Permanent Waves
Well-known member
Sterling FTW! He's getting tonnes of fret buzz though.
Graeme
Graeme
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PocketGroove82
Well-known member
in the videos he says the intonation is crappy on "old fenders"
Caca de Kick
Well-known member
Yes, his Wal and Spector got most of the recording time on those albums.
The reason why his Fenders didn't seem to 'cut' as well is because he insisted on leaving the flatwounds on them, instead of switching to rounds. On stage studios it was fine, but his sound just isn't flats.
The reason why his Fenders didn't seem to 'cut' as well is because he insisted on leaving the flatwounds on them, instead of switching to rounds. On stage studios it was fine, but his sound just isn't flats.
Pablo
Well-known member
A Jazz Bass not cutting through? That sounds very odd to me! I know this is MM's forum and all... but a Jazz Bass not cutting through is just pure BS!
Cheers
Eske
Cheers
Eske
boston asphalt2
Well-known member
true, but with that plugged into an amp, I betcha it sounds nice and growly
Trust me it's not BS. He could not be heard. A lot of the fans were posting it all over the fan club's msg board early on in the tour were very upset at Flea using the Jazz live. The FUSE tv appearance and the SNL appearance were the same as well. Both tv performances REALLY ticked me off cause it is rare that you can't hear him. He has since gone back to the Modulus basses live.
PocketGroove82
Well-known member
The older and more mature we get, the more we come to understand that there is something juvenile about the electric bass;Stanley Clarke said something to this affect.
It's so young in comparison to every other instrument and I believe this feeling is part of the reason people seek out the older, vintage instruments, and possibly the reason Flea tried out flats on a Fender.
There's something dignified about an old man playing an upright. For some reason, it's just not the same on the electric.
I don't know why I wanted to post this, but isn't it odd for flea to forsake his trademark voice, choosing rather to timewarp back to a sound from 50 years ago, which obviously didn't work with his band? Maybe my point is retarded....maybe I have no point! lol, still.
I don't think I have to play a "64 Fender Jazz to legitimize my instrument.
It's so young in comparison to every other instrument and I believe this feeling is part of the reason people seek out the older, vintage instruments, and possibly the reason Flea tried out flats on a Fender.
There's something dignified about an old man playing an upright. For some reason, it's just not the same on the electric.
I don't know why I wanted to post this, but isn't it odd for flea to forsake his trademark voice, choosing rather to timewarp back to a sound from 50 years ago, which obviously didn't work with his band? Maybe my point is retarded....maybe I have no point! lol, still.
I don't think I have to play a "64 Fender Jazz to legitimize my instrument.
I hate to agree with you. This past week I have been switching at gigs between my F*nder MIA Deluxe Jazz and my Sterling (exact same strings on both). . .
Hate to say, but as much as I LOVE my Sterling, the Jazz always cuts through better and fills up the rooms/theathers/outdoor stages better - I think it's because the lack of a neck pickup in the Sterling and the lack of producing those natural lows that neck pickups produce, without EQ. Boosting the lows in single-pickup EB/MM only makes matters worse (only rumble and not really defined lows, which makes the whole sound get lost in the mix).
And, I also agree that Flea's Jazz not cutting through has to do with the flat strings. A passive Jazz with flats is not for a heavy funk band like RHCP.
BUT, don't get my wrong, I love my Sterling.
AND I think Flea is a fool for playing Modulus (instead of staying with EB/MM).
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Hmmm...
Guess I'm going to have to disagree, here.
I've been a F****r Jazz Bass bass guy for a long, long time. I've loved (and still do) the sound, the feel, the look, etc. About ten years ago, I got my first Sterling. I fell in love immediately. I'd never owned a bass that cut through the mix and gave such a ballzy tone before. And, I've literally owned hundreds of basses of various flavors ranging from couple-hundred-dollar junk to several thousand dollar boutique basses. I've yet to find a bass that fills the room with bottom, yet also cuts through the mix like a Ray or Sterling. (Okay... possibly some of the EBMM clones, like the Tobias Growler). For me, none of them can compete with EBMM basses for sound and build quality.
The pickup configuration thing, in my mind, goes something like this: The J-bass has two pickups. The neck pickup primarily furnishes bottom and, unfortunately, mud at times. The Bridge pickup is what furnishes the punch and definition--but it lacks bottom. I run J-basses with the neck pickup nearly off and the tone rolled back. That gives a punchy, cutting sound. I think this is where the original Musicman design sort of came to the rescue. I can picture the designer (Leo) thinking "Wouldn't it be nice to get the definition of the bridge pickup on a J-bass and yet have a nice tight, punchy low end. Hmmm... how about a big ol' humbucker near that bridge J-bass pickup position?"
In my opinion, it was a brilliant solution and you get the best of both worlds with the Stingray and Sterling. I really can't see that there is any room for complaint about lack of low end. I mean, really... listen to Paul S. Denman on all the early Sade songs. Lack of low end? Muddy? Are you serious? How about Tom Barney on the recent Steely Dan stuff? I percieve no lack of low end at all. He has a great tone. And it isn't at all muddy.
Of course, there is a bit of variation between individual basses. Of the several Sterlings, Stingray 5's, and now, the 30th Stingray that I own (owned), some had more bottom than others. But, isn't it the same with F****r basses? Or any basses? Then there are dogs. I've owned plenty of those, but I've yet to run across an EB Musicman dog. Not even close.
Guess I'm going to have to disagree, here.
I've been a F****r Jazz Bass bass guy for a long, long time. I've loved (and still do) the sound, the feel, the look, etc. About ten years ago, I got my first Sterling. I fell in love immediately. I'd never owned a bass that cut through the mix and gave such a ballzy tone before. And, I've literally owned hundreds of basses of various flavors ranging from couple-hundred-dollar junk to several thousand dollar boutique basses. I've yet to find a bass that fills the room with bottom, yet also cuts through the mix like a Ray or Sterling. (Okay... possibly some of the EBMM clones, like the Tobias Growler). For me, none of them can compete with EBMM basses for sound and build quality.
The pickup configuration thing, in my mind, goes something like this: The J-bass has two pickups. The neck pickup primarily furnishes bottom and, unfortunately, mud at times. The Bridge pickup is what furnishes the punch and definition--but it lacks bottom. I run J-basses with the neck pickup nearly off and the tone rolled back. That gives a punchy, cutting sound. I think this is where the original Musicman design sort of came to the rescue. I can picture the designer (Leo) thinking "Wouldn't it be nice to get the definition of the bridge pickup on a J-bass and yet have a nice tight, punchy low end. Hmmm... how about a big ol' humbucker near that bridge J-bass pickup position?"
In my opinion, it was a brilliant solution and you get the best of both worlds with the Stingray and Sterling. I really can't see that there is any room for complaint about lack of low end. I mean, really... listen to Paul S. Denman on all the early Sade songs. Lack of low end? Muddy? Are you serious? How about Tom Barney on the recent Steely Dan stuff? I percieve no lack of low end at all. He has a great tone. And it isn't at all muddy.
Of course, there is a bit of variation between individual basses. Of the several Sterlings, Stingray 5's, and now, the 30th Stingray that I own (owned), some had more bottom than others. But, isn't it the same with F****r basses? Or any basses? Then there are dogs. I've owned plenty of those, but I've yet to run across an EB Musicman dog. Not even close.
I'm not interested in participating in Fender bashing. I have heard plenty of nice sounding Fenders. My fav Jazz sound is Marcus Miller's sound. I'm just saying I hate Flea playing a Jazz that's all. I want to be able to HEAR the man live. And it doesn't work for him for whatever reason.
