preferred type of string. Definitely not so.

I couldn't agree more. 

[Dave W]

I couldn't agree more.

Case in point, a thread I just saw over at TDPRI. Guy who's only fooled around on bass before has been asked to sit in on bass at his church, so he lists four short scale basses which he intends to play with a pick, and asks for opinions on them. On the first page alone, five different posters tell him to get flatwounds even though he didn't ask anything about strings. Plus, some doofus asks "Bass with a pick? Are you playing old school Punk music at your church?" 

[ilan]

Case in point, a thread I just saw over at TDPRI. Guy who's only fooled around on bass before has been asked to sit in on bass at his church, so he lists four short scale basses which he intends to play with a pick, and asks for opinions on them. On the first page alone, five different posters tell him to get flatwounds even though he didn't ask anything about strings. Plus, some doofus asks "Bass with a pick? Are you playing old school Punk music at your church?" 

When friends buy a new Höfner I do the same. Not being asked about strings, I still suggest they try flats. With friends who buy old Rics I suggest bypassing the bass-cut capacitor - again, not being asked at all. Same thing when I see a vintage style Strat bridge set up to float.

[Dave W]

When friends buy a new Höfner I do the same. Not being asked about strings, I still suggest they try flats. With friends who buy old Rics I suggest bypassing the bass-cut capacitor - again, not being asked at all. Same thing when I see a vintage style Strat bridge set up to float.

That's not the same thing. In your examples, someone has already bought the Höfner, which is famously used with flats, or an old Ric, which has a bass cut cap a lot of people don't know about. Not the same as a post asking opinions on several basses and getting blanket recommendations for flats.

I have nothing at all against flats, I do have them on a couple of my basses, but it has almost become a cult on bass forums.

[ilan]

Yep. But if it hasn't, and if it wasn't for bass forums, I wouldn't know about flats - I mean about good flats, not those unplayable Guild-branded heavy-gauge 050 flats that was the only string set you could buy in 1975 where I lived, and all I used until my Dad came back from London with 040 Roto Swing Bass rounds.

[westen44]

Case in point, a thread I just saw over at TDPRI. Guy who's only fooled around on bass before has been asked to sit in on bass at his church, so he lists four short scale basses which he intends to play with a pick, and asks for opinions on them. On the first page alone, five different posters tell him to get flatwounds even though he didn't ask anything about strings. Plus, some doofus asks "Bass with a pick? Are you playing old school Punk music at your church?" 

Maybe preferences are changing but nobody is going to convince me to like flats more than rounds.  Flats are okay, but I'm puzzled at the current fascination with them, too.

As for playing with a pick, I guess that's what made Carol Kaye and Paul McCartney so punk rock. 

[Dave W]

Yep. But if it hasn't, and if it wasn't for bass forums, I wouldn't know about flats - I mean about good flats, not those unplayable Guild-branded heavy-gauge 050 flats that was the only string set you could buy in 1975 where I lived, and all I used until my Dad came back from London with 040 Roto Swing Bass rounds.

True. Good information on flats was hard to come by before bass forums, and the interest in flats and tapewounds has caused more companies to offer more choices. I'd say almost all of us are better off because of the knowledge shared on bass forums, whether it's about gear, players or whatever. But some of the cult-like behavior and bandwagon-jumping makes me shake my head.

Maybe preferences are changing but nobody is going to convince me to like flats more than rounds.  Flats are okay, but I'm puzzled at the current fascination with them, too.

As for playing with a pick, I guess that's what made Carol Kaye and Paul McCartney so punk rock. 

Joe Osborn, Rick Danko, Bill Wyman, Chas Chandler, Bruce Foxton, Chris Squire, Berry Oakley, Entwistle (in studio and sometimes live) and at least 30 more I could name without thinking about it too much... not a punk rocker among them.