I have a 62 rosewood neck Jazz, and a 57 RI P bass with maple neck - albeit forty one years old - I HATE the Jazz neck at headstock. It’s too narrow, especially if you’ve been playing a P bass. I would go P bass , Rick 4001, Carvin fretless - The most underrated basses ever made - and an Alvarez as top four for different tones , and you can’t mistake the difference in tone of each.
For me, when I see a T-bird I always think about SOAD bass player Shavo Odadjian. about the list, stingrays are always my number 1, I love how they sound, how they look and how they feel, the perfect pickup spot for plucking for me, just feel home playing it. another thing that I like on MM basses is the quality consistency, It's very rare to find a bad stingray no matter the year you get.
Major props for mentioning Shavo, dude is super underrated in my opinion and has so many killer bass lines like on Sugar, Spiders, Chop Suey!, BYOB, Aerials, Mr. Jack and just everything from System's material. Such a killer player
41:20 in the middle of watching the hofner bit about Macca’s bass. He still plays that bass! The one with the “Bassman” sticker is the setlist bass. Setlist is still there, the bassman sticker is long gone. And, the Cavern Bass just returned to Macca after over 50 years. Cool stuff! 😄
Every session Jamerson played while at Motown was a standard P bass. Not only that - if I’m recalling correctly- he left the pup cover, and bridge covers on. He played between the two with the “ claw “ ie. Index finger, nothing more, and certainly never slapped …
The reason for the pickup placement is so close to the bridge on the Stingray bass was suggested by Louis Johnson to Leo Fender. He didn't want the pickup in the way of his slap popping.
OMG!! I love this! I am laughing out loud at you two so much!! Ian saying he will be cancelled had me cracking up… as did Scott’s hilarious comments! Oh… I blindfolded myself by turning my phone around and knew all 5 almost immediately. Pretty proud of that.
I'm a pre EB StingRay collector - I love them. This being said the Jazz is the most versatile weapon of them all - it can do it all if you get the right one.
Thanks guys, your podcasts are always great : plenty of info, experiences, humour & above all your genuine humanity shines ! Always a great hang out. Vis à vis the Stingray & less standout tones, I would suggest listening to Paul Denman of Sade (esp. first album) - very sultry, smooth bass, although he pumps it up on the 'Snakebite' track.
The "bassmann" Hofner a 1963 model is the same one Paul uses live to this day, his first hofner a 1961 model "The Cavern" was stolen in 1972 and was found and returned to Paul in fall of 2023. I also still owns the rickenbacker he used in The Beatles.
Great vid as always guys! Just some insight from personal experience when it comes to Stingrays; the secret sauce I’ve found is in a feature that only the fivers possess. The Series/Parallel toggle. I use my Stingray 5 in series mode only and it instantly brings down the glassy treble and boomy bass and sits more in the middle like a P bass. I completely agree with you guys on the fact that a Stingray more pokes through the mix than sits when in its standard parallel wiring but in series it’s a whole other bass. I have a Jazz, P, Dingwall and Stingray 5 and switching the ray from parallel to series transforms it from the last bass I’d pick up to the first. I wish the fours had the same feature. Give it a shot!
Great stuff, gentlemen. My honorable mention would have to be the Spector NS-2. As for Nikki Sixx, he definitely used other basses (Spector, Hamer, Schecter) but I always associate him with the T-Bird design.
'76 Thunderbird was played exclusively by Pete Way of UFO, once it became available - ditched the P. Thunderbirds were also played by Martin Turner of Wishbone Ash, Chris Squire of Yes, Glenn Cornick of Jethro Tull/Wild Turkey.
Awesome video ! That was so much fun. I miss my 4001 stereo, but I don't miss the back aches from strapping it over my shoulder. Geddy was my guy, but Chris Squire, and Mike Rutherford both made it special too. Spector, and Chapman Stick if it qualifies. Take care guys.
This is one of the best videos I've ever seen you guys do, so, thank you for making it. N O W, Scott, you'd be disappointed to open a chest and of those 5 iconic basses, you said the Musicman? My jaw dropped 😢. Still, great, great, great video. 😂😂😂😂
I wish I had a top 5 bass of all time. I am lucky enough to have 2 though. A fender jazz Marcus miller edition and A Gibson grabber that my friend Guigsy gave me. I love the idea of iconic bass lines of the 90’s. I played keys in a band called Finley Quaye in the late 90’s. Even after all was a great bass line that was created in studio with an overdub. Our bass player ‘Rubber’ was a killer at playing both parts at the same time. Love your videos guys and I’m not even a bass player! You’ve made me want to learn. “Use it as a raft” had me in stitches…. 😂
The kids ministry at our church has a “little” trio of drums, bass and acoustic guitar that plays for kids worship on Wednesdays. One of the moms plays the bass. She plays a PJ through a 8x10 full stack. She’s an amazing bassist, and sounds absolutely killer.
It was mentioned below, but bears repeating: Paul's #1 Hofner 'Violin bass', the first one which he bought around 1960, and which was stolen out of his tour van in the early 70s, (playing with Wings) was finally returned to him in February 2024, after being missing for 50+ years! I bet he was stoked! I made my living on 3 of those 5 basses for around 30 years. Although I also played a 'wild card' which was a beautiful all mahogany neck-through, long scale fretless which was one of the first 5 prototype electric guitars that Bernardo Rico built in '73 or thereabouts in his guitar shop in LA, long before he 'made it big'. The model was called a Seagull, and Clapton was shown in an infamous magazine advert playing one ("Guess Who's Playing BC Rich?"). I had that bass for several decades; with its pair of phenomenal Bartolini / Hi-A humbuckers it had a sound which was quite different from the ubiquitous Fender Jazz! I played downtown clubs in NYC for about 10 years on that Rich. All those years I almost never used an amp; the bass sounded so good I used to just plug straight into the board... :) The one bass that I've never owned in your selection and kinda wished that I did was the Stingray. Oh well... can't have everything.
For my band, I use my Rickenbacker 4003 for our standard tuned stuff (drop d) and a Stingray 5 for our heavier stuff (drop A). Both are very different sounding, but since those are the only two tunings we use, it makes for a good change of pace.
Nikki Sixx is definitely main inspiration for a lot of use out hear to pick up Thunderbirds. Ys he's had a lot of customs and spector birds over the years often in the studio he recorded with vintage Fenders. LEMMY KILMISTER loved Thunderbirds too ( the few pictures were he isn't playing a rick it's a T-bird ) Pete Way from UFO. Tom Peterson from Cheap Trick always had T-birds Tom Hamilton. Arthur Kane fron New York Dolls.Brian Wheat from Tesla. There have been a lot of players who love them all across the genres.they just never seemed to get the nod of approval from the "establishment "
I almost followed Scott's advice on purchasing order of basses! I started with a Fender P Bass, figured start at the beginning. Then I found a really fun, relatively inexpensive Hofner Violin bass, so grabbed that one. Than saved up (sort of) and grabbed a classic Rickenbacker 4001. I love them all for different reasons. Flatwounds on all three!
I have to agree with Scott. I believe The P-bass is the greatest all-time bass. I love the sound of My custom Schecter P-bass with Roto sound rounds on it. I would never sell that Bass. It sounds so awesome! For Rock and Metal music. Great video guys.🤘
Great Vid. Randy Meisner of the Eagles played a Rick on the Hotel California album. He was also a lead singer on many Eagles songs, including Take it to the Limit.
I have an Ernie Ball Music Man Stingray HH that I bought new in 2018. It's got both the bridge and neck pickups, and dudes, it's the most versatile bass I own. It has a 5 position switch that allows you to use 5 different configurations with those two pickups. That combined with the active electronics allows me to create what seems like an infinite number of sounds. Oh, and the roasted maple neck! It feels like petrified wood! In a good way! Combine all that with a Darkglass compressor, an HX Stomp, and a Quilter amp, and boom. I also own vintage Jazz and Telecaster basses which I love.
In the 70s on our studio PBass, players kept changing tone and volume between takes and a punch would never match. So I took our PBass and wired the pickup straight to the jack. Man, wired straight to Countryman DI, it took a blanket off tho tone. Still had that nice mid, but with the clarity of a piano string. We called it the RB-Bass. Lol It is amazing how the load of the pots affected the tone.
Although I own a fender p and a squier pj, which are obviously some of the most iconic bass types, that stingray has probably the most recognisable sound out of the 5. I need to invest in one, so cool!!!
Great vid! Would love a top 10 excluding these top 5. "Obscure Legends" if you allow for the paradox lol. Lesser exalted brand/model basses that are loved by some exalted players.
I started playing bass at age 7 and by the time I was 14 I had ‘2’ Pre CBS 57” P basses Sunburst with foam pad under the bridge cover and with a long story behind it. I was playing strictly country bass because back then you didn’t have the techniques that you have now. My time was mid to late 60’s and the P bass went very well in the country field. At 14 I was playing on the road a lot and kept both basses with me at all times. We parked to sleep at a truck late at night to sleep and get fuel the next day. So we all ate and went to bed we left the bus running with AC on since it was summer time so about 2am I started smelling like rotten eggs and it was filling the inside of the bus and around the back of the bus I saw fire coming out of the battery compartment and caught some of the diesel lines on fire and my basses were in the bay next to the battery compartment and lost my 57s and 2 fender bass man amps. I was never able to get another so I got me a Kalamazoo by Gibson bass and played it for years and just picked up what ever I could get to try to improve my playing and today I still do not have what had back then that really satisfies my hunger for my old P basses. Finally pick up a Squire bullet bass MIJ for $100 in a pawn shop. I do have a picture of me with one of my 57s in the early 70s playing at my dad’s church before I went on the road. The pic would be the last time of seeing the bass. If I can figure out how to upload it I will send it to you. I think you guys are awesome and love to watch and listen to both of you play. ‘
I'd put your entire top-five into mine as well, with one exception: Instead of the Hofner, I'd chose the Gibson EB-3. An honourable mention would go to the original iteration of the P (or early Telecaster basses circa 1968-1971), the Music Man Sabre and the Gibson RD Artist.
This is so funny. I always think that the Rickenbacker sounds so good with flats, and the P-Bass definitely needs round wounds. My list: 1. Rickenbacker, Rickenbacker, Rickenbacker. 2. Music Man Stingray. Both fretted and fretless. 3. Precision Bass. I need nothing more. Very good video. Love your chats. Edit: One thing I forgot: I think you should've added the Gibson Thunderbird. Super iconic. Edit2: And then, of course you mention the T-Bird at the end. Ironic... ;)
EB BFR Stingray retro 76 with radio knobs. I just ordered the Stingray Retro 70 in vintage sunburst, it will stand with my 2016 40th anniversary old smoothie.
If you can find one, the Epiphone 'Classic IV Pro' T-Bird is as close to perfectly balanced as any bass. And the neck is so sweet. Don't know about the newest one, I haven't played it.
Gotta co-sign on the Stingray’s biggest weakness. It’s just so difficult to get it to sound like anything other than a Stingray. As a long time stingray player the key is to accept that and make your sound a function of your technique and not the bass. Picking position and velocity matter so much more than on any other instrument
I really do want to love the PBass, I’ve had several and they sound incredible. But my thing is I feel like my sound is from the jazz bass and I recognize some of its mix limitations and the big names who have played it but I’m unable to move away from the JBass.
Giving a nod to Phil Lynott of Thin Lizzy. He used a pick and wasn't the greatest player technically but he was a front man on a P Bass and he made it look good! Especially with the mirror pickguard. He also had some great riffs/runs. He definitely deserves a mention.
My top 5: 1. Fender Jazz 2. Wal Mark 2 3. Warwick Dolphin 4. P Bass 5. Warwick Stryker For me it comes down to two things, how it sounds and how it looks
The original violin bass of McCartney was stolen and he played a similar bass since. But his original violin recently was found and brought back to him
Excellent video. I have to admit, i like the aesthetics and sound of a T-bird, but the body shape means those upper frets are just there for decoration, which is a deal-breaker for me (also applies to other basses inspired by the T-bird). It's also why Ian's custom model from Lull looks like such a great idea. In theory, my main bass just now is a Dingwall*, which can do Jazz and Music Man tones pretty well as well as that specific Dingwall thing. It can't do the P-bass tone, though, at least not well enough to suit me, so something with a split coil is the current target for "next toy". In November, I tried a Yamaha BB434 and thought it was OK but it didn't excite me, and a Lakland GZ signature model which had great pickups (an EMG PJ set) but weighed about the same as a small whale, so that's off the menu. Now thinking about Spectors and Sandbergs but being lazy and not doing enough about it. *it's complicated. The Dingwall is wonderfully resonant, which is great (lots of sustain) until I'm in a small rehearsal room with noisy guitarists, vocalsists and a heavy-handed drummer. Then it detects the vibrations from the drums and the PA we use for the vocals, and turns that into noise. So, I've reverted to an older, cheaper bass for now. Maybe fine-tuning a noise gate will fix it . . .
The Music Man Humbucker is actually not that far back.I just changed a PJ Bass to a PM. In the Fender J bridge position the MM humbucker does not sound very good. I had to commit to more surgery and move the MM pickup way forward so that it actually touches the P Bass pickup. It should actually go another 5 mil further forward to be in the correct location, but I didn't want to move the P pickup. And it sounds really good where it is.
J.T. Cure from Chris Stapleton's band plays a single pickup thunderbird - I have no idea if it actually is one but it's one of the coolest basses plus sounds GREAT. Was also thinking Pino on the fretless Stingray for the 'upfront' sound vs his playing on a p-bass being the exact opposite... I'd never thought about the instrument choice possibly playing a part in those two eras of Pino but now I'm really wondering!
hey guys you talk about bass a lot, but I think one of the most important things in forming a sound is the amplifier. Could you please make a video about amps too?
I don't like Ricks but I reckon' they'r Iconic. BTW, I've most of them and I'm having tons of fun with the Hofner Club Bass (it was about 300 bucks) I put flats on. Maaaan. Besides, I wish I had a T-Bird.
I'd probably go almost all Fender. 1. P Bass 2. Jazz Bass. Then Rickenbacker. Hofner does sound nice, but it's a _very_ particular sound. For me, I'd single out the Fender Mustang over the Thunderbird. There's probably been as many or more use of Mustangs than Thunderbirds at this point - probably generally more players/recordings/usage. Would definitely choose one over the Music Man.
Question: is it me or do way more bass players loose their hair (including myself) than guitar 🎸 players? My theory? Maybe the intense vibration simply shakes the hair out of the follicles. What do you guys think? Also, we end up with a glasses and goatee combo to compensate “with or without the optional hat”.
Thank you Scott and Ian. Wonderful video. Definitely, the Hoffner. Uuugh! Just not for me, thanks. Between my 1979 Rickenbacker 4001 Mapleglo, my 2013 Blonde Ash Body w/Maple neck Fender USA Deluxe American Active Jazz, or my 2005 Peavey Tiger Eye Quilted top USA custom shop Cirrus 5, I don't want to have to pick one over the others. I Gotta have 'em all! They are all so great. I had 2 basses that I wish I never had sold: 1.) 1972 USA Fender Musicmaster in white 2.) 1975 Gibson Ripper in natural, and of course, made in USA We all know the story of Ian's regretted Stingray. Scott, do you have a story of a bass, in particular, that you regret selling?
Come on, Tom Petersson from Cheap Trick famously played a T-bird on the first two or three records. There's tons of photos of him with T-birds. Come on!
My top 5: Kubicki Factor Fender Jazz (in my case, a Lakland) Rick 4001/4003 Spector NS2 MM Stingray Tried others and wanted to love them, but couldnt. Not like these ones. Including Wals, Status's, Warwicks, Gibsons.... these 5 are the ones.
Interestingly not only three of those basses were made by Leo Fender, but also three of them were played by one iconic bass player. And two of those three were the basses of choice of another iconic bass player. So if you want to play the basses the stars were/are playing, go for Ricky first, then Jazz Bass and last but not least the Höfner.
I’m new here and I Absolutely love your channel! I’d bet you’ve probably answered this in the past but, Ian, what are you playing through for the comparisons?
