zuma
Well-known member
Get yer coffee or beer. I'm gonna tell y'all a cool story and end it with a nice, short sound demo.
Back in 1991 I was a high school senior. One fine day, my main axe was stolen! I was actively gigging with school and our original band so I needed a bass ASAP. Next thing you know, I'd dragged my mom to Guitar Center Hollywood. There was no endless rabbit holes of research back then. As I didn't drive, and neither did my mom, it was quite a chore just to get down there. One way or another, I was walking out with a bass guitar. I nearly got a Fender Power Jazz but there it was on the wall, a white Stingray, just like my current idol Flea used. I had half of the cash, and the rest went on Ma's credit. It came home with me and served as my only bass for years to come. 3-band, mute bridge, medium birdseye neck, rosewood fretboard.
Fast forward to being in a signed band on the "verge of success" (ha ha ha!). Like a big dummy, I sold my beloved Stingray. In my defense, I sold it to a friend who agreed to sell it back to me just in case he didn't keep playing. Let's fast forward some more to about 2010. I began really missing my Stingray, and also felt bad that I'd sold a bass my Ma helped me out with. I was on a mission to get it back. I figured, hey, in this day of social media and text, my friend will be easy to find. NOPE! My friend was off-grid! I gave up after about six months.
THEN, late last year I received a text out of nowhere from a mutual friend. It simply said, "Mike still has your bass." It then took another 2-3 weeks to track him down and make the deal. I GOT IT BACK NOW! Woooooo! My buddy said he'd strung it with flats, played a couple of songs, then put it under his bed. Curiously though, it went yellow! I'd love someone to explain that one as it wasn't even seeing any sun. These are the thickest flats ever, likely heavy Rotosound 77s. These things are like suspension bridge cables I tell ya. Before I swap them out, I decided to memorialize it and record something. Here it is! -->
Fun facts: That 1978 cover had a huge influence on me. If my recent research is correct, it was played by a fella named Dennis Wadlington, on an Alembic bass. In my attempt to get closer to his recorded tone, I processed the Stingray with a SoundToys Filter Freak plugin, for that Alembic LPF-resonant filter vibe. Trust me though, the tone was about 85% of the way there even without that plugin. Also, though this a mute bridge, the mutes disintegrated before I even sold the bass, so they are not engaged here.
Back in 1991 I was a high school senior. One fine day, my main axe was stolen! I was actively gigging with school and our original band so I needed a bass ASAP. Next thing you know, I'd dragged my mom to Guitar Center Hollywood. There was no endless rabbit holes of research back then. As I didn't drive, and neither did my mom, it was quite a chore just to get down there. One way or another, I was walking out with a bass guitar. I nearly got a Fender Power Jazz but there it was on the wall, a white Stingray, just like my current idol Flea used. I had half of the cash, and the rest went on Ma's credit. It came home with me and served as my only bass for years to come. 3-band, mute bridge, medium birdseye neck, rosewood fretboard.
Fast forward to being in a signed band on the "verge of success" (ha ha ha!). Like a big dummy, I sold my beloved Stingray. In my defense, I sold it to a friend who agreed to sell it back to me just in case he didn't keep playing. Let's fast forward some more to about 2010. I began really missing my Stingray, and also felt bad that I'd sold a bass my Ma helped me out with. I was on a mission to get it back. I figured, hey, in this day of social media and text, my friend will be easy to find. NOPE! My friend was off-grid! I gave up after about six months.
THEN, late last year I received a text out of nowhere from a mutual friend. It simply said, "Mike still has your bass." It then took another 2-3 weeks to track him down and make the deal. I GOT IT BACK NOW! Woooooo! My buddy said he'd strung it with flats, played a couple of songs, then put it under his bed. Curiously though, it went yellow! I'd love someone to explain that one as it wasn't even seeing any sun. These are the thickest flats ever, likely heavy Rotosound 77s. These things are like suspension bridge cables I tell ya. Before I swap them out, I decided to memorialize it and record something. Here it is! -->
Fun facts: That 1978 cover had a huge influence on me. If my recent research is correct, it was played by a fella named Dennis Wadlington, on an Alembic bass. In my attempt to get closer to his recorded tone, I processed the Stingray with a SoundToys Filter Freak plugin, for that Alembic LPF-resonant filter vibe. Trust me though, the tone was about 85% of the way there even without that plugin. Also, though this a mute bridge, the mutes disintegrated before I even sold the bass, so they are not engaged here.
